Northwest Missouri State University is a

public university A public university or public college is a university or college that is in owned by the state or receives significant public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private university. Whether a national universit ...

Maryville, Missouri Maryville is a city and county seat of Nodaway County, Missouri, United States. Located in the "Missouri Point" region, As of the 2020 census, the city population was 10,633. Maryville is home to Northwest Missouri State University and Northwes ...

. It has an enrollment of about 8,505 students. Founded in 1905 as a teachers college, its campus is based on the design for

Forest Park A forest park is a park whose main theme is its forest of trees. Forest parks are found both in the mountains and in the urban environment. Examples Chile * Forest Park, Santiago China *Gongqing Forest Park, Shanghai * Mufushan National Fores ...

at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair and is the official

Missouri State Arboretum The Missouri State Arboretum is on the campus of Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri and contains more than 111 species of trees. Northwest has long billed itself as the "most beautiful state university campus" in the st ...

. The school is governed by a state-appointed

Board of Regents In the United States, a board often governs institutions of higher education, including private universities, state universities, and community colleges. In each US state, such boards may govern either the state university system, individual col ...

and headed by Interim President Clarence Green. The Northwest Bearcats compete in the

National Collegiate Athletic Association The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

(Division II) and Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association for men's and women's sports. NWMSU_Campus_Map

History

Founding

In 1905, the Missouri Legislature created five districts in the state to establish

normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to Teacher education, train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high s ...

s, comprising a state teacher college network. Maryville won the competition for the Northwest district with an offer to donate (on coincidentally the northwest corner of town) and $58,000 on the site of a Methodist Seminary. The other districts in the network were to be at

Kirksville Kirksville is the county seat and most populous city in Adair County, Missouri. Located in Benton Township, Adair County, Missouri, Benton Township, its population was 17,530 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Kirksville is home to ...

(Northeast – now Truman State),

Cape Girardeau Cape Girardeau ( , french: Cap-Girardeau ; colloquially referred to as "Cape") is a city in Cape Girardeau and Scott Counties in the U.S. state of Missouri. At the 2020 census, the population was 39,540. The city is one of two principal citi ...

(Southeast), Springfield (Southwest – now Missouri State), and Warrensburg (Central – now Central Missouri). The original mission of the school, initially known as the Fifth District Normal School, was to teach elementary school teachers. Classes began on June 13, 1906, with a lab school teaching Maryville's children (that was eventually named the

Horace Mann Horace Mann (May 4, 1796August 2, 1859) was an American educational reformer, slavery abolitionist and Whig politician known for his commitment to promoting public education. In 1848, after public service as Secretary of the Massachusetts Sta ...

school) in kindergarten through third grade. The school was later expanded to a full-fledged high school before dropping back to its current configuration of kindergarten through sixth grade. Nwmsu-bell

In 1919 the school was renamed Northwest Missouri State Teacher's College, and with that came the ability to grant baccalaureate degrees. In 1949 the name was shrunk to Northwest Missouri State College by the Board of Regents.

World War II

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, Northwest Missouri State University was one of 131 colleges and universities nationally that took part in the

V-12 Navy College Training Program The V-12 Navy College Training Program was designed to supplement the force of commissioned officers in the United States Navy during World War II. Between July 1, 1943, and June 30, 1946, more than 125,000 participants were enrolled in 131 colleg ...

, which offered students a path to a Navy commission.

Rivalry with Missouri Western

In 1969, Missouri Governor

Warren Hearnes Warren Eastman Hearnes (July 24, 1923 – August 16, 2009) was an American politician who served as the 46th governor of Missouri from 1965 to 1973. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first officeholder eligible to serve two consecuti ...

pushed for switching St. Joseph Junior College from a two-year school into a four-year state college. At approximately the same time, authorities decided against a plan to continue routing

Interstate 29 Interstate 29 (I-29) is an Interstate Highway in the Midwestern United States. I-29 runs from Kansas City, Missouri, at a junction with I-35 and I-70, to the Canada–US border near Pembina, North Dakota, where it connects with Manitoba ...

north of St. Joseph along

U.S. Route 71 U.S. Route 71 or U.S. Highway 71 (US 71) is a major north–south United States highway that extends for over 1500 miles (2500 km) in the central United States. This original 1926 route has remained largely unchanged by encroaching Interstat ...

through Maryville and

Clarinda, Iowa Clarinda is a city in and the county seat of Page County, Iowa, Page County, Iowa. It is located in Nodaway Township, Page County, Iowa, Nodaway Township. The population was 5,369 at the time of the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Histor ...

, instead picking a route to

Council Bluffs, Iowa Council Bluffs is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattamie County, Iowa, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. The city is the most populous in Southwest Iowa, and is the third largest and a primary city of the Omaha–Council Bluffs ...

Omaha, Nebraska Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest cit ...

along the sparsely populated Missouri River bottoms. Opening a new four-year state school within of Maryville (along with a delay in widening

to Maryville) was perceived in Maryville as an attempt to kill the school and the town with which it is intertwined. Those fears came to the forefront in 1988 when Shalia Aery, commissioner of higher education under Governor

John Ashcroft John David Ashcroft (born May 9, 1942) is an American lawyer, lobbyist and former politician who served as the 79th U.S. Attorney General in the George W. Bush administration from 2001 to 2005. A former U.S. Senator from Missouri and the 50th ...

, announced a plan to close the school. The plan was ultimately withdrawn.

Northwest Missouri State University

On August 14, 1972, Northwest was elevated to university status so that it could offer master's degrees. Its name changed to Northwest Missouri State University. The university currently holds four Missouri Quality Awards, granted in 1997, 2001, 2005, and 2008. Northwest is the only educational institution to receive multiple Missouri Quality Awards. Nwmsu-president

In 1987, Northwest unveiled its Electronic Campus Program, the first such program among public U.S. colleges.

Missouri State Arboretum

The campus design was inspired by the

design for the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair, which evolved into the campus for

Washington University Washington University in St. Louis (WashU or WUSTL) is a private research university with its main campus in St. Louis County, and Clayton, Missouri. Founded in 1853, the university is named after George Washington. Washington University is r ...

. In 1993 the state legislature designated Northwest the official Missouri State Arboretum.

Presidents

* Frank Deerwester (1906–1907) * Homer Martien Cook (1907–1909) *

Henry Kirby Taylor Henry Kirby Taylor (August 10, 1858 – January 21, 1934) was president of Kentucky Wesleyan College, Northwest Missouri State University and the University of Texas at Arlington. Early life Taylor was born in Vanceburg, Kentucky. Kentucky Wes ...

(1909–1913) *

Ira Richardson Ira Richardson (1871 – October 6, 1958) was a president of Northwest Missouri State University and founding president of Adams State College. Early life Richardson was a native of northern Missouri and received a degree from Central Method ...

(1913–1921) *

Uel W. Lamkin Uel Walter Lamkin (January 18, 1877 – September 16, 1956) was president of Northwest Missouri State University from 1921 to 1945. Lamkin was born in California, Missouri. He attended the private Clinton, Missouri Academy run by his father. ...

(1921–1945) * J.W. Jones (1945–1964) * Robert P. Foster (1964–1977) *

B.D. Owens Bobbie Deen Owens (also known as B. D. Owens) (born January 17, 1935) was a university president, serving as head of the University of Tampa, Northwest Missouri State University and St. Matthew's University. Early life Owens is a 1959 graduate of ...

(1977–1984) * Dean L. Hubbard (1984–2009) * John Jasinski (2009–Present)

Administration building

Design

The defining landmark of the campus is the Administration Building, very similar to

Brookings Hall Brookings Hall is a Collegiate Gothic landmark on the campus of Washington University in St. Louis. The building, first named "University Hall", was built between 1900 and 1902 and served as the administrative center for the 1904 World's Fair. ...

in St. Louis. Brookings Hall served as the Administration Building of the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair. The master St. Louis design was created by

Cope & Stewardson Cope and Stewardson (1885–1912) was a Philadelphia architecture firm founded by Walter Cope and John Stewardson, and best known for its Collegiate Gothic building and campus designs. Cope and Stewardson established the firm in 1885, and were jo ...

, famed for designing schools throughout the country based on the

Oxford University Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

style. (includes photographs) It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic v ...

in 2010. The

Collegiate Gothic Collegiate Gothic is an architectural style subgenre of Gothic Revival architecture, popular in the late-19th and early-20th centuries for college and high school buildings in the United States and Canada, and to a certain extent Europ ...

structure with its central tower keep design evokes

Tattershall Castle Tattershall Castle is a castle in Tattershall, Lincolnshire, England, about 12 miles (19 km) north east of Sleaford. Since 1925 it has been in the care of the National Trust. History Tattershall Castle has its origins in either a sto ...

and lords over the campus with the motto, "And the truth shall make you free," engraved in stone. Because of this design, the term "Tower" is used frequently throughout campus and is the name of the school yearbook. Work on the building began in 1906 and continued on and off until classes began in it on October 3, 1910. The architect of record for the Maryville building is John H. Felt. On March 15, 1919, a

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

ripped the roof off its auditorium and blew out most of its windows.

1979 fire

On July 24, 1979, a fire destroyed 60 percent of the building on the central and west wing as well as the north wing housing the auditorium and Little Theater. Many thought the building was going to be razed, However the east wing survived with relatively little damage. A $13.8 million capital program repaired most of the building and made extensive changes to the campus layout. The building ceased to serve as classroom space, with the exception of 3rd floor, which houses the Family and Consumer Sciences Department. The theater and music departments moved out of the building to what is now the Ron Houston Center for the Performing Arts, located southeast of Bearcat Stadium. The north wing of the Administration Building was torn down and sealed, although the outline of the wing is still visible against the bricks on the north. The former Wells Library (now Wells Hall) was turned into a classroom area and home for the

National Public Radio National Public Radio (NPR, stylized in all lowercase) is an American privately and state funded nonprofit media organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It differs from other n ...

affiliate radio station KXCV-FM and the library was moved to its current location in the new B.D. Owens Library. All the academic files were burned and lost with no backups prior to the fire.

Athletics

Northwest was a founding member of the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association in 1912 and has remained in the conference ever since. From its founding until 1937 it competed in the

Amateur Athletic Union The Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) is an amateur sports organization based in the United States. A multi-sport organization, the AAU is dedicated exclusively to the promotion and development of amateur sports and physical fitness programs. It has ...

. From 1937 to 1957 it competed in the

National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) established in 1940, is a college athletics association for colleges and universities in North America. Most colleges and universities in the NAIA offer athletic scholarships to its stu ...

. In 1957 it joined

NCAA Division II NCAA Division II (D-II) is an intermediate-level division of competition in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). It offers an alternative to both the larger and better-funded Division I and to the scholarship-free environmen ...

. Northwest has appeared in ten Division II football title games (winning six) since 1998. The men's basketball team appeared in an AAU title game in 1930. The men's basketball team won the Division II title for the 2016–17 season and 2018-19 season. The Bearcats have won six NCAA Division II football national championships (1998, 1999, 2009, 2013, 2015, and 2016) and finished four times as runner-up (2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008). The Northwest Bearcats

cheerleading Cheerleading is an activity in which the participants (called cheerleaders) cheer for their team as a form of encouragement. It can range from chanting slogans to intense physical activity. It can be performed to motivate sports teams, to ente ...

squad have won three (2010, 2012, and 2013) Universal Cheerleaders Association Division II National Champions. The Northwest Bearcat Men's Basketball team has won four national championships (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022) in the span of five tournaments. With the 2016 football championship and the 2017 basketball championship, Northwest became the first Division II program to win titles football and men’s basketball in the same school year. The titles were the first by a Division I or II program since the Division I

Florida Gators The Florida Gators are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Florida, located in Gainesville. The University of Florida, its athletic program, its alumni and its sports fans are often collectively referred to as t ...

in 2006-07.

Student organizations

Student organizations encompass activities and interests that include Academic (such as an

Association for Computing Machinery The Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) is a US-based international learned society for computing. It was founded in 1947 and is the world's largest scientific and educational computing society. The ACM is a non-profit professional member ...

chapter), Greek

fraternities and sororities Fraternities and sororities are social organizations at colleges and universities in North America. Generally, membership in a fraternity or sorority is obtained as an undergraduate student, but continues thereafter for life. Some accept gradu ...

, Political (such as the

College Republicans College Republicans are college and university students who support the Republican Party of the United States. Many members belong to the organization College Republican National Committee (CRNC), College Republicans United (CRU), or various in ...

or the Young Democrats), Honorary (such as the

Blue Key Blue Key Honor Society is an American national honor society for college upperclassmen. Blue Key has over 50 chartered collegiate chapters within the United States. History Blue Key Honor Society was founded as Blue Key National Honor Frater ...

Honor Society and

Mortar Board Mortar Board is an American national honor society for college seniors. Mortar Board has 233 chartered collegiate chapters nationwide and 15 alumni chapters. History Mortar Board was the first national honor society for college senior women ...

), Multicultural (with groups such as the Alliance of Black Collegians, the Asian Student Association, the Hispanic American Leadership Organization, and the Indian Student Association), Performing (such as the

American Choral Directors Association The American Choral Directors Association (ACDA), headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, is a non-profit organization with the stated purpose of promoting excellence in the field of choral music. Its membership comprises approximately 22,000 c ...

), Religious (such as

Campus Crusade for Christ Cru (until 2011 known as Campus Crusade for Christ—informally "Campus Crusade" or simply "crusade"—or CCC) is an interdenominational Christian parachurch organization. It was founded in 1951 at the University of California, Los Angeles by B ...

), Residential Life (with student governing bodies for the residential halls), Sports (with clubs for cheerleading, fencing, rugby, soccer, wrestling and equestrian sports), and dozens more. Sororities at the university include *

Alpha Delta Pi Alpha Delta Pi (), commonly known as ADPi (pronounced "ay-dee-pye"), is an International Panhellenic sorority founded on May 15, 1851, at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia. It is the oldest secret society for women. Alpha Delta Pi is a mem ...

, *

Alpha Sigma Alpha Alpha Sigma Alpha () is a United States National Panhellenic sorority founded on November 15, 1901, at the Virginia State Female Normal School (later known as Longwood College and now known as Longwood University) in Farmville, Virginia. Once a sor ...

, *

Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community. Delta ...

, *

Phi Mu Phi Mu () is the second oldest female fraternal organization established in the United States. The fraternity was founded at Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia as the Philomathean Society on , and was announced publicly on March 4 of the same y ...

, *

Sigma Alpha Sigma Alpha () is a professional agricultural sorority. History On January 26, 1978, five students, Ann Huling Mathews, Cindie Davis, Marilyn Burns, Jennifer McMillan and Amy Mathews, founded Sigma Alpha at the Ohio State University. Since that ...

, *

Sigma Kappa Sigma Kappa (, also known as SK or Sig Kap) is a sorority founded on November 9, 1874 at Colby College in Waterville, Maine. In 1874, Sigma Kappa was founded by five women: Mary Caffrey Low Carver, Elizabeth Gorham Hoag, Ida Mabel Fuller Pierce, ...

, *

Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma Sigma (), also known as Tri Sigma, is a national American women's sorority. Sigma Sigma Sigma is a member of the National Panhellenic Conference (NPC), an umbrella organization encompassing 26 national sororities or women's fraterni ...

and *

Zeta Phi Beta Zeta Phi Beta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. In 1920, five women from Howard University envisioned a sorority that would raise the consciousness of their people, encourage the highest standards of scholastic ach ...

. (

Alpha Omicron Pi Alpha Omicron Pi (, AOII, Alpha O) is an international women's fraternity founded on January 2, 1897, at Barnard College on the campus of Columbia University in New York City. The main archive URL iThe Baird's Manual Online Archive homepage "AOI ...

and

Delta Zeta Delta Zeta (, also known as DZ) is an international college sorority founded on October 24, 1902, at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. Delta Zeta has 170 collegiate chapters in the United States and Canada, and over 200 alumnae chapters in Cana ...

are no longer on the Northwest campus.) There are 8 IFC fraternities. *

Sigma Tau Gamma Sigma Tau Gamma (), commonly known as Sig Tau, is a United States college social fraternity founded on June 28, 1920, at the University of Central Missouri (then known as Central Missouri State Teachers College). The fraternity was founded as a re ...

-1927 *

Phi Sigma Kappa Phi Sigma Kappa (), colloquially known as Phi Sig or PSK, is a men's social and academic fraternity with approximately 74 active chapters and provisional chapters in North America. Most of its first two dozen chapters were granted to schools in ...

-1938 *

Tau Kappa Epsilon Tau Kappa Epsilon (), commonly known as or Teke, is a social college fraternity founded on January 10, 1899, at Illinois Wesleyan University. The organization has chapters throughout the United States and Canada, making the Fraternity an interna ...

-1954 * Alpha Kappa Lambda-1963 *

Delta Sigma Phi Delta Sigma Phi (), commonly known as Delta Sig or D Sig, is a fraternities and sororities, fraternity established in 1899 at City College of New York, The City College of New York (CCNY). It was the first fraternity to be founded on the basis o ...

-1968 *

Sigma Phi Epsilon Sigma Phi Epsilon (), commonly known as SigEp, is a social college fraternity for male college students in the United States. It was founded on November 1, 1901, at Richmond College (now the University of Richmond), and its national headquarte ...

-1980 *

Alpha Phi Alpha Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. () is the oldest intercollegiate historically African American fraternity. It was initially a literary and social studies club organized in the 1905–1906 school year at Cornell University but later evolved int ...

-1988 * Alpha Gamma Rho-1990 (

Phi Lambda Chi Phi Lambda Chi (), commonly known as Phi Lamb, is a social collegiate fraternity founded at the Arkansas State Teachers College (now the University of Central Arkansas) in 1925. It was formerly a member of the North American Interfraternity Confe ...

-late 1950s,

Kappa Sigma Kappa Sigma (), commonly known as Kappa Sig, is an American collegiate social fraternity founded at the University of Virginia in 1869. Kappa Sigma is one of the five largest international fraternities with currently 318 active chapters and colo ...

-1996 and

Phi Delta Theta Phi Delta Theta (), commonly known as Phi Delt, is an international secret and social fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, along with Beta Theta Pi and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad ...

-2003

Delta Chi Delta Chi () is an international Fraternities and sororities, Greek letter collegiate social fraternity formed on October 13, 1890, at Cornell University, initially as a professional fraternity for law students. On April 30, 1922, Delta Chi be ...

-2015 are no longer on the Northwest campus.)

Notable alumni

Among Northwest's alumni are

Jean Bartik Jean Bartik ( Betty Jean Jennings; December 27, 1924 – March 23, 2011) was one of the original six programmers for the ENIAC computer. Bartik studied mathematics in school then began work at the University of Pennsylvania, first manually ca ...

, one of the original programmers for the ENIAC computer and a member of the

Women in Technology International Women in Technology International (WITI) is an organization promoting the achievements of women in technology and extending support, opportunities, and inspiration. It was founded by Carolyn Leighton in 1989 as the International Network of Women in ...

Hall of Fame A hall, wall, or walk of fame is a list of individuals, achievements, or other entities, usually chosen by a group of electors, to mark their excellence or Wiktionary:fame, fame in their field. In some cases, these halls of fame consist of actu ...

Politicians

* Jason R. Brown – Republican leader in the

Missouri House of Representatives The Missouri House of Representatives is the lower chamber of the Missouri General Assembly. It has 163 members, representing districts with an average size of 37,000 residents. House members are elected for two-year terms during general elections ...

Pat Danner Patsy Ann "Pat" Danner (born January 13, 1934, Louisville, Kentucky) is an American politician. She formerly represented the Missouri's 6th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives as a Democrat. Education and back ...

– former U.S. representative from Missouri * Steve King – U.S. representative from Iowa's 4th congressional district. * Bill Siebert – former member of the

Texas House of Representatives The Texas House of Representatives is the lower house of the bicameral Texas Legislature. It consists of 150 members who are elected from single-member districts for two-year terms. As of the 2010 United States census, each member represents abou ...

from

San Antonio ("Cradle of Freedom") , image_map = , mapsize = 220px , map_caption = Interactive map of San Antonio , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = United States , subdivision_type1= U.S. state, State , subdivision_name1 = Texas , s ...

Mike Thomson Mike Thomson (born April 8, 1946) is a Republican former member of the Missouri House of Representatives. Thomson represented the 1st District, encompassing all or portions of Atchison, Holt, Nodaway, and Worth counties in northwest Missouri. ...

– Republican member of the

Kim Reynolds Kimberly Kay Reynolds (née Strawn; born August 4, 1959) is an American politician serving as the 43rd governor of Iowa since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, Reynolds served as the 46th lieutenant governor of Iowa from 2011 to 2017. B ...

– Governor of Iowa * Allen Andrews - Republican member of the

Athletes

Trevor Hudgins Trevor Hudgins (born March 23, 1999) is an American professional basketball player for the Houston Rockets of the National Basketball Association (NBA), on a two-way contract with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League. He played colle ...

Point Guard for Houston Rockets *

Baron Corbin Thomas Pestock (born September 13, 1984) is an American professional wrestler and former professional football player. He is currently signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Baron Corbin. Pestock is a former off ...

Former NFL offensive lineman, professional wrestler * Brandon Dixon – former NFL cornerback for the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

, drafted in the 6th round of the 2014 Draft by the

New York Jets The New York Jets are a professional American football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Jets compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The J ...

. * Brian Dixon – former NFL cornerback for the

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

, signed as an undrafted free agent in 2014. *

Adam Dorrel Adam Dorrel (born December 2, 1974) is an American football coach and former player. He is the current head coach of the Central Oklahoma Bronchos football team in Edmond, Oklahoma, a position he will begin in 2022. Previously Dorrel was the head ...

– 3x National Champion winning coach, 4x MIAA champion coach, and 3x AFCA NCAA DII Coach of the Year *

Duck Dowell Robert Loren "Duck" Dowell (August 14, 1912 – November 27, 2003) was an American professional basketball player for the Akron Firestone Non-Skids in the United States' National Basketball League during the 1937–38 season. After an All-Ameri ...

– former NBL player and coach. He was also a college football coach * Charles Finley – former college basketball coach *

Tommy Frevert Thomas Frevert (born November 24, 1986) is an American football placekicker who is currently a free agent. He played college football at Northwest Missouri State. He has been a member of the Kansas City Renegades, Oklahoma Defenders, Salina Bo ...

– former AFL placekicker * Todd Frohwirth – former Major league baseball player *

Tom Funk Thomas James Funk (born March 13, 1962) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for the Houston Astros during the 1986 season. He appeared in eight games and enjoyed early success before faltering and being sent down to the minors. ...

– former Major league baseball player *

Gary Gaetti Gary Joseph Gaetti (, ; born August 19, 1958), is an American former third baseman in Major League Baseball for the Minnesota Twins (1981–1990), California Angels (1991–1993), Kansas City Royals (1993–1995), St. Louis Cardinals (1996–1998) ...

– former Major league baseball player *

Steve Gillispie Steve Gillispie in an American college baseball coach, formerly the head coach of the Youngstown State Penguins baseball program. He served in that role from 2013–2016. Gillispie played college baseball at Northwest Missouri State and Fort Hay ...

– baseball college coach *

Chris Greisen Christopher J. Greisen (born July 2, 1976) is a former American football quarterback who played professionally the National Football League (NFL) for the Arizona Cardinals, Washington Redskins and Dallas Cowboys and current coach for West De Pere ...

– former NFL quarterback * Harold Hull – former NBL player *

Joe Hurst "Jumping" Joe Hurst (born East Saint Louis, Illinois), is a retired professional basketball player. In 1982, Hurst earned a sporting scholarship with Northwest Missouri State University. In five years, he played more than 200 games, and was all-c ...

– former NBL player * Hal Hutcheson – former NBL player *

Ben McCollum Benjamin M. McCollum (born April 12, 1981) is the men's basketball head coach at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. McCollum was born in Iowa City, Iowa, and grew up in Storm Lake, Iowa, where he graduated from St. Mary ...

– college basketball coach *

Jack McCracken Jack D. "Jumping Jack" McCracken (June 15, 1912 – January 5, 1958) was an American basketball player in the 1930s and 1940s. A native of Chickasha, Oklahoma, McCracken went to Classen High School in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He attended Northw ...

– AAU basketball player from the 1930s and 1940s who in 1962 was enshrined into the

Basketball Hall of Fame The Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame is an American history museum and hall of fame, located at 1000 Hall of Fame Avenue in Springfield, Massachusetts. It serves as basketball's most complete library, in addition to promoting and pre ...

. *

Tony Miles Anthony John Miles (23 April 1955 – 12 November 2001) was an English chess player and the first Englishman to earn the Grandmaster title. Early and personal life Miles was an only child, born 23 April 1955 in Edgbaston, a suburb of Birming ...

– former

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

wide receiver; school's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns *

Ryland Milner Ryland Harp "Taffy" Milner (September 24, 1909 – June 16, 1999) was an American football and basketball coach. He was the ninth head football coach at Northwest Missouri State College–now known as Northwest Missouri State University— in Mary ...

– former college basketball and football coach *

Xavier Omon Xavier Omon (born February 15, 1985) is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Buffalo Bills in the sixth round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He played college football at Northwest Miss ...

– former NFL running back and 2008 6th round draft pick of the

Buffalo Bills The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...

Justin Pitts Justin James Pitts (born October 26, 1994) is an American basketball player for HLA Alicante of the Spanish LEB Oro. He played college basketball for the Northwest Missouri State University. A 5’10” point guard, Pitts was named the NCAA Divi ...

– professional basketball player *

Jamaica Rector Jamaica Rector (born August 10, 1981) is a former American football wide receiver in the National Football League for the Dallas Cowboys and Arizona Cardinals. He also was a member of the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League. He pl ...

– former NFL wide receiver *

Ivan Schottel Ivan Estill Schottel (October 11, 1921 – August 21, 2000) was an American football player and coach. He played professionally as an end and defensive back with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL) in 1946 and 1948. Schottel ...

– former NFL player and college football coach * Mike Shane – professional wrestler * Todd Shane – professional wrestler * Wilbur Stalcup – former college basketball coach *

Mel Tjeerdsma Mel Tjeerdsma ( ; born May 24, 1946) is a retired American football coach and athletic director at Northwest Missouri State University in Maryville, Missouri. He served as the head coach at Austin College in Sherman, Texas from 1984 to 1993 and ...

– Northwest's 3x national champion winning coach, 12x MIAA champion coach, 4x AFCA NCAA DII Coach of the Year, Liberty Mutual DII Coach of the Year, most winning DII post-season coach with 22 victories, Athletic Director. * Dave Tollefson – former NFL defensive end *

Seth Wand Seth (The Cannon) Phillip Wand (born August 6, 1979) is a former American football offensive tackle. He was drafted by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Northwest Missouri State. Wand also ...

– former NFL offensive lineman

References

External links

*
Northwest Missouri State Athletics website
* {{authority control 1905 establishments in Missouri Buildings and structures in Nodaway County, Missouri Education in Nodaway County, Missouri Educational institutions established in 1905 National Register of Historic Places in Nodaway County, Missouri Public universities and colleges in Missouri University and college buildings on the National Register of Historic Places in Missouri