List of Kansas State University people

University presidents

The following men have served as President of Kansas State University:

Joseph Denison, 1863–1873

John Anderson, 1873–1879

George Fairchild, 1879–1897

Thomas Elmer Will, 1897–1899

Ernest Reuben Nichols, 1899–1909

Henry J. Waters, 1909–1917

William Jardine, 1918–1925

Francis D. Farrell, 1925–1943

Milton Eisenhower, 1943–1950⁺

James A. McCain, 1950–1975

Duane C. Acker, 1975–1986

Jon Wefald, 1986–2009

Kirk Schulz, 2009–2016

Richard Myers, 2016–present⁺

⁺Kansas State alumnus

Academia

Anna Estelle Arnold (1879-1942) – school teacher, administrator, textbook publisher

Erle Bartley – professor (1949-83); developed widely used preventative for ruminal tympany (ruminant bloat)

May Louise Cowles – researcher and nationwide advocate of home economics study

Kenneth S. Davis – historian, professor, nominated for National Book Award

Milton S. Eisenhower – former president of Kansas State, Penn State, and Johns Hopkins universities; brother of Dwight D. Eisenhower

Ernest Fox Nichols – physicist, president of Dartmouth College (1909–16) and MIT (1921–23)

Michael O'Donnell – professor, researcher on adolescent wellness

George P. "Bud" Peterson – President of the Georgia Institute of Technology (2009–present); chancellor of the University of Colorado-Boulder (2006–09)

John Brooks Slaughter – Chancellor of University System of Maryland (1982–88), president of Occidental College (1988–99), director of the National Science Foundation

Jacqueline Vietti – President of Butler Community College for 17 years; interim president of Emporia State University in 2015

Arts and media

Kirstie Alley – actress (Cheers, Veronica's Closet, Fat Actress); winner of two Emmy Awards

Craig Bolerjack – announcer on NFL on CBS; Utah Jazz television announcer

Jane Butel – cookbook author; founder of the Jane Butel Cooking School

Bill Buzenberg – journalist; executive director of Center for Public Integrity; former vice-president of news at NPR

Del Close – actor, improviser, writer; co-founder of I.O. theatre in Chicago and one of premier influences on modern improvisational theater

Lucinda Dickey – actress (Breakin', Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo), former Solid Gold dancer

Roy M. Fisher – journalist; former Editor-in-Chief of Chicago Daily News

Gail Gregg – artist

Eddie Griffin – comedian

Mitch Holthus – radio voice of Kansas City Chiefs

Gordon Jump – actor (WKRP in Cincinnati, "Maytag Man")

Virgil Miller – film special effects pioneer; Academy Award nominee

Clementine Paddleford – journalist and food writer; declared by Time magazine in 1953 as the "best known food editor in the United States"

Darcy Pattison – writer of children’s literature, blogger, writing teacher and indie publisher.

Steve Pepoon – TV writer/producer; Emmy winner, The Simpsons

Steve Physioc – television voice of Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Keylee Sue Sanders – television fashion consultant; former Miss Teen USA; pageant organizer

Lawrence M. Schoen – science fiction author

Mark Schultz – musician

Crystal Smith – model, actress, and Playboy centerfold

Pete Souza – photojournalist and official White House photographer (1983–1989); chief White House photographer (2009–present)

Eric Stonestreet – actor (Modern Family), Emmy Award winner

Theresa Vail – Miss Kansas 2013 (currently a senior at Kansas State)

Jerry Wexler – record producer; enshrined in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

English/creative writing

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

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.

Jim Isch – officer at NCAA; interim executive director of NCAA (2009–2010)

William A. Porter – founder of E-Trade

Warren Staley – President and CEO, Cargill, Inc.

Politics, government and military

Emory S. Adams – United States Army general

Joseph Boakai – Vice President of Liberia (2006–present)

Sam Brownback – U.S. Senator, Kansas (1996–2011), 46th governor of Kansas (2011–present)

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)

Barbara West Carpenter - dean of international relations at Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and African-American Democrat member of the Louisiana House of Representatives since 2016

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–present)

Ronald E. Keys – General, U.S. Air Force

Richard A. Knobloch – Brigadier General, U.S. Air Force

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–present)

Bernard W. Rogers – NATO Supreme Allied Commander

Susanna M. Salter – Mayor of Argonia, Kansas (1887); first female mayor in 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

David Thibodaux – educator and author

Virginia Trotter – U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education (1974–1977)

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

Geraldine L. Richmond – physical chemist; National Medal of Science laureate

Lloyd Carlton Stearman – aircraft designer

Charles Hazelius Sternberg – paleontologist

Walter Tennyson Swingle – botanist

Samuel Wendell Williston – paleontologist

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

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 – former NBA basketball player (Boston Celtics); first-round pick in 1951 NBA Draft; former athletic director at Kansas State

Michael Beasley – All-American and Big 12 Conference Player of the Year (2008); second overall selection in the 2008 NBA Draft

Rolando Blackman – All-American (1981); former NBA basketball player (Dallas Mavericks), first-round pick in 1981 NBA Draft, four-time NBA All-Star

Bob Boozer – two-time All-American (1958, 1959); first overall draft pick in 1959 NBA Draft (Cincinnati Royals); NBA All-Star

Bob Chipman – basketball coach at Washburn University; team won 1986–1987 NAIA national championship

Mike Evans – former NBA basketball player (Denver Nuggets); first-round pick in 1978 NBA Draft; NBA executive and coach

Bill Guthridge – former basketball coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; National Coach of the Year (1998)

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 – graduated in 2013, currently plays for the Miami Heat

Willie Murrell – led KSU to Final Four in 1964; former ABA basketball player

Nicole Ohlde – three-time All-American (2002, 2003, 2004); first-round pick in 2004 WNBA Draft

Mitch Richmond – All-American (1988); former NBA basketball player (Golden State Warriors, Sacramento Kings); first-round pick in 1988 NBA Draft; six-time NBA All-Star NBA All-Star Game MVP

Jamar Samuels (born 1989) – basketball player for Bnei Herzliya of the Israeli Basketball Premier League

Howie Shannon – All-American (1948); first overall draft pick in 1949 BAA Draft (Providence Steamrollers)

Juan "Pachín" Vicens – 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)

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)

Jaime Mendez – All-American (1993); holds KSU record for most interceptions in a season (15)

Ralph McFillen – player from 1960–1963; NCAA conference commissioner

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

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

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)

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 Davidson – professor of military tactics (1868–71)

Kenneth S. Davis – professor of history

Michael Finnegan – professor of anthropology

Charles Christian Georgeson – professor of agriculture (1890–98)

Nehemiah Green – professor of military tactics

Roy M. Green – professor; later president of Colorado State University

T. Marshall Hahn – Dean of College of Arts and Sciences (1959–62); later president of Virginia Tech

Jonathan Holden – professor of English (poetry) (1978–present)

John S. Hougham – chairman of philosophy and agriculture (1868–72)

A. S. Hitchcock – professor of botany (1892-1901)

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

Michael Wesch – assistant professor of cultural anthropology, recipient of 2008 U.S. Professor of the Year award from CASE

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.