Happy birthday, Willie Horton!
The former Tigers standout — who was born in Arno, Virginia, but grew up in Detroit and graduated from Detroit Northwestern — turns 78 today.
Horton spent 15 seasons with the Tigers, racking up 1,490 hits, 262 home runs and 886 RBIs with a .273 batting average in 1,515 games from 1963-77, winning the World Series in 1968. A four-time All-Star in Detroit, he also spent time with the Texas Rangers, Cleveland Indians, Oakland Athletics, Toronto Blue Jays and Seattle Mariners before retiring after the 1980 season.
But his efforts on the field were just a small part of his contributions to Detroit.