John Fetzer owned many radio and television stations, and was owner of the Detroit Tigers from 1961-1983. Most of the public saw him as either a sports figure or media mogul, but there was so much more to him than many people knew.

Fetzer believed in just about all things psychic and supernatural including astral travel, and telepathy.

He was a spiritualist who was enamored in the powers of psychics, ESP, mind over matter, and his personal intuition. He was also had faith in the paranormal, the continent of Atlantis, extraterrestrials, and UFOs. He believed in the powers of Ouija boards and dowsing rods. In the 1930s, he began dabbling in Freemasonry (secret brotherhoods), Hermeticism (the occult and alchemy), Rosicrucianism (belief in the existence of an unknown order), and Theosophy (mystical insights).

Thanks to his beliefs, he based his major business decisions on what science phenomena dictated to him.

According to the book “John E. Fetzer and the Quest for the New Age” by Brian C. Wilson, during the 1960s and '70s, “Fetzer made few decisions about his media businesses, the Tigers, and.....his personal and professional relationships, without first consulting the Ouija board”. And that included the '68 World Series, which the Tigers indeed won against the St. Louis Cardinals, 4-3.

In 1976, one of the Tigers' main stars was pitcher Mark “The Bird” Fidrych, who gained notoriety from talking to the baseball before he pitched it. He would tell the ball where he wanted it to go, and it seemed to work...he became a Tiger superstar.

Thanks to all the publicity, adulation, press, mobs of fans, and constant razzing of opposing team players, Fidrych became apprehensive and self-conscious...”maybe”, he thought, “I can't do this anymore”.

Fetzer brought him to his office and did a little test with him. He took out a small pendulum and told Fidrych that if the two of them concentrated on it, their combined mental waves would make the pendulum move. When they actually did get it to sway, Fetzer told Fidrych to keep using that mental power on the baseballs, and they'll go where he wants.

John Fetzer passed away in 1991 at the age of 89.

In Kalamazoo, there is an odd, triangle-shaped building known as the Fetzer Institute that was founded in 1962. It dedicates itself to Fetzer's personal spiritual beliefs.

There is a large obelisk in front of the building that has an interesting little rumor of its own: it is said that Fetzer had himself cryogenically frozen and his body lies within the obelisk.....even though his bio says he is buried at Mountain Home Cemetery in Kalamazoo.

This has yet to be proved or disproved.


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The Detroit Free Press