A listing of the 55 Olympic track & field participants who attended high school or competed scholastically in the state of Michigan. Seven Michigan high schools have produced a pair of Olympians: Detroit Central, Detroit Eastern, Detroit University School, Detroit Western, Grand Blanc, Taylor Center, Pontiac Central.
Athens 1896 (0)
(no Michigan competitors)
Paris 1900 (1)
John McLean (Menominee 1897) – 800m – 3rd in heat
110m Hurdles – SILVER – 15.5
200m Hurdles – 3rd in heat
Long Jump – 6th – 21-1¼ (6.43)
St Louis 1904 (0)
(no Michigan competitors)
London 1908 (2)
John Garrels (Detroit Central 1902) – 110m Hurdles – SILVER – 15.7
Shot – BRONZE – 43-3 (13.18)
Discus – not in top 11
John “Pinky” Patterson (Detroit University 1906) – High Jump – 7th – 6-0 (1.83)
Stockholm 1912 (3)
Frank Belote (Burr Oak c1901) – 100m – 5th – no time
4 x 100 – DQ in semis; 1st in heat at 43.7; second leg
Standing High Jump – =7th – 4-9 (1.45)
Ralph Craig (Detroit Central 1907) – 100m – GOLD – 10.4
200m GOLD 21.7
Frank Nelson (Detroit University 1906) – Pole Vault – SILVER – 12-7½ (3.85)
Antwerp 1920 (1)
Loren Murchison (Detroit Eastern 1916-moved to Missouri as 10th grader) – 100m 6th – 10.6
200m – 4th – 22.2
4 x 100 – GOLD- 42.2 World Record – third leg
Paris 1924 (3)
James Brooker (Cass City 1920) – Pole Vault – BRONZE – 12-9½ (3.90)
George “Buck” Hester (Detroit Northern 1923-CANADA) – 100m – 2nd in quarterfinal (no time)
200m – 2nd in heat (no time)
Loren Murchison (Detroit Eastern 1916-moved to Missouri as 10th grader) – 100m – 6th – no time
4 x 100 – GOLD – 41.0 World Record – anchor
Amsterdam 1928 (4)
Fred Alderman (Lansing Central 1922) – 4 x 400 GOLD 3:14.2 World Record, 47.8 second leg
Lee Bartlett (Union City 1925) – Javelin (did not finish in top 6)
Ken Doherty (Detroit Western 1923) – Decathlon BRONZE 7706 (old tables—current 6428)
George “Buck” Hester (Detroit Northern 1923-CANADA) – 100m – 2nd in heat (no time)
200m – DQ in heat (lane violation)
4 x 100 – did not finish
Los Angeles 1932 (2)
Lee Bartlett (Union City 1925) – Javelin – 5th – 211-6 (64.46)
Eddie Tolan (Detroit Cass Tech 1927) – 100m – GOLD – 10.3 WR (10.38)
200m – GOLD – 21.2 OR
Berlin 1936 (1)
Lee Bartlett (Union City 1925) – Javelin 12th – 200-7 (61.14)
London 1948 (3)
Bill Porter (Jackson 1942; graduated Pottsdown Hill, Pennsylvania 1944) – 110m Hurdles – GOLD – 13.9 OR
Adolf Weinacker (Detroit Eastern 1946) – 50K Walk – 16th – 5:30:14
Lorenzo Wright (Detroit Miller 1945) – Long Jump – 4th – 24-5¼ (7.445)
4 x 100 – GOLD – 40.6 – second leg
Helsinki 1952 (1)
Adolf Weinacker (Detroit Eastern 1946) – 50K Walk – 22nd – 5:00:01.4
Melbourne 1956 (1)
Adolf Weinacker (Detroit Eastern 1946) – 50K Walk – 7th – 5:00:16
Rome 1960 (1)
Hayes Jones (Pontiac Central 1956) – 110m Hurdles BRONZE – 14.0 (14.17)
Tokyo 1964 (3)
Henry Carr (Detroit Northwestern 1961) – 200m GOLD 20.3 (20.36)
4 x 400 – GOLD 3:00.7 World Record (44.5 anchor)
Rex Cawley (Farmington 1959) – 400m Hurdles GOLD 49.6
Hayes Jones (Pontiac Central 1956) – 110m Hurdles GOLD – 13.6 (13.67)
Mexico City 1968 (5)
Jack Bacheler (Birmingham Seaholm 1962) – 5000m – 4th in heat – 14:31.0
Goetz Klopfer (Bloomfield Hills 1961) – 50K Walk – 10th – 4:39:13.8
Francie Kraker (Ann Arbor 1965) – 800m – 5th in heat – 2:07.3
Ron Kutchinski (East Grand Rapids 1964) – 800m – 5th in semifinal – 1:47.3
Lou Scott (Detroit Eastern 1963) – 5000m – 11th in heat – 15:13.6
Munich 1972 (4)
Jack Bacheler (Birmingham Seaholm 1962) – Marathon – 9th 2:17:39
Doug Brown (Harper Woods Notre Dame 1971) – Steeplechase – 9th in heat 8:41.2
Goetz Klopfer (Bloomfield Hills 1961) – 20K Walk – 19th – 1:38:33.6
Francie Kraker (Ann Arbor 1965) – 1500m – 8th in semifinal – 4:12.76
Montreal 1976 (2)
Doug Brown (Harper Woods Notre Dame 1971) – Steeplechase – 8th in heat 8:33.3
Deby (Lansky) LaPlante (Taylor Center 1971) – 100m Hurdles – 6th in semifinal – 13.36
Moscow 1980 (U.S. boycotted) (1)
Doug Brown (Harper Woods Notre Dame 1971) – Steeplechase – dnc
Los Angeles 1984 (4)
Judi Brown (East Lansing 1979) – 400m Hurdles – SILVER – 55.20
Brian Diemer (Grand Rapids South Christian 1979) – Steeplechase – BRONZE – 8:14.06
Earl Jones (Taylor Center 1982) – 800m – BRONZE – 1:43.83
Kim Turner (Detroit Mumford 1979) – 100m Hurdles – BRONZE – 13.06
Seoul 1988 (2)
Brian Diemer (Grand Rapids South Christian 1979) – Steeplechase – 7th in semifinal 8:23.89
Gary Morgan (Pontiac Central 1978) – 20K Walk – 37th – 1:27:26
Barcelona 1992 (4)
Brian Diemer (Grand Rapids South Christian 1979) – Steeplechase – 7th – 8:18.77
Darnell Hall (Detroit Pershing 1990) – 4 x 400 GOLD – ran in the heats, 45.6 leadoff in a 2:59.14 2nd place run
Penny Neer (North Adams 1978) – Discus – 24th in qualifying – 181-11 (55.44)
Todd Williams (Monroe 1987) – 10,000m – 10th – 28:29.38
Atlanta 1996 (3)
Kouty Mawennh (Pentwater 1990-LIBERIA – 4 x 100 – 6th in heats – 40.16 NR
Paul McMullen (Cadillac 1990) – 1500m – 9th in semifinal – 3:37.81
Todd Williams (Monroe 1987) – 10,000m – DNF in heat
Sydney 2000 (0)
(no Michigan competitors)
Athens 2004 (2)
Dathan Ritzenhein (Rockford 2001) – 10,000m – DNF
Paul Terek (Livonia Franklin 1997) – Decathlon – 21st – 7893
Beijing 2008 (1)
Dathan Ritzenhein (Rockford 2001) – Marathon – 9th – 2:11:59
London 2012 (4)
Tia Brooks (East Kentwood) – Shot – 18th in qualifying – 58-1¾ (17.72)
Geena Gall (Grand Blanc 2005) – 800m – 7th in semi – 2:05.76
Tiffany (Ofili) Porter (Ypsilanti 2005-GREAT BRITAIN) – 100m Hurdles – 4th in semi – 12.79
Dathan Ritzenhein (Rockford 2001) – 10,000m – 13th – 27:45.89
Rio de Janeiro 2016 (4)
Andrew Evans (Portage Northern 2009) – Discus – 16th in qualifying – 203-0 (61.87)
Cindy Ofili (Ann Arbor Huron 2012-GREAT BRITAIN) – 100m Hurdles – 4th – 12.63
Tiffany (Ofili) Porter (Ypsilanti 2005-GREAT BRITAIN) – 100m Hurdles – 7th – 12.76
Alex Rose (West Branch Ogemaw Heights 2009- SAMOA) – Discus – 29th in qualifying – 187-9 (57.24)
Tokyo 2021 (8)
Steven Bastien (Saline 2012) – Decathlon – 10th – 8236
Anavia Battle (Wayne Memorial 2017) – 200m – 6th in semi – 23.02 (22.54 in heat)
Anna Cockrell (Detroit Country Day MS 2012) – 400m Hurdles – DQ – (54.17 in semi)
Grant Fisher (Grand Blanc 2015) – 5000m – 9th – 13:08.40
10,000m – 5th – 27:46.39
Taylor Manson (East Lansing 2017) – Mixed 4 x 400 – 1st in heats 50.96 – 3:11.39 (bronze)
Tiffany (Ofili) Porter (Ypsilanti 2005-GREAT BRITAIN) – 100m Hurdles – 5th in semi 12.86 (12.85 heat)
Alex Rose (West Branch Ogemaw Heights 2009- SAMOA) – Discus – 18th in qualifying – 202-6 (61.72)
Cindy (Ofili) Sember (Ann Arbor Huron 2012-GREAT BRITAIN) – 100m Hurdles – 7th in semi – 12.76
Paris 2024 (11)
Dubeme Amene (Southfield Christian 2020-NIGERIA) – 4×4 – Team disqualified on first leg in heats. Ran 45.6 on third leg.
Heath Baldwin (Kalamazoo Hackett 2019) – Decathlon – 10th – 8422
Anna Cockrell (Detroit Country Day MS 2012) – 400H – SILVER – 51.87
Freddie Crittenden (Utica 2013) – 110H – 6th – 13.32
Andrew Evans (Portage Northern 2009) – Discus – 17th in qualifying – 204-2 (62.25)
Grant Fisher (Grand Blanc 2015) – 5000 – BRONZE – 13:15.13; 10,000 – BRONZE 26:43.46
Hobbs Kessler (Ann Arbor Skyline 2021) – 800 – 6th in semi – 1:46.20; 1500 – 5th 3:29.45
Udodi Onwuzurike (Bloomfield Hills Brother Rice 2021-NIGERIA) – 200 – =7th in semi – 20.72
Alex Rose (West Branch Ogemaw Heights 2009-SAMOA) – Discus – 12th – 203-0 (61.89)
Cindy (Ofili) Sember (Ann Arbor Huron 2012-GREAT BRITAIN) – 100H – fell in semi after 12.72 heat
Grace Stark (White Lake Lakeland 2019) – 100H – 5th – 12.43