List of Western Michigan University alumni
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The following is a list of Western Michigan University alumni. Note some of the individuals listed may have only attended the university at one point and not graduated.
Arts and literature[edit]
- Bonnie Jo Campbell, author[1]
- Xavier Davis, pianist
- Gwen Frostic, artist, naturalist, poet laureate of Michigan, namesake of WMU's Frostic School of Art, 1929 Bachelor of Arts
- Peter Geye, author
- James D. Griffioen, writer and photographer
- Kyoko Matsuoka, author and translator
- Richelle Mead, author
- Hideaki Miyamura, potter
- Melinda Moustakis, author [2]
- Howard Norman, novelist
- Arleta Richardson, author
- Carey Salerno, poet
- Diane Seuss, poet
- Terry Wooten, poet
Business[edit]
- Robert Bobb, Emergency Financial Manager for the Detroit Public Schools
- Jeanne Dietsch, co-founder of MobileRobots Inc
- Alec Gores, billionaire president of the Gores Group with an estimated net worth of $1.3 billion
- Gerrard Wendell Haworth, businessman, founder of Haworth, Inc.
- Richard Haworth, businessman, chairman of Haworth, Inc., WMU trustee
- Timothy E. Hoeksema (1972), founder of Midwest Airlines
- Homer Hartman Stryker,[3] founder of Stryker Corporation, 1916 Certificate of Teaching
Education[edit]
- Terry Bergeson, State of Washington Superintendent of Public Schools
- Robert H. Bruininks, President of University of Minnesota
- Dr. James Bultman, President of Hope College
- John A. Fallon, President, Eastern Michigan University; President, SUNY Potsdam; President, William Penn University
- Frank Douglas Garrett, All-America basketball, academic dean, Oakland University
- M. Peter McPherson, President of the National Association of State Universities and Land-Grant Colleges, member of the Dow Jones board of directors, President-Emeritus of Michigan State University
- John J. Pruis, President of Ball State University
- Merze Tate, first African American graduate of WMU; first African American woman to attend Oxford; Harvard PhD
Entertainment[edit]
- Tim Allen, actor and comedian[4]
- Bruce Campbell, actor[4]
- Terry Crews, actor[4]
- Brooke Elliott, star of Lifetime Television Network show Drop Dead Diva[4]
- Nicole Forester, actress[4]
- Mary Jackson, actress
- Page Kennedy, actor[4]
- Don Lane, American-born Australian entertainer
- Loretta Mae Moore Long, Susan Robinson on Sesame Street, 1960 Bachelor of Arts[5]
- Stephen Lynch, Tony Award-nominated actor, musician, stand-up comedian[4]
- Marin Mazzie, Tony Award winning actress[4]
- Jeff Osterhage, film and television actor
- John Saunders, ABC Sports television personality[4]
- Paigion, born Kimberly Walker, actress, radio and television personality
- David Wayne, film, television and Tony Award-winning stage actor[4]
- Lauren Zakrin, Broadway actress
Journalism[edit]
- Roz Abrams, New York City TV news presenter, CNN reporter
- Ed Gordon, television talk show host on BET and MSNBC, correspondent for NBC News and CBS News, and radio host on NPR
- LZ Granderson, columnist for ESPN and CNN
- Emily Rouleau-McElhaney, sports producer, Bally Sports Detroit
Law[edit]
- Dennis W. Archer, Mayor of Detroit, Michigan Supreme Court Justice, President of the American Bar Association, WMU trustee, 1965 Bachelor of Science[6]
- John J. Bursch, former Michigan Solicitor General
- Gershwin A. Drain, Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan
- Michael Cohen, Former lawyer of Donald Trump
- Karla Gray, Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court
- Richard Allen Griffin, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- Wallace Kent, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
- John E. Turner, former Washington State Court of Appeals Judge, Division 2[7]
Music[edit]
- Frankie Ballard, country music artist[4]
- Scott Boerma, Director of Bands at WMU[8] and former Director of the Michigan Marching Band
- Matt Giraud, American Idol top 5 finalist[4]
- Josh Gracin, country music artist and American Idol finalist[4]
- Michael Gungor, lead singer of the musical collective Gungor
- Sango, DJ and electronic musician, 2015 Bachelor of Arts in Graphic Design
- Wayne Static, lead singer and guitarist of industrial metal band Static-X[4]
- Luther Vandross, rhythm and blues/urban contemporary singer, songwriter, and record producer[4]
Politics, diplomacy and military[edit]
- Gardner Ackley, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers under Lyndon Johnson, Economics Department Chair at the University of Michigan[9]
- Jase Bolger, State Representative, Speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives[10]
- Scott Boman, Michigan politician[11]
- Jeanne Dietsch, New Hampshire state senator
- Gerald Jernigan, mayor of Ann Arbor, Michigan
- Robert B. Jones, Mayor of Kalamazoo and Michigan State Representative[12]
- Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, U.S. Representative[13]
- Charles S. May, 16th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
- Jack B. Olson, Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin[14]
- Kristy Pagan, Democratic politician from Michigan who represents the 21st District in the Michigan House of Representatives
- Kitty Piercy, Mayor of Eugene, Oregon[15]
- Mark Schauer, U.S. Representative, State Senator, Minority Leader of the Michigan Senate[16]
- Dylan Schmorrow, Commander, U.S. Navy and aerospace experimental psychologist[17]
- Mark D. Siljander, U.S. Representative[18]
- Rashida Tlaib, U.S. Representative and former Michigan state representative;
Athletics[edit]
- Keegan Akin, MLB pitcher for the Baltimore Orioles[19]
- Richard Ash, NFL player for Dallas Cowboys[20]
- Jason Babin, NFL player for Arizona Cardinals[21]
- Freddie Bishop III, CFL player for Calgary Stampeders[22]
- Jim Bouton, MLB baseball player, World Series pitcher for New York Yankees, actor, author of Ball Four[23]
- Don Boven, NBA player[24]
- Daniel Braverman (born 1993), NFL football player[25][26]
- Judi Brown, Olympic silver medalist[27]
- Matt Cappotelli, professional wrestler[citation needed]
- Orlando Colon, aka Epico, WWE wrestler, played baseball for Western Michigan
- Scott Colton, aka Colt Cabana, professional wrestler and podcaster[citation needed]
- Kevin Connauton, NHL player for Dallas Stars[28]
- Terry Crews, NFL all-conference MAC player and actor
- Corey Davis, NFL wide receiver for the New York Jets, highest drafted NFL player in WMU history (5th overall)
- Danny DeKeyser, defenseman for Detroit Red Wings[29]
- Louis Delmas, All-American free safety NFL player[30]
- Bill Doba, head football coach at Washington State University (2003–2007)[31]
- Dave Dombrowski, President of Baseball Operations of Boston Red Sox, former GM of Detroit Tigers[citation needed]
- Shawn Faulkner, football player[32]
- Brad Fischer, bullpen coach for Oakland Athletics[33]
- Paul Griffin, NBA player[34]
- Ben Handlogten, NBA player[35]
- John Harbaugh, NFL head coach for Baltimore Ravens (Master's degree from WMU)[36]
- Glenn Healy, NHL goalie[37]
- Greg Jennings, former NFL wide receiver[38]
- Keith Jones, hockey analyst on NBC Sports and NHL player[39]
- Ernie Koob, MLB pitcher, threw no-hitter for 1917 St. Louis Browns
- John Kusku, Team USA goalball player, Paralympic silver medalist[40]
- Bill Lajoie, general manager of Detroit Tigers, 1984–90; special advisor for three other teams[41]
- Rich Maloney, head coach for University of Michigan baseball team[42]
- Charlie Maxwell, Major League Baseball player[43]
- Jamal Mayers, NHL player for Chicago Blackhawks[44]
- Jeff Mayweather, trainer and former professional boxer[citation needed]
- Jay McDonagh, football player[45]
- Ira James Murchison, Olympic gold medalist, NCAA national champion[46]
- Lenda Murray, bodybuilder, 8-time Ms. Olympia
- Tom Nütten, retired NFL player for St. Louis Rams[47]
- John Offerdahl, 5-time Pro Bowl NFL player[48]
- Walter Owens, Negro league baseball pitcher, basketball and track and field player for Michigan, baseball and basketball coach at Detroit's Northwestern High School[49]
- William Perigo, Western Michigan basketball player and head coach
- William Porter, Olympic gold medalist[50]
- John Potter, professional football kicker[51]
- Mike Prindle, NFL placekicker[52]
- Frank Quilici, infielder (1965, 1967–70) and manager (1972–75) for the Minnesota Twins[53]
- Joe Reitz, NFL offensive lineman, WMU basketball player[54]
- Mark Ricks, football player
- Sean Riley (born 1974), football player[55]
- Adam Rosales, MLB third baseman for Oakland Athletics[56]
- Walker Russell, NBA player[57]
- Tony Scheffler, NFL tight end for Detroit Lions[58]
- Neil Smith, owner of Greenville Road Warriors of ECHL, general manager of NHL's New York Rangers and New York Islanders[59]
- Paul Szczechura, NHL player for Tampa Bay Lightning
- Wayne Terwilliger, Chicago Cubs second baseman, MLB coach, author[60]
- Roger Theder, head football coach, University of California, Berkeley (1978–1981)[citation needed]
- Ray Thomas, MLB player[61]
- Elliot Uzelac, head football coach, Western Michigan University (1975–1981) and U.S. Naval Academy (1987–1989)[62]
- John Vander Wal, professional baseball player[63]
- Jordan White, professional football player[64]
Fictional[edit]
References[edit]
- ^ "Michigan State University Libraries - Michigan Writers Series - Bonnie Jo Campbell, 1/24/03".
- ^ "National Endowment for the Arts, Melinda Moustakis, 2014 Prose".
- ^ "1970 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient". wmich.edu.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Bennett, Bryan (November 16, 2016). "These Are The Most Famous Western Michigan Alumni". Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ "1971 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient". wmich.edu.
- ^ "1982 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient". wmich.edu.
- ^ "John Turner – an Olympia, Washington (WA) Criminal Law Lawyer". findlaw.com. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
- ^ "Marching Band director resigns". The Michigan Daily. January 9, 2013.
- ^ "Gardner Ackley". University of Michigan Digital Library. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Jase Bolger MI House GOP Bio". Michigan House Republican Caucus. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
- ^ Yoakum, Ted (October 18, 2012). "WMU alumnus and former Western Herald contributor running for US Senate seat in Michigan". Western Herald.
- ^ "Robert Jones". Michiganliberal.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
- ^ "Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
- ^ "Jack B. Olson". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
- ^ "Kitty Piercy". eugene-or.gov. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
- ^ "Mark Schauer". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
- ^ "Dylan Schmorrow". soartech.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
- ^ "Mark D. Siljander". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
- ^ "Keegan Akin". baseball-reference.com/players. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
- ^ "Richard Ash". Pro-Football Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Jason Babin". Pro-Football Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Freddie Bishop III". wmubroncos.com. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
- ^ "Jim Bouton". baseball-reference.com/players. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Don Boven". Pro-Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Be Like Mike: Motivated Bears WR Daniel Braverman has no regrets," ESPN.
- ^ "In Jewish faith and talent, Daniel Braverman is a rare NFL prospect," Sports Illustrated.
- ^ "Judi Brown". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Kevin Connauton". Retrieved January 18, 2014.
- ^ "Danny DeKeyser". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Louis Delmas". Pro-Football Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Bill Doba". sports-reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Shawn Faulkner". justsportsstats.com. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
- ^ "Brad Fischer". baseball-reference.com/players. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Paul Griffin". Pro-Basketball Reference.Com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Ben Handlogten". Pro-Basketball Reference.Com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "John Harbaugh". Pro-Football Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Glenn Healy". hockeydb.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Greg Jennings". Pro-Football Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Keith Jones". Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "John Kusku". teamusa.org. Archived from the original on December 29, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
- ^ "Bill Lajoie". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Rich Maloney". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Charlie Maxwell". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Jamal Mayers". hockeydb.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Jay McDonagh". arenafan.com. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
- ^ "Ira James Murchison". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Tom Nütten". National Football League. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "John Offerdahl". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ Walt Owens biography. Negro League Baseball Museum website. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
- ^ "William Porter". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "John Potter". National Football League. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Mike Prindle". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Frank Quilici". Pro-Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Joe Reitz". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Sean Riley". arenafan.com. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
- ^ "Adam Rosales". Pro-Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Walker Russell". Pro-Basketball-Reference. Com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Tony Scheffler". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Neil Smith". hockeydb.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Wayne Terwilliger". Pro-Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "1934 Huntington Red Birds". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
- ^ "Elliot Uzelac". sports-reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "John Vander Wal". Pro-Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
- ^ "Jordan White". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.