List of Illinois State University alumni
This is a list of Illinois State University alumni who are notable enough to warrant an article in Wikipedia. The list is organized by general fields of achievement.
Business
- Paul Flessner - Senior VP of Microsoft[1]
- Patti S. Hart - Former Chairman/President/CEO of Pinnacle Systems Inc.[1]
Law
Felipe Garcia - Supreme court Judge
Education
Journalism and letters
Music
Politics
Sports
- Jeremy Accardo is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher (2005–present), currently playing for the Toronto Blue Jays[7]
- Dave Bergman is a former Major League Baseball first baseman (1975, 77–92). He was a member of the 1984 World Series champion Detroit Tigers. His uniform #12 has been retired by the ISU baseball team.[8][9]
- James R. "Jay" Blunk is the Executive Vice-President of the Chicago Blackhawks, winners of the 2010 Stanley Cup as National Hockey League Champions.
- Lee "Buzz" Capra is a former All-Star Major League baseball pitcher (1971–77). He led the National League in ERA in 1974.[10]
- Aveion Cason is a former NFL running back (2001–08).[11]
- Doug Collins is the head coach of the Philadelphia 76ers. He was the number one overall pick in the 1973 NBA Draft. He played for the Philadelphia 76ers (1973–81) before starting a coaching career. He was also a member of the 1972 Mens Olympic Basketball Team, which was involved in a controversial game against the USSR. His uniform #20 has been retired by the ISU basketball team, and he is the subject of a statue at the university.[12][13][14]
- Neal Cotts is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher (2003–present). He was a member of the 2005 World Series champion Chicago White Sox.[15][16]
- Luke Drone- former NFL player and current AF2 Player
- Steve Fisher is a college basketball coach, currently coaching at San Diego State University. He is the former head coach at the University of Michigan where he led the team to the 1989 NCAA Mens Division I Basketball Championship.[17][18]
- Kevin Glenn is a CFL quarterback. A finalist for the league's MVP award in 2007, he currently plays for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.[19][20]
- James "Boomer" Grigsby is a former NFL fullback (2005–08), playing most of his career for the Kansas City Chiefs.[21][22]
- Brent Hawkins is a former NFL defensive end (2006–07), playing his entire NFL career for the Jacksonville Jaguars. He currently plays for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the CFL.[23][24]
- Matt Herges is a Major League Baseball relief pitcher (1999–present).[25]
- Ed Kinsella was the first baseball player from Illinois State University to play in Major League Baseball (1905, 1910).[26][27]
- Dan Kolb is a former Major League Baseball relief pitcher (1999–2007).[28][29]
- Jim Meyer is a former NFL offensive tackle (1987).
- Tom Nelson is a National Football League safety for the Cincinnati Bengals.[30]
- Mike Prior is a former NFL defensive back (1985, 87–98). He was a member of the Super Bowl XXXI champion Green Bay Packers.[31][32]
- Laurent Robinson is an NFL wide receiver (2007–present), currently playing for the Dallas Cowboys.[33][34]
- Mark Rodenhauser NFL Center
- Peter Shorts NFL Defensive tackle
- Kye Stewart CFL linebacker currently playing with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.[35]
- D. A. Weibring is a PGA golfer. ISU's golf course is named in his honor.[36][37][38]
- Tom Wieghaus is a former Major League Baseball catcher (1981, 83–84).[39][40]
Theatre/Movies
- Carlos Bernard is an actor (Tony Almeida on 24)[3]
- Gary Cole is an actor known for his work on screen (Office Space, Pineapple Express) and television (Midnight Caller, The West Wing).[3]
- Suzzanne Douglass is an actress (The Parent 'Hood, Tap).[3]
- Nelsan Ellis (attended, transferred in 1999) is an actor, perhaps best known for his role as Lafayette Reynolds on the television series True Blood.[41]
- Gary Griffin is a producer with the Chicago Shakespeare Theater.[3]
- Moira Harris is an actress (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines).[3]
- Reggie Hayes is an actor, perhaps best known for his role on the television series Girlfriends[3]
- Sean Hayes is an actor, perhaps best known for his Emmy award–winning role as Jack McFarland on the television series Will & Grace.[3]
- Tom Irwin is an actor, best known for his work on television (Saving Grace My So-Called Life).[3]
- Judith Ivey is a two–time Tony Award winning actress (Steaming, Hurlyburly).[3]
- Terry Kinney is a theatrical director and actor (Tim McManus on the television series Oz).[3]
- Jane Lynch is an actress known for her work on film (Best in Show, A Mighty Wind) and television (Glee).[3]
- John Malkovich (attended, and awarded a degree in 2005) is a co–founder of the Steppenwolf Theatre Company and actor (In the Line of Fire, Rounders, Being John Malkovich).[3]
- Laurie Metcalf is an actress who won three Emmy awards for her work on the television series Roseanne.[3]
- William O'Leary is an actor (Home Improvement, Hot Shots!).[3]
- Jeff Perry is an actor perhaps best known for his work on television (Nash Bridges, Grey's Anatomy).[3]
- Rondi Reed is a Tony Award–winning actress (August: Osage County).[3]
- Craig Robinson (actor) - actor, The Office; Pineapple Express; Zack and Miri Make a Porno; Knocked Up
- Cecilia Suárez is an actress who works in both American and Mexican cinema (The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, The Air I Breathe).[3]
- Tim Russ is an actor, perhaps best known for his role as Tuvok on the television series Star Trek: Voyager.[3]
- Gary Sinise - actor (CSI: NY)
- Yvonne Suhor - actress (The Young Riders; Northern Exposure)
- John Turk - actor (Mortal Kombat)
- Bruce A. Young is an actor known for his work in television (The Sentinel) and film (Risky Business, Jurassic Park III).[3]
- Natasha Leggero is an actress and stand up comedienne. Leggero also appears regularly on the Chelsea Lately roundtable
References
- ^ a b "Business: Notable Alumni." Illinois State University. Retrieved on February 20, 2009.
- ^ "Education: Notable Alumni." Illinois State University. Retrieved on February 20, 2009.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v "Theatre Alumni". Illinois State University College of Fine Arts. 2009. http://www.cfa.ilstu.edu/alumni/theatre/. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ Craft, Dan (4 December 2003), "Illinois State graduate Suzy Bogguss brings her latest sounds back home", The Daily Pantagraph (Bloomington, IL, USA)
- ^ Clarke, Dave (2 June 2009), "Suzy Bogguss to sing for the folks back home", Star Courier (Kewanee, IL, USA), http://www.starcourier.com/opinions/columnists/x2085743524/Suzy-Bogguss-to-sing-for-the-folks-back-home, retrieved 27 December 2009, "Suzy Bogguss fans will want to be in Aledo Saturday for the 18th annual Rhubarb Fest ... After high school she went to Illinois State University, where she earned a degree in, of all things, metalsmithing."
- ^ "Government and Public Service: Notable Alumni." Illinois State University. Retrieved on February 20, 2009.
- ^ "Jeremy Accardo". statistics and biographic information. The Baseball Cube. http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/A/Jeremy-Accardo.shtml. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "Dave Bergman". statistics and biographical information. Baseball-Reference.com. http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/b/bergmda01.shtml. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "Dave Bergman". Hall of Fame profile. Illinois State University Athletics Department. http://www.goredbirds.com/genrel/bergman_dave00.html. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "Lee Capra". Hall of Fame profile. Illinois State University Athletics Department. http://www.goredbirds.com/genrel/capra_leebuzz00.html. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "Aveion Cason". statistics and biographical iformation. National Football League. http://www.nfl.com/players/aveioncason/profile?id=CAS365535. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "Doug Collins". statistics & biographical information. basketball-reference.com. http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/c/collido01.html. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "Doug Collins". Hall of Fame profile. Illinois State University Athletics Department. http://www.goredbirds.com/genrel/collins_doug00.html. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ Ziehm, Len (21 February 2001), "Overcoming all obstacles Illinois State standout Bryson making a name for himself", Chicago Sun-Times, "Doug Collins put Illinois State on the college basketball map, piling up points for the Redbirds in the early 1970s before going on to success as a player, coach and commentator in the NBA. Since 1973, Collins has reigned as ISU's career scoring leader with 2,240 points. But Tarise Bryson is taking dead aim on that mark, and Collins has noticed."
- ^ "Neal Cotts". statistics and biographical information. The Baseball Cube. http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/C/neal-cotts.shtml. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ Goldberg, Matt (17 March 2004). "ISU's Cotts tries to make White Sox". University Wire report. The Daily Vidette. http://www.encyclopedia.com/doc/1P1-92262512.html. Retrieved 26 December 2009. "If former Illinois State baseball player Neal Cotts never ended up injuring his leg his junior year in high school, he might have never made it to where he is today. Today he is on the Chicago White Sox 40-man roster and hopes to make the final roster when they cut the team to 25-players in the next few days."
- ^ "Steve Fisher". biographic sketch. San Diego State University Athletics Department. http://goaztecs.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/bio-Fisher.html. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ Willhite, Lindsey (12 March 2002), "Fisher returns to his Illinois roots this week", Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, IL, USA), http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-83715620.html, retrieved 26 December 2009, "For a "Michigan man," as Bo Schembechler so famously described Steve Fisher when handing him the Wolverines' team prior to the 1989 NCAA Tournament, Fisher sure seems like an Illinois guy. He grew up in Herrin, prime coal-mining country in the southern part of the state. He attended Illinois State University and played three years of varsity ball there in the mid-1960s."
- ^ "Kevin Glenn". statistics and biographic information. Canadian Football League. http://www.cfl.ca/roster/show/id/135. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ Zelkovich, Chris (13 November 2009), "Ticats' Glenn: From stardom to scrap heap and back: Quarterback stays positive during journey", The Toronto Star, http://www.thestar.com/sports/football/cfl/article/725317--ticats-glenn-from-stardom-to-scrap-heap-and-back, retrieved 26 December 2009, "In 2007, Glenn was the East nominee for the CFL's most outstanding player award. His Winnipeg Blue Bombers were in the division final. ... Turning negatives into positives is something Glenn's been doing all his life. When he was a kid, he was told he was too small to play QB. When he went to high school, he heard it again. And again at Illinois State, where 5-foot-10 quarterbacks weren't considered top NCAA material."
- ^ Woods, Linda (30 June 2009), "Boomer Grigsby happy to visit his hometown, eager to help kids", The Daily Ledger (Canton, IL, USA); GateHouse News Service, http://www.cantondailyledger.com/news/x488818743/Boomer-Grigsby-happy-to-visit-his-hometown-eager-to-help-kids, retrieved 26 December 2009, "Grigsby, 27, has played in the National Football League with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Miami Dolphins, and this season will join the Houston Texans. Grigsby started his football career at Canton High School and then played football for Illinois State University before playing for the Kansas City Chiefs."
- ^ "Boomer Grigsby". statistics and biographic information. National Football League. http://www.nfl.com/players/boomergrigsby/profile?id=GRI644143. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "Brent Hawkins". statistics and biographical information. National Football League. http://www.nfl.com/players/brenthawkins/profile?id=HAW160608. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ Pinkham, Paul (15 January 2008), "Jaguars player arrested for DUI: Police say DE Hawkins was speeding and appeared intoxicated", The Florida Times-Union, http://jacksonville.com/tu-online/stories/011508/jag_236638035.shtml, retrieved 26 December 2009, "The report says Hawkins, 24, told officers he had three vodka and orange juice drinks and said he had a previous driving under the influence case in Illinois, where he attended Illinois State University before being drafted by the Jaguars in 2006 in the fifth round."
- ^ "Matt Herges". statistics and biographical information. The Baseball Cube. http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/H/matt-herges.shtml. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "Great Moments in Redbird Baseball History". goredbirds.com. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
- ^ "History and Records". grfx.cstv.com. Retrieved 2010-12-06.
- ^ McFadden, Adam (8 May 2009). "Broxton soars in closer rankings". SI.com. http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2009/fantasy/05/08/closer.rankings/index.html. Retrieved 26 December 2009. "Dan Kolb has always been a captivating case for me. The Illinois State graduate didn't distinguish himself much in his first four seasons in the majors. Then he got the opportunity to close for the Milwaukee Brewers halfway through 2003. After some success, he entered 2004 as the Brewers' closer"
- ^ "Danny Kolb". statistics and biographical information. Baseball-Reference.com. http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/k/kolbda01.shtml. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "Tom Nelson". statistics and biographic sketch. Cincinnati Bengals. http://www.bengals.com/team/roster/tom-nelson/40c76f8e-8dbd-433e-8df6-ae8d095f8f56/. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "Mike Prior". Hall of Fame profile. Illinois State University Athletics Department. http://www.goredbirds.com/genrel/prior_mike00.html. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ Kuchta, Chris (14 December 2009), "Marian Catholic's Greatest Athlete: Mike Prior", Southtown Star (Tinley Park, IL, USA), http://www.southtownstar.com/greatest-athletes/1937524,121409sptgreatest.article, retrieved 26 December 2009, "After a dominant prep run, the 6-foot, 200-pounder took his skills to Illinois State University and quickly became one of the biggest Redbirds on campus. Prior played four years of both football and baseball in Normal and still holds the Illinois State and Missouri Valley Conference record for career interceptions (24). He is also the Redbirds' career punt return yardage leader with 906 yards."
- ^ "Laurent Robinson". statistics and biographical information. National Football League. http://www.nfl.com/players/laurentrobinson/profile?id=ROB609376. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ Reinhardt, Randy (23 November 2009), "Injured Rams WR Robinson returns to ISU", The Daily Pantagraph (Bloomington, IL, USA), http://www.pantagraph.com/sports/football/professional/nfl/stlouis-rams/article_3f42ce44-d899-11de-a0f2-001cc4c03286.html, retrieved 26 December 2009, "Traded to the “perfect situation,” the 2009 season did not stay perfect very long for former Illinois State wide receiver Laurent Robinson."
- ^ "Kye Stewart Bio at Riderville.com". Saskatchewan Riders Football Club. http://www.saskriders.com/roster/show/id/2225. Retrieved 14 November 2010.
- ^ "D. A. Weibring". statistics and biographic information. Professional Golf Association (PGA). http://www.pgatour.com/players/00/22/67/. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "BOT Approves Naming of Golf Course for D. A. Weibring" (Press release). Illinois State University Media Relations. 27 July 2007. http://www.mediarelations.ilstu.edu/news_releases/07-08/july/weibring.asp. Retrieved 26 December 2009. "Illinois State University’s Board of Trustees today approved the naming of the University golf course to the Weibring Golf Club at Illinois State University in recognition of Weibring’s commitment and contribution to Redbird Athletics and his achievements as a Professional Golf Association (PGA) member."
- ^ "Donald Weibring". Hall of Fame profile. Illinois State University Athletics Department. http://www.goredbirds.com/genrel/weibring_donaldda00.html. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "Tom Wieghaus". Hall of Fame profile. Illinois State University Athletics Department. http://www.goredbirds.com/genrel/wieghaus_tom00.html. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ "Tom Wieghaus". statistics and biographic information. Baseball-Reference.com. http://www.baseball-reference.com/players/w/wieghto01.shtml. Retrieved 26 December 2009.
- ^ Ryan, Maureen (15 September 2009), "Lafayette on ‘True Blood’: Chicago actor savors role: He plays cook on HBO vampire show", Chicago Tribune, http://archives.chicagotribune.com/2009/sep/15/entertainment/chi-0915-true-blood-watchersep15, retrieved 26 December 2009, "And according to Nelsan Ellis, the Chicago native who plays Lafayette, that was just fine with the tart-tongued Merlotte’s cook ... The actor, who was born in Harvey, spent much of his youth in Alabama and returned to the Chicago area at age 14 to attend Dolton’s Thornridge High School. He later studied at Columbia College Chicago and Illinois State University and trained as an actor at New York’s prestigious Juilliard School."