1973 in Michigan

Events from the year 1973 in Michigan.

The Associated Press (AP) selected the top news stories for 1973 in Michigan as follows:

1. The selection of Michigan Congressman Gerald Ford as Vice President of the United States following the resignation of Spiro Agnew;
2. The 1973 oil crisis;
3. Layoffs in the automobile industry following a drop in sales;
4. Negotiations between the United Auto Workers and the Big Three automobile manufacturers;
5. Coleman Young's election victory on November 6 over former police commissioner John F. Nichols to become the first African-American Mayor of Detroit;
6. (tie) The Michigan State Lottery earned $61 million in its first full year;
7. (tie) Natural gas forced residents to evacuate their homes in Williamsburg, Michigan;
8. Severe winter storms struck the state in March;
9. Union construction workers protested at nonunion work sites in Kalkaska and Midland; and
10. Col. William Nolde of Michigan was the last American soldier to die in combat in the Vietnam War; he was killed on January 27 when artillery blew up his bunker 11 hours before the ceasefire.

The AP also chose the state's top sports stories as follows:

1. The 1973 Michigan Wolverines football team's being passed over for the 1974 Rose Bowl despite its undefeated season and playing Ohio State to a 10–10 tie on November 24;
2. John Hiller's comeback from a heart attack to set a major league record with 34 saves;
3. Gordie Howe signing a contract on June 19 to play with his sons for the Houston Aeros of the World Hockey Association;
4. The Saginaw Arthur Hill High School football team compiling an undefeated season and outscoring opponents, 443–0;
5. The September 2 firing of Billy Martin as manager of the Detroit Tigers;
6. Joe Schmidt's January 12 resignation as head coach of the Detroit Lions;
7. The hiring of Alex Delvecchio as general manager of the Detroit Red Wings and the firing of Ted Garvin as coach;
8. The rise of girls' athletics in the state, including Carolyn King playing for a boys' Little League team in Ypsilanti;
9. The October 11 hiring of Ralph Houk as the new manager of the Detroit Tigers; and
10. The firing of Johnny Wilson as head coach of the Detroit Red Wings and the naming of Ted Garvin as coach.