History
William Marshall and several of his University of Detroit teammates organized the Heralds as an amateur team in 1905, when the university didn't field a squad because of financial problems. The Heralds wore the school colors, red and white.
Even after the university resumed playing football in 1906, the Heralds continued to play independently, adding new alumni every year. In 1911, the team became semi-professional, moving to a park where admission could be charged and paying at least token sums to its players.
John Roesink, who had managed the rival Mack Park Maroons, took over as the Heralds' manager in 1916. Roesink began to strengthen the team by bringing in out-of-town players to replace some of the older players, several of whom had been with the Heralds since 1905.
The team went 8-2 against tough competition in 1917. On Thanksgiving Day, the Heralds lost to the powerful Canton Bulldogs and Jim Thorpe, 7-0. After being inactive in 1918 because of World War I and the influenza epidemic that kept most teams sidelined, the Heralds came back with another powerful team in 1919, losing only to Canton and Massillon, the two best teams in Ohio and possibly the country.
The American Professional Football Association, which became the NFL in 1922, was organized in 1920. Although the Heralds didn't officially join the association, they're usually listed in league standings for the season. It wasn't a good year. The team won only one of its four league games and heavy rains washed out most of the November schedule.
The team was reorganized and renamed the Tigers, after the major league baseball team, in 1921, but things didn't get any better. After a win and a tie in their first two games, the Tigers lost the next five, along with a lot of money. Some players quit because they didn't get paid and the team folded before playing out its schedule.