It was the middle of the Great Depression and Detroit was particularly hard hit, with more than 220,000 out of work. Homeowners couldn't pay their mortgages or property taxes, forcing banks to close and bringing on a fiscal crisis in the city.
But despite the hardships, it was a time for celebration like no other, a time for Detroit to revel in its newly won reputation as "The City of Champions."
It began when native son Gar Wood and his racing boats won the Harmsworth Trophy for unlimited powerboat racing on the Detroit River in 1931. The following year Eddie "the Midnight Express" Tolan, a black student from Detroit's Cass Technical High School, won the 100- and 200-meter races and two gold medals at the 1932 Olympics.
It continued as Detroit's own "Brown Bomber," Joe Louis, captured national attention on his way to the heavyweight championship of the world, and was bolstered when the Detroit Red Wings won the National Hockey League's Stanley Cup and the Detroit Lions won the National Football League championship in 1935. The Detroit Tigers won the American League pennant in 1934 and again in 1935. And it was the Tigers who made the "City of Champions" title stick by winning the World Series in 1935, defeating the Chicago Cubs.
Once again the times economic times in Detroit are sobering and people are again worried if they will be able to make the next mortgage note. But the city like the resilient boxers of Kronk is used to hard hits but one thing will always remain Detroit is a true sports town and will remain so long after the crowds of the Super Bowl have returned home.
Click here to read more on this subject from The Rearview Mirror: The Detroit News' historical collection.