List of Northern Illinois University people

The list of Northern Illinois University people includes notable alumni, non-graduates, faculty and staff, chief executives, and affiliates of the Northern Illinois University.

Academe

 * Jerry M. Anderson (M.S. 1959), 9th President of Ball State University
 * Gregg Andrews (Ph.D. 1988), labor historian and Distinguished Professor Emeritus at Texas State University
 * Judith Curry (B.S. 1974, Ph.D. 1982), climatologist
 * Jose Manuel Diokno (J.D. 1986), founding Dean of the De La Salle University College of Law in Malate, Manila, Philippines
 * John Dunn (B.A. 1967, M.A. 1969), President of Western Michigan University
 * Kevin Folta, professor and chairman of the horticultural science department at the University of Florida
 * Michael Honey, Guggenheim Fellow and Haley Professor of Humanities at the University of Washington Tacoma
 * Louise Huffman (M.S. 1979), teacher and educator on US Antarctic programs
 * Thomas Lindsay (B.A. 1977, M.A. 1983), president of Shimer College
 * Timothy P. Marshall (B.S. 1978), meteorologist and civil engineer, damage analysis expert
 * Professor Thomas J. Near (B.A., B.S., 1993; M.S. 1995), evolutionary biologist, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 18th head of Saybrook College at Yale University
 * Vice Admiral Ann Rondeau USN, Retired (Ed.D.), past president of College of DuPage, past President of National Defense University
 * Gregg Schlanger (MFA 1989), Professor of Art and Chair of the Department of Art at Central Washington University
 * Dr. Christopher J. Schneider (M.A. 2004), professor at Wilfrid Laurier University
 * Paul Sereno, paleontologist, University of Chicago, B.S., Biology, 1979
 * Bharath Sriraman, academic editor, professor of mathematics at The University of Montana (M.S. 1999, Ph.D. 2002)

Arts and entertainment

 * Joan Allen, 1980, actress, Academy Award nominee and Tony Award winner, The Contender, The Bourne Supremacy, Nixon, Face/Off, The Upside of Anger
 * Dan Castellaneta, 1979, Emmy Award-winning actor, voice of "Homer Simpson" and others on The Simpsons
 * Jimmy Chamberlin, drummer of The Smashing Pumpkins
 * Mike Disa, film director, screenwriter, animator (Pocahontas, Hercules, Tarzan and Atlantis: The Lost Empire)
 * Charlotte Kate Fox, actress and first non-Japanese heroine of an NHK Asadora: the series Massan broadcast on Japanese television; earned her Master of Fine Arts at NIU
 * Brian Godawa, screenwriter and author
 * Steve Harris, 1989, actor, Emmy Award nominee, The Practice
 * Wood Harris, actor, Remember the Titans and The Wire
 * E. E. Knight, 1987, author of Vampire Earth series, Age of Fire series
 * Sebastian Maniscalco, stand-up comedian (The Late Late Show, Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee)
 * Justin Mentell, 2005, actor, Boston Legal
 * Joe Minoso, actor, Boss and Chicago Fire
 * Nicole Mitchell, musician and composer
 * Cindy Morgan, actress, Lacy Underall in Caddyshack, Lora and Yori in TRON
 * Matthew Prozialeck, blues musician, harmonica player
 * Brian Simpson, smooth jazz pianist and composer
 * Jason Matthew Smith, actor who portrays Ensign Hendorff in Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness and Star Trek Beyond
 * Carrie Snodgress, Oscar-nominated actress (Diary of a Mad Housewife, Pale Rider, The Forsaken, Phantom 2040)
 * Peter Sotos, American writer, musician, and child pornography publisher, best known as a member of the band Whitehouse
 * Kurt Sutter, actor, writer, producer, Sons of Anarchy and The Shield
 * Doug Walker, YouTube personality known for web show Nostalgia Critic
 * Matt Walsh, comedian and actor (Old School, Role Models, The Hangover); portrays Mike McLintock on Veep
 * Patricia Wood, author of Lottery; attended NIU
 * Barbara Alyn Woods, actress, One Tree Hill
 * Robert Zemeckis, director, Back to the Future, Who Framed Roger Rabbit and Forrest Gump; attended NIU before enrolling in film study at University of Southern California

Media

 * Terry Boers, 1972, co-host of Boers and Bernstein, 670AM WSCR Chicago; former Chicago Sun-Times sports columnist
 * Nicole Briscoe, anchor for ESPN's SportsCenter
 * T.J. Simers, former Los Angeles Times sportswriter
 * Dalton Tanonaka, journalist and television executive, earned B.Sc. in journalism at NIU in 1977

Business

 * Jeff Aronin, founder of Ovation Pharmaceuticals
 * Allan Cox, author and business leader
 * Ralph de la Vega, CEO of AT&T Mobility
 * John Sall, co-founder of the SAS Institute and member of the Forbes 400

American football

 * Chad Beebe, wide receiver for Minnesota Vikings
 * Ken Bishop, defensive tackle for Dallas Cowboys
 * Christian Blake, wide receiver for Atlanta Falcons
 * George Bork, quarterback for NIU 1962-63, first NCAA player to pass for more than 3,000 yards, College Football Hall of Fame
 * Joel Bouagnon, running back for Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers
 * Larry Brink, NFL defensive lineman, two-time Pro Bowler
 * Da'Ron Brown, wide receiver for Kansas City Chiefs
 * Brad Cieslak, NFL tight end for Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns
 * Ryan Diem, NFL offensive tackle for Indianapolis Colts
 * Larry English, NFL defensive end/linebacker for San Diego Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers; #16 pick in NFL Draft, highest ever by a NIU player
 * P. J. Fleck, head football coach at the University of Minnesota, former NFL wide receiver for San Francisco 49ers
 * Doug Free, NFL offensive tackle for Dallas Cowboys
 * Kenny Golladay, wide receiver for New York Giants
 * Thomas Hammock, head football coach at NIU; former assistant coach for Baltimore Ravens (NFL) and Wisconsin Badgers
 * Chandler Harnish, NFL quarterback for Indianapolis Colts, MVP of 2010 Humanitarian Bowl victory
 * Duane Hawthorne, NFL cornerback for Dallas Cowboys
 * Jack Heflin, defensive end for Green Bay Packers
 * Darrell Hill, NFL wide receiver for Kansas City Chiefs, Tennessee Titans
 * Sam Hurd, NFL wide receiver for Dallas Cowboys and Chicago Bears
 * LeShon Johnson, NFL running back, 1994
 * Scott Kellar, nose tackle for Indianapolis Colts, Green Bay Packers, and Minnesota Vikings
 * Jerry Kurz, president of Arena Football League
 * Tommylee Lewis, wide receiver for New Orleans Saints and Detroit Lions
 * Jordan Lynch, quarterback for Chicago Bears, Edmonton Eskimos of CFL, 2015 Grey Cup champion, 2015; third in 2013 Heisman Trophy voting (highest ever by NIU player)
 * Justin McCareins, NFL wide receiver for Tennessee Titans and New York Jets
 * Rashaan Melvin, cornerback for Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Baltimore Ravens, New England Patriots, Indianapolis Colts, Oakland Raiders and Detroit Lions
 * Jake Nordin, NFL tight end/fullback for Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions
 * Patricia Palinkas, first woman to play professional football, placekick holder in Atlantic Coast Football League for Orlando Panthers, attended NIU but did not play football
 * Nathan Palmer, NFL wide receiver for Indianapolis Colts, Denver Broncos, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos
 * Todd Peat, NFL guard for St. Louis Cardinals and Los Angeles Raiders
 * David Petway, NFL defensive back for Green Bay Packers
 * Max Scharping, NFL offensive tackle for Houston Texans
 * Chad Spann, NFL running back for Pittsburgh Steelers and Houston Texans
 * John Spilis, NFL wide receiver for Green Bay Packers
 * Sutton Smith, NFL linebacker for Pittsburgh Steelers
 * Hollis Thomas, NFL defensive tackle for Philadelphia Eagles, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers
 * Michael Turner, NFL running back for Atlanta Falcons
 * Tim Tyrrell, NFL running back for Atlanta Falcons, St. Louis Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers
 * Clarence Vaughn, defensive back for Washington Redskins, two-time Super Bowl champion, NIU Hall of Famer
 * Jimmie Ward, safety for San Francisco 49ers
 * Scott Wedige, NFL center for Arizona Cardinals
 * Tom Wittum, NFL punter for San Francisco 49ers
 * Garrett Wolfe, NFL running back for Chicago Bears, for Omaha Nighthawks of United Football League and Montreal Alouettes of Canadian Football League

Baseball

 * Ned Colletti, former MLB general manager and current analyst for Los Angeles Dodgers
 * Davy Jones, MLB player
 * Fritz Peterson, MLB pitcher with New York Yankees
 * Tom Tennant, MLB player with the St. Louis Browns
 * Larry Young, former MLB umpire

Basketball

 * Kenny Battle, former NBA player
 * Jim Bradley, former ABA player
 * Paul Dawkins, former NBA player
 * Billy Harris, former ABA player
 * Richard Oruche, player for Nigerian national team, 2012 Olympic Games and for NIU until transfer to University of Illinois Springfield
 * Xavier Silas, NBA player for Washington Wizards, Philadelphia 76ers and Boston Celtics
 * Donald Whiteside, former NBA player
 * Bob Wood, former NBA player

Professional wrestling

 * Brad Bradley, wrestler, B.A. History, 2004
 * Maria Kanellis, wrestler and valet
 * Marty Lurie, professional wrestling manager and announcer, B.A., Political Science, 1995

Other

 * Curtis Blaydes (attended), professional mixed martial artist, UFC heavyweight contender
 * Aimee Boorman, head coach of U.S. women gymnastics team at 2016 Summer Olympics, attended NIU for a year before leaving to coach
 * Farell Duclair, Canadian football player, transferred from Vanier College to play for Northern Illinois Huskies
 * Tim Gullikson, professional tennis player
 * Tom Gullikson, professional tennis player
 * Ken Henry, speed skater and gold medalist at the 1952 Winter Olympics
 * Terry Martin, professional MMA fighter; B.A., Psychology, 2004

Federal government

 * Don Bacon, Republican Congressman from Nebraska's 2nd congressional district and retired United States Air Force Brigadier General
 * Tammy Duckworth, U.S. Senator from Illinois; previously served as a Congresswoman, representing Illinois's 8th congressional district, 2013–2017; was a Ph.D. candidate at NIU
 * Dennis Hastert, Republican U.S. Congressman 1987–2008; longest-serving Republican Speaker of the House; M.S., Education, 1967
 * Robin Kelly, Democratic Congresswoman from Illinois's 2nd congressional district, earned Ph.D. at NIU
 * Andrew L. Traver, civilian Director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service
 * W. Willard Wirtz, United States Secretary of Labor during Kennedy administration and Johnson administration, took classes at NIU (then Northern Illinois State Teachers College), member of Alpha Phi Omega chapter; graduated from Beloit College

Colorado

 * John Buckner, Democratic member of the Colorado House of Representatives, representing the 40th district from 2012 until his death in 2015

Florida

 * Bill Heller, Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives, representing the 52nd district 2007–2011

Illinois

 * Steven Andersson, Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives since 2015
 * Ralph C. Capparelli, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 1971–2004
 * Cristina Castro, Democratic member of the Illinois since 2017; earned her Bachelor of Science and master of business administration at NIU
 * Annazette Collins, Democratic member of the Illinois State Senate, representing the 5th district, 2011–2013; served in the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 10th District, 2001–2011
 * John Curran, Republican member of the Illinois Senate since 2017
 * Joe Dunn, Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 2003–2009
 * Roger L. Eddy, Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 2003–2012
 * Beverly Fawell, Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives (1981–1983) and the Illinois Senate (1983–1999)
 * Gene L. Hoffman, Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 1967–1991; earned his master's and doctorate degrees from NIU
 * Joyce Holmberg, Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, 1983–1993
 * Toi Hutchinson, Democratic member of the Illinois Senate since 2009
 * Christine J. Johnson, Republican member of the Illinois Senate, 2011–2013
 * Wendell E. Jones, Republican member of the Illinois Senate, 1998–2007
 * Jeremiah E. Joyce, Democratic member of the Illinois Senate, 1979–1993; served as a member of the NIU Board of Trustees
 * Doris Karpiel, Republican member of the Illinois Senate, 1984–2003; served in the Illinois House of Representatives, 1979–1984; earned her B.A. in political science from NIU
 * Nancy Kaszak, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 1993–1997
 * Stephanie Kifowit, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, representing the 84th district since 2013
 * Anna Moeller, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives representing the 43rd district since 2014
 * Bob Morgan, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives representing the 58th district as of 2019
 * Ruth Munson, Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 2002–2009
 * Vincent Persico, Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 1991–2002; earned his masters of education at NIU in 1986
 * Tom Rooney, Republican member of the Illinois Senate appointed in 2016; earned his M.P.A. from NIU in 2011
 * Michael V. Rotello, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives 1991–1995; earned his Bachelor of Arts and did public administration graduate work at NIU
 * Kathleen A. Ryg, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 2003–2009
 * Jack Schaffer, Republican member of the Illinois Senate, 1973–1999
 * George Scully, Jr., Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 1997–2009
 * Joe Sosnowski, Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives since 2011
 * Litesa Wallace, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives since 2014
 * Pennie Von Bergen Wessels, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 1993–1995
 * Lance Yednock, Democratic member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 2019–present

Indiana

 * Lonnie Randolph, Democratic member of the Indiana Senate representing the 2nd district since 2008

Iowa

 * Cindy Golding, Republican member of the Iowa House of Representatives, representing the 83rd district, 2023–present
 * David Hartsuch, Republican member of the Iowa Senate, representing the 41st District, 2007–2011

Maryland

 * Michael D. Smigiel, Sr., Republican delegate in the Maryland House of Delegates, 2003–2015

Michigan

 * John Olumba, Democratic turned Independent member of the Michigan House of Representatives, 2011–2015

Montana

 * Tim Furey, Democratic member of the Montana House of Representatives, representing the 91st district, 2007–2011

New Hampshire

 * Susan M. Ford, Democratic member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, representing Grafton's 3rd district since 2013
 * Jay Kahn, Democratic member of the New Hampshire Senate since December 2016
 * Peter B. Schmidt, Democratic member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives, representing Grafton's 3rd district since 2013

New York

 * Patricia Fahy, Democratic member of the New York State Assembly, representing the 109th district since 2013
 * James E. Powers, Democratic member of the New York State Assembly, 1965–1966, and the New York State Senate, 1967–1972

Oregon

 * Ron Maurer, Republican member of the Oregon House of Representatives, 2007–2011; candidate for Oregon Superintendent of Public Instruction, 2010

Virginia

 * John Miller, Democratic member of the Virginia Senate from January 2008 until his death in April 2016

Wisconsin

 * Tim Cullen, Democratic member of the Wisconsin Senate who served two non-consecutive tenures, 1975–1989 and 2011–2015
 * Dave Heaton, Republican member of the Wisconsin House of Representatives since 2015
 * Jacob Leicht, Progressive member of the Wisconsin State Assembly, 1925–1927
 * James A. Wright, Republican member of the Wisconsin State Assembly from 1905 until his death in 1911; attended the university when it was Northern Illinois State Normal School

Local officeholders

 * John Arena, Alderman for Chicago's 45th ward since 2011
 * Howard Brookins Jr., Alderman for Chicago's 21st ward since 2003
 * Steve Chirico, Mayor of Naperville, Illinois since 2015
 * Franco Coladipietro, Mayor of Bloomingdale, Illinois; member of the Illinois House of Representatives, 2005–2013
 * Robert Fioretti, former Alderman for the 2nd Ward; candidate for mayor of Chicago in 2015
 * Terry Gabinski, member of the Chicago City Council from the 32nd ward, 1969–1998
 * James Laski, former City Clerk of Chicago, controversial talk radio host, and author of Fall From Grace — From City Hall to Prison Walls; graduated from Northern Illinois University College of Law in 1978
 * Bill Morris, Mayor of Waukegan, Illinois, 1977–1985
 * Ricardo Muñoz, Chicago 22nd Ward Alderman since 1993
 * William E. Peterson, Vernon Township Supervisor, 1977–2017; served in the Illinois General Assembly, 1983–2009

Judiciary

 * Sharon J. Coleman, jurist, presidential nominee for the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
 * James Leon Holmes, federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas since 2004
 * Thomas W. Murphy, Cook County Circuit Court judge since 2006; Chicago alderman of the 18th ward, 1991–2006

Activists

 * Markos Moulitsas, founder of the Daily Kos blog; B.A., Journalism, Political Science, B.A. Philosophy 1996
 * James F. Phillips, teacher and environmentalist who led a campaign against water pollution caused by Armour and Company
 * Steven Schafersman, President of Texas Citizens for Science (B.S., 1971, Geology and Biology; M.S., 1973, Geology)

International figures

 * Anies Baswedan, former Minister of Education and Culture of Indonesia and former Governor of Jakarta Indonesia; earned his Ph.D. in political science from NIU
 * Chel Diokno (J.D), former dean of the De La Salle University College of Law, former Philippines senatorial candidate in 2019, 2022 elections
 * Andi Mallarangeng, former Minister of Youth and Sports of Indonesia
 * Audley Shaw, Minister of Finance and the Public Service of Jamaica and Member of Parliament for Manchester North Eastern
 * Panitan Wattanayagorn, former Deputy Secretary-General to the Prime Minister of Thailand, and acting Spokesman of the Royal Thai Government
 * Wu Jun, Vice Mayor of Guiyang, the provincial capital of Guizhou, April 2013 to September 2014; studied at NIU

Presidents of Northern Illinois University

 * Lisa C. Freeman, 2017–present
 * Douglas D. Baker, 2013–2017
 * John G. Peters, 2000–2013
 * John E. La Tourette, 1986–2000
 * Clyde Wingfield, 1985–1986
 * William R. Monat, 1978–1984
 * Richard J. Nelson, 1971–1978
 * Rhoten A. Smith, 1967–1971
 * Leslie A. Holmes, 1949–1967
 * Karl Langdon Adams, 1929–1948
 * Joseph Clifton Brown, 1927–1929
 * J. Stanley Brown, 1919–1927
 * John Williston Cook, 1899–1919

Academics

 * Michael Bakalis, served as an Assistant Professor of History and later as Assistant Dean prior to his election as Illinois Superintendent of Public Instruction
 * Josephine Thorndike Berry (1871-1945), Professor of Domestic Science, Northern Illinois State Normal School
 * John W. Darrah, judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois; served as an adjunct at the Northern Illinois University College of Law
 * P. Allan Dionisopoulos, professor of political science; political scientist and legal scholar quoted in multiple Supreme Court of the United States decisions
 * Mark Emmert, President of the National Collegiate Athletic Association; professor of political science at NIU, 1983–1985
 * Mike Fortner, Republican member of the Illinois House of Representatives from the 49th district, 2007–2019; currently teaches physics at NIU
 * Fareed Haque, Professor of Jazz and Classical Guitar Studies
 * Han Kuo-Huang, former professor of music
 * Romualdas Kasuba (Ph.D. 1962), engineer, academician, co-founder of the College of Engineering and Engineering Technology
 * Michael J. Kolb, associate professor of anthropology
 * Vernon Lattin (born 1938), president of Brooklyn College
 * Lynne M. Thomas, three-time Hugo Award-winning editor; head of rare books and special collections
 * George L. Trager, linguist
 * Thomas C. Wiegele, professor of political science; founder of Association for Politics and the Life Sciences

Athletics

 * Rod Carey, head coach for football (2012–2019)
 * Lee Corso, head coach for football (1984)
 * Dave Doeren, former head coach for football (2010–2012)
 * Lindsey Durlacher, wrestling coach
 * Marci Jobson, former head coach for women's soccer
 * Jerry Kill, former head coach for football (2008–2010)
 * Mark Montgomery, head coach for men's basketball (2011–2021)
 * Joe Novak, former head coach for football (1996–2007)
 * Ricardo Patton, former head coach for men's basketball (2007–2011)