Magnum P.I. wore a Detroit Tigers baseball cap throughout the series that aired on CBS from 1980 to 1988. As it turns out, the world can thank Tom Selleck himself for our weekly dose of the Old English D.
According to series creator Donald P. Bellisario, Selleck, who played lead character Thomas Magnum, insisted on wearing a Tigers hat as part of the role. Selleck grew up in Detroit and has loved the Tigers for most of his life. So when he got the chance to help mold his new character, the actor was not shy about making his wishes known.
The Tigers hat became as much a part of Magnum’s lore and allure as did his Hawaiian shirt, forming an ensemble that’s instantly recognizable around the world. The black cap with the fancy white “D” is such an icon that it even made it into the series reboot that ran on CBS from 2018 to 2022, and for one additional season on NBC. Even with a whole new cast, Magnum was still wearing his Tigers cap.
For his part, Selleck’s love of and support for the Tigers goes way beyond just covering up his famous hairdo with a baseball cap.
Indeed, Selleck was a minority owner of the Tigers for a brief period of time, and he even convinced the team to let him practice with them during Spring Training of 1991. It was all in the name of researching and preparing for his movie, Mr. Baseball.
Never mind that the “research” let him live out a boyhood fantasy, right? It doesn’t take a detective to see that Selleck had more than movie prep in mind when he suited up for his beloved Tigers.
Case solved!
Selleck also shone the spotlight on his favorite team in other ways, even bringing Tigers legends Lou Whitaker and Alan Trammell in for a joint cameo on one episode of the original Magnum P.I. Tough work to have to hang out with a couple of sports heroes, but Selleck took one for the team.
