On October 1, 1942, the Detroit Tigers purchased Hoover from the Stars after all three Detroit shortstops — Billy Hitchcock, Johnny Lipon, and Murray Franklin — were inducted in the military during World War II. Hoover had a draft deferred status as a married man with a family. At the time of Detroit's purchase of Hoover, "The Sporting News" described him as "hustle personified" and "not a chatterbox type." Physically, it described him as "a regular Adonis" with a "wasp-like waist" and "a fine pair of shoulders and a strong pair of legs to keep him in the lineup day after day."