Denby High School - Distinguished Alumni

Distinguished Alumni

• Victor Alexander; professional basketball player. In addition to the NBA, Alexander played professionally in Spain, Greece and Israel.
• Bill Bonds, Detroit TV anchorman
• Salvatore Sonny Bono, singer, songwriter and television entertainer; former United States Congressman
• 1959 Denby graduate, Ed Budde was a football All-American at Michigan State University. Following his collegiate career, Budde played 14 seasons of professional football; most notably as a member of the 1970 Super Bowl IV champion Kansas City Chiefs. In 2010, Ed Budde was inducted to the MSU Athletic Hall of Fame.
• At the 1960 city league finals, Denby senior Frank Carissimi ran the mile in 4:17.7; his winning time was a Michigan high school seasonal-best, by nearly eight seconds. Carissimi ran collegiately at Wayne State University; he was the 1962 Presidents' Athletic Conference cross-country champion.
• Kim Carson, radio personality
• Derrick Coleman, 1985 Michigan High School Athletic Association champion, 800 meter run
• Wally Cox (class of 1942), comedian and actor
• Dr. Wayne Dyer, author, lecturer, psychologist and television personality
• George Eichorn, Detroit Monitor columnist and executive director of the Detroit Sports Broadcasters Association.
• Antonio Granger, professional basketball player
• Julie Harris, movie and television actress
• Curtis Hertel, politician
• Dennis M. Hertel, U.S. Congressional representative from Michigan
• John Hertel, politician
• Stuart House, 1975 city league high jump champion; named to 1976 Parade Magazine All-American Basketball Team
• Tony Mahone, the 1983 and 1984 MHSAA champion in the 100 and 200 meter dash
• Nancy Rosalie Milio, author, educator, humanitarian
• Len Okrie, former MLB player (Washington Senators, Boston Red Sox)
• Denby track athlete, Ronnie Phillips was an All-American for the University of Illinois; Phillips placed fifth in the 800 meter run at the 1972 US Olympic Trials
• 1993 graduate, Travis Reece played collegiate football for Michigan State University; he advanced to the National Football League as a running back with the Detroit Lions.
• Carmella Sabaugh, politician
• George Sayles, city champion high-hurdler; named Michigan Track and Field Athlete of the Year in 1946
• Donnie Simpson, entertainer, nationally syndicated BET commentator
• John Telford, inducted into Wayne State University Athletic Hall of Fame, was named 2001 WSU Distinguished Alumnus of the Year.
• Pete Waldmeir, is a retired Detroit News columnist. Waldmeir was a three-time recipient of the National Sportscasters and Sports Writers Association Sports Writer of the Year award. He won the National Headliner Club Sports Writer Award as a general columnist. His work earned him Wayne State University's Journalist of the Year, and the Detroit Press Club The Best In Michigan Journalism Award.
• Denby Olympian, Sheila Young (class of 1968) won a gold, silver, and bronze medal in speed skating at the 1976 Winter Olympics
• Roger Young was a renowned sprint-track bicyclist; he won seven national championships during the 1970s. Roger represented the United States at the 1972 Summer Olympics; he also earned a team-pursuit gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games, in Mexico City.