Dale Harvel passed away of an apparent heart attack on July 22, just weeks before he was set to began his 8th season as head coach of Detroit Martin Luther King varsity football. His sudden death shocked the entire high school football world.

King decided to dedicate the entire 2016 season in Harvel's memory, and wore specially made jerseys with "Harvel" on the back of them in its season-opener against Southfield A&T. The Detroit Public School League also honored Harvel, by having all 16 teams wear a "DH" decal on the back each teams helmets.

Xenith football helmet company will also honor Harvel's legacy, with a commemorative helmet when King plays Detroit Southeastern at home this Friday at 4:00 p.m. The specialized helmet will be presented to the Harvel family for them to keep, during halftime of the game.

The Crusaders are 2-0 in the year, and have the state's longest current winning-streak, at 16 games. Harvel led King to its second Division 2 state title last season in his last game as head coach, beating Lowell on a last second Hail Mary play.

Harvel coached at King for 30 years, and compiled a 65-24 record as head coach, winning one state title in 2015.