Notable Alumni

Howard DeNike ’26
Founding member and former vice president of the National Soccer Coaches Association. The DeNike Building is named in his honor.

Rose Mekeel ’32
Featured in Women who made History in Monroe County. Mekeel Child Care Center is named in her honor.

John R. Eiler '34 
Former ESU faculty member, men's soccer coach (led the 1962 team to national championship) and Athletic Director at ESU. Eiler was inducted into the National Soccer Hall of Fame in 1993 and received the Elmer R. Cottrell Award from the Pennsylvania State Association of Health, Physical Education and Recreation in 1969.  Eiler-Martin Stadium is named in his honor. 

Helen Brown ’37
Founded Stony Acres and featured in Women who made History in Monroe County.

Dr. Lester G. Abeloff ’39
Entrepreneur and philanthropist.

Herbert DeVries '43 
An internationally acclaimed scholar who headed the Aging Institute at the University of Southern California and is known as the father of exercise and aging.  Author of the classic textbook Physiology of Exercise for Physical Education and Athletics. AAHPERD's research award is named in his honor. 

Marie Kruckel ’46
Former A League of their Own player who was All-American in the Girls Professional Baseball League.

Ruthe Kramer Hartman ’48
Former A League of their Own player who was All-American in the Girls Professional Baseball League.

Jane Moffet ’52
Former A League of their Own player who was All-American in the Girls Professional Baseball League.

Audrey Kohl Doberstein ’53
President emeritus of Wilmington University (1979-2006) and the first woman to head a four year institution in the state of Delaware.

Warren E. Hoeffner ’55
Former president and CEO of Rex-Hide, Inc. The Warren E. ’55 and Sandra Hoeffner Science and Technology Center is named in his honor.

G. Alan Stull '55
Former health faculty member and Dean of Allied Health professions at University of Wisconsin-Madison and State University of New York at Buffalo who has published numerous works and mentored countless students. 

Brian Sharkey '59 
Respected exercise physiologist and former professor at the University of Montana where he did considerable work with the U.S. Forest Service in promoting the health and safety for firefighters. 

Barbara Cyr Paul ’61
Co-founded Golfsmith with her husband Carl from their Edison, N.J. home.

Dr. Jay F. Kirkpatrick ’62 M’64
World renowned large mammal physiologist and director of The Science and Conservation Center in Billings, Mont.

Dr. Melvin Williams ’62
Faculty member at Old Dominion University who has published over seventeen books, including one of the first on the role of nutrition in sports. The International Olympic Committee’s 1985 decision to ban blood doping was based in part on his research.

Bill Lewis ’63
Retired as the Athletic Community Relations Director for the University of Notre Dame. Former Notre Dame football assistant head coach/defense. Also served as the NFL Miami Dolphins nickel package defense coach.

Peter Henning ’63
Producer of Ironman sports challenge television show and winner of 18 Emmy Awards.

Merrily Dean Baker ’64
Former Director of Athletics at Michigan State. She was the first woman athletic director in the Big 10 Conference and the only woman on the Title IX Committee.

Mervin Heller, Jr. ’69
Former president, chairman and chief executive of the U.S. Tennis Association. Heller was also an attorney for more than 30 years in the Berks County area and founded the Varsity “S” club on campus.

Charles “Tony” McMunn ’69
CEO of Tricam Industries and co-owner (with wife Patricia Lythgoe McMunn ’68) of McMunn’s of Ballybunion Ireland. The McMunn Planetarium on ESU’s campus is named in their honor.

Earl Hulihan '71 M'81 
Distinguished career in Clinical Medicine and health care with more than 40+ years in clinical medicine and teaching. Internationally recognized expert and lecturer on data quality and data integrity in clinical research, with 20+ books published. Has served on various boards and committees including the U.S. Olympic and Amateur Athletic Union National committees. Is the first Westerner appointed to a Professorship with China's CFDA and Shanghai University of TCM. One of the original designers of The Special Olympics Program ®. 

Jay Hoffman ’72 M’77
Former head coach of the 1999 U.S. Women's Pan American Games team that won the gold medal and assistant coach to the Women's National Team that won the 1999 FIFA Women’s World Cup. U.S. Paralympic National Team head coach and U.S. Soccer Educational staff coach at U.S. Soccer Federation. Professional player in the Canadian National Soccer League.

Donato Coyer ’73 M’82 
Was responsible for leading President Clinton’s travel Secret Service detail. Was the only Secret Service member to ever score a perfect 500 in the Secret Service physical test. 

Michael Sawka '73 M'74
Retired from the U.S. Army Research Institute of Environmental Medicine with a decorated 32 year career including the publication of countless manuscripts and nearly 100 speaking engagements. 

Beverly Albert Ulrich '73 
An internationally recognized scholar in motor control and professor of Movement Science and the Director of the Developmental Neuromotor Control Laboratory at the University of Michigan. 

Sherry Salway Black ’74
Appointed to President Obama’s Advisory Council on Financial Capability in 2011. Also serves as the Director of the Partnership for Tribal Governance at the National Congress of American Indians.

David R. Dunning ’74
Former EVP and Executive Team member with Fluor Corp.,(FLR).  Retired after 38 years having managed the corporations sales/business development, strategic planning, government relations and corporate communications and media relations groups.

Bob Rigby ’74
Retired U.S. soccer goalkeeper. Rigby played twelve seasons in the North American Soccer League, three in the Major Indoor Soccer League, one in the Western Soccer Alliance and earned six caps with the U.S. men's national soccer team. Currently he is the color commentator with the Philadelphia Union of Major League Soccer (MLS). He appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine in 1973.

Patrick Flaherty ’78 M'84 
New York Giants Consultant/Advisor. Former offensive line coach for the NFL Jacksonville Jaguars and the New York Giants. Also served as tight end coach for the Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins.

Noah Samara ’78
Co-founder of XM Radio.

Vic Fangio ’80
Former head coach for the Denver Broncos. Former defensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers. Also served as linebacker coach for the Baltimore Ravens and defensive coordinator for the Houston Texans, the Indianapolis Colts and the Carolina Panthers.

Ronald Hosko ’80 
Assistant director of the Criminal Investigative Division (CID) at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.

Dr. George N. Mitilenes '80
CEO and Medical Director of MedLabs Diagnostics. 

Laura Canfield ’81
Inducted into the United States Tennis Association Middle States Tennis Hall of Fame for her many contributions to the tennis world. Also the co-founder of the Bucks County Tennis Association, Inc.

John H. Johnson ’81
Chairman, President and CEO of Dendreon.

Raymond Yakavonis ’81 
Drafted into the NFL by the Minnesota Vikings and played with both the Vikings and the Kansas City Chiefs. 

R. Sam Niedbala ’82
Founder of OraSure Technologies.

Fran Vettor-Gray ’83
Nationally known marketing director behind the programs and advertising campaigns that led to making Sprite relevant across the country, including a Sprite/NBA initiative that was conducted at state fairs, reaching more than 13 million consumers, a backboard renovation program for community courts and an in-theater Sprite/NBA All-Star Balloting Program.

Harry Hiestand ’83
University of Notre Dame offensive line football coach.

Christopher Paradysz ’83
CEO and co-founder of ParadyszMatera, Inc.

Timothy White ’83
Managing Director for Bank of America Merrill Lynch.

Mike Reichenbach ’84
Former linebacker for the NFL Philadelphia Eagles and the Miami Dolphins.

Charles Taylor ’84 M’86
Co-founder and executive vice president of PROTEUS Technologies.

Kathleen Gleason-Prayias ’85
Former senior associate producer for The Rush Limbaugh Show.

Scott Strausbaugh ’86
Gold medalist in whitewater slalom tandem canoeing in the 1992 summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.

Salima Sane Kane ’90 M’92
Currently assigned to the U.N. Regional Bureau Africa Desk. Has served with the World Bank Group International Monetary fund (IMF) and the International Finance Corporation (IFC). 

William Staples ’93 M’10
Co-founder of BEST, Inc. (Building Education Support Teams) to aid students in need of financial assistance to fulfill their dreams of obtaining a college education. Also an accomplished educator, author, motivational speaker and former actor.

Len Lehman ’94
Founding partner of Philly Pretzel Factory.

Dan DiZio ’95
CEO and founding partner of Philly Pretzel Factory. Featured on CBS’s Undercover Boss in 2012.

James Franklin ’95
Head football coach at Penn State University. Prior head football coach at Vanderbilt University. 

Jason Klush ’99
Mayor of Pittston City, Pa. Having been sworn in at age 33, he is the youngest mayor in the city’s history.

Kevin Nagle ’00 M’04
Former Linebacker for the Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League.  Played a role in the 2006 movie Invincible.  

John Glenn ‘05
Linebackers coach for the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks.

Ken Parrish ’07
Former punter for the NFL's  Atlanta Falcons.

Michael James “Jimmy” Terwilliger ’07
2005 Harlon Hill Trophy winner. Terwilliger signed with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2006. In 2019, Terwilliger was named head football coach at ESU.

Charlie Brenneman M’08
Notable MMA fighter known as ‘The Spaniard’ in the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) league. He and his older brother Ben won the Pros vs. Joes competition in 2005 on Spike TV.

If you know of other alumni that should be added to this list, please feel free to let us know at esualumni@esu.edu