How the Tigers turned Detroit into the ‘City of Champions’

DETROIT – Are the Detroit Tigers magic? It may seem like a wild question, but when the Tigers are doing good, the city as a whole seems to be doing good.

How Detroit became the City of Champions

In 1935, the Tigers won its first World Series. They had been in prior World Series championships, but this was their first win. They went into the 1935 World Series against the Chicago Cubs, who had won 21 consecutive games the month prior — a record that remained unbroken until 2021.

The Tigers ultimately defeated the Cubs on their sixth game, 4-3. The final game was played at Navin Field, which was renamed Tiger Stadium just a few years later.

It was the first time a major sports team out of Detroit won a championship — but it would not be the last.

When the Tigers won the World Series in their hometown, it was the middle of the Great Depression and Detroit was not doing great financially. The Tigers’ win boosted city morale and was quickly followed by the Lions winning the 1935 NFL Championship two months later at the University of Detroit Stadium. Morale continued to climb, leading to the Red Wings winning their first Stanely Cup in April.

It’s one of the only times in history a city had three major sporting league championships within six months. New York may have done that at some point, but they have like a dozen teams, that doesn’t count. That’s not fair.

This period of time also featured the rise of two other Detroiters who became untouchable in their fields — heavyweight champion Joe Louis and motorboat racing champ Gar Wood, who was the first person to break 100 mph with a boat.

People took notice of Detroit’s success. The Windsor Daily Star called this period “the most amazing sweep of sport achievements ever credited to any single city.”

During the 1936 Cherry Festival, Detroit received a plaque signed by President Franklin D. Roosevelt and every governor in the country who recognized Detroit as the “City of Champions.”

FDR took time out of his schedule during the middle of the Great Depression to recognize and acknowledge Detroit sports.

April 18 was designated Champions Day in Michigan by then-governor Frank Fitzgerald.

I know I might be putting a lot on the Tigers now, but if they pull this off, they might have that momentum transferred to our other teams. I’m not saying they’re magic, but I am saying that the Tigers might actually be magic.

I’m not ruling it out.