Landmarks of Michigan sports summer series looks for community suggestions

I have been a sports fan all my life. I grew up hearing tall tales of my grandpa's trips to old Tigers Stadium and hearing stories passed down from my own parents about their date at the Pontiac Silverdome when the Lions throttled the Cowboys in the NFC Divisional game.

I have always been fascinated by the history of these great cultural sports landmarks that have come and gone. 

A recent trip to Ironwood, and standing atop of the Copper Peak Ski Jump, had enlightened me on just how valuable these historical sights are to our current cultural landscape and how quickly many are to forget about the rich history our state has in sports.

Almost every town in the mitten has a monument, a field or a baseball diamond where memories were made and lost to time. 

Our Landmarks of Michigan Sports stories will help bring to light some of the most forgotten historical gems of our sports' past around Southern Michigan and abroad.

With the help of Hillsdale County and surrounding communities, we will work together to bring some of these landmarks back to the spotlight and tell their stories, so that they continue to be passed down just as my family passed down their stories. 

If you know of a historical sports landmark, or like to see a particular place have it's story told, reach out to The Hillsdale Daily News with your suggestions. As a community, help curate the list of stories that will debut over the course of this summer. It can be as simple as an old football field where a state title was once held to a golf course where a great match was held. 

Suggestions, research and information can be sent to The Hillsdale Daily News at jflaherty@gannett.com. Readers can check out our landmark sports story from last summer on Copper Peak at hillsdale.net.