2004 in Michigan: Difference between revisions

List of events

This article reviews 2004 in Michigan, including the state’s office holders, largest public companies, performance of sports teams, a chronology of the state’s top news and sports stories, and notable Michigan-related births and deaths.

The top stories in Michigan in 2004 included:

• 2004 Michigan elections, including John Kerry‘s narrow victory over George W. Bush for Michigan’s electoral votes in the presidential election;
• 2004 Michigan Proposal 04-2, the Michigan Marriage Amendment, a constitutional amendment prohibiting the state from recognizing or performing same-sex marriages or civil unions, passing with 58.62% of the votes; and
• Trial and conviction of Nancy Seaman, a former elementary school teacher for the murder of her husband using a hatchet.

The state’s top stories included:

In April 2005, the Detroit Free Press published its annual “The Free Press 50” list of the largest Michigan-based public companies based on 2004 revenues. The top 30 companies are shown below.^[1]

• 2003–04 Detroit Pistons season – In their first season under head coach Larry Brown, the Pistons compiled a 54–28 record and won the NBA champonship, defeating the Los Angeles Lakers in the 2004 NBA Finals. The team’s statistical leaders included Richard Hamilton (1,375 points), Chauncey Billups (446 assists), and Ben Wallace (1,006 rebounds, including 324 offensive rebounds).^[6]
• Malice at the Palace – A fight that broke out on November 19 between players and fans during a game between the Pistons and Indiana Pacers. After being hit with a drink, Ron Artest charged into the crowd and grabbed a fan who Artest erroneously though threw the drink. Other players joined Artest in the crowd, and many drinks and punches were thrown. Five players and five fans faced criinal charges.
• 2004 Detroit Shock season – In their third year under head coach Bill Laimbeer, the Shock compiled a 17–17 record. The team’s statistical leaders included Swin Cash (526 points, 135 assists) and Cheryl Ford (297 rebounds).^[7]
• 2003–04 Michigan State Spartans men’s basketball team –^[8]
• 2003–04 Michigan Wolverines men’s basketball team – In their third season under head coach Tommy Amaker, the Wolverines compiled a – record.^[9]

• November 2 – election day in Michigan

• March 16 – Jaydin Blackwell, two-time Paralympic gold medalist sprinter, and six-time World Champion, in Oak Park
• August 31 – Kirsten Simms, named Most Outstanding Player at the 2025 NCAA Division I women’s ice hockey tournament, in Plymouth

• January 27 – Jack Paar, talk show host, at age 85
• January 28 – Elroy Hirsch, football halfback and end, played for UM (1943-44), at age 80
• March 21 – Johnny Bristol, Motown songwriter and record producer, at age 65
• May 18 – Elvin Jones, jazz drummer, at age 76
• July 6 – Syreeta Wright, Motown singer-songwriter, at age 58
• July 18 – John D. Kraus, physicist and electrical engineer known for his contributions to electromagnetics, radio astronomy, and antenna theory, at age 94
• August 11 – Joe Falls, sports writer, at age 76
• August 14 – William D. Ford, US Congress (1965-1995), at age 77
• September 2 – Billy Davis, songwriter (“Lonely Teardrops“, at age 72
• September 13 – Glenn Presnell, Detroit Lions halfback (1931-36), at age 99
• September 28 – Willis Hawkins, aeronautical engineer, at age 90
• October 20 – John A. Trese, Catholic priest, at age 81
• October 23 – Dorothy Comstock Riley, lawyer and judge, first Hispanic woman to serve on a state Supreme Court, at age 99
• December 7 – Jay Van Andel, billionaire who founded Amway, at age 80
• December 17 – Agnes Mary Mansour, Catholic nun ordered by Vatican in 1983 to end religious vows or resign as director of Michigan Department of Social Services, at age 73