Curtis Granderson (born March 16, 1981 in Blue Island, Illinois) is a center fielder in Major League Baseball for the Detroit Tigers. Granderson grew up in Lynwood, Illinois, a south suburb of Chicago.

Granderson attended high school at Thornton Fractional South High School in Lansing, Illinois. As a senior in 1999, Granderson hit .427 and was selected SICA Central All-Conference, as well earning All-Area recognition from the Illinois Times and the Daily Southtown.

As a freshman at University of Illinois-Chicago in 2000, Granderson led the team with 7 home runs and 45 walks. However, Granderson struck out for the final out of the 2000 Midwestern Collegiate Conference Tournament, enabling Butler University to advance to the NCAA tournament. He followed that with a strong sophomore season in which he hit .304, leading the team in runs, home runs and walks. After his sophomore year, Granderson played in a summer collegiate league for the Mankato Mashers, now known as the Moondogs, of the Northwoods League. Granderson was named Second-Team All-American by Baseball America and USA Today's Baseball Weekly and a Third-Team Louisville Slugger NCAA Division I All-American following his junior season. He graduated with degrees in business administration and advertising.