Detroit City of Champions

About Detroit City of Champions

1935. The Great Depression. Detroit is ranked as the hardest hit city in America.  Speramus Meliora Resurgent Cineribus Akin to a miracle something incredible began to happen. Detroit began to win in a way that had never been seen before…or since. The Tigers, Lions and Red Wings all won their first Championships. An unknown Joe Louis would rise to international super stardom. Speed boat racing, tennis, track and field, golf, bowling, swimming, firearms…champions all and all from Detroit. In this calendar year the city could claim 33 national championships. A celebration followed that has no equal in the annals of American sport. Holidays were declared, a plaque was signed by the president as well as every governor in the country recognizing Detroit as THE City of Champions… …and then…the story was forgotten. What happened in 1935? How did it happen? Why was it forgotten? Why should we care? These topics and many more will be explored by veteran radio host Jamie Flanagan a

Publisher

Detroit City of Champions

Category

history · society & culture · sports

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

5 Jul 2020

Latest episode

14 May 2026

Latest episodes

121 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   14 May 2026

   Detroit Earned “City Of Champions” In 1935 And Here’s How - Ep 119

   Send us Fan Mail Champions Day Live from the Detroit Historical Museum. The 90th Anniversary a special conversation on April 18th 2026. Detroit didn’t just have a good sports year in the 1930s. Detroit had a stretch so absurd that it turned into a civic identity, a national headline, and an official holiday: Champions Day. We’re recording from the Detroit Historical Museum on the 90th anniversary, surrounded by artifacts that make the “City of Champions” story feel immediate again, from...

2. 

   2 Apr 2026

   A Detroit Baseball Time Travel Story With Real History Inside

   Send us Fan Mail A dusty closet under a ballpark sounds harmless until it becomes a doorway to the past. We talk with author and genealogist Timothy Bernard Carr about Timing Is Everything, a fast-moving historical fiction time travel novel that starts in Detroit with the 2003 Tigers and then dares to rewrite the moments that still sting. If you love Detroit sports, baseball history, or Irish American storytelling, this one lands right in that sweet spot where research meets imagination. htt...

3. 

   26 Nov 2025

   World War II, Boxing, And Detroit’s Champion

   Send us a text A heavyweight crown can change a career. Fighting for dignity can change a country. We sit down with historian Randy Roberts to explore how Joe Louis moved from Detroit icon to global symbol during World War II, turning quiet resolve into a powerful stand against Jim Crow while uniting millions under one flag. Randy takes us inside The Fight of His Life, the book he coauthored with Johnny Smith, drawing on thousands of newspaper archives, Army and State Department records, and...

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

8 ratings

Contact Detroit City of Champions

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.