Editor’s note: This is the fourth installment of a six-part series in which a Pucks and Rec writer will select the top contemporary entertainment alum from each school in a Division I hockey conference. The eight institutions that comprise the NCHC make up this week’s edition. All filmography and award information is courtesy of the Internet Movie Database.
Colorado College: Dean Winters
Lately, Winters, a former member of the accomplished ensemble of Rescue Me, has most often been seen wreaking “Mayhem” for Allstate Insurance. But with guest spots on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Divorce and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, plus a sprinkling of film cameos, he is still seeing action beyond the commercial breaks.
At 52 going on 53, the former Tiger still has time to rekindle the flair that earned him two award nominations for his guest performances on 30 Rock in 2008. That stint plainly earned him lasting respect from Tina Fey, hence the aforementioned Kimmy Schmidt appearances.
Denver: Josh Taylor
This choice came down to Taylor, Sinbad or Ray Baker. Sinbad is more of a standup specialist than someone who goes onscreen in a created character. Baker had a seven-year gap between acting credits from 2008 to 2015.
That narrows it down to Taylor, who at least has been a steady presence on the daytime soap, Days of Our Lives, for 37 years running.
Miami: Fahadh Faasil
After studying philosophy as a graduate student in Oxford, Faasil returned to his native India, where he will have logged at least 39 acting credits in the decade spanning 2009 through 2018. He has collected a pair of Kerala State Film Awards, plus one “Best Actor” victory and one “Best Supporting Actor” nomination from the Filmfare Awards South.
Minnesota-Duluth: Joel McKinnon Miller
Last year, the Duluth News Tribune caught up with Miller and reminded readers that he once studied opera at the local university. He turned pro in his industry early, and was subsequently a television journeyman before landing a regular role on Andy Samberg’s Fox sitcom.
As Detective Scully, Miller lends a veteran presence to the Brooklyn Nine-Nine ensemble that garnered a 2015 nomination from the Screen Actors Guild. He was previously a part of the team that won the TV movie, Secret Santa, a Character and Morality in Entertainment Award.
Besides guest stars like Winters, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has landed regular cast members who went to future NCHC member schools, including Minnesota-Duluth’s Joel McKinnon Miller (left) and Western Michigan’s Terry Crews (right). (Photo by FOX via Getty Images)
Nebraska-Omaha: Peter Fonda
Fonda wins this slot, in part, by default, as UNO offers a stingy selection for the purposes of this list.
Although he did not complete his studies, and while he is well past his peak at this point — having won two Golden Globes just before the turn of the century, but no major awards since — Fonda is still working at age 77.
North Dakota: Sam Anderson
The seasoned character actor’s earlier highlights included guest spots on WKRP in Cincinnati and his portrayal of a school principal in Forrest Gump.
More recently, the former Lost co-star has answered summons to a laundry list of primetime hit dramas. His face has had camera time on multiple CSI and NCIS programs, plus Hawaii Five-0, Scandal, Bones, Grimm and Justified.
St. Cloud State: John Hawkes
Fellow SCSU Husky Richard Dean Anderson was once a steady presence on the Saturn Awards ballot for Stargate SG-1. But it has been four years since the man known as MacGyver even logged an acting credit.
Conversely, the 2011 Oscar-nominated Hawkes subsequently received a 2013 Golden Globe nomination for his performance in The Sessions. Less mainstream guilds combined to give him six victories and 31 total nominations for the same role.
In the four years since, the former Eastbound & Down regular has received a dozen more TV or movie spots, including three upcoming projects.
Western Michigan: Bruce Campbell
Some may perceive this as an upset given that fellow Bronco Tim Allen cemented his stardom via Home Improvement, then garnered TV Guide’s 2012 “Favorite Comeback” title for Last Man Standing. But Campbell has won nine acting awards in this decade, and is set to defend two titles this year at the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films and the Fangoria Chainsaw Awards.
Besides his role on Ash vs. Evil Dead, for which he has already secured back-to-back iHorror prizes in 2016 and 2017, Campbell has twice portrayed or voiced Ronald Reagan on FX’s Fargo. In the movie realm, he has collaborated with Sam Raimi on multiple occasions, and has two TV films set to premiere on the USA Network this year.
A bronze medalist worth mentioning: Terry Crews of Brooklyn Nine-Nine fame.
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