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See the full story · 1 sourcesDetroit — The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame has unveiled its Class of 2026.
The Hall of Fame announced Wednesday that seven new members have been elected and will be inducted during a Dec. 17 ceremony at MotorCity Casino Hotel.
The class includes Ferris State head football coach Tony Annese, former Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram II, WNBA champion Swin Cash, Detroit Lions great Kevin Glover, Olympic gold-medalist Peter Vanderkaay, Red Wings playing and broadcasting legend, Paul Woods and late Detroit Tigers general manager Bill Lajoie.
Inductees were elected by a collection of current and former media members, sports executives and other area dignitaries, with input from votes from Detroit and Michigan sports fans. Voting results are not made public.
“This class is filled with champions from varied levels and eras," said Scott Lesher, chairman of the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame. "Their induction helps make sure that fans of Michigan won’t forget what they accomplished.
"Congratulations to the Class of 2026."
The Michigan Sports Hall of Fame also will present two awards at the induction gala.
The Michigan Treasure Award will be presented to the late Mark "The Bird" Fidrych, 50 years after the Tigers rookie pitcher took Major League Baseball by storm in the memorable summer of 1976. The Courage Award will be presented to Charlevoix varsity boys golf coach Doug Drenth, who led his team to the 2026 state championship, one year after a horrific team-van crash left Drenth fighting for his life.
Tickets for the induction ceremony start at $25 and can be purchased at mshof.org .
Here's a closer look at the Class of 2026:
Professional
SWIN CASH
Cash, 46, was the second pick in the 2002 WNBA Draft and helped lead the Detroit Shock to its first championship in 2003, averaging nearly 17 points, and then another title in 2006. Cash played six years for the Shock, making two All-Star teams with Detroit, and was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2022.
KEVIN GLOVER
Glover, 63, a second-round pick in the 1985 NFL Draft by the Detroit Lions, was the anchor of the team's offensive line from 1985-97, and the key blocker for Pro Football Hall-of-Famer and legendary running back Barry Sanders. He blocked during Sanders' historic 2,053-yard season in 1997. Glover was a three-time Pro Bowl selection.
Amateur
MARK INGRAM II
Ingram, 36, starred in football at Grand Blanc and Flint Southwestern, earning Saginaw Valley player-of-the-year and all-state honors as a senior. He also was all-state nine times in track and field. The running back went on to win the Heisman Trophy at Alabama and played 12 years in the NFL, being named a Pro Bowler three times.
PETER VANDERKAAY
Vanderkaay, 42, grew up in Oakland Township and graduated from Rochester Adams High School, winning three state swimming titles, before attending the University of Michigan, where he won five NCAA championships and 14 Big Ten titles. In the Olympics, he won four medals, including gold in 2004 and 2008 and bronze in 2008 and 2012.
Coach
TONY ANNESE
Annese, 65, a Corunna native and Alma College alumnus, has won championships in football as a coach in high school, at the junior-college level, and at the Division II college level. Annese has won four national titles in the last five years with Ferris State. The Bulldogs won back-to-back titles in 2021-22 and again in 2024-25.
Media
PAUL WOODS
Woods, 71, played for the Red Wings from 1977-84, the franchise's youngest captain pre-Steve Yzerman, before joining the team's radio broadcast booth in 1987. He spent 40 years on the air calling Red Wings games, before his retirement in the spring of 2026. He called more than 3,000 games, including four Stanley Cup championships.
Contributor
BILL LAJOIE
LaJoie, who died in 2010 at the age of 76, was a Wyandotte native and Western Michigan alum who started as a scout for the Tigers in 1969, drafting and developing the players that would win the 1984 World Series. As GM, he put the finishing touches on that championship roster. He also won titles with the Atlanta Braves and Boston Red Sox.
Editor's note: Tony Paul is a member of the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame's election committee.
@tonypaul1984
This article originally appeared on The Detroit News: Here are the newest members of the Michigan Sports Hall of Fame
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