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Michigan Sports Hall Of Fame Inducts New Class

The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame inducted a record-setting 24 athletes on Thursday.

Mar. 27, 2012; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; General view of a baseball as it sits on the pitcher's mound prior to the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Angels at Scottsdale Stadium.  Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE
Mar. 27, 2012; Scottsdale, AZ, USA; General view of a baseball as it sits on the pitcher's mound prior to the game between the San Francisco Giants and the Los Angeles Angels at Scottsdale Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-US PRESSWIRE

The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame inducted its latest class during a special event at Detroit's Gem Theatre on Thursday night, as Dana Wakiji of Fox Sports Detroit reports. A record 24 athletes were inducted as part of this year's class after the Hall decided to make a concerted effort to honor many of Michigan's top athletes from the past 70-plus years.

As Wakiji notes, the largest group of athletes inducted on Thursday comes from the 1960s. The athletes come from all sports, ranging from Hall of Fame pitcher Milt Pappas and Hall of Fame basketball player Chet Walker to gold medal hurdler Rex Cawley and legendary bowler Bob Strampe.

The most recent inductees come from the 1980s, headlined by former Detroit pitcher Willie Hernandez, who won a Cy Young Award as a relief pitcher on the 1984 World Series-winning Tigers club. During a six-year career in Detroit, Hernandez appeared in three All Star Games while posting a 2.98 ERA.

For more, stay tuned to SB Nation Detroit.