Brighton Alumni Profile: Dave LewAllen
People may know Dave LewAllen as a news anchor on Channel 7 WXYZ in Detroit, but what people don’t know is that he is a Brighton High School Graduate. LewAllen played football, basketball, and baseball during his time at Brighton and is excited about his Bulldogs making it to the State Finals. “It’s thrilling for our community and the school,” LewAllen said. “It’s once in a lifetime, and we are all so proud of this team. Now they have a chance to play at Ford Field for the championship,” LewAllen commented.
During his time at Brighton, the football team did not have the best seasons, but LewAllen said it was just a different time when he played. “Back when I was playing, you didn’t have the specialization you have today, so it was expected that guys would play more than one sport. I enjoyed all the sports I played, and I hated to give up any of them,” LewAllen mentioned.
If there was one coach that had an impact on LewAllen during his high school days, it was his baseball coach Mark Carrow. He had an impact on LewAllen’s life to this day. “Mark played college baseball at Michigan, and when he came in there, he wasn’t that much older than we were and could relate to us. He knew his stuff, he knew what he wanted, and he held you accountable. If you weren’t doing things the way it was said, he would let you know. That alone made you want to perform and be the best you could be. He was continually pushing you to do that,” LewAllen added.
After LewAllen graduated from Brighton, he went to Central Michigan University, where he started his studies to go into journalism. Central was LewAllen’s first chance to get into radio and TV. “All of the opportunities for me were right there at Central, including play by play on the radio and TV. It equipped me well to have a chance to do it for a career,” LewAllen stated.
After a college internship at WJR, LewAllen started at WLNS TV in Lansing and then returned to the radio for a while. Eventually, he went back to television on Channel 2 in Detroit and then went to Channel 7 WXYZ in Detroit, where he has been since 1988. LewAllen covered sports from 1988-2004 and transitioned to news after that. He can be currently seen on the evening newscasts on Channel 7 at 6 PM, 7 PM, 10 PM and 11 PM anchoring with Carolyn Clifford.
LewAllen said that he would be attending the Brighton vs. Davison Game on Saturday.