Sports · born 1961
Isiah Thomasbasketball player, point guard, coachHall of Fame point guard who played his entire 13-season career for the Detroit Pistons, leading the brash 'Bad Boys' to back-to-back NBA championships in 1989 and 1990.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.
- 1,949 famous people
- 516 Detroit places
- 22 fields
Hungarian ties 31 Detroiters with Hungarian ties →
Origin and citizenship
Field
Connection
Born in
A–Z (family name)
19 people
Clear filtersSports · born 1961Isiah Thomasbasketball player, point guard, coachHall of Fame point guard who played his entire 13-season career for the Detroit Pistons, leading the brash 'Bad Boys' to back-to-back NBA championships in 1989 and 1990.Eddie Tolansprinter, track and field athleteCass Tech-raised sprinter nicknamed the 'Midnight Express' who won double gold in the 100 and 200 meters at the 1932 Olympics, becoming the first Black man to be named the world's fastest human.
Sports · born 1948Rudy Tomjanovichbasketball player and coachHamtramck-born rebounding star at the University of Michigan who went on to win NBA championships as a Houston Rockets player and head coach.
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 1990
Tomáš Tatarice hockey forwardSlovak forward drafted by Detroit in 2009 who developed into a top-line scorer for the Red Wings across five NHL seasons.
Sports · born 2003Ausar Thompsonbasketball player, guard/forwardAthletic young guard-forward selected fifth overall by the Pistons in 2023, one pick behind his twin brother Amen, who has grown into one of the league's top perimeter defenders.
Tiny Thompsonice hockey goaltender, scoutFour-time Vezina Trophy winner and Hockey Hall of Famer who closed his 12-season NHL career with two seasons in Detroit after a decade starring for Boston.
Film & TV · 1903–1954Tom Tylerfilm actor, weightlifterHamtramck-raised B-Western star and screen Captain Marvel, who came home to Hamtramck to die and is buried in Detroit's Mount Olivet Cemetery.Sheila Taorminaswimmer, triathlete, modern pentathleteLivonia-born athlete who is the only woman ever to qualify for the Olympics in three different sports, beginning with an Olympic swimming gold medal in 1996.
Sports · born 1962Otis Thorpebasketball playerNBA champion power forward who spent two seasons anchoring the Pistons' front court after coming to Detroit in a trade from Portland.
Sports · born 1985Anthony Tolliverbasketball forwardWell-traveled 13-season NBA forward who played two separate stints with the Pistons as a reliable stretch-four off the bench.
Sports · born 1964Frank Tateboxer, Olympic champion, IBF middleweight championDetroit-born Kronk boxer who won Olympic gold in 1984 and later held the IBF middleweight title.Kelly Tripuckabasketball forward, broadcasterHigh-scoring Pistons forward of 1981–1986 and two-time All-Star, later the team's TV color commentator.
Sports · born 1958Pinklon Thomasboxer, WBC heavyweight championPontiac-born heavyweight who held the WBC world title from 1984 to 1986, known for his pink trunks and a punishing left jab.
Sports · 1860–1922Sam Thompsonbaseball player, right fielderHall of Fame slugger of the 1887 champion Detroit Wolverines who later settled in Detroit, played briefly for the Tigers at 46 and is buried at Elmwood Cemetery.
Sports · born 1958Alan Trammellbaseball shortstop, managerHall of Fame shortstop who spent all 20 seasons of his career with the Tigers, MVP of the 1984 World Series and later the club's manager.
Sports · born 1953Frank Tananabaseball pitcherNorthwest Detroit native who came home to pitch for his boyhood team and threw the 1–0 shutout that clinched the 1987 division title on the season's final day.
Politics · 1842–1904William G. Thompsonlawyer, Union officer, mayor of Detroit, baseball club founderCivil War veteran and lawyer who was mayor of Detroit from 1880 to 1883 and founded the Detroit Wolverines, the city's first major-league baseball team, in 1881.Ty Tysonradio sports announcerWWJ announcer who called the first Detroit Tigers radio broadcast in 1927 and became the city's first great sports voice.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 ↗
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