By Staff Reports
NASHVILLE, TN — With all the hype about super Bowl LIII, you normally think of the team members, the coaches, the owners, and former NFL players. Still there are others who help make the event a success. One such Super Bowl star for the 2019 game is Tennessee State University graduate Artis Twyman.
Twyman serves as senior director of public relations for the NFC champion Los Angeles
Rams. Prior to joining the NFL, he worked in the TSU public relations department, first as an intern and later as public information officer. In his role with the Rams, Twyman oversees the media relations staff and directs the Rams’ communication efforts. He is responsible for all media surrounding the team, from the front office to player activities. He has a staff of four full-time employees, as well as three season-long interns. The 2018 season marked Twyman’s 16th season with the Rams. He previously served three seasons as the team’s director of media relations after spending six years as assistant director of football media.
He has advanced team road games, coordinated interviews, written speeches, as well as releases and developed newsletters.
Twyman left TSU in 2001 to join the staff of the Houston Texans. He then moved on to the Seattle Seahawks and ultimately the St. Louis Rams, who moved to Los Angeles in 2016. “I had a strong start in public relations in the TSU public relations office,” said Twyman. “It provided me with the basic foundation I needed, and working with people like Dr. Phyllis Qualls, Terri Woodmore, Kay Gaines, and the rest of the staff was a rewarding experience.”
“Artis earned his formal training at TSU, but he is a natural in communicating, coordinating, and organizing”, said Phyllis Qualls, who served as director of public relations at TSU during that time.
The Gary, Ind., native followed his parents and many members of his family and attended TSU, earning his bachelor’s degree in mass communications. He earned his master’s degree in mass communications from MTSU, all while working at TSU.
“I met Artis when the Oilers (now the Titans) moved to Nashville from Houston and did their training camp at TSU,” said Tony Wyllie, senior vice president of communications for the Washington Redskins. “I got to know Artis well, and when an opening in the NFL came about, I recommended him.” Artis gave up his full time job to work as an intern with the Texans in 2000. Six months later his sacrifice paid off when he was hired full time by the Seattle Seahawks.
This will be Twyman’s eighth time working at the Super Bowl, however his first as a member of a competing team. He and the Rams will have plenty of support. When the Rams won the NFC playoff game, Twyman’s friends from around the country took pictures of him on the field from their television screens and placed them on their Facebook pages with congratulatory notes. To many, Twyman was as much a superstar as those who played on the field.
Super Bowl LIII will be played this Sunday and air on CBS. Kickoff is at 5:30 p.m. Central Time.
