List of Sacramento State people

This is a list of (students, alumni, faculty, staff, or academic affiliates) associated with California State University, Sacramento (Sacramento State).

Alumni

Arts

Television and movies

• Carlos Alazraqui – actor, comedian – Reno 911!
• Jeffrey Boam (B.A. in Art) – screenwriter, producer
• Creed Bratton – actor, The Office
• Butterscotch, finalist, America's Got Talent, season 2
• Kurt Caceres – actor
• Joe Carnahan (B.A. in Filmography) – film director, Smokin' Aces, The A-Team
• Ryan Coogler (BS in Business Administration (Finance)) – director of 2015 film Creed and Black Panther
• Matt Dearborn – creator of Even Stevens
• Giselle Fernández (B.A. in Journalism and Government) – former KTLA Morning News anchor
• Joseph Gutheinz (B.A. and M.A. in Criminal Justice) – retired attorney, appears in documentaries Moon for Sale and The Case of the Missing Moon Rocks
• Tom Hanks – Academy Award-winning film actor, director and producer
• Kristine Hanson (B.A. Communications, 1974) – television broadcaster, Playboy Playmate of the Month
• – season one of the Bad Girls Club and winner of season one of For the Love of Ray J
• Lester Holt (B.A. Government) – anchor for flagship broadcast NBC Nightly News, host of Dateline and co-anchor of weekend edition of Today
• Karen Kilgariff – co-host of podcast My Favorite Murder, former head writer of The Ellen DeGeneres Show and The Rosie Show
• Kayden Kross – adult film actress
• Joan Lunden (formerly known as Joanie Blunden) (B.A. Liberal Arts) – television personality, former co-host of Good Morning America
• Bridget Marquardt (B.A. Public Relations, 1998) – girlfriend of Hugh Hefner, featured on E! TV show The Girls Next Door
• Brian Posehn – stand-up comedian
• Rick Rossovich – actor, The Terminator, Top Gun, Roxanne
• Billy Marshall Stoneking (B.A. English, minor Philosophy, 1970) – Australian/American poet, filmmaker, writer, script editor and teacher
• Graham Streeter (BA Japanese and Business Administration) – screenwriter, film director
• Rene Syler (BA Psychology, 1987) – television personality, former host of The Early Show on CBS
• Shauvon Torres – cast member of The Real World, Sydney

Musicians

• Chi Cheng – bassist
• David Hodo (B.A. in Speech, 1969) – member of Village People
• Richard Maloof – musician
• Bobby McFerrin – composer and Grammy Award-winning musician ("Don't Worry, Be Happy")
• Charlie Peacock – singer
• Steve Turre – musician on Saturday Night Live
• Only Won – actor, rapper

Fine artists

• Fred Uhl Ball (BA and MA Art) – enamelist
• Jack Cassinetto (BA Art and English, 1966) – plein air painter
• Michael Patrick Cronan (BA Fine Arts 1974) – graphic designer and artist
• Xiomara De Oliver (BA 1988) – Canadian Black painter
• Mel Ramos (BA and MA, 1957) – artist
• Fritz Scholder (BA 1960) – Native American artist
• Wayne Thiebaud – artist and painter

Politicians and government

• Janice Rogers Brown – Federal Appeals Court judge
• Christopher Cabaldon (Master's Public Policy and Administration 1994) – West Sacramento mayor
• Edward Chavez – mayor of Stockton 2005–09
• Lloyd Connelly – Sacramento County judge
• Ward Connerly (BA Government, 1962) – former University of California regent and political activist
• Mervyn Dymally (MA Government) – lieutenant governor of California 1975–79, U.S. representative 1981–93, assemblyman 2002–08
• Bill Emmerson – California state senator
• Noreen Evans – California state assemblywoman
• Victor H. Fazio – U.S. congressman 1979–99
• Bradford Fenocchio (BA Criminal Justice) – Placer County district attorney
• Cathleen Galgiani – California state assemblywoman
• Wally Herger – U.S. congressman 1987–2013
• Karen Humphrey (MA Public Policy and Women's Studies) – mayor of Fresno 1989–93
• Phil Isenberg – assemblyman 1982–96, mayor of Sacramento 1975–82
• Grantland Johnson – former California cabinet official
• Patrick Johnston – former California State Legislator
• Bill Leonard – former State Board of Equalization member and legislator
• Lloyd Levine – former California state assemblyman
• Daniel Logue – California state assemblyman
• Steve March – Oregon state representative (BA Social Science 1968)
• Kevin McCarthy – alumnus of school's Capital Fellows Program, U.S. congressman for California's 23rd congressional district
• Kevin McCarty (Master's Public Policy and Administration 2011) – California state assemblyman
• Cathy Mitchell – former acting California secretary of state
• Don Nottoli – Sacramento County supervisor, 5th district
• George A. Plescia – former California state assemblyman
• Richard Rainey – former California state senator
• Robert Rivas – incoming speaker of the California State Assembly
• Jan Scully – Sacramento County District Attorney
• Joe Serna – mayor of Sacramento 1992–99
• Frank Skartados – New York State Assemblyman, 2009–11 and 2013–18
• Lori Wilson – CA state assemblymember 2022–present

International politicians

• Fernando Chui – chief executive of Macau
• Rudolf Hommes – Colombian politician and academic
• Mahmoud Vaezi – chief of staff of the president of Iran

Business

• Dale Carlsen – Sleep Train Mattress Centers founder
• Doug Lipp (MA in International Business Communications) – consultant, speaker, author, CEO and president of G. Douglas Lipp & Associates
• Tracey Panek (MA in History) – historian and archivist
• Angelo Tsakopoulos (BA Government, BS Business Administration, honorary doctorate in Human Letters) – real estate mogul

Authors and academics

• Ann Bannon – lesbian pulp fiction author, professor
• JaNay Brown-Wood – children's book author
• Russ Buettner – Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist for The New York Times
• Raymond Carver – fiction author, poet, screenwriter
• Richard Ebeling (BA in Economics) – libertarian author, president of Foundation for Economic Education
• John Fund – political journalist, currently national-affairs reporter for National Review Online
• Chester Gorman – anthropologist
• Marisa Kelly (BA in 1986) – political scientist and president of Suffolk University in Boston, Massachusetts
• Janet Nichols Lynch – writer and professor
• Mary Mackey – fiction author, poet, screenwriter, and professor emeritus (English)
• Richard J. Maybury – economist and author on topics of international business, law, history, juris naturalism
• Laura Moriarty – poet and novelist
• Alan Reynolds – economist and author
• Tukufu Zuberi – professor and chairman of Sociology Department, University of Pennsylvania

Other notables

• Joseph James DeAngelo – the Golden State Killer
• Anthony Sadler – assisted in thwarting 2015 French train terror attack
• Maluseu Doris Tulifau – Samoan-American human rights activist

Athletes

Baseball

• Scott Burcham – American-Israeli baseball shortstop in the Colorado Rockies organization
• Rhys Hoskins (born 1993) – first baseman for the Philadelphia Phillies and Milwaukee Brewers
• Ethan Katz (born 1983) – pitching coach for the Chicago White Sox
• Sam Long (born 1995) – baseball pitcher for the San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics
• Nathan Lukes (born 1994) – outfielder for the Toronto Blue Jays
• Buck Martinez – 17-year MLB catcher and later an MLB manager
• Alyssa Nakken -– first female coach in Major League Baseball
• James Outman – outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers

Basketball

• Mike Bibby (born 1978) – men's basketball head coach, 2025–present
• Cody Demps (born 1993) – basketball player for New Taipei CTBC DEA of the T1 League
• Nick Hornsby (born 1995) – basketball player for Eisbären Bremerhaven of the ProA
• Joel Jones (born 1981) – member of the Puerto Rican national basketball team
• Shaquille O'Neal (born 1972) – men's basketball general manager, 2025–present
• Joshua Patton (born 1997) – basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League

Football

• Otis Amey – wide receiver for San Francisco 49ers, Atlanta Falcons, Cleveland Gladiators, Austin Wranglers, Sacramento Mountain Lions
• McLeod Bethel-Thompson – quarterback for Minnesota Vikings
• DaRon Bland – NFL cornerback for the Dallas Cowboys; named First-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 2023, also led NFL in interceptions in 2023
• DeAndre Carter – NFL wide receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders, previously played for the Philadelphia Eagles, Houston Texans, Chicago Bears, Washington Football Team, and Los Angeles Chargers
• Mike Carter – former NFL wide receiver
• Marko Cavka – offensive lineman for Hamilton Tiger-Cats of Canadian Football League
• Dan Chamberlain – played for Buffalo Bills
• Elijah Dotson – NFL running back for the Los Angeles Chargers
• Jeff Fleming – former Sacramento State player
• Aaron Garcia – former Arena Football League quarterback
• John Gesek – former National Football League offensive lineman
• Tyronne Gross – running back for San Diego Chargers
• Cole Hikutini – tight end for the Michigan Panthers of the United Football League, previously played in the NFL for the San Francisco 49ers
• Jon Kirksey – defensive tackle, New Orleans Saints, St. Louis Rams
• Lorenzo Lynch – former NFL defensive back
• Marte Mapu – NFL linebacker for the New England Patriots, 2022 Big Sky Defensive Player of the Year
• Zack Nash – linebacker for Arizona Cardinals 2012
• Lonie Paxton – lineman for Denver Broncos
• Ricky Ray – quarterback for Toronto Argonauts of Canadian Football League
• Charles Roberts – running back for B.C. Lions of Canadian Football League
• Darnell Sankey – linebacker for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League, previously played in the NFL for the Indianapolis Colts
• Kato Serwanga – NFL cornerback from 1998–2003
• Wasswa Serwanga – NFL cornerback from 1999–2003
• Daimon Shelton – nine-year NFL fullback
• Taylor Tappin – offensive lineman who played for the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League
• Kevin Thomson – quarterback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League

Softball

• Alyssa Nakken – first female coach in MLB for the San Francisco Giants

Soccer

• Joe Enochs (born 1971) – former professional soccer player
• Benji Kikanović (born 2000) – Major League Soccer player
• Jamel Mitchell (born 1975) – Major League Soccer player

Sports figures (non-athletes)

• Darren Arbet – coach for San Jose SaberCats of AFL
• Clancy Barone – tight ends coach for Minnesota Vikings, offensive line coach for Denver Broncos
• Pat Doyle – baseball coach
• Brian Katz – Sacramento State men's basketball coach
• Greg Knapp – quarterbacks coach
• Mike Lange – sports broadcaster and member of Hockey Hall of Fame

Faculty, staff, and other academics

Current

• Joseph Palermo – associate professor of history, author
• Mona L. Siegel – professor of history
• Stephanie Brown Trafton – athletics coach, Olympic gold medalist
• Michael G. Vann – professor of history
• J. Luke Wood – university president

Emeritus

• Ann Bannon – professor of English, associate dean in College of Arts and Sciences
• Paul Goldstene – professor of Government
• Stephen L. Harris – professor and chair of Humanities and Religious Studies
• Wes Jackson – professor of Environmental Sciences
• Frank Kofsky – professor of History
• Mary Mackey – professor of English and writer-in-residence
• Joe Serna, Jr. – professor of Government
• Miklos Udvardy – professor of Biological Sciences
• Angus Wright – professor of Environmental Sciences

Former

• Bob Barney – professor of physical education (1969–70)
• Peter Grandbois – professor of English 2006–2010
• Paul Carter Harrison – professor of Theatre (1970–1972)
• Enrique Herrscher – Fulbright Professor in Residence of Economics
• R. Joseph Hoffmann – professor of Humanities and Religious Studies
• Oliver Lee Jackson – professor in Pan African Studies, 1971 to 2002
• Joanne Marrow – professor of Psychology of Women and Human Sexuality, 1974–2000s
• Virginia Matzek – professor in Environmental Studies and Sciences
• Charles Postel – 2008 Bancroft Prize recipient and Frederick Jackson Turner Award recipient, professor of History

Adjunct

• Phil Isenberg – Graduate School of Public Policy
• Barry Keene – former state senator, professor of Government

Former administrators

• Alexander Gonzalez – former university president
• W. Lloyd Johns – former university president; president of Gallaudet University
• Jolene Koester – former professor of Communication Studies followed by provost; president of California State University, Northridge
• Robert S. Nelsen – former university president

References