This article brings you the latest details regarding Central Michigan University Notable Alumni, what is central michigan university known for, famous central michigan football players, central michigan university trivia and is central michigan a good school.

Central Michigan University is a state university located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. It is one of the oldest universities in the state, and one of the largest universities in the region. The school was founded in 1892 as Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute. It has 15 colleges and schools offering more than 190 undergraduate degrees, 140 graduate degrees and 40 minors. The university has a student population of over 30,000 students, with an average class size of 23 students per class. Read on as we delve into Central Michigan University Notable Alumni, what is central michigan university known for, famous central michigan football players, central michigan university trivia and is central michigan a good school.

The university is known for its strong athletic programs, both men’s and women’s. They are most famous for their football program which has been ranked as high as fourth in the nation at one point by ESPN. Their men’s basketball team has also been ranked nationally on several occasions.

The university has produced some notable alumni over the years; including two governors (George Romney/Michigan), a U.S. senator (Jim Talent) and two prominent authors: Sherman Alexie and David Platt.

Central Michigan University Notable Alumni

We begin with Central Michigan University Notable Alumni, then what is central michigan university known for, famous central michigan football players, central michigan university trivia and is central michigan a good school.

• Terry “Scooter” Leslie

Acting

• Tim Allen – actor, Toy Story, Home Improvement (attended; transferred to Western Michigan University)
• Larry Joe Campbell – actor, co-starred on According to Jim as Andy
• Jeff Daniels – Emmy-winning actor, Terms of Endearment, Arachnophobia, Gettysburg, Dumb and Dumber, Good Night, and Good Luck, The Newsroom
• Carter Oosterhouse – reality TV star of Trading Spaces
• Terry O’Quinn – Emmy-winning actor, co-starred on Lost as John Locke
• Amy Roloff – reality TV star of Little People, Big World
• Brad Slaight – actor, The Young and the Restless, Love Chronicles, Unsolved Mysteries; comedian

Broadcasting

• Cam Brainard – Voiceover artist and broadcaster
• Dick Enberg – Emmy-winning sports broadcaster
• Clark Howard – syndicated consumer talk-show host
• Edythe Lewis – pioneering Black disc jockey
• Lem Tucker – Emmy-winning correspondent, CBS News
• Gregg “Free Beer” Daniels — syndicated radio show host (Free Beer & Hot Wings Morning Show)
• Chris “Hot Wings” Michaels — syndicated radio show host (Free Beer & Hot Wings Morning Show)

Journalism

• Terry Foster – The Detroit News columnist and WXYT-FM radio host
• John Grogan – author of best-selling memoir Marley & Me and Philadelphia Inquirer columnist
• Lorrie Lynch – weekend editor, columnist, USA Today magazine
• Drew Sheneman – award-winning editorial cartoonist, The Star-Ledger

Politics and military

• Alveda King – activist, author, and former state representative for the 28th District in the Georgia House Of Representatives. Niece of Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King Jr.
• Ralph Baker – U.S. Army brigadier general
• Matt Bevin- Former Governor of Kentucky
• Kevin Cotter – former speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives
• Vivien Crea – U.S. Coast Guard vice admiral and 25th Vice Commandant of the United States Coast Guard
• Michael P. DeLong – U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant general
• Robert P. Griffin – United States Senator and House of Representatives member
• Scott Haraburda – U.S. Army colonel and president of Indiana Society of Professional Engineers
• Joseph R. Inge – U.S. Army lieutenant general
• Reuben D. Jones – U.S. Army major general
• William F. Kernan – U.S. Army general and commander of Joint Forces Command
• Dan Kildee – United States Representative for Michigan’s 5th congressional district
• Andrea LaFontaine – represents 32nd District in Michigan House of Representatives
• Brenda Lawrence – United States Representative for Michigan’s 14th congressional district, former mayor of Southfield, Michigan, and 2010 Democratic Party nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
• Michael R. Lehnert – U.S. Marine Corps major general
• Mike Maturen – 2016 United States presidential candidate
• Herbert H. McMillan – former Maryland state delegate
• William Nolde – U.S. Army colonel last official combat casualty of Vietnam War
• Thomas M. Pappas – U.S. Army colonel disciplined from the Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse scandal
• Pete Peterson – U.S. Air Force colonel and Florida Representative
• Lorraine K. Potter – 14th Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force
• Philip Potvin – represents 102nd district in Michigan House of Representatives
• Joseph Ralston – U.S. Air Force general and commander of NATO
• John W. Raymond – U.S. Space Force general
• Verlina Reynolds-Jackson, politician who represents the 15th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly.^[1]
• Courtney Rogers – U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel and Tennessee Representative
• Jimmy D. Ross – U.S. Army general and commander of Army Materiel Command
• John B. Sams – U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General and commander of 15th Air Force
• Mary Sheffield – President of the Detroit City Council
• Peter Schoomaker – 35th Chief of Staff of the United States Army
• Norton A. Schwartz – 19th Chief of Staff of the Air Force
• Lance L. Smith – U.S. Air Force general
• Michael D. Steele – U.S. Army colonel
• Stephen Twitty – U.S. Army major general, Commanding Officer Fort Bliss
• Anthony Zinni – businessman and retired U.S. Marine Corps general
• Kissana Phathanacharoen – Deputy Spokesman of the Royal Thai Police and Deputy Commander of Cyber Crime Investigation Bureau (Royal Thai Police)

Sports

• Curtis Adams – National Football League, former running back for the San Diego Chargers
• Phil Baroni – professional MMA fighter formerly with the UFC^[2]
• Dan Bazuin – former NFL defensive end for the Chicago Bears
• Walter Beach – former NFL safety for the Cleveland Browns
• Nick Bellore – NFL fullback for the Seattle Seahawks
• Ray Bentley – former NFL linebacker, primarily with the Buffalo Bills; ESPN broadcaster
• Jim Bowman – former NFL defensive back for the New England Patriots
• Mark Brisker – American-Israeli professional basketball player
• Antonio Brown – NFL wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Josh Collmenter – MLB player currently with the Arizona Diamondbacks
• Paris Cotton – CFL running back with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• Tom Crean – head men’s basketball coach for the Indiana Hoosiers (2008–2017)
• Todd Dagenais – head coach for UCF Knights women’s volleyball
• Titus Davis – former wide receiver
• Tony F. Elliott – former NFL defensive back for the Green Bay Packers
• Paul Emmel – MLB umpire
• Dietrich Enns – MLB pitcher
• Tony Ferguson (attended) – mixed martial artist, The Ultimate Fighter 13 winner, currently competing in the UFCs Lightweight Division^[3]
• Eric Fisher – NFL offensive tackle for the Indianapolis Colts
• Eric Ghiaciuc – former NFL center for the Cincinnati Bengals
• Josh Gordy – NFL defensive back for the Indianapolis Colts
• Brock Gutierrez – former NFL center, primarily for the Detroit Lions
• Gary Hogeboom – former NFL quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys
• Nate Huffman – professional basketball player, 2001 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP
• Tory Humphrey – former NFL tight end for the New Orleans Saints
• Robert Jackson – former NFL defensive back for the Cincinnati Bengals
• Cullen Jenkins – NFL defensive end for the Washington Football Team
• Stephen Jones – CFL All-Star and Grey Cup champion
• Chris Kaman – former NBA player
• Adam Kieft – NFL offensive tackle for the Cincinnati Bengals
• Chris Knapp – MLB pitcher
• Dan LeFevour – former NFL quarterback with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, and Indianapolis Colts
• Andy MacDonald – head coach for Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football (1965–1968)
• James McElroy – former NBA player for the New Orleans Jazz and the Atlanta Hawks
• Dan Majerle – former NBA player, primarily for the Phoenix Suns
• Zach McKinstry – MLB player currently with the Los Angeles Dodgers
• Suzy Merchant – women’s basketball head coach, Michigan State
• Drew Mormino – NFL offensive lineman for the Miami Dolphins
• Shane Morris – Arena Football League quarterback for the Baltimore Brigade
• Marguerite Pearson – All-American Girls Professional Baseball League player and athletic instructor at CMU
• Kito Poblah – former CFL wide receiver, primarily for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• Jim Podoley – former NFL wide receiver for the Washington Redskins
• Ben Poquette – former NBA player for the Detroit Pistons
• Ryan Radcliff – former quarterback
• Thomas Rawls – NFL running back for the Seattle Seahawks
• Mose Rison – head coach for North Carolina Central Eagles football (2007–2010)
• Dan Roundfield – former NBA player, primarily with the Atlanta Hawks
• Cooper Rush – NFL quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys
• Chase Simon (born 1989) – basketball player for Maccabi Ashdod of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
• Joe Staley – NFL offensive tackle, first-round draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers (2007)
• George “The Animal” Steele – professional wrestler
• Kevin Tapani – former MLB pitcher, primarily with the Minnesota Twins
• Zurlon Tipton – former NFL running back for the Indianapolis Colts
• Tom Tresh – 1962 AL Rookie of the Year, shortstop, primarily with the New York Yankees
• Jonathan Ward – NFL running back for the Arizona Cardinals
• J. J. Watt – NFL defensive lineman for the Houston Texans; left school after one year
• Curt Young – former MLB pitcher, current pitching coach with the Oakland Athletics
• Frank Zombo – NFL linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs

Miscellaneous

• Jeffrey R. Caponigro – president and CEO of Caponigro Public Relations, Inc
• Harold Cronk – screenwriter, director, producer and founding partner at 10 West Studios
• Alex Cruz – Former British Airways CEO
• Andrew Dost – pianist in the Grammy Award-winning band Fun
• Dennis Frederiksen – vocalist
• Brandi Love – pornographic actress
• Guy Newland – Professor of Philosophy and Religion
• Karen J. Nichols – physician and former medical school dean
• Terry Nichols – participant in the Oklahoma City bombing (attended 1 semester)
• Jennifer Schomaker, chemist, professor, researcher
• Bill Schwab – fine art photographer
• Keith Sintay – animation artist
• Lori Nelson Spielman – author
• C. W. Thornthwaite – geographer and climatologist

what is central michigan university known for

Next, we consider what is central michigan university known for, famous central michigan football players, central michigan university trivia and is central michigan a good school.

Central Michigan University is known for being one of the largest public institutions in Michigan, with an essential liberal arts foundation. It is known, too, for having the lowest tuition increase in the last 10 years among all public colleges in the state. CMU also offers various programs online.

The university is home to approximately 20,000 students and has been educating students since 1892. It has a diverse student body with about 60% of students identifying as members of underrepresented minorities and about 25% coming from out-of-state. The university also offers many financial aid options that make it affordable for many students.

CMU’s campus features state-of-the-art facilities including a library with 3 million volumes and over 1 million ebooks and articles; an on-campus planetarium with live shows throughout the year; an athletic complex; more than 200 student organizations; and more than 100 student clubs and organizations.

CMU is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan which was voted “America’s Coolest Small Town” by USA Today readers in 2012 as well as one of America’s Most Livable Cities by Relocate America in 2017 and 2018 (this designation goes to cities with populations between 50,000 – 300,000).

famous central michigan football players

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Central Michigan University football has a proud history of producing NFL talent, but this year’s draft class is one for the books.

For the second time in three years, two Chippewas were selected in the NFL draft: defensive end Zach Allen (New York Giants) and wide receiver Darrin Moore (Philadelphia Eagles).

Allen was selected with the No. 4 pick in the second round by New York on Friday afternoon, while Moore was chosen with the No. 12 pick in the seventh round Saturday morning by Philadelphia.

It marks the third time since 2018 that two Chippewas have been drafted by professional teams: defensive backs Sean Murphy-Bunting (Tampa Bay) and Xavier Crawford (Houston) went in the 2019 NFL draft after Allen was picked last year by New England.

central michigan university trivia

OUR HISTORY

We have always been a community of doers. At the time we opened our doors in 1892 as the Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute, few of the state’s teachers received any formal training in the “norms” of teaching. There was a need, and we filled it. School founders made teacher training their mission in Michigan’s second normal school. 

Thirty-one students attended classes in second-floor rooms over an office on the corner of Main and Michigan streets in downtown Mount Pleasant. Within the first two years, land was acquired, and a $10,000 Normal School Building was constructed where Warriner Hall now stands. Here are some fun facts about what we’ve been doing since then:

• In 1895, the Michigan State Board of Education assumed control of the school, renaming it Central Michigan Normal School. By 1918, our campus consisted of 25 acres with five buildings, one of which — Grawn Hall — is still in use, though substantially remodeled.
• On June 1, 1959, with 40 buildings now standing on our 235-acre campus and an enrollment of 4,500 students, Central was renamed Central Michigan University. The designation reflected growth in the complexity of the school’s academic offerings as well as its physical growth in the post-war period.
• Enrollment tripled over the next 10 years, and in 1971, we saw a new need and brought our programs to students who couldn’t come to campus.
• Today, we have more than 65 fully online programs at the bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral levels and additional programs taught at 25 satellite locations across North America. All of them are career-focused and prepare our graduates for real-world success.

And we’re still growing, still doing, still adding new programs and facilities to meet the needs of our graduates and our community.

In response to the need for doctors to practice in rural areas, we opened our own medical school in 2010. Graduates practice in underserved areas where they’re needed most. Our new Biosciences Building followed in 2017 to meet the fast-growing needs of students and researchers in the biosciences field.

Even though so much has changed over the last two centuries, our values today do not stray from those inscribed upon our seal in 1892: Sapientia, Virtus, Amicitia — wisdom, virtue and friendship.

For more CMU history, stop by the Clarke Historical Library inside the Park Library for interesting artifacts and exhibits or visit the website.

is central michigan a good school

Central Michigan University is ranked #239 in National Universities. Schools are ranked according to their performance across a set of widely accepted indicators of excellence.

CMU is also ranked #73 in Public Universities, #2 in Midwestern Regional Universities, and #3 in Great Lakes Regional Universities.

The university was founded in 1892 and has an enrollment of about 24,000 students. The campus is located in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.

CMU has received a number of accolades for its academic programs including the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching classification as a Research University with High Research Activity (RU/H).