# Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School

Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School is a public magnet high school located at 3200 East Lafayette Boulevard in Detroit, Michigan; the building is operated by the Detroit Board of Education. King's district encompasses Downtown and Midtown Detroit; it also includes Lafayette Park, the Martin Luther King Apartments and Riverfront Condominiums. The Brewster-Douglass Housing Projects were zoned to MLK prior to their demolition. In addition it includes the three Wayne State University housing complexes that permit families with children (Chatsworth Tower, DeRoy, and University Tower).

## History

Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School was originally named Eastern High School. The first school building for Eastern opened in 1901 at the intersection of Mack Avenue and East Grand Boulevard.
In the fall of 1967 Eastern moved to a new building on East Lafayette and Mount Elliott, and one year later was renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School, after the civil rights leader's assassination in April 1968. The mascot name was changed at the same time from the Indians to the Crusaders. The original Eastern High building was demolished in 1982.
In 2009, Detroit Public Schools became the beneficiary of a $500.5 million, voter-approved federal bond package. At almost $53 million, the MLK project was one of the largest components of the package. The redeveloped Martin Luther King Jr. Senior High School re-opened in September 2011, with almost 200,000 square feet of new space, and 47,000 square feet of altered and redeveloped space. The project turned the facility into a school that emphasized a science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) curriculum.
In 2012 Kettering High School closed, and some students were rezoned to King.

## Extracurricular activities
### Athletics

In 34 seasons (1984 to 2017), under Coach William Winfield, Jr., the Crusaders women's basketball program compiled 693 wins, appeared in eleven Michigan High School Athletic Association championship finals (1985, 1986, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2016), winning the championship in 1985, 1990, 1991, 2003 and 2006. Coach Winfield retired in 2018 due to illness, and died age 78 on March 13, 2021.
In 2007, under Coach Jim Reynolds, the Crusaders football team became the first team from the Detroit Public Secondary Schools Athletic League to win a MHSAA Football Championship. From 1989 to 2019, the King Crusaders appeared in seven Michigan High School Athletic Association championship games in four different divisions: 1989(A), 1990(AA), 2007(2), 2015(2), 2016(2), 2018(3), and 2019(2), winning the championship in 2007, 2015, 2016, and 2018.
In 2006, King won the Detroit City League championship trophy in men's swimming and diving.
In 2008, the King High School marching band raised over $400,000 (including a sponsorship from then U.S. Senator Hillary Clinton) to perform at the Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

## Notable alumni

* Coleman Young (1934) the first African-American & longest-serving Mayor of Detroit who also served as a Michigan State Senator; described as the "single most influential person in Detroit's modern history."
* Helen Thomas (1937) journalist; author
* Joe Girard (1947), salesman; author
* Joe Altobelli (1950) All-City multi-sport athlete for the Eastern Indians; former Major League Baseball player and manager; managed the 1983 World Series champion Baltimore Orioles
* Reggie Harding (1961) first-team Parade Magazine All-American in 1961; led the Eastern Indians to three consecutive Detroit Public School League basketball championships; three-time All-State selection, drafted into the National Basketball Association out of high school by the Detroit Pistons; former basketball player for the Pistons & Chicago Bulls
* Emanuel Steward (1962) boxing trainer who trained world champions Thomas Hearns, Hilmer Kenty, Lennox Lewis and others; 1996 International Boxing Hall of Fame inductee.
* Bill Yearby (1962) 1962 Michigan state champion in the shot put for Eastern; and All-American defensive lineman for the Michigan Wolverines; New York Jets first round pick in the 1966 AFL draft.
* Lou Scott (1963) Olympian in the 1968 Summer Olympics & silver-medalist in the 1967 Pan American Games, one of America's top distance runners in 1960s. 1962 & 1963 Michigan State Champion in the mile, 1962 Michigan State Cross Country Champion for Eastern.
* John "Frenchy" Fuqua (1965) professional football running back who played eight seasons in the NFL. Fuqua become part of NFL lore as the intended receiver for quarterback Terry Bradshaw's pass that sports historians refer to as the Immaculate Reception.
* Ron LeFlore (born 1948 - did not graduate), former Major League Baseball player for Detroit Tigers, two-time stolen-base champion in 1978 and 1980
* George Gervin (1970) former professional basketball player and member of Basketball Hall of Fame; in 1997, was voted one of NBA's 50 Greatest Players
* Mike Taylor (1976) former NFL linebacker
* Rod Hill (1977) former professional football player in the NFL and CFL
* Ken Woodard (1978) former NFL linebacker
* Derrick Gervin (1981) former NBA basketball player, 1995 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP
* Roy Banks (1983) former professional football running back who played two seasons in the NFL.
* Kerwin Moore (1989) former MLB player
* Gerald McBurrows (1992) former NFL safety
* Karon Riley (1996) former NFL linebacker
* Anthony Adams (1998) former NFL defensive tackle and actor
* Ron Johnson (1998) former NFL wide receiver for two seasons with the Baltimore Ravens
* Kelly Williams (2000) basketball player who plays professionally in the Philippines
* Kevin Vickerson (2001) former NFL defensive tackle
* Chris Greenwood (2007) former NFL cornerback
* Nick Perry (2008) former linebacker for NFL's Green Bay Packers
* Avonte Maddox (2014) cornerback for NFL's Philadelphia Eagles
* Dequan Finn (2019) college football quarterback for the Baylor Bears
* Sauce Gardner (2019) American football player
* Jaylen Reed (2021), college football safety
* Jamar Pinkney Jr. (born 2004 - did not graduate), murder victim
* Dante Moore (2023), college football quarterback

## References and notes

* Michigan portal
* Schools portal
* 1 2 3 "Martin Luther King Jr Senior High School". National Center for Education Statistics. Retrieved December 22, 2024.
* 1 2 "High School Boundary Map." Detroit Public Schools. Retrieved on October 2, 2011.
* ↑ "Community Living Guide Apartments 2011 Archived 2012-12-24 at the Wayback Machine." Wayne State University. 12. Retrieved on October 2, 2011. DeRoy, University Tower, and Chatsworth Tower unfurnished apartments are approved for family housing."
* ↑ "Contact Us General Office of Housing & Residential Life Archived 2015-07-10 at the Wayback Machine." Wayne State University. Retrieved on October 2, 2011. "Chatsworth Tower 630 Merrick Detroit, MI 48202" and "Helen L. DeRoy Apartments 5200 Anthony Wayne Drive Detroit, MI 48202" and "University Tower Apartments 4500 Cass Avenue Detroit, MI 48201"
* 1 2 3 Bulanda, George (September 7, 2017). "The Way It Was – Eastern High School, 1907". hourdetroit.com. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
* 1 2 Kopochinski, Lisa (January 1, 2012). "Detroit Public Schools Receives $500.5 Million in Federal Funding" (PDF). programmanagers.com. Retrieved March 30, 2021.
* ↑ Roy S. Roberts. "Detroit Public Schools" (PDF). Detroit Public Schools. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 4, 2014. Retrieved November 1, 2012.
* 1 2 Booher, Christian (March 23, 2021). "William Winfield Jr., beloved Detroit King girls coach, 'believed in Black girl magic'". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
* ↑ "Michigan High School Athletic Association: Girls Basketball Champions 1973-2020". mhsaa.com. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
* ↑ "Michigan High School Football Conference Standings Since 1950". 2008. Archived from the original on October 19, 2008. Retrieved November 24, 2008.
* ↑ "Michigan High School Athletic Association: Football Yearly Champions 1975-2019". mhsaa.com. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
* ↑ Montemurri, Patricia (July 23, 2008). "Travelin' band: Students aim for China and their dreams". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on March 31, 2021. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
* ↑ Manning Thomas, June (1997). Redevelopment and Race: Planning a Finer City in Postwar Detroit. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
* ↑ Helen Thomas (May 3, 2000). Front Row at The White House: My Life and Times (link to Ch. 1). Simon & Schuster. ISBN 9780684868097. Archived from the original on July 14, 2011. Retrieved April 16, 2021. I was a sophomore at Eastern High School in Detroit and my English teacher liked a story I'd written and had it published in the school newspaper, The Indian. {{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
* ↑ "Most cars sold by a salesman in a year". guinnessworldrecords.com. London, England: Guinness World Records. 2018. Archived from the original on May 10, 2018. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
* ↑ Porter, David L. (2000). Biographical Dictionary of American Sports: A-F. Greenwood Publishing. ISBN 9780313311741. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
* ↑ Hunter, Branden (September 19, 2017). "How the cruel & unforgiving streets of Detroit swallowed up Reggie Harding". michiganpreps.rivals.com. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
* ↑ Pesch, Ron. "For 31 years, the Detroit Public School League Ran Its Own Tournament in the Shadows of the MHSAA, Its Stars Achieving Legendary Status In Exile" (PDF). mhsaa.com. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
* ↑ "International Boxing Hall of Fame: Emanuel Steward". ibhof.com. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
* ↑ Lancaster, Rob (July 7, 2015). "5 Fighters Who Owe a Debt of Gratitude to Trainer Manny Steward". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
* ↑ "MHSAA: Records-Boys Track and Field Individual Champions". www.mhsaa.com.
* ↑ "Michigan High School Track & Cross Country: Whatever happened to. . .?". michtrack.org. Archived from the original on May 12, 2009. Retrieved April 1, 2021.
* ↑ https://issuu.com/michiganrunner/docs/mr0712 Michigan Runner July 2012 P.8
* ↑ "John Fuqua". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
* ↑ "The Pittsburgh Steelers and the Immaculate Reception: 40 Years Later". bleacherreport.com. April 23, 2012. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
* ↑ "Sport: A Batter from the Pen". Time. July 30, 1973. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
* ↑ "George Gervin". michigansportshof.org. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
* ↑ "Michael Taylor". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
* ↑ "Rod Hill". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
* ↑ "Kevin Vickerson". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
* ↑ "Derrick Gervin". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
* ↑ "Roy Banks Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 13, 2021.
* ↑ "Kerwin Moore". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
* ↑ "Gerald McBurrows". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
* ↑ "Karon Riley". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
* ↑ Haugh, David (November 11, 2007). "Women in his life gems, solid as rocks". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
* ↑ "Ron Johnson". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
* ↑ "Kelly Williams - Men's Basketball". Oakland University Athletics.
* ↑ "Kevin Vickerson". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 4, 2021.
* ↑ "Chris Greenwood". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2021.
* ↑ "Nick Perry". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
* ↑ "Avonte Maddox". pro-football-reference.com. Retrieved April 2, 2021.
* ↑ Farrell, Perry A. "Detroit King's Dequan Finn flips to Toledo after Central Michigan firing". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
* ↑ McCabe, Mick; Dunlap, Keith (December 14, 2018). "Meet the 2018 Free Press' All-Detroit high school football team". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved November 22, 2020.
* ↑ Penn State lands Jaylen Reed; 4-star safety is Lions' first 2021 commitment on defense
* ↑ Friedman, Emily. "Teen Confesses To Molesting Sister, Dad Executes Him". ABC News. Retrieved January 10, 2022.
* ↑ "Winners The Gatorade logo Winner Access Nominate GATORADE 2022 - 2023: PLAYER OF THE YEAR Football - Michigan". Gatorade.