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

*Bryan Charles, author
*Gwen Frostic artist, naturalist, former poet laureate of Michigan
*Hideaki Miyamura, potter
*Xavier Davis, pianist
*Terry Wooten, poet

Business

* Robert Bobb, CEO, founder of Cardinal Growth
*Jeanne Carlson, CEO of Blue Care Network, WMU Trustee
*Jack Clifford, founder of the Food Network
*Lloyd Dean, CEO of Catholic Healthcare West, member of the Wells Fargo Board of Directors
*James Epolito, President of the Michigan Economic Development Corporation
*Alec Gores, Billionaire president of The Gores Group with an estimated net worth of $1.3 billion
*Timothy E. Hoeksema (1972), founder of Midwest Airlines
*Richard Haworth, businessman, Chairman of Haworth, Inc., past WMU trustee
*James Holden, former CEO of Chrysler
*William D. Johnston, CEO of Greenleaf , WMU Trustee
*William McGinnis, securities expert
*Dennis Nally, Chairman and Senior Partner of PricewaterhouseCoopers
*Homer Stryker, founder of Stryker Corporation
* Michael Volkema, past CEO of Herman Miller
*G.W. Haworth, businessman, founder of Haworth, Inc.

Education

*Terry Bergeson, State of Washington Superintendent of Public Schools
*Robert Bruininks, President of University of Minnesota
*Dr. James Bultman, President of Hope College
*Carol Churchill, President of Mid Michigan Community College
*John A. Fallon, past President, Eastern Michigan University; past President, SUNY Potsdam; past President, William Penn 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
*Keith Pretty, President of Northwood University

Engineering

*John O. Hallquist, Founder and President of LSTC (Livermore Software Technology Corporation), Inventor and Developer of LS-DYNA3D

Entertainment

*Tim Allen, actor and stand-up comedian
*Bruce Campbell, actor
*Terry Crews, actor
*Nicole Forester, actress
*Stephen Lynch, Tony Award nominated actor, musician, stand-up comedian
*Marin Mazzie, Tony Award winning actress.
*John Saunders, ABC Sports television personality
*Wayne Static, lead singer and guitarist of industrial metal band Static-X
*Skyler Stone, actor-comedian
*Luther Vandross, rhythm and blues/urban contemporary singer, songwriter, and record producer
*David Wayne, Tony Award winning actor
*Don Lane American-born Australian entertainer
*Josh Gracin American Country Music Artist

Journalism

* Roz Abrams, New York City TV News Presenter, past CNN reporter
* Al Emick, Sportscaster
* Jim Hickey ABC Radio National Correspondent

Law

*Dennis Archer, Mayor of Detroit, Michigan Supreme Court Justice, Past President of the American Bar Association, WMU trustee
*Karla Gray, Chief Justice of the Montana Supreme Court

Music

*Arturo Ziraldo, violist
*Daniel Comiskey, cellist
*Vladmir Czuequintel, pianist
*Ryan Engleman, percussionist
*William Baxtresser, trumpet
*Karel vanBeekom, saxophone

Politics, diplomacy and military

*Omar Bader Al-Dafa, former diplomat (2000 - 2005) to the United States from Qatar
*Scott Boman, Michigan politician
*H.E. Nasser bin Hamad M. Al-Khalifa, diplomat (2005 - present) to the United States from Qatar
*Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, U.S. Representative
*Jack B. Olson, Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin
*Mark Schauer State Senator, Minority leader of the Michigan Senate
*Dylan Schmorrow Commander, U.S. Navy and Aerospace Experimental Psychologist
*Mark D. Siljander former U.S. Congressman
*Dr. Jerry Zandstra, pro-life activist, former U.S. Senate candidate

Athletics

*Jason Babin, NFL Player for the Seattle Seahawks
*John Bork, 1961 NCAA All-American Track Athlete and National Champion - 800 meters
*Jim Bouton, MLB baseball player, author
*Don Boven, former NBA player
*Dr. Judi Brown, Olympic Silver Medalist
*J. Patrick Clysdale, 1950 WMU Football Team Captain; WMU Athletic Director, 1980-81
*Scott Colton, WWE Professional Wrestler
*Bill Doba, Head football coach at Washington State University
*Dave Dombrowski, President, CEO, and General Manager of the Detroit Tigers
*Brad Fischer, Bullpen coach for the Oakland Athletics
*Charles B. "Chuck" Greene, 1981 NCAA All-American; 1985 World Maccabiah Games Champion - Javelin throw
*Paul Griffin, former NBA player
*Ben Handlogten, former NBA player
*John Harbaugh, NFL head coach for the Baltimore Ravens (Masters Degree from WMU)
*Glenn Healy, former NHL goalie
*Greg Jennings, NFL wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers
*Bill Lajoie, former GM of Detroit Tigers, 1984 - 1990; special advisor for 3 other teams
*Don Lukens, Retired Track Coach at Kalamazoo Loy Norrix High School; 21 Conference Championships during 26 seasons.
*Rich Maloney, head coach for the University of Michigan baseball team
*Jack McIntosh, three-time NCAA All-American Track Athlete (1979, 80, 82); two-time NCAA silver medalist (1979 & 1982) - 800 meters
*Ira James Murchison, Olympic Gold medalist, NCAA National Champion
*Tom Nütten, retired NFL player for the St. Louis Rams
*John Offerdahl, former 5 time pro-bowl NFL player, founder of Einstein Bros. Bagels
*Jim Oliphant, 1961 NCAA All-American Track Athlete - High Jump
*Mike Prindle, former NFL placekicker
*William Porter, Olympic Gold medalist
*Joe Reitz, NFL offensive lineman, former WMU basketball player
*Walker Russell, former NBA player
*Tony Scheffler, NFL tight end for the Denver Broncos
*Neil Smith, former General Manager of the New York Rangers and New York Islanders
*Wayne Terwilliger, former Chicago Cubs second baseman, former MLB first and third base coach, author
*Roger Theder, former head football coach, University of California, Berkeley
*Elliott Uzelac, former head football coach, Western Michigan University and U.S. Naval Academy
*John Vander Wal, professional baseball player
*Dominic M. Yoder, head coach for Northern Michigan University women's volleyball team

Fictional

*Tim Taylor, "Home Improvement"
*Jill Taylor, "Home Improvement"