Veteran sports journalist, Dave Birkett, is prolific. “I usually write five-to-six stories per game,” he said. “My byline is about 1,000 stories per year.”Born in 1976, Birkett grew up in Madison Heights.

“I was a multi-sport athlete at Bishop Foley High School,” he said. “Favorite was being point guard on the basketball team. And I wrote for our school paper, The Venturian. Graduated ’94, went to Michigan State University, where I covered sports for The State News. Graduated ’98, then I was a stringer for the Lansing State Journal before briefly moving to Virginia.”

Birkett lived in Winchester, Virginia, and wrote for the Northern Virginia Daily.

“I was there a year, came back and worked at the Oakland Press, Macomb Daily, and others, covering sports,” he said. “I also wrote for ESPN, including the big hike.”

In July 2004, Birkett and some fellow MSU alums, including football coach John L. Smith and ESPN photographer Jimmy Chin, climbed to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro’s Uruhu Point.

“Nineteen thousand feet tall, the tallest mountain in Africa,” he said. “You pass through five climate zones on the ascent. It took us five days to scale it. It was a life-changing experience.”

Birkett’s work at the Detroit Free Press covering the Detroit Lions has made him one of the top beat writers in the country.

“Sports mean more here in Detroit than most other places,” he said. “I’m amazed at how many Lions fans I see at road games. And the locker rooms have been filled with great people over the years: Nate Burleson, Calvin Johnson, Taylor Decker, Amik Robertson, Alex Anzalone, DJ Reader, Dan Campbell, Brad Holmes.”

In 2024, Birkett compiled his knowledge into a coffee table book for Reedy Press called “Detroit Lions: An Illustrated Timeline”.

“Reedy approached me,” he said. “They had a Getty license for photos. They wanted me to capture 150 people, moments, games, most important to the franchise. I did some research at Northville District Library. The book covers everything from Earl ‘Dutch’ Clark to the present.”

As one of only 49 official voters for the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Birkett helps select candidates.

“We start with 100 nominations and whittle it down to 15,” he said. “We used to meet at the Super Bowl every year. We thoroughly discuss each candidate. I made the case for Calvin Johnson and he got in.”

A devoted father, Birkett said his biggest challenge is work-life balance.

“My wife Maria and I built a house and moved to South Lyon in 2014,” he said. “Our kids, Avery and Jack, both play sports. She’s a junior, he’s a fifth grader. I coach my son’s basketball team, and he also plays baseball for South Lyon Thunder. We spend a lot of time at Action Sports. We love eating at the South Lyon Hotel. Making time for my family is my number one priority.”

What does the future hold for Dave Birkett?

“Summer 2024, I was able to cover the Paris Olympics,” he said. “And I was reminded that you never know what shape the industry will take in the future. I’m anchored by family, community and a lifelong love of sports.”