List of University of Nebraska–Lincoln people
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This list of University of Nebraska–Lincoln people includes notable graduates, instructors, and administrators affiliated with University of Nebraska–Lincoln. Three Nobel Prize winners have been associated with the university.
Nobel laureates
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Beadle (1903–89) | B.S. 1926; M. S. 1927 | Scientist, 1958 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine winner, 7th President of University of Chicago | [1][2] |
| Donald J. Cram (1919–2001) | M. S. 1942 | Chemist, 1987 Nobel Prize in Chemistry winner | [3] |
| Alan J. Heeger (b. 1936) | B.S. 1957; honorary Ph.D. 1999 | Chemist, 2000 Nobel Prize for Chemistry winner | [4] |
Pulitzer Prize winners
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karen Blessen (b. 1951) | B. F. A. 1973 | Graphic artist, 1989 Pulitzer Prize winner | [5] |
| Willa Cather (1873–1947) | B.A. 1895 | Writer, 1923 Pulitzer Prize winner | [6] |
| Ted Kooser (b. 1939) | M. A. 1968 | Poet, 13th United States Poet Laureate, 2005 Pulitzer Prize winner | [7] |
| Marjie Lundstrom (b. 1956) | B.A. 1978 | Journalist, 1991 Pulitzer Prize winner | [8] |
| Karl Shapiro (1913–2000) | Professor | Poet, 5th United States Poet Laureate, 1945 Pulitzer Prize winner |
Academics
College founders, presidents, and deans
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edith Abbott (1876–1957) | B.S. 1901 | Economist, social worker, founder of University of Chicago School of Social Service Administration | [9] |
| Gene Budig (1939–2020) | B.A. 1962; M. A. 1963; Ph.D. 1967 | Baseball executive, academic administrator (Kansas, Illinois State, West Virginia) | [10] |
| Edward C. Elliott (1874–1960) | B.S. 1895; M. A. 1897 | Academic administrator (Montana, Purdue) | |
| Miguel Angel Escotet | Ph.D. 1972 | Social scientist, academic administrator (Texas at Brownsville) | [11] |
| Ronnie D. Green (b. 1961) | Ph.D. 1988 | Academic administrator (Nebraska) | [12] |
| John Jasinski (b. 1962) | Ph.D. 1996 | Academic administrator (Northwest Missouri State) | |
| Alvin Saunders Johnson (1874–1971) | M. A. 1898 | Economist, founder of The New School | |
| Charles L. Littel (c. 1886–1966) | B.A. 1912 | Founder and president of Junior College of Bergen County and Centralia Junior College | |
| James Milliken (b. 1957) | B.A. 1979 | Academic administrator (Nebraska, Texas) | [13] |
| Roscoe Pound (1870–1964) | B.A. 1888; M. A. 1889; Ph.D. 1897 | Legal scholar and educator, dean of law (Nebraska, Harvard) | [14][15] |
| William Ruud (b. 1952) | B.A.; Ph.D. | Academic administrator (Northern Iowa, Shippensburg, Marietta) | [16] |
Professors and scholars
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Robert A. Alberty (1921–2014) | B.S. 1943; M. S. 1944 | Biophysical chemist | [17] |
| Hartley Burr Alexander (1873–1939) | B.A. 1896 | Philosopher, writer, iconographer; wrote symbolism and inscriptions in the Nebraska State Capitol | [18] |
| George Andreasen (1934–1989) | B.S.; M. S. | Orthodontist, inventor of the Nitinol wire | [19] |
| Sachio Ashida (1924–2009) | Ph.D. 1963 | Experimental psychologist, judoka, and kamikaze pilot; professor of psychology at the State University of New York at Brockport | [20] |
| George Willis Botsford (1862–1917) | B.A. 1884; M. A. 1889 | Greek and Roman classicist | [21] |
| Rosa Bouton (1860–1951) | B.S. 1891; M. A. 1893 | Chemist | |
| Norma Elia Cantú (b. 1947) | Ph.D. 1982 | Writer | [22] |
| Edwin H. Colbert (1905–2001) | B.A. | Vertebrate paleontologist, author | [19] |
| Nancy Coover Andreasen (b. 1938) | B.A. | Neuroscientist, neurophysicist | [23] |
| Donald Cox (b. 1937) | B.S. 1959; M. S. 1960 | Electrical engineer | [24] |
| Frank W. Cyr (1900–1995) | B.A. 1923 | Rural education researcher, "father of the yellow school bus" | [25][26] |
| Harold Eugene Edgerton (1903–90) | B.S. 1925 | Electrical engineer, stroboscope pioneer, photographer | [27] |
| Loren Eiseley (1907–77) | B.A. 1933; B.S. 1933 | Anthropologist, philosopher, writer | [28] |
| Rollins A. Emerson (1873–1947) | B.S. 1897 | Geneticist | [29] |
| Mohammad Kabir Hassan (b. 1963) | M. A. 1987; Ph.D. 1990 | Economist | [30] |
| Jay Keasling | B.S. 1986 | Synthetic biologist | [31] |
| Derrick Norman Lehmer (1867–1938) | B.A. 1893; M. A. 1896 | Number theorist | |
| John L. Loos (1918–2011) | B.A. 1939; M. A. 1940 | Lewis and Clark historian | [32][33] |
| John Norman (b. 1931) | B.A. 1953 | Author, philosopher | |
| Dirk Obbink (b. 1957) | B.A. 1978 | Papyrologist, classicist | |
| Loreen Olson | Ph.D. | Professor of Communications at UNC Greensboro | [34] |
| Londa Schiebinger (b. 1952) | B.A. 1974 | Researcher | [35] |
| Bernice Slote (1913–1983) | M. A. 1941 | Editor of Prairie Schooner, poet | [36] |
| Don Welch (1932–2016) | Ph.D. 1966 | Poet, professor of English literature at University of Nebraska at Kearney | [37] |
Arts, design and entertainment
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ronald Barnes (1927–97) | B. M. 1950 | Carillonist | [38] |
| Robert Beerbohm (b. 1952) | B.A. 1972 | Comic book historian | |
| Benjamin A. Botkin (1901–75) | Ph.D. 1931 | Folklorist | [39] |
| Kirk Bovill (b. 1961) | B.S. 1984 | Actor, writer, producer | [40] |
| Dan Brown (b. 1990) | Did not graduate | Blogger and YouTube personality, founder of Pogopalooza | |
| Johnny Carson (1925–2005) | B.A. 1949 | Host of The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson; seven-time Emmy winner; Presidential Medal of Freedom recipient; Kennedy Center Honors Lifetime Achievement Award recipient | [41] |
| Bruce Conner (1933–2008) | B. F. A. 1956 | Artist | [42] |
| Aaron Douglas (1899–1979) | B.A. 1922 | Painter, illustrator and visual arts educator; "the father of African-American art" | [43] |
| Jeff Draheim (b. 1963) | B.A. 1985 | Film editor | [44] |
| Alice Righter Edmiston (1874–1964) | Artist | ||
| Norman Ericson (1932–2011) | B.A. 1954 | Biblical scholar | |
| Charles L. Fletcher (b. 1971) | B.A. 1996 | Architect and interior designer | |
| Barbara Hendricks (b. 1948) | B.A. 1969 | Opera, recital, and jazz singer; Goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees | |
| Ruth Rosekrans Hoffman (1926–2007) | B. F. A. 1948 | Artist and children's book illustrator | |
| Ray Howlett (b. 1940) | B.A. 1963 | Artist | [45] |
| Weldon Kees (1914–55) | B.A. 1935 | Poet, abstract expressionist, jazz pianist, composer, photographer, and filmmaker | |
| Jaime King (b. 1979) | Did not graduate | Actress, model | [46] |
| Stephanie Kurtzuba (b. 1972) | Did not graduate | Actress | [47] |
| Thomas D. Mangelsen (b. 1946) | B.S. 1967 | Wildlife photographer, conservationist | |
| Clare Cooper Marcus (b. 1934) | B.A. 1952 | Landscape architecture educator | |
| Charles F. McAfee | B.Arch 1958 | Architect, housing activist | [48] |
| Sarah Wool Moore (1846–1911) | Artist and art teacher | [49] | |
| Chad Myers | B.A. 1985 | Meteorologist | |
| Conor Oberst (b. 1980) | Did not graduate | Lead vocalist of Bright Eyes | |
| Bryan Odell (b. 1990) | Did not graduate | Music journalist, YouTube personality | [50] |
| Joel Sartore (b. 1962) | B.A. 1985 | National Geographic photographer | [51] |
| Dan Schlissel (b. 1970) | B.S. 1993 | Record producer; founder of Stand Up! Records and -ismist Recordings | [52] |
| Shelley Smith (b. 1958) | B.A. 1981 | SportsCenter correspondent | |
| James Valentine (b. 1978) | B.A. 2004 | Lead guitarist of Maroon 5 | [53] |
| Dan Whitney (b. 1963) | Did not graduate | Comedian (stage name "Larry the Cable Guy") | [54] |
| Jeff Zeleny (b. 1973) | B.A. 1996 | CNN senior White House correspondent | [55] |
| Golden J. Zenon Jr. (1929–2006) | B.Arch 1955 | Architect | [56][57] |
Business
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warren Buffett (b. 1930) | B.S. 1950 | Investor, philanthropist; chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway | [58] |
| Jack Cole (1920–2007) | B.S./B.A. | Entrepreneur, inventor of the reverse telephone directory | |
| Harry Culver (1880–1946) | Did not graduate | Real estate agent; founder of Culver City, California | |
| William E. Galbraith (1926–2012) | B.S. 1949 | National Commander of the American Legion | [59] |
| Vinod Gupta (b. 1946) | M. S. 1969; M. B.A. 1971 | Investor, philanthropist; founder of infoGROUP and Vinod Gupta School of Management | [60] |
| Mohammad Kabir Hassan (b. 1963) | M. S. 1987; Ph.D. 1990 | Economist | [61] |
| C. Edward McVaney (1940–2020) | B.S. | Founder and CEO of JD Edwards |
Law and politics
Heads of state
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kārlis Ulmanis (1877–1942) | B.S. 1909 | 1st prime minister of Latvia, 4th president of Latvia | [62][63] |
United States cabinet secretaries and leaders
Governors
United States senators
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hazel Abel (1888–1966) | B.A. 1908 | Senator from Nebraska | [86] |
| Elmer Burkett (1867–1935) | Law 1893 | Senator from Nebraska, representative from Nebraska | [87] |
| Deb Fischer (b. 1951) | B.S. 1987 | Senator from Nebraska | [88] |
| Richard C. Hunter (1884–1941) | B.A. 1909 | Senator from Nebraska, 22nd Nebraska attorney general | [89] |
| David Karnes (1948–2020) | B.S. 1971 | Senator from Nebraska | [90] |
| Kenneth S. Wherry (1892–1951) | B.A. 1914 | 7th Senate minority leader, senator from Nebraska | [91] |
United States representatives
Federal judges
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| C. Arlen Beam (b. 1930) | B.S. 1951; J. D. 1965 | Federal judge of the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, district judge of the District Court for the District of Nebraska | [120] |
| John Robert Brown (1909–1993) | B.A. 1930 | Federal judge of the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit | [121] |
| L. Steven Grasz (b. 1961) | B.S. 1984; J. D. 1989 | Federal judge of the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit | [122] |
| Harvey M. Johnsen (1895–1975) | LL. B. 1919; B.A. 1921 | Federal judge of the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit | [123] |
| John Coleman Pickett (1896–1983) | LL. B. 1922 | Federal judge of the Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit | [124] |
| William J. Riley (b. 1947) | B.A. 1969; J. D. 1972 | Federal judge of the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit | [125] |
| Donald Roe Ross (1922–2013) | J. D. 1948 | Federal judge of the Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit | [126] |
Nebraska representatives
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| John Adams Jr. (1906–99) | B.S. 1927; Law 1929 | Member of Nebraska Legislature, Army captain and judge advocate | [127] |
| Roy Baker (b. 1945) | B.S. 1967; M. Ed. 1970; Ed. D. 1977 | Member of Nebraska Legislature | [128] |
| Tom Baker (b. 1948) | B.S. 1971 | Member of Nebraska Legislature | [129] |
| Chris Beutler (b. 1944) | Law 1973 | Member of Nebraska Legislature, 51st mayor of Lincoln | [130] |
| Ardyce Bohlke (1943–2013) | 1965 | Member of Nebraska Legislature, speech pathologist | [131] |
| Tom Brandt (b. 1959) | B.S. 1982 | Member of Nebraska Legislature | [132] |
| Lydia Brasch (b. 1953) | B.A. 1989 | Member of Nebraska Legislature | [133] |
| Kermit Brashear (b. 1944) | B.A. 1966; J. D. 1969 | Speaker of Nebraska Legislature | [134] |
| Jon Bruning (b. 1969) | B.A. 1990; J. D. 1994 | Member of Nebraska Legislature, 32nd Nebraska attorney general | [135] |
Nebraska judges
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| David K. Arterburn (b. 1957) | B.A. 1978; M. A. 1982; J. D. 1985 | Judge of the Nebraska Court of Appeals | [136] |
| Riko E. Bishop (b. 1956) | J. D. 1992 | Judge of the Nebraska Court of Appeals | [137] |
| William G. Cambridge (1931–2004) | B.S. 1953; J. D. 1955 | District judge of the District Court for the District of Nebraska | [138] |
| Laurie Smith Camp (1953–2020) | J. D. 1977 | District judge of the District Court for the District of Nebraska | [139] |
| Kristine Cecava | Law 1976 | District judge of the District Court for the District of Nebraska | [140] |
| E. B. Chappell (1889–1968) | B.A. 1916; LL. B. 1916 | Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court | [141] |
| Richard G. Kopf (b. 1946) | J. D. 1972 | District judge of the District Court for the District of Nebraska | [142] |
| Robert Van Pelt (1897–1988) | LL. B. 1922 | District judge of the District Court for the District of Nebraska | [143] |
Other political figures
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grace Abbott (1878–1939) | B.A. 1907 | Social worker, immigrants' rights and child welfare advocate | |
| Nasser al-Awlaki (1946–2021) | Ph.D. 1975 | Yemeni scholar and politician | |
| Emory Buckner (1877–1941) | B.A. 1904 | 34th Attorney for the Southern District of New York | [citation needed] |
| Mary Ann Hanusa (b. 1963) | M. A. | Director of the White House Office of Presidential Correspondence | [144] |
| Helen Klanderud (1937–2013) | J. D. 1991 | Mayor of Aspen | [145] |
| Karen Muenster (b. 1942) | Democratic minority whip in the South Dakota Senate | [146] | |
| Ted Muenster | B.S. 1962, M.A. | Democratic nominee in the 1990 United States Senate election in South Dakota, chief of staff to South Dakota Governor Richard F. Kneip | [147] |
| MK Pritzker (b. 1967) | B.A. | First Lady of Illinois | [148] |
| Mark Quandahl (b. 1961) | Law 1987 | Attorney, director of Nebraska Department of Banking and Finance, chairman of the Nebraska Republican Party | [149] |
| J. Lee Rankin (1907–96) | LL. B. 1930 | 31st solicitor general, general counsel to the Warren Commission | [150] |
| Ted Sorensen (1928–2010) | J. D. 1951 | 8th White House counsel, special counsel and speechwriter for John F. Kennedy | |
| Park Yong-man (1881–1928) | B.S. 1909 | Korean independence activist |
Military
Literature
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barbara Albright (1955–2006) | B.S. | Cookbook author | [161] |
| Bruce B. Brugmann (b. 1935) | B.A. 1957 | Founder and editor of the San Francisco Bay Guardian | [162] |
| Eudora Bumstead (1860–92) | B.A. 1879 | Poet, hymnwriter | [163] |
| Roxane Gay (b. 1974) | M. A. 2004 | Writer, editor | [164] |
| Claire Jiménez | Ph.D. 2022 | Novelist of What Happened to Ruthy Ramirez | |
| Catherine Kidwell (1921–2002) | M. F. A. 1977 | Novelist | |
| Mary Pipher (b. 1947) | Ph.D. 1977 | Clinical psychologist and author | [165][166] |
| Gayathri Prabhu (b. 1974) | Ph.D. 2011 | Novelist | [167] |
| Mari Sandoz (1896–1966) | Did not graduate | Novelist, biographer, Newbery Medal recipient | |
| Jim Thompson (1906–1977) | Did not graduate | Author, screenwriter |
Science and technology
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bion J. Arnold (1861–1942) | M. S. 1897 | Engineer, designer of the Interborough Rapid Transit system; "father of the third rail" | |
| Henry Beachell (1906–2006) | B.S. 1930 | Rice breeder, recipient of the 1987 Japan Prize and 1996 World Food Prize | [168] |
| Rolla Kent Beattie (1875–1960) | B.S. 1896; M. A. 1898 | Botanist, plant pathologist | [169] |
| Margaret B. Fuller Boos (1892–1978) | Did not graduate | Pegmatite geologist, mapped Front Range urban corridor | |
| Kay Brummond (b. 1962) | B.S. 1985 | Synthetic chemist | [170] |
| Raychelle Burks (b. 1975) | Ph.D. | Analytical chemist | [171] |
| Montgomery Case (1882–1953) | Did not graduate | Civil engineer, designer of the George Washington Bridge | [172] |
| John Leland Champe (1895–1978) | B.A. 1921 | Archaeologist | |
| Frederic Clements (1874–1945) | B.S. 1894; M. A. 1896; Ph.D. 1898 | Plant ecologist | [173] |
| Gladys Dick (1881–1963) | B.S. 1900 | Co-inventor of scarlet fever vaccine | [174] |
| Jay Wright Forrester (1918–2016) | B.S. 1939 | Computer engineer, systems scientist, inventor of magnetic-core memory | |
| Gene V. Glass (b. 1940) | B.A./B.S. 1962 | Statistician, inventor of meta-analysis | |
| Richard Hamming (1915–98) | M. A. 1939 | Mathematician, founder of Association for Computing Machinery, Turing Award recipient | |
| Leta Stetter Hollingworth (1886–1939) | B.A. 1906 | Psychologist | [175] |
| Brian A. Larkins (1946–2025) | B.S. 1969, PhD. 1974 | Molecular biologist | |
| William A. Mueller (1901–92) | B.S. 1922 | Sound engineer, head of Warner Bros. sound department, two-time Academy Awards nominee | |
| Donald Othmer (1904–95) | B.S. 1924 | Inventor, philanthropist | [176] |
| Anne Plant | M. S. 1978 | Biochemist | [177] |
| Charles H. Purcell (1883–1951) | B.S. 1906 | Civil engineer, designer and engineer of the Bay Bridge | [178] |
| Christina Riesselman (b. 1977) | B.S. 2001 | Paleoceanographer | [179] |
| Per Axel Rydberg (1860–1931) | B.S. 1891; M. A. 1895 | Botanist, 1st curator of the New York Botanical Garden | [180] |
| Joel Stebbins (1878–1966) | B.S. 1899 | Astronomer | [181] |
| Gerry Thomas (1922–2005) | B.A. 1948 | Inventor of the TV dinner | |
| Herbert John Webber (1865–1946) | B.S. 1889; M. A. 1990 | Plant physiologist | [182] |
| Gerald Weinberg (1933–2018) | B.S. 1955 | Computer scientist, author | [183] |
| Evan Williams (b. 1972) | Did not graduate | Co-founder of Twitter | [184] |
Athletics
Baseball
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Darin Erstad (b. 1974) | B.S. 2020 | MLB outfielder; college baseball manager | [185] |
| Bill Kinnamon (1919–2011) | B.S. 1941 | MLB umpire | [186] |
Basketball
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tyronn Lue (b. 1977) | Did not graduate | NBA point guard and head coach | [187] |
| Terran Petteway (b. 1992) | basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League |
Football
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ben Beck (1889–1968) | B.S. | College football coach, college basketball coach | [188] |
| Clete Blakeman (b. 1964) | B.S. 1988; Law 1991 | NFL referee, lawyer | [189] |
| Earl W. Brannon (1889–1952) | 1913 | College football coach | [190] |
| Guy Chamberlin (1894–1967) | B.S. 1916 | NFL head coach, Pro Football Hall of Fame; College Football Hall of Fame | [191] |
| Will Compton (b. 1989) | B.A. 2011 | NFL linebacker; Media influencer | [192] |
| Scott Frost (b. 1975) | B.S. 1997 | NFL safety; college football quarterback and head coach | [193] |
| Turner Gill (b. 1962) | Did not graduate | College football quarterback and head coach | [194] |
| Tom Osborne (b. 1937) | M. A. 1963; Ph.D. 1965 | College football head coach (Nebraska 1973–97), College Football Hall of Fame; representative from Nebraska; Nebraska athletic director | [195] |
| Frank Solich (b. 1944) | B.A. 1966; M. A. 1972 | College football fullback and head coach (Nebraska 1998–2003) | [196] |
| Zac Taylor (b. 1962) | B.S. 2006 | NFL head coach | [197] |
| Pat Tyrance (b. 1968) | B.S. 1990 | College football linebacker, orthopedic surgeon | [198][199] |
Other sports
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Therese Alshammar (b. 1977) | B.A. 1999 | Swimmer, three-time Olympic medalist | [200] |
| Gary Anderson (b. 1939) | Did not graduate | Sport shooter, two-time Olympic gold medalist, member of Nebraska Legislature | [201] |
| Daniel Brand (1935–2015) | 1958 | Greco-Roman wrestler, 1964 Olympics bronze medalist | |
| Jordan Burroughs (b. 1988) | B.A. 2011 | Freestyle wrestler, 2012 Olympics gold medalist; two-time national champion | [202] |
| Dani Busboom Kelly (b. 1985) | B.A. 2007 | Cornhuskers volleyball player (2003–2006), later assistant coach (2012–2016) and current head coach (2025–present) | [203] |
| Taylor Edwards | Professional softball player | [204] | |
| Rulon Gardner (b. 1971) | B.A. 1993 | Greco-Roman wrestler, two-time Olympic medalist | |
| Jessie Graff (b. 1984) | B.A. 2007 | Stunt performer, American Ninja Warrior competitor | [205] |
| Penelope Heyns (b. 1974) | B.A. 1996 | Swimmer, three-time Olympic medalist | [206] |
| Jason High (b. 1981) | B.A. 2004 | Mixed martial artist | [207] |
| Jordan Larson (b. 1986) | B.A. 2008 | Indoor volleyball player, four-time Olympic medalist | [208] |
| Matt Lindland (b. 1970) | Did not graduate | Mixed martial artist, 2000 Olympics silver medalist | [209] |
| Priscilla Lopes-Schliep (b. 1982) | B.S. 2004 | Hurdler, 2008 Olympics bronze medalist | [210] |
| Merlene Ottey (b. 1960) | B.A. 1984 | Sprinter, nine-time Olympic medalist | |
| Sarah Pavan (b. 1986) | B.S. 2008 | Volleyball player; 2006 AVCA Player of the Year | |
| Louise Pound (1872–1958) | B. B. 1892; M. A. 1895 | Folklorist, linguist, tennis player | |
| Russ Rose (b. 1953) | M. S. 1978 | Volleyball coach, AVCA Hall of Fame | [211] |
| Ryan Schultz (b. 1977) | B.S. | Mixed martial artist | [212] |
| Curtis Tomasevicz (b. 1980) | B.S. 2003; M. S. 2006; Ph.D. 2017 | Bobsledder, two-time Olympic medalist | [213] |
| Brad Vering (b. 1977) | B.S. 2001 | Greco-Roman wrestler | |
| Frederick Wedge (1880–1953) | Did not graduate | Boxer, clergyman | |
| Justine Wong-Orantes (b. 1995) | B.S. 2016 | Indoor volleyball player, 2020 Olympics gold medalist | [214] |
Faculty
| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charles Edwin Bessey (1845–1915) | Chancellor, dean | Botanist, inventor of the Bessey system | |
| Dana X. Bible (1891–1980) | Football coach, athletic director | Two-time national champion, College Football Hall of Fame | |
| Hank M. Bounds (b. 1967) | President | Academic administrator | [215] |
| Bill Callahan (b. 1956) | Football coach | NFL head coach, 2002 AFC champion | |
| John Cook (b. 1956) | Volleyball coach | Four-time national champion, AVCA Hall of Fame | |
| Bob Devaney (1915–97) | Football coach, athletic director | Two-time national champion, College Football Hall of Fame | |
| August Hjalmar Edgren (1840–1903) | Professor, honorary doctorate 1902 | Linguist | [216] |
| Edmund Burke Fairfield (1821–1904) | Chancellor | Minister, 12th lieutenant governor of Michigan | [217] |
| Rachel Lloyd (1839–1900) | Chemistry Department head | First American woman to receive a Ph.D. in chemistry; noted for her work on the chemistry and agriculture of sugar beets | [218] |
| August Luebs (1889–1989) | Professor | Mechanical engineer | |
| Bo Pelini (b. 1967) | Football coach | College football head coach | |
| Terry Pettit (b. 1946) | Volleyball coach | 1995 national champion, AVCA Hall of Fame | |
| Laura Poppo (b. 1962) | Department chair | Researcher | |
| Benjamin Rader (1935–2026) | Professor | James L. Sellers Professor of History at the university | |
| Mike Riley (b. 1953) | Football coach | NFL head coach; two-time Grey Cup champion | |
| Fielding H. Yost (1871–1946) | Football coach | Six-time national champion, College Football Hall of Fame |