On Monday afternoon, a video involved Detroit Lions wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown went viral. St. Brown shared an intimate conversation with a young Lions fan named Lucas, who was recently diagnosed with cancer. After the game, St. Brown reached out on Twitter to see if anyone could find Lucas so that he could send him an autographed game jersey. Lucas’ dad quickly responded. A special moment like this doesn’t happen without some helpful people behind the scenes, including Lions linebacker Anthony Pittman, Lions Manager of Player and Alumni Relations Maurice Pearson and Ryan Newcom. Newcom is Lucas’ cousin, and he is also a former teammate of Pittman’s from their days at Wayne State. Newcom reached out to Pittman, hoping to create a special day for Lucas.

By Chelsea Janes  In the months before the 2019 MLB draft, then-Wayne State University right-hander Hunter Brown did what any self-respected job seeker would do. He exaggerated on his resume. Prospective draftees fill out questionnaires about themselves to help teams learn more about them. Brown talked up a new curveball he was workshopping to go with the four-seamer, two-seamer and slider the scouts had already seen. He had, indeed, tried a curveball a few times. “I hadn’t thrown it all really,” Brown said. Soon after the Houston Astros drafted him, they asked to see it. He put on a brave face and threw it. The Astros told him it was excellent, exactly the kind of pitch someone with his arm slot should be throwing to complement a slider that moved more laterally. Three years later, he was in the big leagues throwing 31% curveballs as a rookie on one of the majors’ deepest and nastiest pitching staffs. That pitching staff enters the World Series with a 1.88 ERA in Houston’s seven postseason games this year, all of which the Astros have won.  

The Detroit Tigers haven’t won a World Series since 1984, with just two appearances since: 2006, in which they lost in five games to the St. Louis Cardinals, and 2012, in which they were swept by the San Francisco Giants. With the 2022 Fall Classic starting Friday, featuring the Houston Astros representing the American League and the Philadelphia Phillies representing the NL, there are more than a few ties to the Tigers. Astros rookie pitcher Hunter Brown, who pitched for Wayne State University before being drafted in the fifth round by the Astros in 2019, grew up in metro Detroit idolizing Justin Verlander and vividly remembers the days of the last Tigers dynasty.   

The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced the finalists for the 2022 William V. Campbell Trophy, college football’s premier scholar-athlete award that annually recognizes an individual as the absolute best in the nation for his combined academic success, football performance and exemplary leadership. The 15 finalists will each receive an $18,000 postgraduate scholarship as a member of the 2022 NFF Scholar-Athlete Class presented by Fidelity Investments. Julius Wilkerson, a linebacker and three-year captain from Wayne State University who holds a 3.85 GPA and is majoring in psychology, is among the finalists. Finalists will travel to Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas for the annual awards dinner on December 6, where their accomplishments will be highlighted in front of one of the most powerful audiences in all of sports.  

By Jeff Risdon  The Detroit Lions have signed linebacker Anthony Pittman to the active 53-man roster. Pittman was on the Lion’s practice squad for the first three weeks of the season but has been with the organization since 2019. The Wayne State product played in all 17 games for Detroit in 2021.  

Hunter Brown has attended more games at Comerica Park than he can count. He grew up cheering for Miguel Cabrera and Justin Verlander. He attended college down the street at Wayne State. He lived down the street as recently as least offseason. On Tuesday, the 24-year-old St. Clair Shores native and Houston Astros right-hander will come home to make the second big-league start of his career. “This was where the dream started that I could be out there one day,” Brown said from the visiting clubhouse at Comerica Park. “It really good. I’m really excited. I mean, I feel at home.” Brown went from being a scarcely recruited high school player to a top pitcher for Wayne State to a fifth-round draft pick and then ultimately an intriguing prospect for the playoff-bound Astros. Brown allowed just three hits in six scoreless innings in his debut Sept. 5 against Texas. “I’m going to do my homework and try my best to deliver a win for us,” Brown said. “(Detroit) prides itself on hard work, and I think I’ve done that for a while. But now I’m an Astro and that’s where my mindset is at. I’m excited to be here and be back and represent my hometown, but at the same time, I’m representing the name on the front of my jersey and that’s Houston Astros.”  https://www.mlive.com/tigers/2022/09/astros-hunter-brown-ready-for-return-to-detroit-this-is-where-the-dream-started.html 

By Nolan Bianchi Hunter Brown is in the place where everything came together for him. As Brown, a 24-year-old St. Clair Shores native and Wayne State University product playing with the Houston Astros prepares to make just the second MLB start of his career, imagine how surreal this all must be. Brown, who graduated from St. Clair Shores Lakeview, had just one Division I offer coming out of college (Eastern Michigan). He developed into a legitimate big-league prospect at Wayne State under head coach Ryan Kelley after a few years of struggles. Brown posted ERAs above 4.00 in his first two years with Wayne State. His junior year in 2019, the year he was drafted in the fifth round by Houston, Brown posted a 2.21 ERA, 9-0 record and 12 strikeouts per nine. “His freshman and sophomore year, he started getting some valuable experiences,” Kelley said. “Some were productive and some he had to go through the grind of adversity as a college pitcher. He never wavered from his work ethic and he kept pushing forward. Once his junior year was here, a lot of things came together and it was really special.” Kelley said he plans to bring his Wayne State team, which last season set a program wins record, to the game Tuesday. The Tigers are offering discounted tickets for WSU students during the Astros series. Brown is the second Wayne State alumni who played under Kelley to make the big leagues alongside Anthony Bass. “I think we try to emulate what Wayne State University and what the city has meant to the world of sport, obviously a lot of hard work, dedication, sacrifice, perseverance, and from what we know about Hunter Brown, that’s what he emulates and represents,” Kelley said. 

By Chandler Rome Homecomings pay homage to the past and retrace paths taken to prominence. Hunter Brown walked every day this winter with a German Shepherd husky mix named Whiskey. Dog and dad traversed the streets of downtown Detroit toward the ballpark that bred Brown’s dreams. He saw countless games at Comerica Park during one of the most dominant eras of Detroit Tigers history. Brown fantasized of one day joining them. He mimicked the ace’s mechanics, unaware that one day he would his teammate in the middle of Texas. Tuesday will turn Brown’s boyhood goal into a reality. Houston’s most ballyhooed started pitching prospect will make the second start of his major league career at Comerica Park, in the shadows of an apartment he still inhabits and a city that fostered Brown’s resolve. Detroit instills a drive in those who live there. “A lot that is real in Detroit and growing up in the Detroit area,” said Wayne State baseball coach Ryan Kelley. “I’ve never seen Hunter Brown waver from anything that is blue collar.” 

In celebration of college football season, Click on Detroit is featuring several Michigan universities to learn more about their teams and goals for the year. Head football coach Paul Winters has led the Wayne State team for 19 seasons. “Last year was a tough one, with COVID and everything else going on we didn’t perform the way we should have. Our guys are hungry, and very excited,” Winters said. “They’re pulling together, which is what you want.” Returning to the Warriors are running back Myren Harris and quarterback Josh Kulka. “Those two are best friends, they’re roommates, they’re both leaders in their own way and are really talented,” Winters said. “We’re lucky to have them both and we’re counting on them…” 

For the 12th straight year, Tigers legends Alan Trammell and Lance Parrish will host a baseball camp together at Wayne State University. This year’s camp will run from July 26 to 28 and is open to players age 7 to 18. Clinics and drills will be conducted on Wayne State’s athletic campus including Harwell Field, Tom Adams Field, Gary Bryce Field and the Doris J. & Donald L. Duchene Sr. Athletic Facility. Members of the Wayne State baseball program, including coaches, student athletes and guest coaches, will assist with drill work.  

By Jonathan Szczepaniak  While the story of Wayne State University’s baseball season has concluded, the journey will be remembered for years to come. The University of Illinois-Springfield eliminated Wayne State 6-3 in the Midwest Regionals at Harwell Field in Detroit to close out the Warriors’ season, but Wayne State was able to make history before it was all said and done. Wayne State claimed its history-making 37th win of the season in 15-11 slugfest over Walsh University on May 21. The all-time single season win record previously stood at 36, set by the 2014 team. It was a feat Wayne State coach Ryan Kelley said he knew was in reach this year. “I was confident in our roster and in our depth; I could tell this roster was special,” Kelley said. “It was evident.” “We always knew from the start that we had a special group of guys,” Wayne State second baseman Noah Miller said. “We have fifth-year guys and sixth-year guys; we’ve had this core group throughout my whole entire four years.”

The Wayne State baseball team’s record-breaking season won’t include a regional championship. Wayne State spotted No. 21-ranked Illinois-Springfield a six-run lead, including a five-run six, losing 6-3 in the Division II regional championship round Sunday at Harwell Field on the Warriors’ campus. No. 25 Wayne State, which set the program record for victories in a season with a win Saturday over Walsh, finishes at 37-19.  

Wayne State’s men’s tennis team, seeking the program’s first national championship, fell to third-seeded Barry, 4-1, in Altamonte Springs, Florida Sunday. Wayne State, the fourth seed, finishes the season at 26-5. It was a rematch of a March 17 showdown won by Wayne State, 4-3, in Miami Beach. Daniel Grey won Wayne State’s lone match, defeating Barry’s Ignasi Forcano, 6-4, 6-3. Wayne State reached the national title match, coming from behind to defeat Columbus State, 4-3, in Saturday’s semifinals.  

Rudy Ramirez was a freshman on the last team to come close. And on Friday at Harwell Field, with his team’s backs against the wall, Wayne State’s senior right fielder wanted to make sure that the Warriors didn’t have to face coming up short again. Wayne State missed a chance Thursday to tie the single-season program record for wins for a second time. Ramirez drove in four runs and threw out a runner at the plate during a pivotal moment in the second inning to set the tone in what would become a 10-3 win over Ashland Friday in a Midwest Regional elimination game. The victory tied the program wins record for Wayne State (36-18) and kept the season alive. “We came up a little short (in 2019) and it kind of was a big idea in our head that we missed out on,” Ramirez said. “Getting to 36 this year was a huge stepping stone.” Both Ramirez and Wayne State head coach Ryan Kelley were quick to note that there are still much bigger games to play for the season. And yet, accomplishing the milestone is not lost on them. “There’s a lot of work that’s been done behind the scenes with this team. So when they look back at it, and they see they have a piece of Wayne State baseball history with the wins and the season, I think that’s something they can look back with pride on,” Kelley said.  

Hunter Brown, a 23-year-old St. Clair Shores native and Houston Astros pitching prospect, witnessed first-hand in spring training what it’s like to go head-to-head against Juan Soto of the Washington Nationals, who’s already an All Star and two-time Silver Slugger award winner. “I threw up-and-in, and he did the Soto shuffle on me,” Brown said, laughing. “It was an experience.” Hunter bested Soto on an inside pitch to force a fielder’s choice, showing a side of Brown in which he prides himself: He doesn’t pitch in fear, regardless of the hitter. The Astros selected Brown in the fifth round (No. 166 overall) of the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft out of Wayne State. The selection made Brown the second-highest drafted player in Wayne State history, behind right-hander Anthony Bass, who went No. 165 overall to the San Diego Padres in 2008.  

Wayne State will open its new basketball arena with a flourish. The Warriors will host Michigan in an exhibition in the inaugural game at the new arena on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. It’s a collaboration between Wayne State athletic director Rob Fournier and Michigan athletic director Warde Manuel for a high-level opponent in the debut of the new arena for the Warriors, who play in Division II. "I truly appreciate the willingness of Coach (Juwan) Howard and Warde to provide this opportunity to open our arena with the state's premier Division 1 program," Fournier said in a statement.  "To me, it underscores their genuine support for the City of Detroit and our community.” Wayne State also has a partnership with the Pistons on the new arena, which also will house the Pistons’ G League franchise, the Motor City Cruise. The Cruise will begin their first season in the G League in the fall as well. In the past, Wayne State has played against Michigan in games at Crisler Center. This time, the Wolverines are returning the favor. "I want to personally thank Coach Howard and his staff for helping us open our new basketball arena," Wayne State coach David Greer said. "It certainly has been a long time coming (with the new arena) and the partnership with the Detroit Pistons made it happen. To have a Division I program in Michigan be a part of our celebration of opening our new arena will make it a big event for our young men since Michigan is a big part of Detroit basketball.”

After 40 seasons and 1,340 wins, Gary Bryce retired as the head softball coach at Wayne State (MI) last month. He's the all-time winningest coach in DII softball, and ranks sixth in total victories regardless of division. Bryce is a 10-time GLIAC Coach of the Year and finished with a career record of 1,340-793-8. The Warriors made it to the final eight of the DII softball championship three times under his watch. He was inducted into the NFCA Hall of Fame in 2008. Shortly after the 2021 season ended in May, Bryce spoke with NCAA.com in a phone interview.