How Did The Detroit Pistons Get Their Name?
You might be surprised to find out that The Pistons has absolutely nothing to do with Detroit being the 'Motor City."
I had always assumed that the Detroit Pistons got their name because of Detroit's tie in with the auto industry. It only makes sense that the city known for building the auto industry would have an auto related name. I was shocked to find out that Detroit's heritage had nothing to do with the name.
It's no secret that the Pistons started in Ft. Wayne. Did you know that they were the Pistons there as well? They were the Ft. Wayne Zollner Pistons.
So what is a Zollner Piston? It was a piston manufactured by the team owner, Fred Zollner. Zollner is credited as being one of the driving forces behind the formation of the NBA, and was known as "Mr. Pro Basketball." My favorite thing about the Zollner Pistons though was their logo.
I am starting a petition TODAY to get this guy back as the Pistons logo!
When the team moved to Detroit, the Pistons name made perfect sense and so it stayed.
Back to the logo thing for a second though, with all of the bad logos the Pistons have had over the years, I seriously want to see this dribbling tin man back in circulation!
Check out the history of the logos that the Pistons have used since being in Detroit, including the dark years of the horse logo.
I have to say that aside from the 1996 to 2005 years, the Pistons have one of the best logos in sports.
It took them a while to realize it, but when they made the change to the current logo last year, they went back to basics.
Right now the Pistons are undefeated after winning their first game of the season. This is supposed to be the year that Detroit makes it back into the playoffs, and I'm optimistic.