List of Western Michigan University alumni

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

• 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

• Robert Bobb, Emergency Financial Manager for the Detroit Public Schools
• Jeanne Dietsch, co-founder of MobileRobots Inc
• Tom Englert, second CEO of Discount Tire
• 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

• 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

• 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
• Darren Edward Johnston, Tony Award winning producer
• Page Kennedy, actor ^[4]
• 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-nominated actress ^[4]
• Jeff Osterhage, film and television actor
• John Saunders, ABC Sports television personality ^[4]
• Beby Tsabina, Indonesian actress, model, and singer
• 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

• 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

Judge Gershwin A. Drain

• 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

Frankie Ballard

• 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
• 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

• 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

Jim Bouton

• 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]
• Skyler Young, basketball coach ^[65]

Fictional

• Tim Taylor, Home Improvement
• Jill Taylor, Home Improvement

References

1. "Michigan State University Libraries - Michigan Writers Series - Bonnie Jo Campbell, 1/24/03".
2. "National Endowment for the Arts, Melinda Moustakis, 2014 Prose".
3. "1970 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient". wmich.edu.
4. Bennett, Bryan (November 16, 2016). "These Are The Most Famous Western Michigan Alumni" . Retrieved April 8, 2017.
5. "1971 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient". wmich.edu.
6. "1982 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient". wmich.edu.
7. "John Turner – an Olympia, Washington (WA) Criminal Law Lawyer". findlaw.com. Retrieved April 8, 2017.
8. "Marching Band director resigns". The Michigan Daily. January 9, 2013.
9. "Gardner Ackley". University of Michigan Digital Library. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
10. "Jase Bolger MI House GOP Bio". Michigan House Republican Caucus. Retrieved December 6, 2015.
11. Yoakum, Ted (October 18, 2012). "WMU alumnus and former Western Herald contributor running for US Senate seat in Michigan". Western Herald.
12. "Robert Jones". Michiganliberal.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
13. "Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
14. "Jack B. Olson". Wisconsin Historical Society. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
15. "Kitty Piercy". eugene-or.gov. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
16. "Mark Schauer". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
17. "Dylan Schmorrow". soartech.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
18. "Mark D. Siljander". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved December 16, 2013.
19. "Keegan Akin". baseball-reference.com/players. Retrieved March 5, 2023.
20. "Richard Ash". Pro-Football Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
21. "Jason Babin". Pro-Football Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
22. "Freddie Bishop III". wmubroncos.com. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
23. "Jim Bouton". baseball-reference.com/players. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
24. "Don Boven". Pro-Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
25. "Be Like Mike: Motivated Bears WR Daniel Braverman has no regrets," ESPN.
26. "In Jewish faith and talent, Daniel Braverman is a rare NFL prospect," Sports Illustrated.
27. "Judi Brown". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
28. "Kevin Connauton" . Retrieved January 18, 2014.
29. "Danny DeKeyser". hockey-reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
30. "Louis Delmas". Pro-Football Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
31. "Bill Doba". sports-reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
32. "Shawn Faulkner". justsportsstats.com. Retrieved November 6, 2015.
33. "Brad Fischer". baseball-reference.com/players. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
34. "Paul Griffin". Pro-Basketball Reference.Com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
35. "Ben Handlogten". Pro-Basketball Reference.Com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
36. "John Harbaugh". Pro-Football Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
37. "Glenn Healy". hockeydb.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
38. "Greg Jennings". Pro-Football Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
39. "Keith Jones". Hockey Hall of Fame and Museum. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
40. "John Kusku". teamusa.org. Archived from the original on December 29, 2015. Retrieved December 22, 2016.
41. "Bill Lajoie". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
42. "Rich Maloney". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
43. "Charlie Maxwell". baseball-reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
44. "Jamal Mayers". hockeydb.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
45. "Jay McDonagh". arenafan.com. Retrieved December 27, 2014.
46. "Ira James Murchison". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 18, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
47. "Tom Nütten". National Football League. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
48. "John Offerdahl". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
49. Walt Owens biography. Negro League Baseball Museum website. Retrieved February 25, 2019.
50. "William Porter". sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on April 17, 2020. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
51. "John Potter". National Football League. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
52. "Mike Prindle". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
53. "Frank Quilici". Pro-Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
54. "Joe Reitz". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
55. "Sean Riley". arenafan.com. Retrieved January 6, 2015.
56. "Adam Rosales". Pro-Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
57. "Walker Russell". Pro-Basketball-Reference. Com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
58. "Tony Scheffler". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
59. "Neil Smith". hockeydb.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
60. "Wayne Terwilliger". Pro-Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
61. "1934 Huntington Red Birds". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 3, 2013.
62. "Elliot Uzelac". sports-reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
63. "John Vander Wal". Pro-Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
64. "Jordan White". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved December 15, 2013.
65. "Skyler Young - Head Coach - Women's Basketball Coaches". Seattle University. Retrieved August 9, 2025.

External links

• Distinguished Alumni Award Recipients