Eastern Michigan University’s football program has produced a number of athletes who have gone on to play in the professional leagues, including nine current NFL team members.
Among the most well-known current NFL players from Eastern are Pat O'Connor, a defensive lineman for the Detroit Lions, and Maxx Crosby, a defensive end for the Las Vegas Raiders. Crosby has partnered with Eastern on a number of projects, including donating money to buy a new football field.
Other Eastern alumni on the current NFL roster are the following:
- Dylan Drummond (at EMU from 2018-22), a wide receiver on the practice squad for the Atlanta Falcons;
- Chad Ryland (an EMU walk-on from 2018-21 who later transferred to Maryland), a kicker for the Arizona Cardinals;
- Sidy Sow (at EMU from 2017-22), an offensive lineman for the New England Patriots;
- Tanner Knue (at EMU from 2018-23), a wide receiver on the practice squad for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers;
- Jose Ramirez (at EMU from 2020-22), an outside linebacker for the Buccaneers;
- Thomas Odukoya (at EMU from 2017-21), a tight end on the practice squad for the Tennessee Titans;
- and Andrew Wylie (at EMU from 2012-16), the starting right tackle for the Washington Commanders.
Many EMU athletes have represented the university on teams across the country over the years, with at least a dozen of them playing in or even winning a Super Bowl game. The following are among the longest-serving NFL athletes from EMU, each playing for eight seasons or more.
Charlie Batch
Charlie Batch played in the NFL for 15 seasons, more than any other EMU football player. He played for Eastern Michigan from 1993 to 1997.
Batch was selected by the Detroit Lions in the second round of the 1998 NFL draft, being the 60th overall pick.
He played for the Lions until 2001, then joined the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2002. Batch excelled as part of the Steelers, appearing in three Super Bowls and winning in both 2005 and 2008. He played with the Steelers until 2012.
Batch won the “Whizzer” White NFL Man of the Year award in 2013, and currently holds the NFL record for highest single-game total quarterback rating.
Jim Pietrzak
Jim Pietrzak participated in football, wrestling and track during his time at EMU. He played for the football team from 1972 to 1974. During that time, he was selected for the Kodak College Division first-team, named to The Football News' first-team College Division All-American Team, and the third-team Small College All-American selection by The Associated Press.
He was drafted during the sixth round of the 1974 NFL draft and played professional football all for 12 seasons. Pietrzak played for the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints and Kansas City Chiefs.
Pietrzak was inducted into EMU's E-Club Hall of Fame in 2002.
Dave Pureifory
Dave Pureifory began playing for Eastern Michigan after graduating high school in 1968. During his time at Eastern, he received first-team honors on the 1970 Little All-America college football team.
He was drafted in the sixth round of the 1972 NFL draft to the Green Bay Packers and played professional football for 11 seasons. Pureifory played for multiple teams, including the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals, Detroit Lions, Michigan Panthers and Birmingham Stallions.
Pureifory was inducted into the Eastern Michigan Athletic Hall of Fame in 1981.
Kevin Walter
Kevin Walter's time at EMU can be described in two words: record breaking.
During his four years on the team, Walter set five school records: career receiving touchdowns (20); single-season receptions (93 in 2002); career receptions (211); single-season receiving yards (1,368); and career receiving yards (2,838). He was on the First Team All-MAC as a junior and senior and was named EMU's Most Valuable Player in 2002.
Walter was a seventh-round pick in the 2003 NFL draft and spent 11 seasons playing professional football. He played for the New York Giants, Cincinnati Bengals, Houston Texans and Tennessee Titans.
T.J. Lang
T.J. Lang played for the Eastern Michigan Eagles from 2005 to 2008. After switching from defensive lineman to offensive tackle in his sophomore year, he started every game until the end of his college career.
He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 2009 NFL draft and spent 10 seasons playing professional football. Lang played for the Packers from 2009 to 2016, winning Super Bowl XLV with the team in 2010. He had a brief stint with the Detroit Lions from 2017 to 2018 before retiring from the NFL on March 29, 2019.
Barry Stokes
Barry Stokes played in all 44 games during his football career at EMU, from 1992 to 1995. He served as team captain in his final year.
After playing at Eastern, Stokes went to play 10 seasons with a variety of NFL teams, most notably the Detroit Lions.
Playing for the Lions, Stokes won the Detroit Sports Choice Award and was the team's representative for the 2006 Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award.
After the NFL, Stokes created the Barry Stokes Foundation and the Barry Stokes Youth Football program. Both programs strive to uplift members of his home community.
Lional Dalton
Lional Dalton was a three-year letterman and two-year starter at EMU before spending nine seasons in the NFL.
During his time at EMU, Dalton earned All Mid-American Conference honors twice, played in the Hula Bowl All-Star Game, and was named the Co-Defensive Most Valuable Player.
In 1998, Dalton signed as a free agent with the Baltimore Ravens and played there until 2001, winning Super Bowl XXXV with the team. After his time with the Ravens, he moved to various teams, including the Denver Broncos, Washington Redskins (now Commanders), Kansas City Chiefs and Houston Texans.
Jason Jones
Jason Jones played for EMU for four years, from 2004 to 2007, before spending nine seasons in the NFL.
While in college, Jones led the Mid-American Conference in tackles-for-losses during his senior year, recording 1.63 per game.
Jones was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the 2008 draft. He played for the Titans until 2011. The next season, in 2012, he played for the Seattle Seahawks. Then, in 2013, he joined the Detroit Lions for three seasons. Jones moved to the Miami Dolphins in 2016.
Jones accumulated 10 forced fumbles, 26 pass deflections, 31.5 sacks and 212 tackles over his NFL career.
Charles "Chuck" Shonta
Chuck Shonta's record is the oldest on this list. He spent eight seasons playing professional football.
Shonta played for the EMU football team in 1957 and 1958. He also played for the university's baseball team during the 1958 and 1959 seasons.
In 1960, Shonta joined the Boston Patriots, now called the New England Patriots, and played there until 1967. The Patriots were part of the American Football League, which merged with the NFL in the 1970s.
After that, Shonta used his education degree from EMU to teach at Northville High School for 33 years. He also served as Northville's head football coach for eight years.
