List of La Salle University people

This list of La Salle University people includes alumni, faculty, presidents, and other individuals associated with La Salle University.

Alumni

• Note: Individuals may be listed in more than one category.

Government, law, and public policy

• Francis L. Bodine – former member of New Jersey General Assembly
• Kevin J. Boyle – member of Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 2011
• William J. Burns – United States Ambassador to Jordan; Deputy Secretary of State 2011–2014; head of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
• John F. Byrne Sr. – Pennsylvania State Senator for the 8th district 1951–1952, Philadelphia City Councilman
• Billy Ciancaglini – Republican nominee for mayor of Philadelphia, 2019
• Tina Davis – member of Pennsylvania House of Representatives
• Madeleine Dean – U.S. Congresswoman
• Joseph DeFelice – former chair of Philadelphia GOP and current Trump appointee
• Joseph T. Doyle – Pennsylvania State Representative for the 163rd district 1971–78
• Michael Driscoll – businessman, member of Philadelphia City Council since 2022, founder of the iconic Philadelphia Irish pub Finnigan's Wake
• Dwight Evans, U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district
• Edward Fenlon – former member of Michigan House of Representatives and jurist
• Brian Fitzpatrick – U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district
• Tom Gola – NBA Naismith Hall of Fame basketball player; Philadelphia City Controller 1970–71
• William F. Harrity – National Chairman of Democratic Party (1892–1896)
• Tom Houghton – former Pennsylvania State Representative
• William F. Keller – member of Pennsylvania House of Representatives
• Jim Kenney – Mayor of Philadelphia 2016–2024
• Emmett Joseph Leahy (1910–1964) – archivist and entrepreneur, pioneer in the discipline of records management
• Joanna E. McClinton – Pennsylvania State Representative since 2015
• Tom Murt – Pennsylvania State Representative from the 152nd district
• Dennis M. O'Brien – Speaker of Pennsylvania House of Representatives; Philadelphia City Councilman
• Michael H. O'Brien – Pennsylvania House of Representatives
• Mark Squilla – member of Philadelphia City Council
• Michael J. Stack III – Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania alongside Tom Wolf
• Sarah Wescott-Williams – first Prime Minister of Country Saint Maarten (2010–2014)
• John Waldron – American criminal defense lawyer
• Chris Wogan – former Pennsylvania representative and judge

Business

• Tom Curley – co-creator, former President of USA Today
• Larry Miller – President of the Jordan Brand
• Thomas M Feeney-President & CEO- Safelite Group (Safelite AutoGlass); Chairman Emeritus

Academia & education

• Stephen Andriole – Thomas G. Labrecque Chair of Business Technology at Villanova University
• John D. Caputo – Thomas J. Watson Professor of Humanities at Syracuse University; founder of weak theology
• Naomi Halas – Stanley C. Moore Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Professor in Chemistry at Rice University
• Paula Krebs – Executive Director of the Modern Language Association (MLA), 2017–present
• Michael McGinniss – President of Christian Brothers University, 1994–1999, and La Salle University, 1999–2014

Literature

• Michael F. Flynn – science fiction author
• Charles Fuller – playwright, winner of the Pulitzer Prize
• Jack McDevitt – science fiction author
• Matthew Quick – author

Fine arts

• John McShain – builder of The Pentagon, Jefferson Memorial, and Kennedy Center

Entertainment

• Jessica Barth – actress
• Peter Boyle – Emmy award winning actor
• Ralph Garman – actor, voice actor
• Kevin Wildes – sports television personality, producer

Journalism and media

• Adam Bagni – sportscaster
• Tom Curley – founder of USA Today, former CEO of AP
• A.J. Daulerio – editor-in-chief of Gawker, Deadspin, The Small Bow
• Brady Hicks – wrestling journalist
• Tim Legler – NBA, ESPN analyst
• Meredith Marakovits – YES Network reporter
• Jillian Mele – former host at Fox News, current host at WPVI-TV
• Bill Raftery – ESPN and CBS Sports college basketball analyst
• Gary Smith – sportswriter

Miscellaneous

• Michael William Brescia – convicted bank robber, part of the Midwest Bank Robbers group
• Johnny Dougherty – labor leader
• Ellwood Kieser - priest, producer: Insight, Romero
• Walter P. Lomax Jr. – medical practitioner

Athletics

American football

• Mike Mandarino – NFL
• George Somers – NFL

Soccer

• Cesidio Colasante – MLS draft pick
• John McCarthy – goalkeeper for the Philadelphia Union
• Courtney Niemiec – defender for the Portland Thorns FC
• Ryan Richter – defender for Ottawa Fury FC

Basketball

• Michael Brooks – NBA and Europe; professional career lasted 1980–2008
• Joe Bryant – NBA and Europe, father of Kobe Bryant, former head coach of Los Angeles Sparks of WNBA
• Rasual Butler – last played for the San Antonio Spurs; died on January 31, 2018
• Larry Cannon – ABA player
• Fran Dunphy – head coach for La Salle Explorers men's basketball
• Larry Foust – 8-time NBA All-Star (1951–1956, 1958–1959)
• Ramon Galloway – professional basketball player
• Tom Gola – enshrined in Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1976; NBA champion (1956); 5-time NBA All-Star (1960–1964); No. 15 retired by La Salle

• B.J. Johnson – current NBA player
• Tim Legler – NBA, analyst for ESPN's NBA coverage
• Ralph Lewis – NBA player
• Joe Mihalich – head coach of Hofstra University men's basketball
• Larry Miller – former President of NBA's Portland Trail Blazers; president of Jordan Brand
• Jeff Neubauer – head coach of Eastern Kentucky University men's basketball
• Doug Overton – NBA, played in 11 NBA seasons for eight different teams; head coach for Springfield Armor
• Jim Phelan – basketball player and coach
• Tom Piotrowski – (basketball) NBA, FIBA, CBA
• Bill Raftery – ESPN and CBS Sports college basketball analyst
• Cheryl Reeve – head coach of WNBA's Minnesota Lynx; by percentage the winningest coach in league's history, most postseason games of any WNBA coach
• Lionel Simmons – NBA, third-leading scorer in NCAA history; drafted 7th overall by Sacramento Kings in 1990
• Steven Smith – NBA, Serie A player
• Christian Standhardinger – BBL player
• Fatty Taylor – ABA, NBA player
• Randy Woods – NBA player
• Stephen Zack (born 1992), basketball player for Hapoel Holon in the Israeli Basketball Premier League

Olympians

La Salle Olympians have won a total of seven medals (five gold, and two bronze) in 12 Olympic Games.

• Diane Bracalente – field hockey, Seoul 1988
• Michael Brooks – captain of the boycotted 1980 basketball team
• Al Cantello – track and field, Rome 1960
• Stan Cwiklinski – rowing, gold medal, men's eight, Tokyo 1964
• Ira Davis – track and field, Rome 1960; placed 4th in the triple jump
• Hugh Foley – rowing, gold medal, men's eight, Tokyo 1964
• Charles Kieffer – rowing, gold medal, men's pair with coxswain, Los Angeles 1932
• Kathy McGahey – field hockey, bronze medal, Los Angeles 1984
• Diane Moyer – field hockey, Moscow 1980; bronze medal, Los Angeles 1984
• Cheryl Reeve – USA women's basketball, Paris 2024, head coach of the Olympic gold-medal team
• John Uelses – first person to pole vault 16' (4.88 m), setting the world record (failed to qualify at trials)
• Joe Verdeur – swimming, gold medal, in 200 meter breaststroke, London 1948

Faculty

Former faculty

• Austin App – considered America's first major Holocaust denier
• Mary Ellen Balchunis – professor in the Political Science department until 2015 and Democratic nominee for Congress in 2014, 2016
• Madeleine Dean – English writing and ethics professor for 10 years in La Salle's Arts and Sciences department
• Joseph DeFelice – former chair of the Philadelphia GOP
• John Lukacs – historian specializing in populism
• Paul Westhead – English professor at La Salle 1972–1979 and NBA head coach for the 1980 championship-winning Los Angeles Lakers

Selected men's basketball head coaches

University presidents

References