D3boards.com

Division III football (Post Patterns) => General football => Topic started by: Ron Boerger on November 04, 2008, 12:38:03 PM

Title: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: Ron Boerger on November 04, 2008, 12:38:03 PM
Keith keeps talking about "if I ever create that Famous D3 Alumni" thread, so here it is.   ;D
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: Ron Boerger on November 04, 2008, 12:42:26 PM
And here's the first entry:

Quote from: K-Mack on November 04, 2008, 12:30:22 AM
If I ever get around to starting that famous D3 alum thread, former Heat GM Randy Pfund was a Wheaton guy.
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: doolittledog on November 04, 2008, 01:16:40 PM
Tony Danza wrestled at the University of Dubuque  :o
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: Schwami on November 04, 2008, 02:04:53 PM
Appropriate adds for this election day:

Ronald Reagan played football for Eureka.

Richard Nixon played football for Whittier.

Barack Obama attended Occidental.
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: dc_has_been on November 04, 2008, 02:25:23 PM
Roger Goodell graduated from W & J in 81.
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: Pat Coleman on November 04, 2008, 02:31:31 PM
We did a Randy Pfund story on D3hoops.com -- in fact, he's not the only Wheaton alumnus to be an NBA GM, by the way.

http://www.d3hoops.com/features/wheatonnba.htm
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: OshDude on November 04, 2008, 05:08:59 PM
I'll start with some of my Midwestern-ish favs:
Kathy Kinney (UW-Stevens Point), lady who played Mimi on The Drew Carey Show
Sandra Lee (UW-La Crosse), besides Giada the Food Network host college guys watch most
Kato Kaelin (UW-Eau Claire), didn't graduate, but ...
Harrison Ford (Ripon), didn't graduate
Spencer Tracy (Ripon)
Fred MacMurray (Carroll), Steven Douglas on My Three Sons
Willem Dafoe (Lawrence)
Robert Duvall (Principia)
Val Kilmer (Principia)
Robert Guillaume (Wash U), Benson!
Jodi Benson (Millikin), Ariel in The Little Mermaid (don't act like you didn't see it)
Harold Ramis (Wash U)
Joel Hodgson (Bethel), MST3K
Michael J. Nelson (UW-River Falls), MST3K guy after Joel (again, didn't grauate, but ...)
Wes Craven (Wheaton, Ill.)
Peter Krause (Gustavus), Six Feet Under, Sports Night
Peter Berg (Macalester), director of Friday Night Lights
Ari Emanuel (Macalester), agent for Larry David, Sasha Baron Cohen, etc.
James Arness (Beloit), Matt Dillon on Gunsmoke
Gene Rayburn (Knox), Match Game announcer
Dave "Gruber" Allen (Augustana), "The Naked Trucker"

Curt Menefee (Coe), Fox NFL
Fred Hickman (Coe), ESPN/CNN/TBS/YES
Greg Gumbel (Loras)
Dave Kindred (Illinois Wesleyan), Sporting News and in Sportwriter's Hall of Hame

Bob Mould (Macalester), musician/leader of Husker Du, Sugar
Peter Tork (Carleton), the Monkee
Herbie Hancock (Grinnell)
Al Jarreau (Ripon)
Sufjan Stevens (Hope)

Bernie Kukar (St. John's), NFL ref
John Hammond (Greenville), Bucks GM
Lute Olson (Augsburg)
Tom Davis (UW-Platteville), Iowa BB coach
Bill Fritch (Coe)
Marv Levy (Coe)
George Allen (Alma), NFL coach
Wayne Huizenga (Calvin)
Don Denkinger (Wartburg), Jorge Orta still not safe at first base
Wayne Messmer (Illinois Wesleyan), dulcet tones at Wrigley Field

Arnold Schwarzenegger (UW-Superior)
Kofi Annan (Macalester)
Walter Mondale (Macalester)
John Ashcroft (Chicago)
Antonin Scalia (Chicago)
John Paul Stevens (Chicago)
John Podesta (Knox)
Dennis Hastert (Wheaton, Ill.)

Dennis Johnson (Wartburg), co-founder of Hooters
Jim VandeHei (UW Oshkosh), co-founder of Politico.com
John Harris (Carleton), co-founder of Politico.com
Drew Curtis (Luther), founder of Fark.com
Aaron Kennedy (Augustana), founder of Noodles & Co. (Thanks, Aaron!)
Candy Crowley (Principia), one of many CNN political commentators I look forward to not seeing
Harry Smith (Central), CBS news
Evan Cohen (Beloit), co-founder of Air America Radio
Mark Johnson-Williams (Luther), co-designer of Tickle Me Elmo
Kurt Vonnegut (Chicago)
T. S. Eliot (Chicago)
Carl Sagan (Chicago)
William Jennings Bryan (Illinois College)

My personal Fav: Emily Niemeyer Anderson (St. Catherine), inventor of the sour cream and onion flavor potato chips, according to Wikipedia. Thanks, Emily!
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: HScoach on November 04, 2008, 05:47:52 PM
Quote from: OshDude on November 04, 2008, 05:08:59 PM

Kathy Kinney (UW-Stevens Point), lady who played Mimi on The Drew Carey Show

She's from Wisconsin?  Why doesn't this surprise me?  ;)
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: Toby Taff on November 04, 2008, 05:58:13 PM
These are famous people from a NOW D3 school.  They were not D3 in their day...
Buddy Groom - MLB pitcher - UMHB
    * Detroit Tigers (1992-1995)
    * Florida Marlins (1995)
    * Oakland Athletics (1996-1999)
    * Baltimore Orioles (2000-2004)
    * New York Yankees (2005)
    * Arizona Diamondbacks (2005)

Ma Ferguson - First Woman governor of Texas (second in the US) Baylor Female College (now UMHB)

Oveta Culp Hobby - the first director of the Women's Army Corps ...first Secretary of the Department of Health, Education and Welfare, now, the Department of Health and Human Services
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: Ron Boerger on November 04, 2008, 06:05:21 PM
Hmm ... my alma mater [ Trinity (TX) ] hasn't given us much in the way of "famous" people, more like semi-famous:

John Cornyn, US Senator, (R)-Texas
Davey Johnson, former MLB manager/player.  Scholarship athlete
Gavin Maloof, co-owner of the Sacramento Kings.
John Silber, former chancellor of Boston University.
Jaclyn Smith, actress.
Alice Walton, daughter of Sam "Walmart" Walton.
Professional tennis players Chuck McKinley, Dick Stockton, Anne Smith, Brian Gottfried Scholarship athletes
Bob West, aka the voice of "Barney"

Rumour has it Ms. Walton never donated a penny to TU.   :P
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: OshDude on November 04, 2008, 06:36:17 PM
Quote from: Ron Boerger on November 04, 2008, 06:05:21 PM
Hmm ... my alma mater [ Trinity (TX) ] hasn't given us much in the way of "famous" people, more like semi-famous:

John Cornyn, US Senator, (R)-Texas
Davey Johnson, former MLB manager/player.
Gavin Maloof, co-owner of the Sacramento Kings.
John Silber, former chancellor of Boston University.
Jaclyn Smith, actress.
Alice Walton, daughter of Sam "Walmart" Walton.
Professional tennis players Chuck McKinley, Dick Stockton, Anne Smith, Brian Gottfried
Bob West, aka the voice of "Barney"

Rumour has it Ms. Walton never donated a penny to TU.   :P

Barney, an Angel, an NBA owner, the co-author of Bats [an awful book despite Golenbock's involvement] and one of the richest people in the world? Besides Chicago's alumni roster that goes on forever, your school's looks like one of the best to me ... especially the Angel part.
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: AF4 on November 04, 2008, 06:36:31 PM
Huntingdon College:

Sen Jeff Sessions (US Senator- i spoke to im on sat at the Principia game)
Harper Lee (To Kill A Mockingbird...but she was expelled)
Kathryn Tucker Windham (author)
Leura Garrett Canary (US attorney)
Joe Durant (pro golfer)

and some mo'

but Springfield College has the best
my favorite is John Cena- former Spingfield center/exercise science major
...and now WWE SUPER STAR ;D

keep the faith
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: CobberFvr on November 04, 2008, 06:57:08 PM
Concordia College

Philadelphia Phillies Catcher Christ Coste
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: K-Mack on November 06, 2008, 12:25:02 AM
Quote from: Ron Boerger on November 04, 2008, 12:38:03 PM
Keith keeps talking about "if I ever create that Famous D3 Alumni" thread, so here it is.   ;D

Yeah,
The reason I kept waiting is because I wanted to organize it a certain way. So as not to mix entertainment and political celebrities with, say, Jerheme Urban, a decent NFL player from Trinity, or Boston College coach Jeff Jagodzinski, who went to Whitewater. Or Redlands' Danny Ragsdale, now a coach at Minnesota-Mankato (or somewhere).

That's cool, but it's not the same as Obama going to Oxy and Nixon to Whittier and Belichick/Mangini to Wesleyan.

I just think there's an effective way to organize this thing ... plus there needs to be some clarification on whether it counts if you just went there for a while and didn't graduate (I vote yes) ... and also we had this discussion for several pages on the ATN thread once before and I wanted to transfer that list to the new thread so we didn't have to rehash stuff.

But maybe I'm just being a big nerd and you guys can enjoy your free-for-all.
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: K-Mack on November 06, 2008, 12:26:14 AM
It's not that I wasn't smart enough or motivated enough to make a blank thread with "Famous D3 Alumni" at the top  ;D

Thanks for the effort though Ron.
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: Ron Boerger on November 06, 2008, 09:54:53 AM
Quote from: K-Mack on November 06, 2008, 12:26:14 AM
It's not that I wasn't smart enough or motivated enough to make a blank thread with "Famous D3 Alumni" at the top  ;D

Thanks for the effort though Ron.

No worries, Keith, you'd just made the comment in several places so I thot I'd throw one out here.  If it dies a dismal death you can always start up a whole "D3 Alumni" board with threads organized in whatever fashion you want.   ;D

And now that I look back at my list, some of the people I listed (like the tennis players and Davey Johnson) weren't D3 alumni at all, they date back to scholarship days.  Bad Ron!!
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: union89 on November 06, 2008, 12:47:36 PM
Union College has ex US presidents and such, but my favorite is 1989 classmate:

Chris Sheridan, Executive Producer, 'Family Guy' (TV Show)...Club Rugby player.

Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: K-Mack on November 06, 2008, 01:26:17 PM
Quote from: Ron Boerger on November 06, 2008, 09:54:53 AMAnd now that I look back at my list, some of the people I listed (like the tennis players and Davey Johnson) weren't D3 alumni at all, they date back to scholarship days.  Bad Ron!!

Yeah, that's another thing. I think we're probably better off just going with famous alumni of current D3 schools. Rod Marinelli may have gone to the old Cal Lutheran, but today's D3 fans still think that's cool, no?

I think if we were to get up to speed on this, surfing the ATN thread around pages 45-48 would be a start ... although since then we have dropped famous people on there from time to time. If someone really doesn't feel like working today, you could skim the whole thing.
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: K-Mack on November 06, 2008, 01:29:25 PM
Quote from: mhb8904 AKA Toby Taff on November 04, 2008, 05:58:13 PMThese are famous people from a NOW D3 school.  They were not D3 in their day...

I say keep 'em coming.

OshDude knows way too much. Wow.


Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: 'gro on November 06, 2008, 01:47:31 PM
Quote from: Union89 on November 06, 2008, 12:47:36 PM
Union College has ex US presidents and such, but my favorite is 1989 classmate:

Chris Sheridan, Executive Producer, 'Family Guy' (TV Show)...Club Rugby player.

Come on Union89... Chester A. Arthur? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_A._Arthur), he was president for like 9 months, the guy in the movie Dave served longer than that!

p.s. Comedy director Bobby Farelley (Something about Mary) went to RPI.  Still waiting for a movie about life in Troy.
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: union89 on November 06, 2008, 03:02:05 PM
Quote from: 'gro on November 06, 2008, 01:47:31 PM
Quote from: Union89 on November 06, 2008, 12:47:36 PM
Union College has ex US presidents and such, but my favorite is 1989 classmate:

Chris Sheridan, Executive Producer, 'Family Guy' (TV Show)...Club Rugby player.

Come on Union89... Chester A. Arthur? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_A._Arthur), he was president for like 9 months, the guy in the movie Dave served longer than that!

p.s. Comedy director Bobby Farelley (Something about Mary) went to RPI.  Still waiting for a movie about life in Troy.

Isn't the picture of James Brown under your name taken after a night out in Troy??

C'mon man....we have a statue of Chet in the middle of campus and everything.....
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: BoBo on November 06, 2008, 11:12:32 PM
Quote from: 'gro on November 06, 2008, 01:47:31 PM
Quote from: Union89 on November 06, 2008, 12:47:36 PM
Union College has ex US presidents and such, but my favorite is 1989 classmate:

Chris Sheridan, Executive Producer, 'Family Guy' (TV Show)...Club Rugby player.

Come on Union89... Chester A. Arthur? (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chester_A._Arthur), he was president for like 9 months, the guy in the movie Dave served longer than that!

I think Chester A. Arthur is more famous for being part of the plot of Die Hard 3!!  :D  ;D
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: OshDude on November 07, 2008, 01:27:57 AM
Quote from: K-Mack on November 06, 2008, 01:29:25 PM
Quote from: mhb8904 AKA Toby Taff on November 04, 2008, 05:58:13 PMThese are famous people from a NOW D3 school.  They were not D3 in their day...

I say keep 'em coming.

OshDude knows way too much. Wow.
Not so. If you gave me a test on all the ones I provided, I'd maybe get 70%. I Wiki'ed the rest, especially Coe among several others. It's just one of those things that's always interested me. Wish I knew why. Pretty pointless crap taking up room in my brain.
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: Schwami on November 11, 2008, 06:40:52 PM
A special Monon Bell edition:

DePauw - Vice President "Dannie" Quayle (he's no John F. Kennedy)

Wabash - Vice President Thomas Riley Marshall (Woodrow Wilson's Vice President; he could spell, and he had his priorities straight, as demonstrated by his well-known quote: "What the country needs is a really good five cent cigar")
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: Breckenridgebear on November 11, 2008, 07:14:14 PM
Other Depauw Alumni:

Ford Frick - Major League Baseball Commissioner (1951-65)
James P. Goodrich - Governor of Indiana (1917-21)
Jimmy Ibbotson - longtime member of the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band
John Jakes - novelist
Vernon Jordan Jr. - noted broker and executive, former president of the National Urban League, personal friend and advisor to Bill Clinton
Andrew Madsen - President of Darden Restaurants, which includes the Olive Garden chain
Major Reuben Webster Millsaps - Founder of Millsaps College in Mississippi
Bill Rasmussen - founder of ESPN
Scott Rasmussen - Co-founder of ESPN and founder of Rasmussen Reports
Joseph P. Allen - NASA Space Shuttle Astronaut
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: TigerOldSchool on November 11, 2008, 08:17:48 PM
In addition to the Pres-Elect spending two years at Oxy - here's a few others...

Way Back - 60's and before
Jack Kemp, Politician/NFL QB
Robinson Jeffers, US poet laureate
Sammy Lee, Olympic gold medalist 2x
Jim Mora Sr, NFL coach
Ron Botchan, NFL ref
Jim Tunney, NFL ref

Less Back - 70's, 80's and 90's
Vance Mueller, NFL player 5 yrs - one of the great RBs in D3 history
Terry Gilliam, actor/artist original Monty Python member
Patt Morrison, NPR host
Howard Ahmanson, super rich guy ie Ahmanson Theatre
Bob Ike, horse racing analyst - maybe the greatest sciac basketball player (think Gasol)
Dave Hodges, D3 All-Amer LB and Captain of USA Rugby
Alphonso Bell, Congressman
Jon Finsteun, D3 All-Amer WR - Geophysicist
Todd Garner - Producer, of many of the movies you've seen in the past 15 yrs
Olin Browne - PGA golfer

and along with Obama
Ben Affleck, Actor - must have began making big money, did not graduate
Luke Wilson, Actor - see above
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: TigerOldSchool on November 12, 2008, 12:09:29 PM
Quote from: TigerOldSchool on November 11, 2008, 08:17:48 PM
In addition to the Pres-Elect spending two years at Oxy - here's a few others...

Way Back - 60's and before
Jack Kemp, Politician/NFL QB
Robinson Jeffers, US poet laureate
Sammy Lee, Olympic gold medalist 2x
Jim Mora Sr, NFL coach
Ron Botchan, NFL ref
Jim Tunney, NFL ref

Less Back - 70's, 80's and 90's
Vance Mueller, NFL player 5 yrs - one of the great RBs in D3 history
Terry Gilliam, actor/artist original Monty Python member
Patt Morrison, NPR host
Howard Ahmanson, super rich guy ie Ahmanson Theatre
Bob Ike, horse racing analyst - maybe the greatest sciac basketball player (think Gasol)
Dave Hodges, D3 All-Amer LB and Captain of USA Rugby
Alphonso Bell, Congressman
Jon Finsteun, D3 All-Amer WR - Geophysicist
Todd Garner - Producer, of many of the movies you've seen in the past 15 yrs
Olin Browne - PGA golfer

and along with Obama
Ben Affleck, Actor - must have began making big money, did not graduate
Luke Wilson, Actor - see above


How could I forget Sam Farmer, LA Times feature sports writer and author, with whom I shared many a class.
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: OshDude on November 12, 2008, 06:00:17 PM
Quote from: TigerOldSchool on November 11, 2008, 08:17:48 PM
Terry Gilliam, actor/artist original Monty Python member
+1
Quote from: TigerOldSchool on November 11, 2008, 08:17:48 PM
Ben Affleck, Actor - must have began making big money, did not graduate
Oops, -1 ... par in Hollywood isn't bad ;).
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: TigerOldSchool on November 12, 2008, 08:13:47 PM
true true, osh.... but Hollywood is only 8 miles from Eagle Rock, bound to be one or two actors get lost along the way.
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: Knightstalker on November 14, 2008, 03:26:25 PM
While not famous, here is a  Cortland State grad,  (http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/11/14/woman.4.star.general/index.html) who has done pretty good.
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: Joe Wally on November 17, 2008, 08:23:27 AM
Pete Metzelaars - Wabash

What a 6'7 TE who can run, catch, and block was doing playing Div III ball is beyond me.  But we certainly appreciated his time in Crawfordsville. ;D
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: frank uible on November 17, 2008, 08:54:33 AM
Maybe he was pursuing the strange concept of attending Wabash for the academics.
Title: Re: Famous D3 Alumni
Post by: Joe Wally on November 17, 2008, 11:02:41 AM
Quote from: frank uible on November 17, 2008, 08:54:33 AM
Maybe he was pursuing the strange concept of attending Wabash for the academics.

Now, that's just crazy talk, there!!!   ;D