Sports · born 1961Paul Coffeyice hockey defencemanHall of Fame defenceman, second all-time among NHL blueliners in points, who spent three and a half seasons with the Red Wings and won a Norris Trophy in Detroit.DETROIT / A living lexicon / ¼
Famous Detroiters
People who were born here, moved here or built their careers in Detroit: musicians, carmakers, athletes, writers, inventors, civil-rights leaders and a few notorious names. With their dates, their Detroit story and the places where they lived, worked and played, closed ones included.
- 1,940 famous people
- 366 Detroit places
- 22 fields
Hungarian ties 22 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Field
Connection
Born in
A–Z (family name)
450 people · 4/10 page
Clear filtersSports · born 1961Paul Coffeyice hockey defencemanHall of Fame defenceman, second all-time among NHL blueliners in points, who spent three and a half seasons with the Red Wings and won a Norris Trophy in Detroit.
Sports · 1892–1969Walter Hagenprofessional golferFlamboyant winner of eleven major championships, "the father of professional golf", who became the first head professional at Oakland Hills and made Michigan his home.
Sports · born 1949Spencer Haywoodbasketball playerMississippi-born Hall of Famer who moved to Detroit as a teenager, led one of the great teams in Michigan high school history, and starred at the University of Detroit before a groundbreaking pro career.
Sports · born 1996Stanley Johnsonbasketball player, forwardEighth overall pick in 2015 who spent four seasons as a young Pistons wing known for his defense, before his career took him overseas.
Sports · born 1967Curtis Josephice hockey goaltenderVeteran goaltender nicknamed "Cujo" who signed with the Red Wings in 2002 hoping to finally win a Stanley Cup, and helped Detroit finish first overall the next season.
Sports · born 1967Aaron Kricksteintennis playerAnn Arbor-born tennis pro who reached a career-high world No. 6 and still holds Michigan's high school record for consecutive match wins.
Sports · 1925–2019Ted Lindsayice hockey player, left wing, general managerFierce Red Wings left wing of the 'Production Line' who won four Stanley Cups with Detroit, led the first serious attempt to unionize NHL players, and stayed part of the club for the rest of his life.
Sports · born 1987Jodie Meeksbasketball player, coachSharpshooting guard who signed a three-year deal with the Pistons in 2014 and nearly broke a Joe Dumars franchise record for three-pointers in a game before injuries cut his Detroit tenure short.
Sports · born 1972Chris Osgoodice hockey goaltender, broadcasterGoaltender who spent most of his 17-year NHL career with Detroit and won three Stanley Cups with the Red Wings, in 1997, 1998 and 2008.
Sports · born 1973Theo Ratliffbasketball playerShot-blocking center whom the Pistons drafted in 1995 and briefly brought back in 2008, part of a 16-season NBA career.
Sports · born 1983Brandi Rhodesprofessional wrestler, ring announcer, executiveDetroit-suburb-born wrestling personality who rose through WWE and became a founding executive and performer at All Elite Wrestling.
Sports · born 1968Barry Sandersfootball running backHeisman Trophy winner who spent all ten NFL seasons with the Detroit Lions, widely regarded as one of the most elusive running backs in football history.
Sports · born 1988Kyle Singlerbasketball forwardDuke's 2010 NCAA champion and Final Four Most Outstanding Player who spent three seasons as a regular starter for the Pistons.
Sports · born 1964Otmar Szafnauerengineer, Formula One team principalRomanian-born, Detroit-raised engineer who went from Ford program manager to running Force India, Racing Point, Aston Martin and Alpine in Formula One.
Sports · born 1995Christian Woodbasketball playerUndrafted forward whose career breakthrough came with the Pistons, who claimed him off waivers in 2019 before he emerged as a productive starter.
Sports · born 1999Marvin Bagley IIIbasketball playerFormer No. 2 overall pick who spent nearly three seasons as a Pistons forward after a 2022 trade-deadline deal from Sacramento.
Sports · born 1989Evan Batesice dancerOlympic champion ice dancer born and raised in Ann Arbor, who trained for years in suburban Canton and won national silver in Detroit in 2019 with Madison Chock.
Sports · born 1985Reggie Bushfootball running backHeisman Trophy winner and Super Bowl champion who spent two seasons with the Lions late in his career, helping Detroit reach the 2014 playoffs.
Sports · born 1983Will Bynumbasketball player and coachUndrafted guard who became a Pistons fan favorite for seven seasons, setting a franchise record with 26 points in a single quarter.
Sports · born 1996Kyle Connorice hockey forwardMetro Detroit-born NHL forward for the Winnipeg Jets who learned the game in the Belle Tire youth hockey program before starring at the University of Michigan.
Sports · born 1951Marcel Dionneice hockey centreHall of Fame centre who began his 18-season NHL career in Detroit after being drafted second overall in 1971, setting a rookie scoring record with the Red Wings.
Sports · born 1983Tim Gleasonice hockey defensemanOakland County-born NHL defenseman who played his youth hockey for the Detroit Little Caesars club before a long career elsewhere.
Sports · born 1981Willie Greenbasketball player and coachDetroit-born guard who starred at Cooley High School and the University of Detroit Mercy before a 12-year NBA career, later becoming an NBA head coach.
Sports · born 1973Tomas Holmströmice hockey left wingerSwedish winger who played his entire 15-season NHL career with the Red Wings, screening goaltenders in front of the net to help win four Stanley Cups.
Sports · born 1984Jimmy Howardice hockey goaltender, broadcasterGoaltender who spent his entire NHL career with the Red Wings, backstopping the team for over a decade before staying on in Detroit as a television analyst.
Sports · born 2006Maya Jointtennis playerAustralian WTA Tour player born and raised in Grosse Pointe, where she first picked up a racquet as a child, before her family moved back to Australia in 2025.
Sports · 1935–2012Alex Karrasprofessional football player, actorDominant Lions defensive tackle for twelve seasons who later became a bestselling book subject, sportscaster and Hollywood actor, remembered as much for owning a downtown Detroit bar as for his play.
Sports · born 1996Luke Kennardbasketball playerSharpshooting guard drafted 12th overall by the Pistons in 2017, whose three-point shooting still ranks among the most accurate in NBA history.
Sports · born 1984Ryan Keslerice hockey playerLivonia-born center and Selke Trophy winner who grew up playing Detroit-area youth hockey before a long NHL career, mostly with the Vancouver Canucks.
Sports · born 1972Vyacheslav Kozlovice hockey left winger, coachRussian winger drafted by Detroit in 1990 who played a decade for the Red Wings as part of the famed Russian Five and won two Stanley Cups.
Sports · born 1996Dylan Larkinice hockey centerMetro Detroit-born center who grew up playing for Detroit Belle Tire, starred at the University of Michigan and became captain of his hometown Red Wings.
Sports · born 1973Brian Maisonneuvesoccer playerMetro Detroit-born midfielder who played youth soccer around the city before representing the United States at the 1996 Olympics and the 1998 World Cup.
Sports · born 1988Justin Meramsoccer player, wingerMetro Detroit-born winger, son of Iraqi immigrants who met in the Detroit area, who played for the Iraq national team and later returned home to play for the Michigan Stars.
Sports · born 1973Brian Rafalskiice hockey defensemanDearborn-born defenseman, an undrafted free agent who signed with his hometown Red Wings in 2007 and won the Stanley Cup with them in 2008.
Sports · born 1982Chris Sabinprofessional wrestlerDetroit-born wrestler who trained in the Michigan independent scene before becoming a multiple-time champion, half of the Detroit-nicknamed tag team the Motor City Machine Guns.
Sports · 1929–1970Terry Sawchukice hockey goaltenderHall of Fame goaltender who won three of his four Stanley Cups with the Detroit Red Wings and, at his death, held the all-time NHL records for wins and shutouts.
Sports · born 1983Alex Shelleyprofessional wrestlerDetroit-born wrestler who, with tag partner Chris Sabin, built a career-long duo named for their hometown: the Motor City Machine Guns.
Sports · born 1994Jacob Troubaice hockey defensemanOakland County-born NHL defenseman who played youth hockey for the Detroit-area Compuware club and one standout season at the University of Michigan.
Sports · born 1958Mike Woodsonbasketball coach, former playerLongtime NBA assistant who spent one season on Larry Brown's Pistons bench in 2003–04 and won an NBA championship with Detroit before going on to a long head-coaching career elsewhere.
Sports · born 1977Marek Zidlickyice hockey defencemanCzech defenceman who scored an overtime winner in his very first game as a Red Wing after a March 2015 trade brought him to Detroit.
Sports · born 1967Dana Barrosbasketball player, guardSharpshooting guard, a former All-Star elsewhere, who closed out his NBA career with two seasons off the Pistons' bench.
Sports · born 1975Todd Bertuzziice hockey wingerPower forward who joined the Red Wings at the 2008 trade deadline and returned for a five-season second stint, reaching the 2009 Western Conference finals.
Sports · born 1973Johnny Damonbaseball player, outfielderTwo-time World Series champion outfielder who spent a single, memorable season with the Tigers in 2010, notching his 2,500th career hit and a walk-off homer in Detroit.
Sports · 1931–2025Alex Delvecchioice hockey player, coach and general managerOne of only three players to spend 1,500-plus games with a single NHL franchise, a three-time Stanley Cup winner who later coached and ran the Red Wings' front office.The lexicon keeps growing. Every entry lists its sources at the bottom. Dates were checked against Wikidata and Wikipedia. The texts are our own. Famous people's places among the sights ↗