List of University of Detroit Mercy people
The following is a list of notable people associated with the University of Detroit Mercy, located in Detroit, Michigan.
Notable alumni
[edit]Academics
[edit]- Andreas Blass, mathematician and professor at University of Michigan[1]
- Kevin Boyle, winner of 2004 National Book Award for Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights, and Murder in the Jazz Age; Professor of History at Ohio State University[1]
- Thomas Budzynski, psychologist and a pioneer in the field of biofeedback
- John A. DiBiaggio, former president of University of Connecticut, Michigan State University and Tufts University
- David J. Jackson, political scientist at Bowling Green State University
- Dudley Randall, poet, librarian, poet-in-residence
Acting, theater, film and television
[edit]- Anita Barone, actress
- Phil Cousineau, author, lecturer, independent scholar, screenwriter, and documentary filmmaker[2]
- Pamela Anne Eldred, Miss America 1970[3]
- David Patrick Kelly, actor[4]
- Keegan-Michael Key, actor[5]
- Connie Kreski (Kornacki), actress, 1969 Playboy Playmate of the Year[6]
- Allison Payne, news anchor
- Ted Raimi, actor, best known for his roles on seaQuest DSV and Xena: Warrior Princess[7]
- Amy Yasbeck, actress
Business
[edit]- Marilyn Fisher Lundy, President and CEO of the League of Catholic Women[8]
- A. C. Muthiah, Chairman-Emeritus of Southern Petrochemical Industries Limited (SPIC); Chairman of Sri Venkateswara College of Engineering (SVCE)
- Thomas Thewes, co-founder of Compuware Corporation[9]
Engineering and architecture
[edit]- J. Thomas McCarthy, internationally recognized authority in the field of trademarks
- Otmar Szafnauer, Former Team Principal Alpine F1 Team; former COO of Sahara Force India Formula 1 Team;[10] former programs manager at Ford[11]
Journalism and writing
[edit]- Bill Bonds, former longtime anchor of WXYZ-TV news[12]
- Ron Fournier, Associated Press, chief of Washington bureau[13]
- Elmore Leonard, author, several of whose books have been made into movies, such as Get Shorty, Be Cool, and The Big Bounce[14][15]
- J. P. McCarthy, former radio host on Detroit station WJR[16]
- George Noory, syndicated radio talk show host (Coast to Coast AM)[17]
- Allison Payne, former anchorwoman with WGN-TV, Chicago[18]
Government and politics
[edit]- Richard Arrington, Jr., first African American mayor of Birmingham, Alabama
- Donald W. Banner, former United States Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks
- Kyra Harris Bolden, Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court
- Thomas E. Brennan, Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court (1967–1973); served as Chief Justice 1969–1970; founded the Thomas M. Cooley Law School
- Vincent M. Brennan, Michigan politician
- James H. Brickley, 54th and 56th Lieutenant Governor of Michigan and a justice of the Michigan Supreme Court 1982–1999
- Vern Buchanan, Republican Congressman representing Florida's 16th congressional district
- Tim Burns, Michigan politician
- Pamela Carter, 38th Indiana Attorney General (1993–1997)
- Jerome Cavanagh, Mayor of Detroit, 1962–1970
- Michael F. Cavanagh, Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, 1982–2014 (served as Chief Justice 1991–1995)
- Bob Constan, Michigan State House of Representatives
- Maura D. Corrigan, director, Michigan Department of Human Services;[19] former Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, 1998–2011 (served as Chief Justice 2001–2004)
- George Cushingberry, Jr., Michigan House of Representatives
- James Dinkins, Executive Associate Director of Homeland Security Investigations 2010–2014
- Robert A. Ficano, county executive of Wayne County, Michigan, 2013–2015
- Roman S. Gribbs, mayor of Detroit, 1970–1974, Judge of the Michigan Court of Appeals
- Frank J. Kelley, longest-serving Attorney General in Michigan history (1961–1998)
- Theodore Levin, U.S. District Court Judge (1946–1970); father of Charles and Joseph Levin; uncle of Senator Carl Levin and Representative Sander Levin
- Greg Mathis, retired Michigan 36th District Court judge and syndicated television show judge
- E. Michael McCann, former Milwaukee County District Attorney
- Thaddeus McCotter, former Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 11th congressional district (2003–2012)
- Zenaida Moya, Mayor of Belize City, Belize, 2006–2012
- L. Brooks Patterson, lawyer and politician, formerly the County Executive of Oakland County, Michigan
- Gary Peters, United States Senator from Michigan, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Michigan's 9th congressional district
- Haider Abbas Rizvi, former member of the National Assembly of Pakistan; a senior leader of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) party
- James L. Ryan, retired Justice of the Michigan Supreme Court, 1975–1985; Judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals, 6th Circuit, 1985–present
- Thomas Patrick Thornton, United States Federal Judge
Military and space
[edit]- Richard F. Abel, former United States Air Force brig. general
- Paul Bikle, former director of the NASA Flight Research Center
- Robert J. Elder, Jr, former United States Air Force lt. general
- Glynn Lunney, NASA flight director
Religion
[edit]- Joseph M. Breitenbeck, eighth Bishop of Grand Rapids, 1969–1989
- Joseph Cassidy, Anglican priest
- Gary Habermas, PhD, philosophical theologian and apologist; defender of Christ's historical Resurrection
- Dario Hunter, first Muslim-born person to be ordained a rabbi[20]
- Dale Joseph Melczek, third Bishop of Gary, since 1996
- Robert A. Mitchell, 1st Chancellor of University of Detroit Mercy (1990–1992)
- Steven J. Raica, fifth Bishop of Gaylord, since 2014
- Francis R. Reiss, auxiliary Bishop of Detroit, since 2003
- Jane Dewar Schaberg (1977–2012), Professor of Religious Studies and Women's Studies
Sports
[edit]- Grady Alderman, offensive lineman for 1969 NFL champion Minnesota Vikings and General Manager of Denver Broncos
- John Barrett (1899–1966), professional football player
- Dan Boisture (1925–2007), coach of Eastern Michigan (1967–73) and Detroit Wheels (1974) football teams
- Lloyd Brazil (1906–1965), U of D coach and athletic director
- Frank Bucher (1900–1970), professional football player
- Wes Carlson, professional football player
- Walt Cassidy (1899–1944), professional football player
- Gus Cifelli (1926–2009), football player for Notre Dame and 1952 NFL champion Detroit Lions
- Earl Cureton, NBA player for Philadelphia 76ers, Houston Rockets, Detroit Pistons, 2-time NBA champion
- Dave DeBusschere (1940–2003), NBA Hall of Fame, played basketball for Detroit Pistons and New York Knicks, coach of Pistons; also played baseball for Chicago White Sox
- Terry Duerod, former NBA player, Detroit Pistons, Boston Celtics
- Bill Ebben, former NBA player
- Andrew "Anvil Andy" Farkas (1916–2001), player for 1942 NFL champion Washington Redskins
- Tom Finnin, former NFL player for Baltimore Colts
- Willie Green, basketball player for NBA's Orlando Magic, assistant coach Golden State Warriors, head coach New Orleans Pelicans.
- Jody Handley, soccer player for England women's national football team
- Spencer Haywood, U of D basketball player, Olympic gold medalist, 4-time NBA All-Star, Basketball Hall of Fame[21]
- Dave Hill (1937–2011), PGA Tour golfer with 13 tour wins
- Lee Knorek (1921–2003), NBA player for New York Knicks
- Joe Kopicki, professional basketball player
- Dutch Lauer (1898–1978), professional football player
- John Long, professional basketball player, member of 1989 NBA champion Detroit Pistons
- Bruce Maher, former NFL player for Detroit Lions
- Ted Marchibroda (1931–2016), twice head coach of NFL's Baltimore Colts/Indianapolis Colts, offensive co-ordinator for Buffalo Bills Super Bowl teams
- Ray McCallum, Jr., NBA player for San Antonio Spurs
- Bob Miller (1926–2020), former MLB player (1949–58) and U-D baseball coach (1965–2000); career Titans coaching record of 896-780-2; named to Titans Hall of Fame 1979
- Guy Murray, Detroit Titans cross country/track and field head coach
- Dorie Murrey, NBA player for Detroit Pistons, Seattle SuperSonics
- A. C. Muthiah, president of Board of Control for Cricket in India 1999–2001
- Tip O'Neill (1898–1984), professional football player
- Andrew Ornoch, Mississauga Eagles FC
- Chase Simon (born 1989), basketball player for Maccabi Ashdod of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Jimmy Simpson (1897–1979), professional football player
- Gino Sovran (1924–2016), professional basketball player
- Guy Sparrow, former NBA player for New York Knicks
- Art Stolkey (1920–2013), professional basketball player
- Terry Thomas (1953–1998), former NBA player
- Terry Tyler, NBA player for Detroit Pistons, Sacramento Kings
- Owen Wells (1950–1993), professional basketball player
Notable faculty
[edit]- Richard Buckminster "Bucky" Fuller, visiting professor in the School of Architecture at University of Detroit, 1970[22]
- Robert S. Johnston (1901–1902), classics, English, and mathematics teacher;[23] later president of Saint Louis University[24]
- Isaiah McKinnon
- John P. McNichols, S.J., Jesuit priest and 11th president of University of Detroit 1921–1932; established the McNichols Campus, and is the namesake for McNichols Road in Detroit
- Frank Murphy, law instructor; Michigan jurist; Mayor of Detroit; Governor of Michigan; the last Governor-General of the Philippines; and the first High Commissioner of the Philippines, United States Attorney General, and United States Supreme Court Associate Justice
- Joyce Carol Oates, taught at the University of Detroit; published her first novel, With Shuddering Fall, when she was 26 years old; her novel them received the National Book Award in 1970; has taught at Princeton University since 1978
- Dick Vitale, basketball coach and broadcaster, head coach of Detroit Titans men's basketball 1973–1977
References
[edit]- ^ a b "100 Notable alumni of University of Detroit Mercy". EduRank. March 2, 2025. Retrieved January 20, 2025.
- ^ Rhaesa, John (January 25, 2020). "The Wayne Dispatch » Small town boy to international traveler". The Wayne Dispatch. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
- ^ Montemurri, Patricia (December 11, 2022). "Free Press Flashback: The late Pam Eldred sparkled as Miss America in a tempestuous era". Detroit Free Press. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
- ^ Cohen, Finn (October 5, 2017). "David Patrick Kelly, a Character Actor Vibrating on His Own Plane". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 3, 2024. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
- ^ "Keegan-Michael Key getting back to his acting roots". FOX 2 Detroit. July 18, 2016. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
- ^ "Mercy! How Far You've Traveled, Connie Kreski". Detroit Free Press. April 27, 1969. p. 143.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ Jackman, Michael (September 20, 2016). "A hometowner from Hamtramck fights the undead". Detroit Metro Times. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
- ^ Wong Barnstead, Elizabeth (July 10, 2014). "Marilyn Fisher Lundy, a 'contemplative in action,' dies at 89". Detroit Catholic. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
- ^ "Canes co-owner Thewes dies". WRALSportsFan.com. September 29, 2008. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
- ^ "Q&A with Otmar Szafnauer". forceindiaf1.com. Force India Formula One Team. Archived from the original on August 29, 2012. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
- ^ Spurgeon, Brad (November 16, 2012). "An engineer's passion for his racing work". The New York Times. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
- ^ "Colleagues, Friends Reminisce About Years With Bill Bonds - CBS Detroit". CBSNews.com. December 13, 2014. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
- ^ Stramm, Alan (October 19, 2014). "Detroit's 'Climb Out Will Take Years, Maybe Generations' -- Ron Fournier". www.deadlinedetroit.com. Archived from the original on December 30, 2014. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ^ Adams, Noah (August 20, 2013). "Elmore Leonard, The 'Dickens Of Detroit,' Dies At 87". NPR. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
- ^ Gibson, Dan (August 20, 2013). "RIP, Elmore Leonard". Tucson Weekly. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
- ^ "McCarthy, J.P. | Detroit Historical Society". www.detroithistorical.org. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ^ "Extra Close-Up: George Noory". Insideradio.com. December 4, 2018. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
- ^ Feighan, Maureen (September 13, 2021). "Detroit native who was longtime Chicago TV anchor dies after health issues". The Detroit News. Retrieved January 20, 2026.
- ^ "DHS – Maura D. Corrigan, Director". michigan.gov. State of Michigan. Retrieved December 14, 2012.
- ^ "NYC: Ex-Muslim to be ordained as rabbi". YNetNews.com. July 7, 2012. Retrieved August 27, 2012.
- ^ (see ISBN 1-56743-042-2)
- ^ Sieden, Lloyd Steven (2000). Buckminster Fuller's Universe. Basic Books. pp. 434–435. ISBN 9780738203799.
- ^ Watrous, Jerome Anthony (1909). Memoirs of Milwaukee County. Vol. 2. Madison, Wisconsin: Western Historical Association. p. 131.
Then for a period of four years [Johnston] was professor of classics, English and mathematics at Detroit College and served in a like capacity at St. Xavier's College of Cincinnati for another year.
- ^ "Rev. R. S. Johnston Dies in Milwaukee; Ex-Head of St. Louis University, Professor at Marquette" (fee required). The New York Times. February 20, 1944. Retrieved December 17, 2009.
He was a teacher in ... St. Xavier High School, Cincinnati, 1901–02, ...