15 Famous Alumni From Montclair State University

Being a student at Montclair State University means you have a world of opportunity waiting for you upon graduation. Regardless of what you do with your degree or even if you don’t make it to the finish line, the opportunities are endless. Take a look at these 15 famous alumni from Montclair State University…will you be on this list one day?

1. Melba Moore

Moore is an American singer and actress who was born on October 29th, 1945. Moore is most famous for performing as Dionne in the original cast of Hair on Broadway, playing ‘Bessie’ in The Fighting Temptations and for her award-winning career as R&B singer. She graduated Class of 1970 with a BA in Music from Montclair State University.

2. Bruce Willis

Die Hard…Pulp Fiction..Lethal Weapon..The Fifth Element, and the list goes on and on. The Emmy Award-winning actor attended Montclair State as a Drama major up until his junior year. Then moving to New York City to pursue his career as an actor.

3. Christine Nagy

Nagy previously worked on Z100 and is currently a morning personality on 106.7 Lite Fm. Nagy graduated Montclair State with a degree in broadcasting and has had a brief career in television as well.

4. Dania Ramirez

From music videos like Jay-Z’s ‘Streets is Watching’ to films like Fat Albert and television shows like Devious Maids. Dania has done it all. She also graduated from Montclair in 2001 where she played volleyball and holds a rank in the Top 5.

5. Allen Ginsberg

Best known for being the social and political activist who brought taboo topics to family dinner. Ginsburg briefly attended Montclair State University (when it was Montclair State College) before transferring to Columbia University.

6. Kevin Carolan

Carolan attended Montclair as a theatre major in the late 1980s. He is best known for his performances on Broadway in classics like Newsies and Chicago. And most recently on television in Boardwalk Empire, Orange Is the New Black, Law and Order, All My Children and White Collar.

7. Lorene Scafaria

Scafaria attended Montclair State University after leaving Lafayette College in Pennsylvania. Scafaria went on to become a playwright, screenwriter and actress. She is best known for her work on Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist. In 2016 she wrote and directed The Meddler.

8. Camille Grammer

Grammer, an english study major and graduate of Montclair State University is best known for starring on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. Grammer is also the ex-wife of Kelsey Grammer, who played psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Cane on the NBC sitcoms Cheers and Frasier.

9. Mike Fratello

Fratello, a graduate of Hackensack High School, attended Montclair State where he played football. Fratello was the head coach of the Memphis Grizzlies from December 2004 to December 2006. Fratello has been a sports broadcaster for NBC Sports, TNT and the YES Network.

10. Steve Covino

Known simply as ‘El Covino’, Steve got his start in broadcasting while attending Montclair State University. He was a personality on Montclair State’s 90.3 WMSC radio station. Today he is a radio personality and DJ and can be heard daily on Sirius XM.

11. Paul Mirabella

Mirabella, a graduate of Parsippany High School, attended Montclair State before he began his professional career as a baseball pitcher. In his career of thirteen seasons he pitched (left-handed) for the Texas Rangers, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Baltimore Orioles, Seattle Mariners and the Milwaukee Brewers.

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12. Tom Reilly

The Kansas native played football for Montclair State until he dropped out. Reilly is most famous for his role as Officer Bobby “Hot Dog” Nelson in CHiPs, a television series about the motorcycle officers of the California Highway Patrol.

13. Tobin Bell

You may not know his name, but you’ll definitely recognize his voice. Bell is most famous for playing John Kramer/Jigsaw in the Saw film series. However, Bell didn’t always want to be an actor…Bell has a master’s degree in environmental science from Montclair State.

14. Michael Price

Price grew up in South Plainfield, New Jersey where he was an avid television watcher and fan of television trivia. While attending Montclair State, Price was a theatre major who wrote and directed a variety of plays on campus. Price is best known for his writing on The Simpson’s. His career started on the 300th episode and he wrote the 500th episode of the show.

15. Sam Mills

The late Sam Mills attended Montclair State, where he played football from 1977-1980 and made the team as a walk-on. As of today, Mills is still the all-time leader in career tackles at Montclair State holding a record with 501, 142 tackles in a season and 22 tackles in a game. Mills was named the New Jersey Collegiate Writers Defensive Player of the Year for three straight seasons from 1978–1980. Mills went on to play for the Philadelphia Stars, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers. After his career as a football player he went on to coach the Panthers until his untimely death due to intestinal cancer in 2005.