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Still recovering from one of the worst riots in American history just one year earlier, citizens of Detroit were able to unite in the common passion of their beloved Tigers. The 1968 Tigers won 103 games and won the American League by 12 games over the Baltimore Orioles. In the “Year of the Pitcher” the Tigers were led by their ace, Denny McLain, who won 31 games on his way to winning both the American League Cy Young and MVP awards. The Tigers had no everyday players who batted .300 and had only one (Willie Horton) with more than 25 home runs. But with the pitching of McLain, and Mickey Lolich (17-9), Mayo Smith’s Tigers ran away with the pennant. The magical season carried into the World Series, as the Tigers rallied from a 3 games to 1 deficit to defeat the St. Louis Cardinals in 7 games. Mickey Lolich was the Series MVP as he was 3-0 with 3 complete games, and out-dueled Bob Gibson in the deciding game. Most importantly, a city divided by civil unrest was brought together by their wonderful baseball team throughout an unforgettable season. Denny McLain won 31 games during the regular season.

He joined the Dallas Cowboys as a 27-year-old rookie in 1969 due to his commitment in the Navy. He did not win the regular quarterbacking job until his third season in 1971. In the nine seasons he was in command of the Cowboys attack, they played in six NFC championship games, winning four of them, and also scored victories in Super Bowls VI and XII.