Open Mic: Mike Ilitch, The King of Detroit

-The Detroit Red Wings  (2007-2008 Stanley Cup Champions)

-The Detroit Tigers  (2006 American League Champions)

-Little Caesar Enterprises, Inc.  (4th largest pizza chain in America)

So, what does each of these have in common besides being known nationwide?

They are all owned by Mike Ilitch.

But, who exactly is Mike Ilitch? The quick answer would be that he is a 78 year-old entrepreneur born in Detroit who is now one of Forbes Magazine's "400 richest Americans." However, this answer would be selling him short and missing the things that make him the heart of Detroit.

His sport's career started with the Detroit Tigers. After returning from a four-year service in U.S. Marine Corps, the Tigers offered him a $3,000 bonus to play for one of their minor league teams. His career ended a few years later, after he suffered a career-ending knee injury.

His next visit to professional sports proved far more successful. The Detroit Caesars of the American Professional Slow Pitch Softball League (APSPL) was the first team Ilitch owned. He owned the team from 1977 to 1979, and saw them win two world series in that time. The team was disbanded at the conclusion of the 1979 season.

The Detroit Drive was his sports business venture, and they were just as successful as his last. In 1988, the team entered the Arena Football League and appeared in the next six Arena Bowls, winning four of them. In 1993 Ilitch sold the team, and watched them move to Massachusetts.

His next two teams were the Detroit Red Wings and the Detroit Tigers, bought in 1982 and 1992 respectively. Neither team was even considered close to a playoff contender at the time, but since then, both teams have enjoyed their fair share of success. The Tigers made the playoffs for the first time in 19 seasons in 2006, making it all the way to the World Series. The Red Wings have won four Stanley Cups in the last 11 seasons. The driving force behind each of these turnarounds? Mike Ilitch's check book.

Along with all of his sports success, Ilitch watched Little Caesar grow into one of the largest pizza chains in America, bought and renovated the Fox theater in downtown Detroit, and renovated many abandoned buildings in Detroit such as the Adams Theater and the Blenheim Building. He has also fathered seven children with his wife Marian, two of which (Christopher and Denise) have been groomed by their parents to take their place as successful business entrepreneurs.

In a time when Michigan's economy was falling, Mike Ilitch kept the city afloat and created countless of job opportunities not only in Detroit, but across Michigan and the United States. In Sports and in Economics, Mike Ilitch has been a huge player and will continue to be one for years to come.