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FAMOUS
MICHIGAN DAILY
WRITERS

The Michigan Daily was first published in 1890 and has been hitting newsstands ever since. It is the University of Michigan’s independent, student-run newspaper and its sports section has won numerous awards and sent writers to a wide array of collegiate sporting events including the Final Four, the College World Series and most recently the College Football Playoff. The Daily is unique because unlike most well-known student newspapers, there is no journalism school attached. This means that many of the writers join the Daily with no career aspirations in the field of journalism to go along with it. But that’s not always the case. For some, they take their experience at the Daily and turn it into a long career being a sports reporter. While the endpoints are different, the genesis of these reporters’ stories are the same. They all got their start at The Michigan Daily.

Adam Schefter

Michigan Daily Writer (1985-1988)

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Adam Schefter came to Michigan in 1985 and joined the Michigan Daily, eventually working his way up to write for the football beat. When he covered the team in 1988, he would take advantage of the afternoon media sessions to skip class and pick up a free meal in the process. Schefter’s work at the Daily helped foster a growing passion for journalism which was further realized at Northwestern’s Medill School of Journalism where he also free-lanced with the Chicago Tribune. But what helped Schefter make a name for himself in the field was not some long form piece of journalism. Instead it was through his tweets with their 180 character limit. After getting a job with the NFL network in 2004 and eventually moving to ESPN in 2009, where he still works, Schefter became one of the most-plugged-in reporters to the NFL scene. In 2014 he was named the “Most Influential Tweeter in New York” by New York Magazine and the Sports Illustrated “Media Person of the Year.” Schefter has revolutionized sports reporting with his tweets. He doesn’t write articles for ESPN but is the most recognizable face of their NFL coverage with tweets constantly being circulated and Schefter himself appearing on their coverage to give reports. Schefter’s work with the NFL laid the groundwork for similar roles for reporters to be the main newsbreaker for the MLB, NBA, and NHL. There are a lot of great journalists out there but no one man can completely set off the sports world the way Schefter can with one simple tweet. 

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Nicole Auerbach

Michigan Daily Writer (2008-2011)

Nicole Auerback grew up a sports fan but never made the connection that covering sports was something one could do for a living… until she joined the Michigan Daily her first week of college. She worked there for four years and was a senior editor by the time she graduated in 2011. Since then, Auerbach has continued to rise to prominence covering a wide variety of sports. Out of college, Auerbach scored a gig at USA Today sports covering college basketball and football nationally as well as olympic swimming from time to time. She eventually made the move to The Athletic in 2017, a prominent, online only, sports site where she primarily covers college football and puts out in-depth features and weekly columns. She also makes regular appearances on the Big Ten Network. Auerbach, reflecting on being a sports journalist, wrote on her personal website, “I must adapt constantly [because] the media landscape is ever-changing, and there's always a new, interesting way to express myself and the content of my stories. I've got to keep my eyes open and creativity flowing.” In 2020, the National Sports Media Association awarded Auerbach with “National Sportswriter of the Year” honors — making her the youngest-ever winner of the award.  

Dan Feldman

Michigan Daily Writer (2005-2008)

Dan Feldman came to Michigan in 2005 and four years later was graduating as a senior editor and a member of the football beat. Feldman covered Michigan football in 2008 when the team went an abysmal 3-9 despite the Wolverines finishing as the No. 8 team in the country just two years earlier. Feldman discussed his experience covering the team that year, describing how he slowly came to terms with how bad they were and the “hopelessness” that was felt entering the Ohio State game. Since his time at Michigan, Feldman has built a successful career in sports journalism. After college he wrote for Basketball Prospectus, putting together weekly statistical-based articles. After bouncing around between different newspapers for a couple years, Feldman landed at NBC Sports’ ProBasketballTalk and began covering the NBA at a national level. 

Rich Eisen came to Michigan in 1987 and joined the Michigan Daily, covering a variety of sports. Eisen eventually became one of the managing editors of the Sports section before graduating in 1990. Entering the sports journalism field professionally, Eisen decided to make the switch from writing to broadcasting and ran with it ever since. Eisen worked at ESPN from 1996-2003, where he was a host on Sportscenter, broadcast baseball games and appeared on a number of radio shows. In 2003, Eisen left the established power of ESPN and jumped to the upstart NFL Network — being added as one of the network’s first on-air talents. Eisen trusted his gut and it paid off as he has been with NFL Network ever since and watched them grow into one of the most popular sports broadcasting channels. Eisen hosts several NFL highlight shows as well as the ‘Thursday Night Football’ coverage. He also has his own podcast simply titled, ‘The Rich Eisen Podcast.’ While Eisen never returned to print journalism, the experience he got writing stories in college has proven extremely valuable for his career. Eisen told the Daily in a 2012 interview that “Writing is the base of everything in the broadcasting business.” Eisen enjoys being able to cover sports in a variety of mediums and not being to married to any one format. He even scored a recurring role in the CBS sitcom The Odd Couple, where he played himself. 

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Rich Eisen

Michigan Daily Writer (1987-1990)

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