2016 in Michigan

Decades:	1990s ; 2000s ; 2010s ; 2020s ;
See also:	History of Michigan ; Historical outline of Michigan ; List of years in Michigan ; 2016 in the United States ;

Last updated February 10, 2025

Events from the year 2016 in Michigan.

The Detroit Free Press (DFP) and Lansing State Journal (LSJ) both published year-end recaps of the year's top news stories. The only story to appear on both lists was Donald Trump's narrow electoral victory in Michigan by 11,000 votes (and the recount requested by Green Party candidate Jill Stein). Other top stories included:

Criminal charges against four city officials in the Flint water crisis (DFP);
The USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal involving former Michigan State doctor Larry Nassar (LSJ);
The 2016 Kalamazoo shootings in which an Uber driver killed 6 persons (DFP);
A massacre in which Gregory Green of Dearborn Heights killed his four children and step-children and tortured his wife (DFP);
A federal criminal investigation into Detroit's blight demolition program (DFP);
Investments by Detroit's Big Three in self-driving automobiles (DFP);
The Detroit Pistons' return to Detroit and the opening of Little Caesars Arena (DFP);
Conviction of Detroit TV anchor and city council president Charles Pugh for having sex with a minor (DFP);
Death of 12 persons in a Flint outbreak of Legionnaire's disease (DFP);
A corruption scandal involving officials in Macomb County and trash giant Rizzo Environmental Services.

^[1]^[2]

Office holders

Population

In the 2010 United States Census, Michigan was recorded as having a population of 9,883,640 persons, ranking as the eighth most populous state in the country. By 2017, the state's population was estimated at 9,962,311, and the state had become the 10th most populous state.

The state's largest cities, having populations of at least 75,000 based on 2016 estimates, were as follows:

2017 Rank	City	County	2010 Pop.	2016 Pop.	Change 2010-16
1	Detroit	Wayne	713,777	672,795	−5.7%
2	Grand Rapids	Kent	188,040	196,445	4.5%
3	Warren	Macomb	134,056	135,125	0.8%
4	Sterling Heights	Macomb	129,699	132,427	2.1%
5	Ann Arbor	Washtenaw	113,934	120,782	6.0%
6	Lansing	Ingham	114,297	116,020	1.5%
7	Flint	Genesee	102,434	97,386	−4.9%
8	Dearborn	Wayne	98,153	94,444	−3.8%
9	Livonia	Wayne	96,942	94,041	−3.0%
10	Troy	Oakland	80,980	83,641	3.3%
11	Westland	Wayne	84,094	81,545	−3.0%
12	Farmington Hills	Oakland	79,740	81,129	1.7%
13	Kalamazoo	Kalamazoo	74,262	75,984	2.3%
14	Wyoming	Kent	72,125	75,567	4.8%

Sports

Baseball

2016 Detroit Tigers season – Under manager Brad Ausmus, the Tigers compiled a 86–75 record and finished second in American League Central Division. The team's statistical leaders included Miguel Cabrera with a .316 batting average, 38 home runs, and 108 RBIs, and Justin Verlander with 16 wins and a 2.96 earned run average.^[3]
2016 Michigan Wolverines baseball team - Under head coach Erik Bakich, the Wolverines compiled a 36–21 record.
2016 Michigan Wolverines softball team - Under head coach Carol Hutchins, the Wolverines compiled a 52–7 record.

American football

2016 Detroit Lions season – Under head coach Jim Caldwell, the Lions compiled a 9–7 record and finished second in the NFC North Division. The team's statistical leaders included Matthew Stafford with 4,327 passing yards, Theo Riddick with 357 rushing yards, Golden Tate with 1,077 receiving yards, and Matt Prater with 124 points scored.^[4]
2016 Michigan Wolverines football team - Under head coach Jim Harbaugh, the team compiled a 10–3 and was ranked No. 10 in the final AP Poll. The team's statistical leaders included Wilton Speight with 2,538 passing yards, De'Veon Smith with 846 rushing yards, Amara Darboh with 862 receiving yards, and Kenneth Allen with 110 points scored.^[5]
2016 Western Michigan Broncos football team - Under head coach P. J. Fleck, the Broncos compiled a 13–0 record in the regular season before losing to Wisconsin in the Cotton Bowl Classic. The Broncos were ranked No. 15 in the final AP Poll.
2016 Michigan State Spartans football team - Under head coach Mark Dantonio, the Spartans compiled a 3–9 record.^[6]
2016 Central Michigan Chippewas football team - Under head coach John Bonamego, the Chippewas compiled a 6–7 record.
2016 Eastern Michigan Eagles football team - Under head coach Chris Creighton, the Eagles compiled a 5–7 record.

Basketball

2015–16 Detroit Pistons season – Under head coach Stan Van Gundy, the Pistons compiled a 44–38 record. The team's statistical leaders included Reggie Jackson with 1,489 points and with 492 assists and Andre Drummond with 1,198 rebounds.^[7]
2015–16 Michigan State Spartans men's basketball team - Under head coach Tom Izzo, the Spartans compiled a 29–6 record and won the Big Ten championship. The team's statistical leaders included Denzel Valentine with 595 points and 241 assists and Matt Costello with 288 rebounds.^[8]
2015–16 Michigan Wolverines men's basketball team - Under head coach John Beilein, the Wolverines compiled a 23–13 record. The team's statistical leaders included Zak Irvin with 412 points and Derrick Walton with 180 rebounds and 147 assists.^[9]
2015–16 Detroit Titans men's basketball team - Under head coach Ray McCallum, the Titans compiled a 16–15 record.
2015–16 Michigan State Spartans women's basketball team - Under head coach Suzy Merchant, the Spartans compiled a 25–9 record and was ranked No. 16 in the final AP Poll.
2015–16 Michigan Wolverines women's basketball team - Under head coach Kim Barnes, the Wolverines compiled a 21–14 record.

Ice hockey

2015–16 Detroit Red Wings season – Under head coach Jeff Blashill, the Red Wings compiled a 41–30–11 record and finished third in the NHL Atlantic Division. The team statistical leaders included Henrik Zetterberg with 37 assists and 50 points and Dylan Larkin with 23 goals. The team's goaltenders were Petr Mrázek (54 games) and Jimmy Howard (37 games started).^[10]
2015–16 Michigan Wolverines men's ice hockey team - In their 29th season under head coach Red Berenson, the Wolverines compiled a 25-8-5 record.
2016–17 Michigan State Spartans men's ice hockey team - Under head coach Tom Anastos, the Spartans compiled a 10–23–4 record.

Racing

Port Huron to Mackinac Boat Race -
Pure Michigan 400 - Dale Jarrett was the winner
Detroit Grand Prix - not held

Other

Michigan Open - Jeff Bronkema was the winner

Music

March 18 - Post Pop Depression by Iggy Pop was released
April 15 - The Diary by J Dilla was released
April 15 - Layers by Royce da 5'9" was released
September 27 - Atrocity Exhibition by Danny Brown was released
2016 - Omar-S The Best by Omar-S was released
2016 - Lead Poison by Elzhi was released
2016 - "Slow Motion" by Stef Chura is picked as one of the five best songs of 2016 by Detroit Music Magazine^[11]

Chronology of events

January

February

February 20 - an Uber driver in Kalamazoo goes on a shooting spree (2016 Kalamazoo shootings), killing six persons and injuring two others

March

April

May

June

June 7 - a pickup truck plowed into a group of bicyclists north of Kalamazoo, killing five and injuring four others

July

July 11 - an escaped prisoner grabbed a gun and killed two bailiffs in a courthouse in St. Joseph, Michigan

August

September

October

November

December

Deaths

January 16 - Ted Marchibroda, University of Detroit quarterback and NFL coach, at age 84 in Virginia
January 18 - Glenn Frey, singer, songwriter, and member of The Eagles, at age 67 in New York
February 17 - Tony Phillips, Detroit Tigers (1990–1994), at age 56 in Scottsdale, Arizona
February 29 - Gil Hill, Detroit city councilman and actor known for role in Beverly Hills Cop , at age 84 in Detroit
March 5 - Al Wistert, football player at Michigan and in NFL, at age 95 in Oregon
March 27 - Curtis Hertel, Speaker of Michigan House of Representatives, at age 63
April 5 - Roman Gribbs, Mayor of Detroit (1970–1974), at age 90 in Northville
April 12 - Paul Carey, radio play-by-play announcer for Detroit Tigers (1973–1991), at age 88 in Rochester, Michigan
April 19 - Milt Pappas, MLB pitcher and Detroit native, at age 76 in Illinois
May 8 - Shirley E. Schwartz, automotive scientist, at age 80 in Ann Arbor
May 13 - Dick McAuliffe, second baseman for Detroit Tigers (1960–1973), at age 76 in Connecticut
June 10 - Gordie Howe, Mr. Hockey played for Detroit Red Wings (1946–1971), at age 88 in Sylvania, Ohio
June 13 - Ron Mason, Michigan State hockey coach (1979–2002), at age 76 in Haslett, Michigan
July 2 - Michael Cimino, Academy Award-winning movie director and Michigan State alumnus, at age 77 in California
July 25 - James M. Nederlander, theatre owner and producer and Detroit native, at age 94 in New York
August 20 - Harry Gilmer, Detroit Lions quarterback (1955–56), at age 90 in St. Louis
September 7 - Norbert Schemansky, Gold medalist in weightlifting at 1952 Olympics and Detroit native, at age 92 in Dearborn, Michigan
September 27 - David Hahn, the "Radioactive Boy Scout", at age 39 in Shelby Charter Township
October 20 - Gail Cogdill, 3x All-Pro receiver for Detroit Lions (1960–1968), at age 79 in Spokane, Washington
October 23 - Tom Hayden, political activist and Royal Oak native, at age 76 in California

Gallery of 2016 deaths

References

↑ "Top Stories of 2016". Detroit Free Press. January 1, 2017. pp. 4A, 12A – via Newspapers.com.
↑ "2016: The year's top stories". Lansing State Journal. January 1, 2017. pp. 1A, 4A.
↑ "2016 Detroit Tigers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
↑ "2016 Detroit Lions Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
↑ "2016 Michigan Wolverines Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
↑ "2016 Michigan State Spartans Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
↑ "2015–16 Detroit Pistons Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
↑ "2015-16 Michigan State Spartans Roster and Stats". SR CBB. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
↑ "2015-16 Michigan Wolverines Roster and Stats". SR CBB. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
↑ "2015–16 Detroit Red Wings Roster and Statistics". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 11, 2020.
↑ "The Year in Music 2016". Detroit Music Magazine. January 3, 2017.

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[1] "Top Stories of 2016". Detroit Free Press. January 1, 2017. pp. 4A, 12A – via Newspapers.com.

[2] "2016: The year's top stories". Lansing State Journal. January 1, 2017. pp. 1A, 4A.

[3] "2016 Detroit Tigers Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 11, 2020.

[4] "2016 Detroit Lions Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 11, 2020.

[5] "2016 Michigan Wolverines Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 11, 2020.

[6] "2016 Michigan State Spartans Stats". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 11, 2020.

[7] "2015–16 Detroit Pistons Roster and Stats". Basketball-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 11, 2020.

[8] "2015-16 Michigan State Spartans Roster and Stats". SR CBB. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 11, 2020.

[9] "2015-16 Michigan Wolverines Roster and Stats". SR CBB. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 11, 2020.

[10] "2015–16 Detroit Red Wings Roster and Statistics". Hockey-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved May 11, 2020.

[11] "The Year in Music 2016". Detroit Music Magazine. January 3, 2017.

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v t e Years in Michigan
19th century	1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900
20th century	1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1921 1922 1923 1924 1925 1926 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942 1943 1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000
21st century	2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024