1981 in Michigan
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| 1981 in the United States |
| 1981 in U.S. states and territories |
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| States |
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| Territories |
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| Washington, D.C. |
| List of years in the United States by state or territory |
Events from the year 1981 in Michigan.
The Associated Press (AP) selected the state's top sports stories as follows:
- The first championship boxing match between Thomas Hearns boxing match with Sugar Ray Leonard on September 16 and billed as "The Showdown";
- Eric Hipple's taking over as the Detroit Lions' quarterback after an injury to Gary Danielson;
- Michigan's victory over Washington in the 1981 Rose Bowl;
- The Detroit Pistons' selection of Isiah Thomas and Kelly Tripucka with the second and twelfth picks in the first round of the 1981 NBA draft;
- The Detroit Tigers' November 27 trade of Steve Kemp to the Chicago White Sox in exchange for Chet Lemon;
- The development of Kirk Gibson as a Major League Baseball player, compiling a .328 batting average for the Detroit Tigers;
- The death of University of Michigan football broadcaster Bob Ufer;
- The inaugural Michigan 500 automobile race at the Michigan International Speedway;
- The Detroit Red Wings' December 2 trade of Dale McCourt, Mike Foligno, and Brent Peterson to the Buffalo Sabres in exchange for Danny Gare, Jim Schoenfeld, and Derek Smith; and
- The induction of Ernie Harwell into the Baseball Hall of Fame.