text: where did the detroit tigers get their name?   there are various legends about how the tigers got their nickname. one has to do with the orange stripes they wore on their black stockings. another has to do with a sportswriter equating that 1901 detroit club's opening day victory to the ferocity of his alma mater, the princeton tigers.  however, the truth is revealed in richard bak's 1998 book, a place for summer: a narrative history of tiger stadium. in the 19th century, the city of detroit had a military unit called the detroit light guard, who were known as "the tigers." they had played a significant role in certain civil war battles and also in the then-recently-fought spanish-american war. the ballclub had informally acquired that nickname as a minor league club, but upon entry into the majors they sought and received formal permission from the light guard to use their trademark, and from that day forth the ballclub was officially the tigers.  in short, the tigers wore stripes because they were already tigers, rather than the other way around which is the conventional story.