Northwestern Unveils 2024 Athletics Hall of Fame Class
7/18/2024 3:00:00 PM | General
EVANSTON, Ill. (July 18, 2024) – A group of nine extraordinary Wildcats – including seven student-athletes, one coach and one honorary inductee – comprises the 2024 Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame Class, it was announced on Thursday.
The 2024 class includes Jeff Budzien (football), Nia Coffey (women's basketball), Meredith Frank (women's lacrosse), Ellen Grigg (women's swimming), J.A. Happ (baseball), Tyler Miller (men's soccer), Kate Rudkin Groza (women's fencing), Paul Torricelli (coach – men's tennis), and honorary member Chris Combe.
The distinguished group will be formally inducted on Friday, September 13.
2024 Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees:
JEFF BUDZIEN (2009-2013), Football
A two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection, two-time Big Ten Kicker of the Year and a 2013 first team all-american, Jeff Budzien graduated as Northwestern's career record holder for points (280), field goal percentage (.872), single-season field goals made (23), consecutive field goals made (17) and extra points made (136-for-136). Budzien remains the most accurate kicker in Big Ten history among kickers with at least 50 career attempts.
Earning the starting placekicker duties as a sophomore in 2011, Budzien led the Big Ten with a spotless 50-for-50 mark in extra points. His breakout season came in 2012 when he became NU's first First Team All-Big Ten kicker since 1997 and was named a national semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award. Budzien was 19-for-20 in field goal attempts including a perfect 19-for-19 inside of 45 yards. His .950 percentage set NU's single-season record.
As a senior in 2013, Budzien repeated as both Big Ten Kicker of the Year and as a First Team All-Big Ten selection. In addition to his Sporting News First Team All-American choice, he picked up Second Team All-American nods from the Walter Camp Foundation and Bleacher Report. Budzien was second in the nation in 2013 with 1.9 field goals per game, finishing 23-of-25 in total and a perfect 17-of-17 in Big Ten play.
In addition to his on-field prowess, Budzien was named to the AFCA Allstate Good Works team, was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and was a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
NIA COFFEY (2013-2017), Women's Basketball
Only the fifth player in Big Ten history to record career marks of over 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, Nia Coffey became the first player in program history to earn First Team All-Big Ten honors all four years as a Wildcat. She holds the program's career record for rebounds (1,183), free throws made (496), and consecutive double-digit scoring games (66), and ranks second in points (2,287) and blocked shots (229). Coffey was the annual team leader in scoring and rebounding in each season of her career. She set school's single-season rebounding record with 344 total boards during the 2015-16 season.
Coffey earned a number of career accolades and is a two time Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American (2016-17), a WBCA Division I All-America Honorable Mention (2016) selection, a WBCA All-America Regional Finalist (2017), a WBCA All-Region 4 Team member (2017), a Full Court NCAA Division I Freshman All-American Second Team member (2014) and a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection (2017). Coffey was the first player in program history to earn First Team All-Big Ten honors in three-straight years.
During her career, she was a four-time Big Ten Player of the Week selection and won Big Ten Freshman of the Week three times. She scored 30 or more points five times in her career, pouring in a career-high 35 points against Iowa on Jan. 29, 2015. In 2016, she scored 100 points (25.0 ppg) in the Big Ten Conference Tournament, which still ranks as the second-most total points in a single tournament in the event's history.
After her illustrious Wildcat career, Coffey became the first Wildcat to be selected in the WNBA Draft when she was selected fifth overall in 2017 by the San Antonio Stars (now the Las Vegas Aces). She is currently playing for the Atlanta Dream, after one year stops with the Phoenix Mercury and Los Angeles Sparks.
MEREDITH FRANK (2006-2009), Women's Lacrosse
One of the most decorated players in program history, Meredith Frank earned three IWLCA All-America honors and led the Wildcats to four straight national championships in her career. In 2007, she garnered first-team all-american honors and finished second on the team with 61 goals, helping Northwestern set then NCAA single-season records of 361 goals, 168 assists and 529 points. Frank captured second-team all-american awards in 2008 and 2009. She started in 85 games during her career and helped the Wildcats win four-consecutive national championships, compiling a career record of 85-3.
At the time of her graduation, Frank ranked third in program history in draw controls (183), fourth in caused turnovers (76), seventh in ground balls (130), seventh in goals 152), eighth in points (210) and ninth in assists (58).
The 2006 American Lacrosse Conference Rookie of the Year, Frank won four All-ALC awards, capturing a first-team nod in 2007, and three second-team accolades. In 2007, Frank earned ALC Championship All-Tournament Team recognition. She twice was nominated for the Tewaaraton Award, awarded annually to the top female and top male college lacrosse players in the country.
ELLEN GRIGG (2007-2011), Women's Swimming
Ellen Grigg was a two-time all-american and NCAA Championships qualifier who at one point held all three Northwestern individual distance freestyle school records.
Grigg qualified for the NCAA Championships in her freshman season and shattered her own school record in the 500 free to win a first-team all-american honor in the event. She also swam with the school-record-breaking 800 free relay in 2008, helping Northwestern finish 19th in the country.
She earned her way back to the NCAA Championships once again in 2009, re-breaking her own school record in the 500 free at the national meet. In addition, she shattered two school records with a single swim on her way to a top-20 national finish in the mile that year, lowering both the 1,000 and 1,650 freestyle NU marks during the NCAA meet.
In the classroom, Grigg was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and a CSCAA Scholar All-American.
J.A. HAPP (2002-2004), Baseball
The first three-time First Team All-Big Ten selection in program history, J.A. Happ compiled a career 2.88 ERA in Evanston, which ranks seventh in program history and stands as the best mark in the last 35 seasons, before being drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the third round of the 2004 MLB Amateur Draft. Happ led the Big Ten in ERA as a freshman with a 1.62 mark and was named an honorable mention Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American. As a sophomore, he logged a career-best seven wins, posting a 3.58 ERA with 94 strikeouts in 83.0 innings of work. In his junior season, Happ went 6-3 with a Big Ten leading 106 strikeouts in 94.0 innings, becoming just the second Wildcat in program history with more than 100 strikeouts in a single season.
Happ finished his three-year Northwestern career with a 16-11 record, four saves, four shutouts and 251 strikeouts in 228.0 innings pitched. He continues to rank fourth all-time in strikeouts by a Wildcat pitcher and holds the program record winning six Big Ten Pitcher of the Week awards.
Happ played for eight different teams throughout his 15-year MLB career, going 133-100 with a 4.13 ERA and 1,661 strikeouts over 1,893.2 innings. He won a World Series as a member of the Phillies in 2008 and pitched 3.0 innings of relief in the NLCS. The following season, the left-hander finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting, going 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA and a league best two shutouts. He finished sixth in 2016 American League Cy Young voting, compiling a career-best record of 20-4 with a 3.18 ERA in 195.0 innings for a Toronto Blue Jays team that reached the ALCS. Happ was named an All-Star in 2018 with the Blue Jays, and finished the campaign with the New York Yankees, totaling a season line of 17-6 with a 3.65 ERA in 177.2 innings. He finished his career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021 and announced his retirement in May 2022.
TYLER MILLER (2011-2015), Men's Soccer
Northwestern's all-time leader in shutouts with 36, Tyler Miller helped lead the Wildcats to a pair of Big Ten regular season titles and a Big Ten Tournament championship in his first two seasons in Evanston. In his sophomore season, he played every minute in net and tabbed a pair of shutouts in NCAA Tournament play, becoming only the second NU player to record double-digits in shutouts in a season. The unanimous Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year in 2014, he is the first three-time First Team All-Big Ten honoree in program history. Miller was named an NSCAA All-American in his final season at Northwestern.
He became the fifth Wildcat to be drafted into Major League Soccer after graduation. Miller played three seasons with Seattle Sounders FC before being selected by LAFC with the first pick in the 2017 Expansion Draft.
Miller went on the lead LAFC to earn their first Supporter Shield, awarded to the MLS team with the best regular season record and first program appearance in the Western Conference Finals. He appeared in 61 regular season matches for the Black & Gold. Miller registered 19 shutouts and 193 saves, while posting a 34-10-17 record as a starter and was named to the USMNT 23-man roster for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Miller, who was named to the 2023 MLS All-Star team, has played for Seattle, LAFC, Minnesota United and currently plays for D.C. United.
KATE RUDKIN GROZA (1999-2002), Fencing
Kate Rudkin Groza was a three-time NCAA championships qualifier and a three-time all-american, earning a career winning percentage of .856 (273-46).
During her Wildcat career, she was the 2001-02 Midwest Fencing Conference individual epee champion, and part of epee team conference championships in 1999-2000 and 2001-02, and team championships in 1999-00 and 2000-01.
Rudkin Groza placed third in individual women's epee at the 2002 NCAA Championships, her final competition as a collegiate fencer, which was the highest ever finish at the championships by a Northwestern fencer. Rudkin Groza posted top five finishes in three NCAA Championships.
Prior to joining the NU fencing team, she was a member of the USA Cadet and Junior women's epee teams and participated in the World Cadet and Junior Fencing Championships (1995 in Paris, France, 1997 in Tenerife, Spain, 1998 in Valencia, Venezuela, and 1999 in Keszthely, Hungary), winning a bronze medal in team cadet women's epee at the 1998 World Championships. After graduation, she served in the United States Peace Corps in Uzbekistan and then took a coaching/club manager position at the Chicago Athletic Association for several years after returning to the United States in 2005.
PAUL TORRICELLI (1984-2007), Men's Tennis Coach
The winningest coach in program history, Paul Torricelli compiled a 343-257 (.572) overall record and a 162-114 (.587) mark in Big Ten Conference play at the helm of the Northwestern men's tennis team for 24 seasons. He led the Wildcats to nine NCAA Tournament appearances, two undefeated seasons in conference play and a Big Ten championship (1990), while earning three Big Ten Coach of the Year awards. Two of Torricelli's teams, the 1990 and 1997 squads, advanced to the NCAA Tournament round of 16.
Twenty-eight of his players earned All-Big Ten recognition and 57 All-Big Ten Academic selections. Three players (Todd Martin, 1990; Alex Witt, 1997; and Marc Silva, 1998) earned Big Ten Player of the Year honors. Steve Herdoiza (1989), Martin (1990) and Silva (1998) earned Big Ten singles titles. Torricelli's 2003 team was named the first ever recipient of the ITA Team Sportsmanship Award. Both Herdoiza and Martin were previously inducted into the NU Hall of Fame.
Most notably, Martin, who turned professional in 1990 just after his sophomore year at Northwestern, become a Grand Slam finalist and Davis Cup mainstay, at one point becoming the No. 4 ranked player in the world by the ATP.
Torricelli's coaching tree includes 10 former assistants and players who have become head coaches themselves. These include at Michigan, Pepperdine, Minnesota, Purdue, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Northern Illinois, Cal Poly, Western Kentucky, Nebraska, Georgetown and current Northwestern head coach Arvid Swan.
After his coaching career, Torricelli served 10 years as a tennis color commentator for Big Ten Network, as well as stints with the Pac-12 Network and ACC Network.
Torricelli was inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009. He is entering his 33rd year at Northwestern serving as a Senior Associate Director for Alumni Relations & Development.
CHRIS COMBE, Honorary
Christopher B. Combe is the former chairman and CEO of Combe Incorporated – a private, family-held company that manufactures and markets health and personal care products globally and is known for such brands as Just for Men, Vagisil, and Seabond.
Prior to his retirement in 2015, Combe expanded the organization's international market by launching its business in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. He joined the company – which was founded by his late father, Ivan D. Combe '33, '36 JD ('65, '70 P) ('94, '99, '09 GP), in 1949 – in 1975. Previously, Combe spent five years in sales and marketing with American Hospital Supply Corp. (now Baxter International).
Combe joined the Northwestern University Board of Trustees in 1997 and became a life trustee in 2017. He has also served on the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Board of Visitors since 1981, the Alumni Admission Council since 1975, and several class reunion committees. Combe became a co-chair of We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern in 2014. He received the Northwestern Alumni Medal in 2020. Combe is also a major donor for Northwestern Athletics, as well as helping create the Combe Family Tennis Center, which has recently received major renovations and endowed the positions of VP Athletics & Recreation and Women's Lacrosse Coach.
Today, Combe is Co-Chair of Malaria No More, an organization that works to end malaria-related deaths primarily in Africa, and Heart Care International, which provides life-saving heart surgeries for children throughout Latin America.
Combe earned a BA in economics from Northwestern. He is married to Christina Combe and has three children – Keech '99, '06 MBA, Cameron '09, and Christie. In addition to his father, who received the Northwestern Alumni Medal in 1998, several other family members attended Northwestern. They include his sister, Juliette Combe Larson '65; niece, Stephanie Price '94; son-in-law, Akshay Shetty '06 MBA; and nephew-in-law Mark Price '94.
The 2024 class includes Jeff Budzien (football), Nia Coffey (women's basketball), Meredith Frank (women's lacrosse), Ellen Grigg (women's swimming), J.A. Happ (baseball), Tyler Miller (men's soccer), Kate Rudkin Groza (women's fencing), Paul Torricelli (coach – men's tennis), and honorary member Chris Combe.
The distinguished group will be formally inducted on Friday, September 13.
2024 Northwestern Athletics Hall of Fame Inductees:
JEFF BUDZIEN (2009-2013), Football
A two-time First Team All-Big Ten selection, two-time Big Ten Kicker of the Year and a 2013 first team all-american, Jeff Budzien graduated as Northwestern's career record holder for points (280), field goal percentage (.872), single-season field goals made (23), consecutive field goals made (17) and extra points made (136-for-136). Budzien remains the most accurate kicker in Big Ten history among kickers with at least 50 career attempts.
Earning the starting placekicker duties as a sophomore in 2011, Budzien led the Big Ten with a spotless 50-for-50 mark in extra points. His breakout season came in 2012 when he became NU's first First Team All-Big Ten kicker since 1997 and was named a national semifinalist for the Lou Groza Award. Budzien was 19-for-20 in field goal attempts including a perfect 19-for-19 inside of 45 yards. His .950 percentage set NU's single-season record.
As a senior in 2013, Budzien repeated as both Big Ten Kicker of the Year and as a First Team All-Big Ten selection. In addition to his Sporting News First Team All-American choice, he picked up Second Team All-American nods from the Walter Camp Foundation and Bleacher Report. Budzien was second in the nation in 2013 with 1.9 field goals per game, finishing 23-of-25 in total and a perfect 17-of-17 in Big Ten play.
In addition to his on-field prowess, Budzien was named to the AFCA Allstate Good Works team, was a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree and was a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar.
NIA COFFEY (2013-2017), Women's Basketball
Only the fifth player in Big Ten history to record career marks of over 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, Nia Coffey became the first player in program history to earn First Team All-Big Ten honors all four years as a Wildcat. She holds the program's career record for rebounds (1,183), free throws made (496), and consecutive double-digit scoring games (66), and ranks second in points (2,287) and blocked shots (229). Coffey was the annual team leader in scoring and rebounding in each season of her career. She set school's single-season rebounding record with 344 total boards during the 2015-16 season.
Coffey earned a number of career accolades and is a two time Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American (2016-17), a WBCA Division I All-America Honorable Mention (2016) selection, a WBCA All-America Regional Finalist (2017), a WBCA All-Region 4 Team member (2017), a Full Court NCAA Division I Freshman All-American Second Team member (2014) and a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection (2017). Coffey was the first player in program history to earn First Team All-Big Ten honors in three-straight years.
During her career, she was a four-time Big Ten Player of the Week selection and won Big Ten Freshman of the Week three times. She scored 30 or more points five times in her career, pouring in a career-high 35 points against Iowa on Jan. 29, 2015. In 2016, she scored 100 points (25.0 ppg) in the Big Ten Conference Tournament, which still ranks as the second-most total points in a single tournament in the event's history.
After her illustrious Wildcat career, Coffey became the first Wildcat to be selected in the WNBA Draft when she was selected fifth overall in 2017 by the San Antonio Stars (now the Las Vegas Aces). She is currently playing for the Atlanta Dream, after one year stops with the Phoenix Mercury and Los Angeles Sparks.
MEREDITH FRANK (2006-2009), Women's Lacrosse
One of the most decorated players in program history, Meredith Frank earned three IWLCA All-America honors and led the Wildcats to four straight national championships in her career. In 2007, she garnered first-team all-american honors and finished second on the team with 61 goals, helping Northwestern set then NCAA single-season records of 361 goals, 168 assists and 529 points. Frank captured second-team all-american awards in 2008 and 2009. She started in 85 games during her career and helped the Wildcats win four-consecutive national championships, compiling a career record of 85-3.
At the time of her graduation, Frank ranked third in program history in draw controls (183), fourth in caused turnovers (76), seventh in ground balls (130), seventh in goals 152), eighth in points (210) and ninth in assists (58).
The 2006 American Lacrosse Conference Rookie of the Year, Frank won four All-ALC awards, capturing a first-team nod in 2007, and three second-team accolades. In 2007, Frank earned ALC Championship All-Tournament Team recognition. She twice was nominated for the Tewaaraton Award, awarded annually to the top female and top male college lacrosse players in the country.
ELLEN GRIGG (2007-2011), Women's Swimming
Ellen Grigg was a two-time all-american and NCAA Championships qualifier who at one point held all three Northwestern individual distance freestyle school records.
Grigg qualified for the NCAA Championships in her freshman season and shattered her own school record in the 500 free to win a first-team all-american honor in the event. She also swam with the school-record-breaking 800 free relay in 2008, helping Northwestern finish 19th in the country.
She earned her way back to the NCAA Championships once again in 2009, re-breaking her own school record in the 500 free at the national meet. In addition, she shattered two school records with a single swim on her way to a top-20 national finish in the mile that year, lowering both the 1,000 and 1,650 freestyle NU marks during the NCAA meet.
In the classroom, Grigg was a three-time Academic All-Big Ten selection, a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and a CSCAA Scholar All-American.
J.A. HAPP (2002-2004), Baseball
The first three-time First Team All-Big Ten selection in program history, J.A. Happ compiled a career 2.88 ERA in Evanston, which ranks seventh in program history and stands as the best mark in the last 35 seasons, before being drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies in the third round of the 2004 MLB Amateur Draft. Happ led the Big Ten in ERA as a freshman with a 1.62 mark and was named an honorable mention Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American. As a sophomore, he logged a career-best seven wins, posting a 3.58 ERA with 94 strikeouts in 83.0 innings of work. In his junior season, Happ went 6-3 with a Big Ten leading 106 strikeouts in 94.0 innings, becoming just the second Wildcat in program history with more than 100 strikeouts in a single season.
Happ finished his three-year Northwestern career with a 16-11 record, four saves, four shutouts and 251 strikeouts in 228.0 innings pitched. He continues to rank fourth all-time in strikeouts by a Wildcat pitcher and holds the program record winning six Big Ten Pitcher of the Week awards.
Happ played for eight different teams throughout his 15-year MLB career, going 133-100 with a 4.13 ERA and 1,661 strikeouts over 1,893.2 innings. He won a World Series as a member of the Phillies in 2008 and pitched 3.0 innings of relief in the NLCS. The following season, the left-hander finished second in National League Rookie of the Year voting, going 12-4 with a 2.93 ERA and a league best two shutouts. He finished sixth in 2016 American League Cy Young voting, compiling a career-best record of 20-4 with a 3.18 ERA in 195.0 innings for a Toronto Blue Jays team that reached the ALCS. Happ was named an All-Star in 2018 with the Blue Jays, and finished the campaign with the New York Yankees, totaling a season line of 17-6 with a 3.65 ERA in 177.2 innings. He finished his career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2021 and announced his retirement in May 2022.
TYLER MILLER (2011-2015), Men's Soccer
Northwestern's all-time leader in shutouts with 36, Tyler Miller helped lead the Wildcats to a pair of Big Ten regular season titles and a Big Ten Tournament championship in his first two seasons in Evanston. In his sophomore season, he played every minute in net and tabbed a pair of shutouts in NCAA Tournament play, becoming only the second NU player to record double-digits in shutouts in a season. The unanimous Big Ten Goalkeeper of the Year in 2014, he is the first three-time First Team All-Big Ten honoree in program history. Miller was named an NSCAA All-American in his final season at Northwestern.
He became the fifth Wildcat to be drafted into Major League Soccer after graduation. Miller played three seasons with Seattle Sounders FC before being selected by LAFC with the first pick in the 2017 Expansion Draft.
Miller went on the lead LAFC to earn their first Supporter Shield, awarded to the MLS team with the best regular season record and first program appearance in the Western Conference Finals. He appeared in 61 regular season matches for the Black & Gold. Miller registered 19 shutouts and 193 saves, while posting a 34-10-17 record as a starter and was named to the USMNT 23-man roster for the 2019 CONCACAF Gold Cup.
Miller, who was named to the 2023 MLS All-Star team, has played for Seattle, LAFC, Minnesota United and currently plays for D.C. United.
KATE RUDKIN GROZA (1999-2002), Fencing
Kate Rudkin Groza was a three-time NCAA championships qualifier and a three-time all-american, earning a career winning percentage of .856 (273-46).
During her Wildcat career, she was the 2001-02 Midwest Fencing Conference individual epee champion, and part of epee team conference championships in 1999-2000 and 2001-02, and team championships in 1999-00 and 2000-01.
Rudkin Groza placed third in individual women's epee at the 2002 NCAA Championships, her final competition as a collegiate fencer, which was the highest ever finish at the championships by a Northwestern fencer. Rudkin Groza posted top five finishes in three NCAA Championships.
Prior to joining the NU fencing team, she was a member of the USA Cadet and Junior women's epee teams and participated in the World Cadet and Junior Fencing Championships (1995 in Paris, France, 1997 in Tenerife, Spain, 1998 in Valencia, Venezuela, and 1999 in Keszthely, Hungary), winning a bronze medal in team cadet women's epee at the 1998 World Championships. After graduation, she served in the United States Peace Corps in Uzbekistan and then took a coaching/club manager position at the Chicago Athletic Association for several years after returning to the United States in 2005.
PAUL TORRICELLI (1984-2007), Men's Tennis Coach
The winningest coach in program history, Paul Torricelli compiled a 343-257 (.572) overall record and a 162-114 (.587) mark in Big Ten Conference play at the helm of the Northwestern men's tennis team for 24 seasons. He led the Wildcats to nine NCAA Tournament appearances, two undefeated seasons in conference play and a Big Ten championship (1990), while earning three Big Ten Coach of the Year awards. Two of Torricelli's teams, the 1990 and 1997 squads, advanced to the NCAA Tournament round of 16.
Twenty-eight of his players earned All-Big Ten recognition and 57 All-Big Ten Academic selections. Three players (Todd Martin, 1990; Alex Witt, 1997; and Marc Silva, 1998) earned Big Ten Player of the Year honors. Steve Herdoiza (1989), Martin (1990) and Silva (1998) earned Big Ten singles titles. Torricelli's 2003 team was named the first ever recipient of the ITA Team Sportsmanship Award. Both Herdoiza and Martin were previously inducted into the NU Hall of Fame.
Most notably, Martin, who turned professional in 1990 just after his sophomore year at Northwestern, become a Grand Slam finalist and Davis Cup mainstay, at one point becoming the No. 4 ranked player in the world by the ATP.
Torricelli's coaching tree includes 10 former assistants and players who have become head coaches themselves. These include at Michigan, Pepperdine, Minnesota, Purdue, Oklahoma State, Arkansas, Northern Illinois, Cal Poly, Western Kentucky, Nebraska, Georgetown and current Northwestern head coach Arvid Swan.
After his coaching career, Torricelli served 10 years as a tennis color commentator for Big Ten Network, as well as stints with the Pac-12 Network and ACC Network.
Torricelli was inducted into the Intercollegiate Tennis Hall of Fame in 2009. He is entering his 33rd year at Northwestern serving as a Senior Associate Director for Alumni Relations & Development.
CHRIS COMBE, Honorary
Christopher B. Combe is the former chairman and CEO of Combe Incorporated – a private, family-held company that manufactures and markets health and personal care products globally and is known for such brands as Just for Men, Vagisil, and Seabond.
Prior to his retirement in 2015, Combe expanded the organization's international market by launching its business in Japan, Australia, and New Zealand. He joined the company – which was founded by his late father, Ivan D. Combe '33, '36 JD ('65, '70 P) ('94, '99, '09 GP), in 1949 – in 1975. Previously, Combe spent five years in sales and marketing with American Hospital Supply Corp. (now Baxter International).
Combe joined the Northwestern University Board of Trustees in 1997 and became a life trustee in 2017. He has also served on the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences Board of Visitors since 1981, the Alumni Admission Council since 1975, and several class reunion committees. Combe became a co-chair of We Will. The Campaign for Northwestern in 2014. He received the Northwestern Alumni Medal in 2020. Combe is also a major donor for Northwestern Athletics, as well as helping create the Combe Family Tennis Center, which has recently received major renovations and endowed the positions of VP Athletics & Recreation and Women's Lacrosse Coach.
Today, Combe is Co-Chair of Malaria No More, an organization that works to end malaria-related deaths primarily in Africa, and Heart Care International, which provides life-saving heart surgeries for children throughout Latin America.
Combe earned a BA in economics from Northwestern. He is married to Christina Combe and has three children – Keech '99, '06 MBA, Cameron '09, and Christie. In addition to his father, who received the Northwestern Alumni Medal in 1998, several other family members attended Northwestern. They include his sister, Juliette Combe Larson '65; niece, Stephanie Price '94; son-in-law, Akshay Shetty '06 MBA; and nephew-in-law Mark Price '94.
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