Detroit Historical Society honors legends to celebrate 100th anniversary
(CBS DETROIT) - Several Detroit legends will be recognized Saturday at the Detroit Historical Society's 100th Anniversary Celebration.
Executive Producer Impacting Communities Amyre Makupson sat down with the legends.
READ: Inside the Detroit Historical Society's 100th-anniversary celebration
George Blaha
"I'm a Detroiter sure. I was born in Harper Hospital. My mom and dad met in Detroit at Harper Hospital. It's a great city. And I'm proud of it," said George Blaha, voice of the Detroit Pistons.
How did you get into sports broadcasting?
"I always wanted to do it. Always. I can remember when I was about 8 years old, hearing those guys do the games on the radio. And I thought what a perfect life that would be after college and everything. I decided I better try to make up make my way in this business.
"I went to a small station, did some games for free so I could get an audition tape. And then went out and got myself a job in Adrian, Michigan, moved to Lansing and then to Detroit. So I always wanted to be in a hard-working city and maybe entertain people who would put in a hard day's work for a day's pay. And it worked out perfectly for me because I'm Detroit born and I know that a lot of people have put in a lot of work to make this city great," said Blaha.
Did you ever think you'd be the voice of the Pistons?
"It was a dream come true. I remember when I got the job. I thought, 'Man, this is perfect. Don't mess up.' You know, 'Don't lose this job. Do whatever you have to do to make this work.' And I guess so far so good. After 47 years."
Is there a Detroit Pistons memory that sticks out to you more than others?
"I think winning that first championship. It was 1989 and we had been beaten back at the door at the seventh game of the Eastern Conference Finals in '87 when Vinnie Johnson and Adrian Dantley bumped heads, otherwise, I'm quite sure we would have beaten the Celtics in the heat they were getting older. And they took two of our best players out for the rest of the game. Plus, the game was stopped for 10 or 12 minutes and these old Celtics were in the sweltering heat of Boston Garden had a chance to rest and regroup then the next year. There was a phantom foul on Ville and beer at the end of game six. After Isiah Thomas had had that unbelievable quarter on a badly sprained ankle. He scored 25 points on that bum ankle and one of the most miraculous amazing performances I've ever seen. We should have won a title that year. So finally when they won in '89, Isaiah happened to have the ball and he threw it up to the rafters at the forum in LA and I said 'Isaiah has it. He should have it. He sauntered up to the Raptors at Detroit, the city of champions again.' And that was probably still my favorite call," said Blaha.
"I'm excited. I don't know how I got so lucky. That turned out to be my year, this year. But the Historical Society is important to all of us, and to help them celebrate their 100th anniversary, I'm very, very happy to do that."
Lomas Brown
"This is home for me. [In] 1986, I became a full-time Michigander and turned in my Floridian residency. And because I came up here and love it up here, it's just so much you could do in Michigan," said Lomas Brown, a former Detroit Lion.
What was the best part about being a Detroit Lion?
"Best part one block and for Bernie Sanders, that was great to get to defend, being able to take care of the real big fella, as I called him. Probably, it's kind of bittersweet, and it's involved in football, but it probably was in 1991. Really, right now was the best season the Lions had other than the championship seasons. We went 12-4. The reason why I say it was bittersweet was that was the year our teammate Mike Utley got paralyzed during the game. But that was also the best season that the Lions had. So you know, yeah, we went through that downtime with Mike getting paralyzed. Everything but it was also like I say the team came together. And like I say, we had the best season that we've had other than the championship season. So I guess right there, that's my biggest memory because of seeing how the guys pool for me how this whole city how the whole state was behind my teammate, Mike Utley, it just made us feel good."
"It's wonderful. I mean, surprising, but wonderful. I feel grateful for the honor. I feel it's a privilege to be going in with such great people and just to be recognized especially you know, you don't do this to get recognized. And when people recognize some of the things that you're doing, it just makes you feel good. So I feel blessed and I feel privileged," said Brown.
"You know what I came here as an offensive lineman in 1985. And I say it to myself, to make myself known in the city of Detroit, in the state of Michigan, I needed to get out and be charitable. That's what I said I was going to do, I was gonna get out, I was gonna do events, free pay whatever they were, but I was going to do events in the neighborhood, just to get my name out there. And now I'm just proud to say that I think a lot of people know me just as much from football, but normally just as much for the charitable things that I do around the state of Michigan and around here. And I'm proud about that. I really am. Because again, this is what you give. We've been given so much I really have in my lifetime. And I know, it's my responsibility to give what I've gotten. And that's all I'm trying to do with the youth. So through my foundation, I work with youth around the state of Michigan, middle school kids, you know, just trying to help empower these kids. Because, man, I don't know if I could be a kid these days. It's tough. It really is being a young adult these days. So as much as we can help them, that's what I'm trying to do. And that's what my foundation does," said Brown.
"Oh, my God. Moment. Yes. It really is. You're right. I mean, for me, and the thing about that I was hurt that game. So I was on the sideline. But I didn't know how serious it was until my ex-teammate, Kevin Glover, I see him walking off the field. And he was crying. And that's when I knew just how serious Mike was hurt. And then for Mike to give us think about it now, because I know I couldn't have did it to be paralyzed the worst part of your life right now. And to give everybody a thumbs up as they were wheeling you off to you. I mean, that was just the it was just phenomenal. And like I say, That's what carried us the rest of the best season. And like I said it was bittersweet. But it was a time that I'll never forget really," said Brown.
Ken Daniels
"I come from Toronto. I like going home to Toronto. And for me in terms of hockey, I couldn't care any less about the Maple Leafs are what they do. I don't wish them any ill well. But I'm all Detroit. I'm all Red Wings. So to me, this is home. In Toronto, it was great growing up there, but I'm here now," said Ken Daniels, voice of the Detroit Red Wings.
"I love it, being the TV voice of the Red Wings, people come up to me and they'll say 'I grew up watching you. You're the voice of my generation.'"
Can you name a great moment in your career?
"I don't know if there's one and I get asked that a lot. Because there have been so many. I know the great players that we've had come over the boards from Sergey Federoff and Pavel Datsyuk and Steve Eiserman and Brendan Shanahan. There are certain ones that may stand out for me, but not where a fan will go 'He likes that moment?' I can remember even Brendan Shanahan saying to me that his brother called him in Toronto was watching a Red Wing game and I picked up the fact that Brandon lifted his foot up to let it pass go through. And I caught it. There was a moment where Brett Hall was in a huge slump, and we're playing I believe it was the Los Angeles Kings. And he hadn't scored in a lot of games. And I don't know whether it was 15 or something. But for Brett, it was weird. And I noticed that at the start of the third period, he always used black tape and I noticed the tape on his stick was white. And I said, 'Maybe Brett Hall is trying to change the sum.' And sure enough, he scored and I said slump buster. So little things like that, that you actually catch within a game because it catches your eye and I go, OK, I caught it," said Daniels.
"Man, I have tons of fond memories. I used to meet really exciting people. Actually, I used to like Christmas time because we would have a party. And everybody you see somebody on a different turf and a different environment. They're different people. So I just I couldn't remember the Christmas parties. And we just have fun seeing each other and spending time with each other. And no agenda no work."
"Well, I just so people realize how much I appreciate them. The fan base, as I said earlier, they've been so good to me, I hope that they've had, if they've had half as much fun listening as I've had doing the games, then then I'll be satisfied," said Daniels.
"Makes me feel like I reached a milestone, but I don't feel like I'm near the end of anything yet," said Daniels.
"Legacy with the Red Wings would just be that they enjoyed the game, and we made it fun. And we told good stories and had fun with those stories. And we had passion for the game that Mickey and I had a lot of fun. And we do every night when Mickey walks into the gondola and he'll say, Kenny boy, it's, it's like he said, Honey, I'm home. And that is our home. And I hope people feel at home with us. And we're inviting them in to join us. And it's just two guys having fun during the hockey game. And we don't get too serious. The game can be certainly there's dollars and cents here. And then that's what matters. In the end. It's a big business. But I hope that people believe we have fun in this business," said Daniels.
Amyre Makupson
"It's a great city, great people. It has a lot to do and a lot of new things are coming up. We have a rough reputation, I'm aware of that; not all of it is deserved. And that's not sloughing off the other things. I think we're working on it to try to get together and help this all to make Detroit wonderful. And let other people know it is because it is and I don't like people talk bad about my city," said Amyre Makupson, longtime Detroit anchorwoman.
"I'm one of the few people born knowing what I wanted to do. I had five choices. I wanted to be either a pediatrician, or a psychiatrist or a Olympic swimmer ... and I wanted to do news. I just can't. And if I went to school, I could see where it took each one to make. And I wanted to be an actress. That was the other one. So I kind of knew it was just a matter of which way I was gonna float."
"Exciting, it's very exciting. That's such a cool thing which you can know about because you may be seen it or heard about it in Hollywood. And this is my Hollywood as I'm concerned. I think it's just, I think it's exciting. It says, I see you. I know you, you I appreciate you, I think you did something positive for the city. And I just, it's exciting beyond words," said Makupson.
"So I'm honored. I'm honored just to be with those who are much more notoriety than I think I do in this marketplace. So it's, it's an honor to be just amongst them. It is absolutely wonderful to be recognized by an institution that is as old and solid and trustworthy as a Detroit Historical Society is I'm just I'm surprised but I'm very pleased and I'm excited." said Makupson.
"I hope they know that I always wanted to do the right thing, whether I did or not. And I loved our city and tried to do everything to help it, that I was a great parent, which was my most important job, and that she's just and she was a pretty nice person who would call you back if you called her," said Makupson.