List of Kansas State University people

English/creative writing

• Traci Brimhall – Kansas Poet Laureate
• Derick Burleson – poet
• Frank Marshall Davis – poet; journalist; editor of several African-American newspapers
• Darren DeFrain – fiction writer
• Taylor Mali – slam poet
• Claude McKay – poet influential during Harlem Renaissance
• Debra Monroe – fiction writer
• Bryan Penberthy – poet
• Kevin Rabas – poet
• Ed Skoog – poet

Business

• Leanne Caret – president and CEO (2018–2022) of Boeing Defense, Space & Security
• Gregory C. Case – CEO of Aon
• James Harbord – major general during World War I; president and chairman of the board for RCA
• Damon T. Hininger – chief executive officer of the Corrections Corporation of America
• Carl Ice – president (2010–14) and president and CEO (2014–20) of BNSF Railway
• Jim Isch – officer at NCAA; interim executive director of NCAA (2009–2010)
• William A. Porter – founder of E-Trade
• Devon Pritchard – president of Nintendo of America

Politics, government and military

• Emory S. Adams – United States Army general
• Lewis Bloom (grad. 1972) – member of the Kansas House of Representatives
• Joseph Boakai – vice president of Liberia (2006–2018)
• Sam Brinton – nuclear engineer, LGBT activist, policy analyst for Bipartisan Policy Center, and deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy
• Sam Brownback – U.S. senator, Kansas (1996–2011), 46th governor of Kansas (2011–2018)
• Donald M. Campbell Jr. – commanding general of U.S. Army Recruiting Command in Fort Knox
• John W. Carlin – 40th governor of Kansas; Archivist of the United States (1995–2005)
• Glen E. Edgerton – major general, U.S. Army
• Marlin Fitzwater – press secretary under Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush
• Kenji Fujimori – Peruvian businessman and Congressman
• Jim Geringer – 30th governor of Wyoming
• Mike Hayden – 41st governor of Kansas
• Lori Healey – commissioner of the Chicago Department of Planning and Development
• Lynn Jenkins – Kansas state treasurer (2002–08), U.S. House of Representatives (2009–2019)
• Ronald E. Keys – general, U.S. Air Force

• Richard A. Knobloch – brigadier general, U.S. Air Force
• Henry D. Linscott – lieutenant general, U.S. Marine Corps
• Roger Marshall – junior United States senator from Kansas
• Michael A. McAuliffe – brigadier general, U.S. Air Force
• Frank B. Morrison – 31st governor of Nebraska (1961–67)
• Richard Myers – chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff (2001–2005)
• Richard Bordeaux Parker – diplomat
• John Jacob Rhodes – minority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives (1973–1981)
• Pat Roberts – U.S. senator, Kansas (1996–2020)
• Bernard W. Rogers – NATO Supreme Allied Commander
• Glenn Rogers – member of the Texas House of Representatives (2021–present)
• Susanna M. Salter – mayor of Argonia, Kansas (1887); first female mayor in the United States
• Fred Andrew Seaton – U.S. senator, Nebraska (1951–1952); U.S. Secretary of the Interior (1956–1961)
• K. Gary Sebelius – magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas
• Harold Sebring – chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court, American judge at the Nuremberg Trials, dean of the Stetson University College of Law, and head coach of the Florida Gators football team
• Richard J. Seitz – lieutenant general, U.S. Army
• Theresa Sparks – president of the San Francisco Police Commission
• John Strick – member of the Kansas State Senate (1985–1992)
• Virginia Trotter – U.S. assistant secretary of Education (1974–1977)
• Harriet Waddy – major in the Women's Army Corps
• Allen West – U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 22nd district (2011–2013)

Science and technology

• Mark Alfred Carleton – botanist
• David Fairchild – botanist and explorer
• Paul C. Fisher – inventor
• Philip Fox – astronomer
• Alwyn Howard Gentry – botanist
• Luis Montaner – HIV/AIDS researcher
• Nellie M. Payne – entomologist and agricultural chemist
• Elieser Posner — grain scientist
• Geraldine L. Richmond – physical chemist; National Medal of Science laureate
• Lloyd Carlton Stearman – aircraft designer
• Charles Hazelius Sternberg – paleontologist
• Walter Tennyson Swingle – botanist
• Peter Tsai – inventor of N95 mask
• Samuel Wendell Williston – paleontologist

Athletics

Baseball

• Elden Auker – All-American (1932); All-Big Six Conference in football, basketball, and baseball; played for Detroit Tigers
• Josh Billings – 11-year Major League Baseball veteran
• Ted Power – 12-year Major League Baseball veteran
• Bobby Randall – played for Minnesota Twins (1976–80), former head baseball coach at Iowa State University (1985–1995), former head baseball coach at University of Kansas (1996–2002)
• Andy Replogle – pitcher for Milwaukee Brewers
• Kite Thomas – outfielder for Philadelphia Athletics, Washington Senators; namesake of Kite's Bar in Manhattan, Kansas
• Carlos Torres – pitcher for Chicago White Sox
• Craig Wilson – All-American (1992); member of the 1992 Olympic baseball team in Barcelona; played for Chicago White Sox
• Earl Woods – father of Tiger Woods; broke color barrier in baseball in the Big Seven Conference at Kansas State

Basketball

• Ernie Barrett – first-round pick in 1951 NBA draft (Boston Celtics), former athletic director at Kansas State, number retired by KSU
• Michael Beasley – active NBA player, All-American and Big 12 Conference Player of the Year (2008), second overall selection in the 2008 NBA draft
• Rolando Blackman – College Basketball Hall of Famer, All-American (1981), first-round pick in 1981 NBA draft (Dallas Mavericks), four-time NBA All-Star
• Bob Boozer – College Basketball Hall of Famer, two-time All-American (1958, 1959), first overall draft pick in 1959 NBA draft (Cincinnati Royals), NBA All-Star
• Bob Chipman – former basketball coach at Washburn University; team won 1986–1987 NAIA national championship
• Norris Coleman (born 1961) – NBA forward for the Los Angeles Clippers, 1994 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP
• Mike Evans – two-time Big Eight Conference Player of the Year (1977, 1978), first-round pick in 1978 NBA draft (Denver Nuggets), NBA executive and coach
• Marcus Foster (born 1995) – basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
• Bill Guthridge – former basketball coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, National Coach of the Year (1998)
• D.J. Johnson
• Gene Keady – former basketball coach at Purdue, four-time National Coach of the Year (1984, 1994, 1996, 2000)
• Lon Kruger – basketball coach at Oklahoma, former coach of Atlanta Hawks, two-time Big Eight Conference Player of the Year (1973, 1974)
• Rodney McGruder – active NBA player (Los Angeles Clippers)
• Mike McGuirl (born 1998) – player for Hapoel Haifa in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
• Willie Murrell – led KSU to Final Four in 1964, former ABA basketball player, number retired by KSU
• Nicole Ohlde – three-time All-American (2002, 2003, 2004), first-round pick in 2004 WNBA draft, number retired by KSU
• Jacob Pullen – all-time scoring leader for KSU (2,132 career points), winner of Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award
• Mitch Richmond – Naismith Hall of Fame, All-American (1988), first-round pick in 1988 NBA draft, six-time NBA All-Star, NBA All-Star Game MVP
• Howie Shannon – All-American (1948), first overall draft pick in 1949 BAA Draft (Providence Steamrollers)
• Xavier Sneed (born 1997) – basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
• Juan "Pachín" Vicéns – named "Best Basketball Player in the World" in 1959
• Kendra Wecker – All-American and Big 12 Conference Player of the Year (2005), first-round pick in 2005 WNBA draft (San Antonio Silver Stars), number retired by KSU
• Tex Winter – former KSU basketball coach, innovator of the Triangle Offense

Football

• Elijah Alexander – NFL linebacker; founder of the Tackle Cancer Foundation
• David Allen – All-American (1998); NFL kick returner
• Michael Bishop – Davey O'Brien Award winner; second in voting for 1998 Heisman Trophy; All-American (1998)
• Larry Brown – 1972 NFL MVP; four-time NFL Pro Bowler
• Russ Campbell – former NFL tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers
• Chris Canty – two-time All-American (1995, 1996); first-round pick in 1997 NFL draft
• Henry Childs – NFL Pro Bowler
• Paul Coffman – three-time NFL Pro Bowler; member of Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
• Tyrone Crews – CFL linebacker, Grey Cup champion, BC Lions Wall of Fame
• Ron Dickerson – head football coach for Temple University
• Darrell Dickey – head football coach for University of North Texas
• Lynn Dickey – NFL quarterback; named all-time All-Big Eight QB in 1996; member of Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame
• Josh Freeman – NFL quarterback; first-round draft pick in 2009 NFL draft
• Ralph Graham – starter in 1934 East-West Shrine Game; head football coach for Kansas State
• Martín Gramática – Lou Groza Award winner; All-American (1997); NFL Pro Bowler
• Dean Griffing – Canadian Football Hall of Famer; first general manager of Denver Broncos
• Steve Grogan – NFL quarterback; member of New England Patriots Hall of Fame
• Kirby Hocutt – athletic director at Texas Tech University, Chairman of College Football Playoff Committee (2016– )
• Jason Johnson – former Indianapolis Colts player
• Tony Jordan – NFL running back of Phoenix Cardinals
• Jeff Kelly – All-American (1998); former NFL linebacker
• Collin Klein – Big XII Offensive Player of the Year 2012; Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award 2012; third in voting for 2012 Heisman Trophy
• Tyler Lockett – NFL wide receiver for the Seattle Seahawks selected for the 2016 Pro Bowl
• Jeron Mastrud – NFL tight end (Miami Dolphins)
• Ralph McFillen – player 1960–1963; NCAA conference commissioner
• Jaime Mendez – All-American (1993); holds KSU record for most interceptions in a season (15)
• Jordy Nelson – All-American (2007); NFL wide receiver (Green Bay Packers)
• Quentin Neujahr – NFL center
• Terence Newman – Jim Thorpe Award winner; unanimous All-American (2002); first-round pick in 2003 NFL draft
• Gary Patterson – head football coach at TCU
• Ellis Rainsberger – head football coach for Kansas State University and Pittsburgh Maulers
• Doug Russell – led NFL in rushing in 1935
• Clarence Scott – All-American (1970); NFL Pro Bowler
• Harold L. "Tom" Sebring – head football coach for the University of Florida (1925–1927)
• Mark Simoneau – All-American (1999); Big 12 Player of the Year; former NFL linebacker
• Sean Snyder – All-American (1992); son of coach Bill Snyder
• Gary Spani – All-American (1977); member of College Football Hall of Fame and Kansas City Chiefs Hall of Fame
• Darren Sproles – All-American (2003); NFL running back; selected as one of "Fifty Greatest San Diego Chargers"
• Bob Stull – athletic director at UTEP
• Veryl Switzer – NFL running back; highest NFL draft pick in KSU history (#4 in 1954)
• Daniel Thomas – NFL running back
• Brent Venables (class of 1992) – current head football coach at Oklahoma
• James J. Yeager – head football coach for Iowa State University and the University of Colorado

Golf

• Jim Colbert – finished second at NCAA Championships; registered 8 victories on PGA Tour and 20 victories on Champions Tour; golf television analyst
• Robert Streb – PGA golfer
• Aaron Watkins – PGA golfer

Track and field

• Thane Baker – winner of four Olympic medals, including gold, at 1952 Summer Olympics and 1956 Summer Olympics
• Tom Brosius – All-American in shot put and discus
• DeLoss Dodds – Big Seven champion; Kansas State track coach (1963–1976); U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame
• Steve Fritz – Big Eight champion; finished fourth in decathlon at 1996 Summer Olympics; assistant coach at Kansas State
• Kenny Harrison – won gold medal in triple jump at 1996 Summer Olympics
• Erik Kynard – won gold medal in high jump at 2012 Summer Olympics
• Thomas Randolph – two-sport All-American (1992)
• Ivan Riley – won bronze medal in 400 meter hurdles at 1924 Summer Olympics
• Austra Skujytė – won silver medal in heptathlon (for Lithuania) at 2004 Summer Olympics; assistant coach at Kansas State

Others

• Erin Brockovich – activist
• Sean Lowe – reality star (The Bachelorette, The Bachelor, Dancing with the Stars)
• Jim Rayburn – founder of Young Life
• Kevin Saunders – wheelchair Olympian

Faculty and staff

• Stephen Ambrose – professor of history (1970–71)
• M. Katherine Banks – professor of engineering (1989–1997)
• Helen Brockman – fashion designer (1968–74)
• Helen Stuart Campbell – professor of domestic science (1896–97)
• Elizabeth Williams Champney – secretary of college, drawing instructor (1870–73)
• John Ciardi – professor of English (poetry)
• John Wynn Davidson – first professor of military science (1868–71)
• Kenneth S. Davis – professor of history
• Michael Finnegan – professor of anthropology
• Angelo Garzio – emeritus professor of ceramics
• Charles Christian Georgeson – professor of agriculture (1890–98)
• Nehemiah Green – professor of military tactics
• T. Marshall Hahn – dean of College of Arts and Sciences (1959–62); later president of Virginia Tech
• Dale R. Herspring – professor of political science
• A. S. Hitchcock – professor of botany (1892–1901)
• Pascal Hitzler – professor of computer science (2019–present)
• Jonathan Holden – professor of English (poetry) (1978–present)
• John S. Hougham – chairman of philosophy and agriculture (1868–72)
• Lloyd Hulbert – professor of biology (1955–86)
• William Ashbrook Kellerman – professor of botany (1883–91)
• Naomi B. Lynn – professor of political science; later first Hispanic female president of an American public university
• George A. Milliken – professor of statistics
• W. R. Moses – poet; professor of English
• Benjamin Franklin Mudge – Chair of Geology Department (1866–74)
• Philip Nel – professor of English (2000–present)
• Mitsugi Ohno – glassblower of first successful Klein bottle (1961–96)
• Andrew Summers Rowan – professor of military tactics (1902–03)
• Fred Albert Shannon – professor of history; awarded Pulitzer Prize for History in 1929 while teaching at Kansas State
• James Shanteau – professor of psychology
• Maurice Cole Tanquary – professor of entomology (1913–1919)
• Albert M. Ten Eyck – professor of agriculture (1902–06), agronomy (1906–10) and farm management (1910–12)
• Helen B. Thompson (1875–1969) – home economist, professor emeritus at University of California, Los Angeles; Thompson Hall on the Kansas State Agricultural College campus is named in her honor
• Michael Wesch – assistant professor of cultural anthropology, recipient of 2008 U.S. Professor of the Year award from CASE
• Kimberly A. With – professor of biology

Fictional characters

• Joseph, anti-hero of Bruce Jay Friedman's novel A Mother's Kisses, attends "Kansas Land Grant Agricultural College."
• Mary Ashley, main character in Sidney Sheldon's novel Windmills of the Gods, starts the book as a professor at Kansas State University.
• Brantley Foster, protagonist in the movie The Secret of My Success, portrayed by Michael J. Fox, is a recent graduate of Kansas State University who moves to New York City where he has landed a job as a financier.
• Oliver Lang, terrorist in the movie Arlington Road, portrayed by Tim Robbins, is a former Kansas State student.
• Lamar Quin, senior associate in the John Grisham novel The Firm, is noted to have graduated from Kansas State.

See also

• Lists of people from Kansas

References