List of University of Oklahoma people
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The list of University of Oklahoma people includes notable alumni, faculty, and former students of the University of Oklahoma.
Educators
- Clinton E. Adams, former medical school dean at Western University of Health Sciences, current president of Rocky Vista University[1]
- Gary Clayton Anderson, historian and the George Lynn Cross Research Professor
- J.S. Bandukwala, physics professor at M.S.University and prominent Indian human rights activist
- Mary Jane Brown, first person to earn a doctorate from the University of Oklahoma
- Yvonne Chouteau, one of the Five Moons and co-founder of the School of Dance at the University of Oklahoma[2]
- Jerry Farley, long-time administrator at OU; 16th president of Washburn University
- Alison Fields, Mary Lou Milner Carver Professor of Art of the American West
- Julia Gaines, director of the University of Missouri School of Music
- Elizabeth Garrett, legal scholar, 13th president of Cornell University
- Kyle Harper, historian of ancient Rome[3]
- Barbara Hillyer, founder and first director of the university's Women's Studies program, which was the first of its kind in Oklahoma[4]
- Leon Quincy Jackson (1926/1927–1995), architect, professor, early African-American architect in Oklahoma and Tennessee[5]
- Ori Kritz, Hebrew professor
- Robert L. Lynn, president of Louisiana College in Pineville, Louisiana, 1975–1997; received PhD from Oklahoma[6]
- Charles W. Mooney Jr., Charles A. Heimbold, Jr. Professor of Law, and former interim dean, at the University of Pennsylvania Law School
- Roger E. Nebergall, professor of Speech
- Harriet Wright O'Leary (1916–1999), teacher and politician; first woman to serve on the tribal council of the Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma
- James Morton Smith, historian, recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship (1960), director of Winterthur Museum, Garden and Library (1976–1984)
- Miguel Terekhov, ballet dancer and instructor, co-founder of the School of Dance at the University of Oklahoma[2]
- Julie Ann Ward, Spanish professor, poet laureate of Norman
Scientists
- Gregory Benford, physicist and science fiction writer
- James Benford, physicist
- Howard Bluestein, atmospheric scientist
- Norman H. Boke, botanist
- Frederick Carr, meteorologist
- Charles A. Doswell III, meteorologist
- Georgette D. Kanmogne, geneticist and molecular virologist
- Henry T. Lynch, cancer researcher
- GA Mansoori, thermodynamic scientist
- Paul Markowski, meteorologist
- Jens Rud Nielsen, physicist
- Samuel L. Perry, sociologist
- Erik N. Rasmussen, atmospheric scientist
- Yvette Richardson, atmospheric scientist
- Marilyn Vann, Cherokee Nation engineer and activist
- Neil B. Ward, atmospheric physicist
- Christina Warinner, anthropologist
- Gladys West, mathematician
Athletes
- Vickey Ray Anderson, former professional football player
- Dee Andros, former collegiate football coach and Oregon State athletic director
- Jason Bartlett, former professional baseball player
- Mookie Blaylock, former professional basketball player
- Brian Bosworth, former professional football player
- Joe Bowden, former professional football player
- Anthony Bowie, former professional basketball player
- Sam Bradford, former professional football player, Heisman Trophy winner
- Donald Brown, former professional football player
- Bill Campbell, American player of gridiron football
- Tom Churchill, former Olympic decathlete, football player and multiple sports
- Christian Claudio, Puerto Rican National Taekwondo team member
- Mark Clayton, former professional football player
- Patrick Collins, former professional football player
- Bart Conner, former gold medal gymnast
- Isaiah Cousins (born 1994), professional basketball player for the KB Bashkimi of the Kosovo Basketball Superleague
- Stacey Dales, former WNBA player and ESPN analyst, current NFL Network host/reporter
- Jack Davis, professional football player
- Greg Dobbs, former professional baseball player
- Kristian Doolittle (born 1997), professional basketball player for the Perth Wildcats of the NBL
- Roger Eason, former professional football player
- Jimmy Edwards, professional football player[7]
- Kelly Garrison-Funderburk, former All-American gymnast and 1988 USA Olympian
- Harvey Grant, former professional basketball player
- Jermaine Gresham, former professional football player
- Matt Grice, wrestler; professional mixed martial artist, former UFC featherweight[8]
- Blake Griffin, former professional basketball player, 1st pick in the 2009 NBA draft of the Los Angeles Clippers
- Quentin Griffin, professional football player, currently playing in Europe as of 2013
- Jake Hager, current MMA fighter with Bellator and professional wrestler with All Elite Wrestling; former WWE World Heavyweight Champion and WWE United States Champion as Jack Swagger
- Todd Hamilton, professional golfer, won The Open Championship in 2004
- Tommie Harris, former professional football player
- Mickey Hatcher, former professional baseball player and coach[9]
- Ray Hayward, Major League Baseball pitcher[10]
- Josh Heupel, football player, current head coach of the University of Tennessee Volunteers
- Victor Hicks, former professional football player
- Buddy Hield, professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the NBA
- Cowboy Hill, professional football player
- Danny Hodge, former All-American wrestler and pro wrestler
- Jonathan Horton, former All-American gymnast and current USA Olympian
- Randy Hughes, former professional football player
- Demontre Hurst, NFL player
- Jalen Hurts, professional football player, current quarterback for the Philadelphia Eagles
- Clint Ingram, professional football player[11]
- Keith Jackson, former professional football player
- Dionnah Jackson-Durrett, college basketball coach[12]
- Jack Jacobs, football player, popularized the forward pass
- Ed Jeffers, former professional football player
- Lane Johnson, professional football player for the Philadelphia Eagles
- Bob Kalsu, former professional football player, killed in action as a US Army Artillery officer in Vietnam
- Anthony Kim, professional golfer
- Bobby Kimball, former professional football player
- Stacey King, former professional basketball player
- Jim Mankins, former professional football player
- Rod Manuel, former professional football player
- Baker Mayfield (Class of 2017), professional football player, current quarterback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Heisman Trophy winner
- Gerald McCoy, former professional football player
- Wahoo McDaniel, former professional wrestler and football player
- Tommy McDonald, former professional football player and NFL hall of fame member
- Russ McGinnis, former professional baseball player
- Lee Morris, former professional football player
- DeMarco Murray, former professional football player who is now the running backs coach of the Oklahoma Sooners football team
- Kyler Murray (Class of 2018), professional football player, current quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals, Heisman Trophy winner, 9th overall draft pick in the 2018 MLB draft
- Eduardo Nájera, former professional basketball player, currently a scout for the Dallas Mavericks
- Ralph Neely, former professional football player[13]
- Sheldon Neuse, professional baseball player
- Fred Nixon, former professional football player[14]
- Greg Norton, former professional baseball player
- Rashard Odomes (born 1996), former professional basketball player
- Russ Ortiz, professional baseball player[15]
- Romero Osby (born 1990), former professional basketball player
- Milton Overton, athletic director, Kennesaw State University[16]
- Steve Owens, former professional football player and Heisman Trophy winner
- Ashley Paris, former professional basketball player
- Courtney Paris, former professional basketball player
- Lindy Pearson, former professional football player
- Adrian Peterson, former professional football player
- Hollis Price, former professional basketball player, currently an assistant coach for the Houston Cougars
- Clifford Ray, former professional basketball player and coach
- Austin Reaves, professional basketball player for the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA
- Jimmy Rogers, professional football player
- Ryan Rohlinger, former professional baseball player
- Jason Rouser, Olympic gold medalist, track and field
- Darrell Royal, football player who became a highly successful coach at the University of Texas at Austin
- Dave Schultz, 3x NCAA Champion, Olympic and world champion wrestler[17]
- Mark Schultz, 3x NCAA Champion, Olympic and world champion wrestler[17]
- Lee Roy Selmon, former professional football player and NFL Hall of Fame member
- Steve Sewell, former professional football player
- Grant Sherfield (born 1999), professional basketball player for the Löwen Braunschweig of the BBL
- Larry Sherrer, former professional football player
- Joe Simpson, former professional baseball player and current Atlanta Braves broadcaster
- Travis Simpson, former professional football player
- Billy Sims, former professional football player, Heisman Trophy winner
- Burch Smith, Major League Baseball player; free agent
- Terry Stotts, currently an assistant coach for the Golden State Warriors of the NBA
- Evan Tanner, former mixed martial artist who won the UFC Middleweight Championship in 2005
- TaShawn Thomas (born 1993), professional basketball player for the Le Mans of the LNB Élite
- Spencer Tillman, former professional football player; National Champion, Super Bowl Champion San Francisco 49ers; sports analyst
- Wayman Tisdale, former professional basketball player
- Frank Trigg, MMA fighter and broadcaster
- Jerry Tubbs, former professional football player
- Richard Turner, former professional football player
- Casey Walker, NFL player
- Willie Warren, professional basketball player
- Joe Washington, former professional football player
- Elbert Watts, former professional football player
- J.C. Watts, former professional football player and former member of the U.S. House of Representatives
- Jason White, former football player, Heisman Trophy winner
- Roy Williams, former professional football player
- Trent Williams, football player, currently a member of the San Francisco 49ers
- Reggie Willits, former professional baseball player, first base coach of the New York Yankees
- Chet Winters, former professional football player
- J. T. Wise, former professional baseball player
- Bobby Witt, former professional baseball player
- Trae Young, professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards of the NBA
- Waddy Young, professional football player, killed in action as a US Army Air Force bomber pilot in World War II
Architecture
- Leon Quincy Jackson (1926/1927–1995), architect, professor, early African-American architect in Oklahoma and Tennessee[5]
- Elizabeth Bauer Mock, modern architecture advocate, museum director, professor of architecture
- Mickey Muennig (1935–2021), architect in California[18]
Arts and entertainment
- Brent Albright, professional wrestler, former NWA World Heavyweight Champion
- Alpharad, YouTuber, Esports personality, and musician
- Marilyn Artus, visual artist
- Gregory Benford, science fiction author and physicist, B.S. Physics, 1963
- Jennifer Berry, Miss America 2006
- Diane Bish, organist and composer
- Robert O'Neil Bristow, author
- Jim Butcher, author
- C. J. Cherryh, science fiction and fantasy author, B.A. Latin, 1964
- Kellie Coffey, country music singer
- Stephen Dickson, opera singer
- Larry Drake, television and film actor
- Ronnie Claire Edwards, actress
- James Garner, film actor and director
- David Gates, musician and lead singer for Bread[19]
- Jim George, author
- Alice Ghostley, actress
- Sterlin Harjo, filmmaker
- Ed Harris, film actor and director
- Van Heflin, film and theater actor
- Robert Henson, journalist and author
- Adrianna Hicks, actress
- Mark Houston, composer, lyricist, newspaper columnist, and actor[20]
- Rance Howard, actor
- Olinka Hrdy, artist, 1928
- Kevin James (undergraduate), radio show host and lawyer
- Honorée Fanonne Jeffers, poet and novelist[21]
- Christian Kane, actor, musician, singer-songwriter
- Roberta Knie, opera singer
- Marvin Lamb, composer
- D.L. Lang, poet laureate of Vallejo, California
- Carol Littleton, film editor
- Kirstin Maldonado, soprano in the a capella band Pentatonix
- Kelly Mantle, drag queen and actor
- Travis McElroy, co-host and co-creator of The Adventure Zone and My Brother, My Brother, and Me[22]
- Suzanne Mitchell, director of the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders
- Olivia Munn, actress (The Newsroom), model, spokesperson, and former G4 host
- Jason Nelson, pioneering net artist and digital poet, 1993
- Tom Paxton, singer-songwriter, B.F.A., 1959
- Meg Randall, actress
- Slim Richey, jazz guitarist
- G. Patrick Riley, mask maker and art educator
- Kevin Samuels, YouTuber[23]
- Damin Spritzer, organist and academic
- Matt Villines (2000), film director (Funny or Die, Saturday Night Live)[24]
- "Cowboy" Bill Watts, former professional wrestler
- Dennis Weaver, Emmy Award-winning actor
- "Dr. Death" Steve Williams, former All-American offensive lineman and popular pro wrestler, especially in Japan
Law
- Vaughn Ary, first United States Marine Corps Judge Advocate Division major general, J.D., 1987
- Robert E. Bacharach, judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, B.A., 1981
- Tom Colbert, chief justice of the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, first African-American Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice, J.D., 1982
- Noma Gurich, justice of the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, J.D., 1978
- Rudolph Hargrave, former justice of the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, J.D., 1949
- Robert Harlan Henry, judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, former Oklahoma attorney general, B.A., 1974, J.D., 1976
- Anita Hill, OU Law professor and accuser in the Clarence Thomas scandal
- Ralph B. Hodges, former justice of the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, J.D., 1954
- William Judson Holloway Jr., judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, B.A., 1947
- Alfred P. Murrah, judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit, namesake of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building, LL.B., 1928
- Angela R. Riley, chief justice of Citizen Potawatomi Nation
- Steven W. Taylor, justice of the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, J.D., 1974
- James R. Winchester, justice of the Supreme Court of Oklahoma, B. A., 1974
Politics
- Carl Albert, former speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives (D-OK), B.A. Political Science, 1927
- Alicia Andrews, chair of the Oklahoma Democratic party, B.A. Psychology[25]
- Dick Armey, former U.S. House Majority Leader (R-TX), PhD Economics
- Alan Armstrong, junior United States senator representing the state of Oklahoma since 2026
- Jari Askins, former lieutenant governor of Oklahoma, B.A. Journalism, 1975; J.D., 1980
- Dan Boren, former congressman (D-OK), M.B.A., 2000
- David Boren, former governor of Oklahoma and U.S. Senator (D-OK); former president of the University of Oklahoma, J.D., 1968
- Brad Carson, former congressman (D-OK), J.D. 1994
- Fernando Chui Sai On, current chief executive and former secretary for Social and Cultural Affairs of the Macau Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China, PhD Public Health
- Tom Coburn, former U.S. senator and congressman (R-OK), M.D., 1983
- Tom Cole, congressman (R-OK), PhD British History, 1984
- Mick Cornett, former mayor of Oklahoma City
- Walter E. Gaskin, retired United States Marine Corps lieutenant general; current secretary of Military and Veterans Affairs for the State of North Carolina; Master's in Public Administration, 1990–1992
- David Hall, former governor of Oklahoma
- John Tyler Hammons, mayor of Muskogee, Oklahoma (R), J.D. 2015
- Brad Henry, former governor of Oklahoma (D), B.A. Economics, 1985, J.D., 1988
- Kirk Humphreys, former mayor of Oklahoma City, B.B.A., 1972
- Wayne Harold Johnson (Master of Library Science), member of both houses of the Wyoming State Legislature from Cheyenne, 1993 to 2017 (R)
- Frank Keating, former governor of Oklahoma (R), J.D., 1969
- Robert H. Kittleman, Maryland state senator, 1947
- Jess Larson, U.S. Air Force major general and first administrator of the General Services Administration
- Peter MacDonald, Navajo code talker, 7th chairman of the Navajo Nation
- Susana Martinez, governor of New Mexico (R), first Latina governor in the U.S.; J.D. 1986
- Donald McClarren, member of the New Hampshire House of Representatives
- Dave McCurdy, former congressman (D-OK)
- Scott Meacham, former state treasurer of Oklahoma
- Ruth Messinger, former president of the Borough of Manhattan
- Monroe Nichols, mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma (D), M.P.A.
- William Ridenour, member of the West Virginia House of Delegates (R), graduate degree, 2000[26]
- Anwar Sabbah, former Lebanese government minister, bachelor's in mechanical engineering, 1956[27]
- Frank Spooner, Louisiana businessman and Republican politician, B.S., 1960[28]
- Rob Standridge, Oklahoma state senator (R), Bachelor's Pharmacy, 1993
- David Walters, former governor of Oklahoma (D), B.S. Industrial Engineering, 1973
- J. C. Watts, former U.S. representative and chairman of the House Republican Conference (R-OK), B.A. Journalism, 1981
Others
- Leila Andrews (1876–1954), physician, associate professor of medicine at OU College of Medicine (1910–1925)
- Kevin Bales, founder of Free the Slaves
- Harry W. Bass, Sr. (1895–1970), oilman and philanthropist[29]
- Clay Bennett, majority owner of the Oklahoma City Thunder
- Pat Bowlen, owner of the Denver Broncos (deceased)
- Roger Brady, Air Force general
- Phillip T. Butler POW in North Vietnam, president of Veterans for Peace
- Mike Davis, anthropologist, archeologist, and boat builder
- Angie Debo, historian of Oklahoma and Native Americans, A.B. History 1918, PhD 1933
- Jordan Deschamps-Braly, maxillofacial surgeon
- Archie W. Dunham, oil and gas CEO
- Bob Faith (born 1963/1964), founder, chairman and CEO of Greystar Real Estate Partners[30]
- Roy Furr, founder of Furr's grocery store and cafeteria chain
- Owen K. Garriott, Skylab 3 and STS-9 astronaut, B.S. Electrical Engineering, 1953
- Fred Haise, Apollo 13 astronaut, B.S. Aeronautical Engineering, 1959
- Thomas J. Haynes, Air National Guard general
- Elma Holder, elder rights activist
- Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma
- Anna Lewis (1885–1961), historian, writer, PhD 1930
- Tom Love, owner, founder, and chairman of Love's Travel Stops & Country Stores (dropped out)[31]
- Shannon Lucid, astronaut, PhD Biochemistry, 1973
- Kelli Masters, lawyer and sports agent
- Rodney McKinley, 15th Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
- Larry Merchant, sportswriter and commentator for HBO Sports
- Dari Nowkhah, lead anchor for ESPNU
- Lotsee Patterson, librarian, educator, and founder of the American Indian Library Association
- Ross Porter, broadcaster for the Los Angeles Dodgers
- Michael F. Price, mutual fund investor
- Mark M. Ravitch, surgeon
- Lawrence G. Rawl, chairman and CEO of Exxon
- Rick Rescorla, director of security for Morgan Stanley, killed while leading evacuation efforts at the South Tower during the September 11 Attacks
- Gary Michael Rose, 1989, U.S. Army captain, Medal of Honor recipient, Vietnam War 1970
- Jeffrey D. Sadow, political scientist, conservative columnist
- Charles Schusterman (1945–2000), businessman, philanthropist[32]
- Randall L. Stephenson, chairman and CEO of AT&T
- Susan Stryker, professor, author, filmmaker, director of the University of Arizona's Institute of LGBT Studies
- Reed Timmer, meteorologist and storm chaser
- Helen Walton, widow of Sam Walton
- William C. Wantland, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Eau Claire
- Grace Steele Woodward, writer and historian