Looking at the most famous Michigan State alumni

kFounded back in 1855, Michigan State is one of the largest and most well respected public universities in the country, so it’s no surprise that the Spartans have a large number of famous alumni and fans.

From actors to politicians to musicians, MSU has a large number of famous alums who represent the university in their various fields. It’s always great to see these famous Spartans show their love for the green and white on social media.

Below, we take a look at some of the most notable Michigan State alumni.

James Caan (Actor)

Known for: The Godfather, Brian’s Song, Elf.

MSU ties: Caan has shown his love for Michigan State on Twitter multiple times. Caan played quarterback for the Spartans under Duff Daugherty in 1956 before going onto a prolific acting career.

GRiZ (Musician)

Christopher M. Bjornberg, Special to the Free Press

Known for: Electronic music

MSU ties: Before becoming one of the top DJ acts in the world, GRiZ was playing at co-ops and fraternities in East Lansing while he was a student at MSU.

Sam Raimi (Director)

Photo by Alberto E. Rodriguez/Getty Images for Disney

Known for: The Evil Dead, Spiderman 1-3, Dr. Strange in the Multiverse of Madness

MSU ties: The Royal Oak native went to Michigan State for three semesters before leaving the school to film The Evil Dead, which became a huge cult hit. Famously, Evil Dead star Bruce Campbell is a Michigan State student in the film and wears an MSU jacket to start the movie.

Earvin 'Magic' Johnson (Basketball)

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Known for: 5x NBA champion, 3x NBA MVP, NBA Hall of Famer, NCAA champion, Olympic Gold Medalist, entrepreneur, philanthropist, broadcaster

MSU ties: Greatest Michigan State basketball player of all-time, where he played from 1977-79. Magic is still a huge advocate for the school and its sports programs.

Kirk Gibson (Baseball)

EAST LANSING, MI – SEPTEMBER 23: (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)

Known for: 2x World Series champion, 1988 NL MVP, 2011 NL Manager of the Year, 1984 ALCS MVP, broadcaster

MSU ties: Kirk Gibson is most known for his iconic MLB career, where he hit one of the most famous home runs in the history of the sport and was a huge part of two World Series championship teams, but before that, he was one of the best wide receivers in MSU history and an All-American. Gibson was more of a football player until it was suggested that he play college baseball, where he hit .390 with 16 home runs in one season. He was drafted in the MLB and NFL drafts, but chose to play baseball with the Detroit Tigers, who drafted him in the first round.

Jemele Hill (Sports journalist)

Photo by Daniel Boczarski/Getty Images for Spotify

Known for: Former ESPN SportsCenter co-host. Columnist for The Atlantic.

MSU ties: Hill graduated from MSU in 1997 and regularly supports the Spartans on social media

Tee Grizzley (Rapper)

Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images for BET

Known for: Rapper and songwriter

MSU ties: Tee Grizzley (Terry Wallace Jr.) went to Michigan State for finance and accounting before his time in college was cut short due to legal issues.

Chris Hansen (TV Journalist)

AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File

Known for: Dateline NBC, in particular, To Catch a Predator

MSU ties: The Bloomfield Hills native graduated from MSU in 1981 with a degree in telecommunication.

Tom Gores (Entrepreneur)

AP Photo/Carlos Osorio

Known for: Owner of the Detroit Pistons

MSU ties: Graduated from MSU in 1986 with a degree in construction management.

Dan Gilbert (Entrepreneur)

AP Photo/Al Goldis

Known for: Founder of Quicken Loans, Owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers

MSU ties: Graduated from MSU before getting his law degree from Wayne State.

Gretchen Whitmer (Governor)

AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File

Known for: 49th Governor of Michigan

MSU ties: The Grand Rapids native graduated from MSU in 1993 for her Bachelor’s Degree and 1998 with her Juris Doctorate.

Draymond Green (Basketball)

Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

Known for: 3x NBA champion, 2x Gold medalist, 4x NBA all-star, 2017 NBA defensive player of the year

MSU ties: Played at Michigan State from 2008-12 and is still one of the most outspoken alumni about the football and basketball teams.

Bubba Smith (Football/Actor)

Lansing State Journal file photo

Known for: NFL champion, Super Bowl champion, 2x Pro Bowler, acting in the Police Academy movie series

MSU ties: During his time at MSU, he became one of the most popular players playing under Duffy Daugherty

Kirk Cousins (Football)

Photo by Abbie Parr/Getty Images

Known for: 3x Pro Bowler

MSU ties: It’s pretty amazing that a 3-star recruit has been able to become one of the highest paid players in the NFL, but that’s been the story for Kirk Cousins, who has seemed to overcome the odds since first coming to MSU in 2007.

Rashad Evans (MMA)

Miguel Tovar-USA TODAY Sports

Known for: Heavyweight winner of The Ultimate Fighter 2, former UFC Light Heavyweight champion, UFC Hall of Famer

MSU ties: Evans was a prolific wrestler at MSU, and took third place in the 2003 Big Ten Championships.

Morten Andersen (Football)

Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Known for: NFL Hall of Famer, previously held the NFL all-time points record, now stands at No. 2.

MSU ties: Before becoming one of the most prolific kickers in NFL history, Andersen was kicking for MSU, where he set a record with a 63-yard kick against Ohio State. Andersen was an All-American in 1981 before heading to the NFL.

Quinn XCII (Musician)

AP Photo/Al Goldis

Known for: Hugely popular recording artist whose songs have hundreds of millions of plays on Spotify

MSU ties: Quinn XCII is a Detroit native who started his music career while attending MSU in 2011. He recently played at the basketball team’s Midnight Madness event back in 2019.

Honorable Mention: Michael B. Jordan (Actor)

Known for: Black Panther, Creed, Fruitvale Station

MSU ties: It came out in the interview above that Michael B. Jordan is a huge fan of MSU, which definitely puts him near the top of the list for celebrity MSU fans.

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