Notable alumni

Former Louisiana Lieutenant Governor and Education Superintendent William J. "Bill" Dodd graduated from then Louisiana Normal in 1934, the year that A.A. Fredericks became the president.

Another Northwestern State alumnus is former Elections Commissioner and convicted felon Jerry Marston Fowler, a Coushatta native.

U.S. Representative Speedy O. Long (1928-2006) graduated from NSU in 1951.

John B. Fournet, the Speaker of the Louisiana House during the Huey Pierce Long, Jr., impeachment case of 1929 and later lieutenant governor and associate and Chief Justice of the Louisiana Supreme Court, received his teaching degree from Northwestern State in 1915.

Still another political figure who graduated from NSU is incoming Louisiana State Senator Gerald Long, a rare Republican member of the Long political dynasty.

The historian Henry C. Dethloff, author of more than two dozen books on American business, the space program, agriculture, petroleum drilling, and the history of Texas A&M University obtained his Master of Arts degree from Northwestern State in 1960.

Sammy Joe Odom (1941-2001), a football star at NSU in 1962 and 1963, later played with the Houston Oilers. At the time of his death, he was the administrator of the De Soto Parish Police Jury. He was among the 100 Top Football Players at NSU, as announced in July 2007 as part of the centennial celebration of the football team.

NSU alumnus Dennis Freeman (1940-2007) served as mayor of nearby Louisiana from 1984 until his death. He was credit with securing a new bridge over the Sabine River to connect Louisiana and Texas

Successful athletic alumnus are Miles Durham, Terrance McGee, David Pittman, Craig Nall, Michael Jaworski, Christian Pritchett, Casey DeRosa, Blake Jones and Daniel Lonsberry.