Detroit, MI

Detroit Cody, Ferris State alum was lead official at Super Bowl LX

Published

1 month ago

February 9, 2026

Detroit Cody, Ferris State alum was lead official at Super Bowl LX

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SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 08: Referee Shawn Smith looks on prior to the start of Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Kevin C. Co

FOX 2 – Usually, the best officials are the ones you don’t notice in games – but Shawn Smith defies that description, although not for any controversial calls Sunday.

The backstory:

The lead official at Super Bowl LX yesterday is a Detroit Cody High School graduate and Ferris State University alum.

A 1994 graduate with a bachelor’s degree in accountancy, Smith has been an alternate referee for a couple past Super Bowls but yesterday was his first time on the field.

According to Ferris State, Smith is in his 11th season as an NFL official and 8th as referee, which is the lead official, recognizable by the white cap.

The referee manages the entire officiating crew, announces the penalties, and is the final authority on rulings.

Smith got his start officiating Pop Warner games in junior high school and also officiated flag football at Eastern Michigan University, according to Football Zebras, a release by Ferris State University said.

The former Cody Comet was recruited to run track and play football at Eastern Michigan University before transferring to Ferris State.

While at Ferris, he began to officiate high school football and later to the Division II gridiron.

At the collegiate level, Smith officiated in Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, and the Big Ten Conference. He was hired by the NFL in 2025.

SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 08: Referee Shawn Smith gives a thumbs-up prior to the start of Super Bowl LX between the Seattle Seahawks and the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium on February 08, 2026 in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Ke

The Source: Information for this report is through Ferris State University.

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Detroit, MI

Tigers top prospect Kevin McGonigle getting tested by big-league pitching

Published

8 hours ago

March 14, 2026

Press Room

Tigers top prospect Kevin McGonigle getting tested by big-league pitching

Dunedin, Fla. — Tigers top prospect Kevin McGonigle drew two walks Saturday and made a couple of superb defensive plays at third base against the Toronto Blue Jays. But he’s also getting a live lesson in how Major League pitchers will exploit a perceived weakness.

He’s seen very few fastballs over the last week or so, and almost none for strikes. Instead, pitchers are feeding him a steady diet of spin and off-speed. Jays starter and former Tiger Max Scherzer punched him out on three pitches in the first inning, the last two were nasty curveballs.

“It’s getting close to the in-season style where there’s not a lot of free pitches,” Tigers manager AJ Hinch said. “Starters are going five and six innings. Scouting reports are starting to be paved. Young hitters are going to see a complete change.

“When you homer on the big stage in the Dominican against Luis Severino, I’m sure pitchers in the Grapefruit League are watching.”

McGonigle has one hit in his last 13 at-bats. But give him some grace for the Scherzer at-bat.

“Kevin was 4 when Max broke in,” Hinch said. “That puts it in perspective. His whole life of watching baseball, Scherzer has been at the highest level and dominating and paving his way to Cooperstown.”

Matt Vierling, who is 29, has a lot more skin in the game than McGonigle right now and he punched out twice and took some awful swings against Scherzer, too.

But Vierling recovered, swatting a pair of doubles and knocking in two runs.

Chris.McCosky@detroitnews.com

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Detroit, MI

NFC NORTH: Recapping the first few days of free agency

Published

21 hours ago

March 14, 2026

Press Room

NFC NORTH: Recapping the first few days of free agency

The first wave of free agency is in the books, and all four teams in the NFC North have begun shaping their rosters for the 2026 season.

Here’s a look at how rosters have changed throughout the division:

CHICAGO

2025 record: 11-6 (division champs)

Top re-signings: DL Daniel Hardy, T Braxton Jones, DB Elijah Hicks, LB D’Marco Jackson, QB Case Keenum, OL Jordan McFadden

Key free-agent additions: C Garrett Bradbury (via trade), S Coby Bryant, LB Devin Bush, WR Kalif Raymond, DT Neville Gallimore, DB Cam Lewis, EDGE Kentavius Street, T Jedrick Wills Jr.

Free-agent losses: S Kevin Byard, CB Nahshon Wright, LB Tremaine Edmunds, WR Olamide Zaccheaus, EDGE Dominique Robinson, DT Chris Williams, TE Durham Smythe

Twentyman’s take: The Bears did a nice job of replacing the retired Drew Dalman by trading for Bradbury, a veteran with seven years of experience and 105 starts under his belt. Bryant and Bush are nice additions to the defense, and Raymond is a sneaky signing that improves Chicago’s depth at receiver and gives head coach Ben Johnson a speedy weapon to deploy on both offense and special teams.

Chicago could still use more talent/depth on defense but there’s still the second and third wave of free agency and next month’s NFL Draft to fill in some of the holes.

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Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren power Pistons to third straight win

Published

1 day ago

March 13, 2026

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Cade Cunningham, Jalen Duren power Pistons to third straight win

The Detroit Pistons closed a two-game homestead with another blowout.

They defeated a banged-up Memphis Grizzlies team at Little Caesars Arena, 126-110, on Friday, March 13, behind a strong effort by Jalen Duren. The All-Star big overpowered Memphis’ frontcourt and finished with 30 points and 13 rebounds on 12-for-15 overall shooting.

Cade Cunningham had near-triple double with 17 points, 15 assists, eight rebounds and three steals, and Marcus Sasser added 16 points in a 313 Day victory. It was Cunningham’s third game in a row with at least 13 assists. The Pistons led by as many as 22 points and pulled away in the third quarter, extending their lead to 17 with a 16-5 run midway through the period.

With the win, the Pistons (48-18) extended their lead to five games over the Boston Celtics in the East, with the Celtics idle Friday. The also rounded off thelr Central Division lead over the Cleveland Cavaliers to an even eight games with 16 to play this season.

Next up for the Pistons

The Pistons can also take a step toward clinching a playoff spot, as they head to Toronto to face the East’s 7-seed, the Toronto Raptors, on Sunday (3:30 p.m., FanDuel Sports Network Detroit). The Pistons enter Saturday with an 11½-game lead on the Raps; a win would put them 12½ up with 15 to play.

Medical roll call

Caris LeVert (left wrist sprain) returned for the Pistons following a three-game absence. They were without Ausar Thompson (right ankle sprain) for the fifth straight game. Tobias Harris (left hip soreness) also missed the game.

More than half of the Grizzlies’ rotation was out for the game, including star guard Ja Morant, Zach Edey, Jaylen Wells, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Santi Aldama, Brandon Clarke, Scotty Pippen Jr. and GG Jackson.

Duncan Robinson, Kevin Huerter spark offense in second quarter

Injuries have opened the door for coach J.B. Bickerstaff to experiment with lineups through recent weeks. One combination he wants to see more of: Duncan Robinson and Kevin Huerter, two of the Pistons’ most respected shooters. He liked what he saw from the duo against the San Antonio Spurs last week; injuries to Thompson and LeVert have opened more minutes for Huerter, who initially was out of their rotation after arriving at the trade deadline.

Huerter checked in for Robinson with four minutes left in the first quarter, and Robinson checked back in to join Huerter at the 8:44 mark of the second. The Pistons turned a five-point deficit into a five-point lead by the time Huerter checked out again with 5:49 to play until halftime.

The two players led the run, with Huerter knocking down a 3 before Robinson found Isaiah Stewart in transition with a lob, followed by a 3-pointer from Robinson that gave the Pistons the lead for good, 46-44. Huerter made his first three shots, including a pair of 3-pointers, and played at least 20 minutes for the fourth game in a row.

Marcus Sasser has best outing as a starter

Bickerstaff has stuck with Sasser in the starting lineup for five consecutive games since Thompson’s injury. The third-year guard needed a few games to find a groove, shooting 3-for-12 during his first two starts. Friday was one of his best outings of the season, with his 16 points his highest total since scoring 18 on Jan. 1 against the Miami Heat.

Sasser is one of the better shooters on the team and provides a different element to the starting lineup, compared to Thompson. Friday marked his second time in three games knocking down four 3-pointers, and he repeatedly punished the Grizzlies for leaving him alone in the left corner.

He helped the Pistons shut the door in the second half, knocking down a pair of 3-pointers to keep the Pistons in control after Memphis cut it to three, 75-72, with just under nine minutes left in the third. His fourth 3-pointer of the night midway through the period extended a 16-5 Pistons run and gave them their biggest lead up to that point, 94-77.

[ MUST WATCH: Make “The Pistons Pulse” your go-to Pistons podcast, listen available anywhere you listen to podcasts (Apple, Spotify) or watch live on YouTube. ]

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