King Boring Field

This field was dedicated to my Great Grandfather. King Boring.
C. King Boring made his biggest impact on the sports world after he graduated from Salem High School in 1922.
After graduating from Northwestern University with a degree in business and accounting, Boring nearly hit big as an owner of a professional basketball team.
Boring, who was nicknamed (the legaly changed to) King because he took on and beat the school bully growing up, purchased the Detroit Gems in an era when pro basketball did not have the appeal that it does today. The Gems were a barnstorming team that played in cities across the country.
The Gems struggled to make a go of it financially.
In 1947, Ben Berger and Morris Chalfen bought the financially strapped Detroit Gems from C. King Boring for $ 15,000. After the sale was complete, Berger and Chalfen relocated the Detroit Gems to Minneapolis. Their home games were played at Minneapolis Auditorium and the Minneapolis Armory. The Detroit Gems were re-​christened the «Lakers» in reference to Minnesota’s nickname, «The Land of 10,000 Lakes». Berger and Chalfen hired Max Winter to become the Lakers’ new general manager. Max Winter later became a founder and owner of the Minnesota Vikings franchise of the National Football League. Winter bought partial ownership rights of the Minnesota Lakers, but later sold them when he left the Lakers in 1955.
We now know the Gems as the Los Angeles Lakers.
Basketball was not the only place Boring made an impact. He also made his presence known in baseball. Boring served a scout for both the St. Louis Browns and Detroit Tigers.
Boring also coached a Class A level team in Dearborn, Michigan. On four occasions his teams reached the Class A national finals. The last came in 1978.
Fifteen future major league players played for Boring. Perhaps the most famous was former Los Angeles Dodgers and San Diego Padres first baseman Steve Garvey.
Boring was elected to the Dearborn Sports Hall of Fame in 1978. The city’s softball complex is named after him.
Boring first got into sports while growing up in rural Salem. He played basketball, baseball and track in high school.
Boring recalled when he went out for the high school team as a freshman, competition was very stiff. He noted 93 boys were out for the team, but he overcame the odds and made the varsity.
Boring died in April, 1996.
Close to the courthouse, police station, the Henry Ford Centennial Library, and is part of the Dearborn Community and Performing Arts Center. The indoor area features a swimming pool with a lazy river, a gymnasium with full basketball courts, a climing wall and a fitness center. The outside area is complete with two full-​size baseball diamonds, including King Boring Field, a full soccer field, play areas and a concession stand.