Never fear, the 2004 NBA championship won by Chauncey Billups (1) and the Pistons will not be overlooked. (Andy Hayt / Getty Images)
Top 40 moments in Detroit sports history
| Year | Consensus moments |
| 1902 | Michigan plays in first Rose Bowl. U-M beats Stanford 49-0. |
| 1926 | The Tigers' Ty Cobb sets hits record, has .367 career average |
| 1934 | The Lions begin a tradition by playing the Bears on Thanksgiving. |
| 1935 | The Lions, Tigers and Red Wings win championships. |
| 1935 | At Big Ten meet in Ann Arbor, Jesse Owens set 3 world records. |
| 1938 | Tigers outfielder Hank Greenberg leads the A.L. with 58 home runs. |
| 1938 | Boxer Joe Louis defeats Max Schmeling |
| 1941 | Boston's Ted Williams' winning All-Star Game home run |
| 1950s | Red Wings 1950s dynasty -- four Stanley Cups |
| 1951 | Ben Hogan wins U.S. Open, defeats "the Monster" at Oakland Hills |
| 1954 | Arnold Palmer wins U.S. Amateur at the Country Club of Detroit |
| 1957 | The Lions' last championship |
| 1963 | Wings forward Gordie Howe becomes career goals leader (545) |
| 1966 | Michigan State vs. Notre Dame -- "The Game of the Century" |
| 1968 | Tigers pitcher Denny McLain's 31 victories |
| 1968 | Tigers win World Series |
| 1968 | Detroiter Spencer Haywood leads Olympic hoops team |
| 1969-1978 | U-M's Bo Schembechler vs. Woody Hayes: The ongoing rivalry between Michigan and Ohio State |
| 1971 | Yankees outfielder Reggie Jackson's All-Star home run |
| 1974 | The Tigers' Al Kaline gets 3,000th hit. |
| 1976 | Tigers pitcher Mark Fidrych's start on "Monday Night Baseball" |
| 1979 | Magic Johnson (Michigan State) vs. Larry Bird (Indiana State) |
| 1980 | Thomas Hearns knocks out Pipino Cuevas to win welterweight title at Joe Louis Arena; Al Kaline's Hall of Fame induction |
| 1980 | Lions running back Billy Sims' first game -- 120 yards, three touchdowns |
| 1984 | Tigers start 35-5, win World Series |
| 1988 | Pistons guard Isiah Thomas scores 25 in the third quarter against the Lakers in Game 6 of the Finals despite a sprained ankle |
| 1989 | U-M wins NCAA basketball championship |
| 1989-90 | ' Pistons "Bad Boys" win back-to-back championships |
| 1991 | Lions finish 12-4, beat the Cowboys 38-6 in the playoffs |
| 1991 | Fab Five come to Ann Arbor |
| 1997 | The Wings' Darren McCarty gets revenge on the Avalanche's Claude Lemieux |
| 1997 | Steve Yzerman hoists the Stanley Cup |
| 1997 | Michigan wins 1997 NCAA football championship |
| 1997 | Lions running back Barry Sanders gains 2,053 yards |
| 1999 | Tiger Stadium closes |
| 2000 | Michigan State wins the NCAA basketball championship |
| 2003 | Detroit Shock win WNBA title |
| 2004 | Pistons win the NBA title because of Joe Dumars' vision |
| Detroit Lions' Billy Sims, Lem Barney, and Barry Sanders |
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