From Western wordsmith to Detroit Lions insider: Alum’s NFL writing career began at WMU

DETROIT—Sports and storytelling have been intertwined for centuries. Some of the oldest pieces of surviving literature use sports as core narrative arcs, framing athletic contests as testaments to heroism. We’re thousands of years removed from texts like “The Iliad,” where the Funeral Games of Patroclus featured boxing, discus throwing and footraces, but the symbiotic relationship between sports and storytelling remains much the same.

As much as fans love the second-to-second unpredictability of live sports, long-term investment is derived from the narratives—the historical context, the post-game analysis, the behind-the-scenes drama. Turn on any sports network, and you’ll see hours of programming dedicated not to action, but to men in suits and sneakers exchanging hot takes, debating player legacies and highlighting upcoming matchups.

The confluence of sports and storytelling continues to thrive for one crucial reason: The games themselves are finite, but the stories last forever.

Tim Twentyman, B.A.’02, senior writer for the Detroit Lions, knows that connection better than anyone. While he’s made a career covering the highs, lows and thousands of day-to-day decisions that make up an NFL season, he has a story worth telling in its own right—and it started at Western Michigan University.

Sports meets scholarship

Twentyman was a pretty good high school football player, but when it comes to the rarefied air of collegiate athletics, pretty good often isn’t good enough. Yet he had a passion for all things sports, and with that came the hope that he could turn his passion into a profession.

“I loved sports, but at 5 feet, 10 inches tall and 100 and nothing pounds, I knew my career was ending in high school, but I wanted to do something in athletics long term,” Twentyman says. “Western had opportunities with broadcast journalism and the newspaper for me to continue to be involved with sports and chase that dream of mine.”

It was the promise of said opportunities that drew Twentyman to Western in the fall of 1998. Armed with the ultimate goal of gaining cable production experience that would land him a job at ESPN, Twentyman arrived on campus ready to build his résumé, and Bronco Nation delivered.

Starting from day 1, he set about honing his craft, pursuing the skills necessary to thrive at the next level. Twentyman obtained an internship at a local television station in Battle Creek. Unlike some students, Twentyman didn’t spend his Friday nights socializing; instead, he was filming high school basketball and driving back to the station each night to edit it.

“Western was great because I got the television side of it—on camera, behind the camera, how that operation works,” he says. “It really broadened my horizons. When I graduated, I had so many different opportunities.”

Then, of course, there was the Western Herald, the WMU student-run newspaper, where Twentyman covered multiple sports, though football was his main beat.

From a pigskin perspective, Twentyman’s tenure at Western had some fortuitous timing. The team found success in back-to-back seasons, charging into the Mid-American Conference championship in 1999 and 2000—only to be defeated by Marshall both years. Win or lose, Twentyman loved the game-day energy and the writerly process, and with them, he found a core sense of what he wanted to do with the rest of his life.

“I got a ton of hands-on learning at Western, and that started with the Western Herald,” he says. “Being able to write for the school newspaper covering football led to what I do now. That was really my start and love for writing and journalism.”

Student becomes NFL storyteller

Twentyman’s hands-on experiences at Western set the stage for something greater.

After graduating in 2002, he landed at the Holland Sentinel, where he covered high school sports. Two years later, an opportunity to level up came in the form of an offer from The Detroit News, so Twentyman packed his car and headed east. His new title was sports reporter, and one of his main beats was covering the Detroit Lions. He flourished in the role, making a name for himself among the franchise’s rabid fans and gaining a sterling reputation as a reporter.

The team he covered took notice. Twentyman accepted a writing position with the Detroit Lions in 2011 and has prospered there since. Through it all—the division championships, the rebuilds and regime changes, the blood, the sweat, the tears—he’s been there, the Lions’ official insider.

“I see my biggest responsibility as a conduit between the team, the players, the coaches and the fans: bringing the fans closer and into the building, bringing them those stories about the players—not just what they see on TV, but who they are and how they got here—getting them behind the scenes.”

For the true Honolulu blue Lions fans, Twentyman’s name is as synonymous with the team as Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown or Aidan Hutchinson. He’s the man in the middle, reporting facts, providing team updates and offering insights that can’t be gleaned from the couch.

During the season, Twentyman grinds right alongside the players. He talks to coach Dan Campbell regularly, asking pertinent questions during the morning news conference. He attends practices, jotting down notes in his pad that he will later file as his popular observation pieces. He connects with players, forging relationships and giving readers an authentic locker-room perspective. 

On game days, he hosts the a football segment live at Ford Field before heading to the press box to capture the subtlety of what he sees on the field. “I’m always writing during the game. As soon as it’s done, I like to get our fans up to date on my perspective,” he says.

Since 2021, he’s also hosted “Twentyman in the Huddle,” the Lions’ official podcast, which ranks in the top five for views on YouTube for NFL team podcasts.

Each time Twentyman sits down for a high-profile interview, stands on the sideline in front of 60,000 adoring fans or punctuates the final sentence of a piece, he remembers how he got there.

“Everything I have I can trace back to my time in 1998, walking onto that Western Michigan University campus in Kalamazoo,” he says. “Western turned a young kid’s love of sports into a career path.” 

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online.