List of University of Kansas people

Nobel laureates

Frank Sherwood Rowland (1956–64), awarded the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Vernon L. Smith (M.A. in economics 1952), awarded the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics

Juan Manuel Santos, (graduated in 1973), awarded the 2016 Nobel Peace Prize

Politics, government and education

Juan Manuel Santos, President of Colombia, elected in 2010 ; Nobel Peace Prize winner (2016)

William H. Avery (1934), 37th governor of Kansas (1965–1967)

Sheila C. Bair, former Chairman of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC)

Kay Barnes, Mayor of Kansas City, Missouri from 1999 to 2007

Carol A. Beier, Kansas Supreme Court Justice

Robert Frederick Bennett, 37th governor of Kansas (1975–1979)

George L. Brown, first African-American elected lieutenant governor and first African-American elected to statewide office in Colorado

Sam Brownback, current Kansas governor

Thomas W. Butcher, president of Kansas State Teachers College (Emporia State University) from 1913 to 1943

Francisco Santos Calderón, 9th vice president of Colombia

Arthur Linton Corbin (1894), professor at Yale Law School and scholar of contract law

Jonathan M. Davis, 22nd governor of Kansas

George Docking (1925), 35th governor of Kansas (1957–1961)

Robert Docking (1948), 38th governor of Kansas (1967–1975)

Bob Dole, former U.S. Senate majority leader and Senator from Kansas (1969–1996), presidential and vice-presidential nominee, played football and basketball while attending.

Jerry Elliott, Kansas jurist

Sam C. Ford, the 12th governor of Montana

Thomas Frank, author, What's the Matter with Kansas?

Frederick Funston, attended 1885–1888, US Army general, recipient of Medal of Honor

John B. Gage (1907), mayor of Kansas City, Missouri (1940–1946)

Robert L. Gernon (BS 1966), Kansas Supreme Court Justice

Arthur Harkins (BA 1959, PhD 1968), UMN Graduate Certificate in Innovation Studies

Jane Dee Hull (1957), 24th governor of Arizona (1997–2003)

Todd Ames Hunter (BA 1975), member of the Texas House of Representatives from Corpus Christi, 1989-1997; attorney since 2009

John E. Jacobs, interim president of Emporia State in 1953; Director of Special Education for the Kansas State Department of Education, 1953–1957

Lee A. Johnson (BS 1964), Kansas Supreme Court Justice

Nancy Landon Kassebaum (1954), first female U.S. senator (1979–1997) elected without having been preceded in office by her husband

Kenton Keith, U.S. ambassador to Qatar, 1992–1995

Joan F. Kessler, Wisconsin Court of Appeals Judge

Phill Kline (JD 1987), former Attorney General of Kansas (2003–2006), District Attorney of Johnson County (2007–2008)

Ron Kuby, civil rights attorney

Alf Landon (1908), 26th governor of Kansas (1933–1937) and Republican nominee in the 1936 presidential election

Delano Lewis, former National Public Radio CEO and ambassador to South Africa

Caroline Lucas, first Member of Parliament (UK) elected as a Green Party of England and Wales candidate

Deane Waldo Malott (1921), former Chancellor of KU and 6th president of Cornell University (1951–1963)

David McClain, President, University of Hawaii

John H. McClendon, African-American studies scholar at Michigan State University

Merritt C. Mechem, 5th governor of the State of New Mexico (1921–1923)

Kenneth Megill, philosopher, trade unionist, social activist, records and knowledge manager

Alexander C. Mitchell (1889), Kansas Board of Regents, State House and Representative to the Sixty-second US Congress

Dennis Moore, U.S. Congressman for Kansas District 3 (1999–2011)

Franklin David Murphy (B.S. 1936), Chancellor of the University of Kansas and Chancellor of the University of California, Los Angeles

Lawton Nuss (BA 1975, JD 1982), Kansas Supreme Court Justice

Frank D. Parent, California municipal court judge

William C. Perry (1922), Chief Justice Oregon Supreme Court

Eric Rosen, Kansas Supreme Court Justice

Jim Ryun, former U.S. Congressman Kansas District 2 (1997–2007), three-time U.S. Olympic runner and silver medalist

Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services under Obama, 44th governor of Kansas (2003–2009)

Michael Shonrock – former president of Emporia State University; now president of Lindenwood University

Stephen Six, Attorney General of Kansas

Sam V. Stewart, Montana Supreme Court Justice and the sixth governor of Montana

David R. Stras, Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court

Walter R. Stubbs, 18th governor of Kansas

Deanell Reece Tacha (BA 1968), former chief judge of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit (2001–present)

Rosalie E. Wahl (1946), first woman appointed to the Minnesota Supreme Court

Bob Whittaker, U.S. Representative from Kansas

Kevin Yoder, U.S. Representative from Kansas District 3 (2011-present)

Media and the arts

Wendall Anschutz, bachelors and masters in communications, long time KCTV news anchor

Sanora Babb, novelist, best known for An Owl on Every Post and Whose Names Are Unknown

Scott Bakula, actor, star of Quantum Leap and Star Trek: Enterprise

James Barnes, professor and award-winning composer

Etta Moten Barnett, actress and singer, the first black artist to perform at the White House

Liliana V. Blum, Mexican writer

Danni Boatwright, former Miss Teen USA and Miss USA contestant, winner of Survivor: Guatemala

Kara Brock, television and film actress

Terry Bryant, journalist; sports and weather anchor, KMPH FOX 26-Fresno, CA

Igor Buketoff, conductor

Trai Byers, actor, star of Empire

Christina Chang, television actress

Jan Chiapusso, piano pedagogue

Evan S. Connell, novelist, best known for Mrs. Bridge and Mr. Bridge

Steve Doocy, Fox News anchor, New York Times bestselling author

Bob Dotson, documentarian and NBC reporter, four-time Emmy Award winner

Bill Downs, CBS and ABC News correspondent and one of the original Murrow Boys

Robert Ebendorf, international metalsmith and jeweler who uses found objects in his artwork

C. L. Edson, newspaper columnist, humorist, and poet

Gillian Flynn, writer, novel Gone Girl

Kori Gardner, vocalist, organist, and pianist in Mates of State; writer of Band on the Diaper Run

Frances Ginsberg, opera singer

Nikki Glaser, comedian

Cara Gorges, Miss Kansas USA 2007, controversial 2nd runner-up in Miss USA pageant

Moses Gunn, actor, TV mini-series Roots

Sherman Halsey, music video director, producer and artist manager

Ann Hamilton (BFA 1979), sculptor, installation artist and 1993 MacArthur Fellow recipient

Jason Hammel, musician, member of Mates of State

Kevin Harlan, broadcaster for CBS and TNT sports

Herk Harvey, award-winning director of over 400 industrial and educational short films and cult film Carnival of Souls

Scott Heim, novelist

Kevin Helliker, Chicago bureau chief of the Wall Street Journal, awarded the 2004 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting

Bob Holtzman, ESPN bureau-reporter for SportsCenter

William Inge, Pulitzer Prize and Academy Award-winning author and playwright

Don Johnson, actor, co-star of Miami Vice and Nash Bridges

Tim Joyce, television journalist, writer, meteorologist

Jay Karnes, television actor, most notably from The Shield

George E Kimball III, author, poet

Terry Kiser, actor who portrayed the title character of the comedy Weekend at Bernie's

Bill Kurtis, television journalist and producer, host of A&E shows including American Justice and Cold Case Files

Neil LaBute, filmmaker/screenwriter, wrote and directed In the Company of Men, nominated for Palme D'Or for Nurse Betty

Wayne Lamb, Broadway dancer, choreographer and Professor Emeritus at Purdue University

Margaret Larkin, writer, poet, singer-songwriter, theater personality, researcher, and union activist

Jack Lembeck, painter and sculptor

Keith Loneker, NFL player, St. Louis Rams and Atlanta Falcons; actor, Leatherheads, Superbad, Lakeview Terrace

Laura Moriarty, novelist

Robert Morris, contemporary sculptor and painter (transferred to Reed College)

Rob Neyer, baseball author and columnist for ESPN.com

Sara Paretsky, novelist, best known for her frequent protagonist V.I. Warshawski

Mandy Patinkin, Emmy and Tony Award-winning actor and singer (Yentl, The Princess Bride; TV's Criminal Minds)

Artur Pizarro, concert pianist

Maurice Prather, motion picture and still photographer and film director

Unique Priscilla, Indonesian-born actress and model

Betsy Randle, actress best known as the mother on Boy Meets World

Rob Riggle, comedian, The Daily Show correspondent and former Saturday Night Live cast member

Melissa Rooker, Director of Development of Malpaso Productions

Aaron S. Rosenberg, author and game designer

Paul Rudd, actor from TV's Friends, Clueless, The Cider House Rules, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, and Ant-Man

Samantha Ryan, adult film actress

Devin Scillian, television journalist and children's author

Gary Mark Smith, artist, author, master global street photographer

William Stafford (BA 1937), poet and pacifist, winner of the National Book Award for Travelling Through the Dark

Oscar S. Stauffer (1910), founder of Stauffer Communications

Mimi Thebo (BA 1985), Carnegie-nominated children's author

Laurence Traiger, composer

Joe H. Vaughan (BS-1971), broadcast journalism, author, elected public official

Kari Wahlgren (BA 1999), voice actor

Dee Wallace, actress (E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial, The Howling)

Catherine Warren, Miss Illinois USA 2006

William Allen White, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author

Frank Wilcox, actor (attended for one year before transferring to St. Benedict's College)

Science and technology

Jon Davies (BS 1980), meteorologist, expert on severe thunderstorm environments and forecasting

Paul R. Ehrlich (MA/PhD 1957), entomologist, researcher and author of The Population Bomb, and 1990 MacArthur Fellow recipient

Joe Engle (BS 1955), former NASA astronaut and a retired U.S. Air Force colonel

Ronald E. Evans (BS 1956), former NASA astronaut and a retired U.S. Navy captain

Robert M. Haralick (BA 1964, BS 1966, MS 1967, PhD 1969), Distinguished Professor of Computer Science, Graduate Center, City University of New York

Steve Hawley (BA 1973), former NASA director and astronaut; Professor of Physics and Astronomy at KU

Erasmus Haworth, founder of the Kansas Geological Survey

David Hillis, evolutionary biologist and 1999 MacArthur Fellow recipient

Wes Jackson (MA 1960), environmental historian and founder of the Land Institute, a 1992 MacArthur Fellow recipient

Bill James, baseball sabermetrician; author of The Bill James Baseball Abstract, starting in 1977; named to the Time 100 in 2006

Richard F. Johnston, ornithologist and author, onetime curator of the Natural History Museum

William T. Kane, physicist in field of fiber optics

Joseph W. Kennedy (MA 1937), co-discoverer of the element plutonium

Brian McClendon (BSEE 1986), VP of Engineering for Google Earth, formerly Keyhole, Inc.

Elmer McCollum, co-discoverer of Vitamin A

Nariman Mehta, pharmacologist, developer of the antidepressant and smoking cessation drug bupropion

Rear Admiral Wayne E. Meyer, "father" of the Aegis Combat System and namesake of the USS Wayne E. Meyer naval destroyer

Douglas Shane (BS 1982), director of flight operations for SpaceShipOne, which made the first privately funded human spaceflight

Vernon L. Smith (M.A. in economics 1952), awarded the 2002 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economics

Kathryn Stephenson (MD 1941), first American woman board-certified plastic surgeon

Walter Sutton, pioneer of cellular biology and genetics, physician, inventor

George Tiller (BS 1963, MD 1967), physician, abortion provider, pro-choice advocate

Clyde Tombaugh, astronomer, discoverer of the dwarf planet Pluto

Kent Whealy, co-founder of the Seed Savers Exchange; 1988 MacArthur Fellow recipient

Business

K. S. "Bud" Adams, Jr., CEO of Adams Resources; owner of the Tennessee Titans

Kenneth S. "Boots" Adams (1921), former President and CEO of Phillips 66 Petroleum Company

Kjell Almskog, Norwegian businessman; former chief executive officer of Kværner and many other companies

Philip Anschutz (1961), billionaire, founder of Qwest

Sue Anschutz-Rodgers (1955), cattle ranch owner and philanthropist

Cynthia Carroll, CEO of Anglo American, one of the world’s largest independent mining companies

Linda Z. Cook (1980), executive director of Shell Gas & Power, part of Royal Dutch Shell

Tim Crown, co-founder of Insight Enterprises

David Dillon, Chairman and CEO, Kroger Co.

Robert Eaton, former CEO of Chrysler Corporation

Robert Kaplan, former Vice Chairman of the Goldman Sachs Group, professor at Harvard

Lou Montulli, co-founder of Netscape

Alan Mulally (BS/MS), President and CEO of Ford Motor Company

Christopher A. Sinclair (1971), Chairman and CEO of Mattel; former CEO of Pepsi-Cola, Co.

Harry F. Sinclair, founder of Sinclair Oil Corporation

Charles E. Spahr (1934), former CEO of Standard Oil of Ohio

Kenneth A. Spencer (1926), Spencer Chemical Company founder whose philanthropies to KU include the Kenneth Spencer Research Library and the Helen Foresman Spencer Museum of Art

David Wittig (1977), former President and CEO of Westar Energy

Cheryl Womack, founder of insurance company for National Association of Independent Truckers, who donated the money for Arrocha Ballpark on the KU campus

Honorary alumni

Donald J. Hall, Sr., Chairman of the Board and former President and CEO of Hallmark Cards

Chester Nez, WWII veteran and the last living of the 29 Navajo Code Talkers

Faculty

Raj Bhala, Rice Distinguished Professor of Law and the Associate Dean for International and Comparative Law

Jan Chiapusso, Dutch-born pianist and pedagogue

J C D Clark, Ph.D., Cambridge University; Professor of History, History of Political Thought, 17th and 18th-century Britain, History of Religion

Anthony Corbeill, classics professor and writer specializing in political humor, Roman gesture, and grammatical gender

Loren Eiseley, anthropology professor from 1937 to 1944

Michael S. Engel, Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Curator of Entomology; expert on fossil insects

Bryant C. Freeman, founded the Institute of Haitian studies at KU, was given the protocol rank of major general with the U.N. peacekeeping force, and has published dictionaries in the language.

James Gunn, Hugo Award-winning science fiction author and creative writing professor

Steve Hawley, Professor of Physics and Astronomy, former astronaut and director of flight crew operations of Johnson Space Center

Kij Johnson, creative writing professor, Nebula-winning fantasy author

Kermit E Krantz MD, LittD (deceased 2007), University Distinguished Professor; Professor and Chairman Emeritus, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology; developed the Marshall–Marchetti–Krantz (MMK) surgical procedure; invented the expandable tampon

Solomon Lefschetz (1884-1972) Famous for his topological fixed-point theorem and very high standards

Stanley Lombardo, classics professor and translator of classical works into English, including the Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid

Adrian Melott, Professor of Physics and Astronomy; astrophysicist and astrobiologist, researched the large-scale structure of the Universe and mass extinctions

Paul Mirecki, Professor of Religious Studies, Bible scholar

Charles D. Michener; former chairman of KU Entomology Department, ex-director of the Snow Entomological Museum

Richard Moore, distinguished Professor emeritus

Jan Roskam, emeritus Professor of Aerospace Engineering, author of eleven books on airplane design and flight dynamics

Kevin Willmott, associate professor of theater and film; writer and director of the film C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America

Donald Worster, Distinguished Professor Emeritus of History, considered one of the founders of the field of environmental history

Athletes and coaches

For athletes and coaches, see the relevant section in Kansas Jayhawks

Baseball

Bob Allison, All-Star outfielder of the Washington Senators and Minnesota Twins, 1959 American League Rookie of the Year

Jeff Berblinger, former Major League Baseball player

Mike Getto, Head Baseball Coach, All-American in football, Head Coach for the Brooklyn Dodgers team in 1942

Tom Gorzelanny, major league pitcher for the Detroit Tigers

Travis Metcalf, former Major League Baseball player

Steve Renko, major league pitcher, winner of 136 games for seven different teams

Mike Zagurski, major league pitcher for the Arizona Diamondbacks

Basketball

Cole Aldrich, 2010 All-American, 11th pick in the 2010 NBA draft, Oklahoma City Thunder

Forrest "Phog" Allen, head basketball coach; won three national championships, 10th winningest coach in college basketball history and #1 winningest when he retired

Darrell Arthur, 2008 National Champions, 27th pick of 2008 NBA draft, Memphis Grizzlies

Nick Bradford, basketball player 1997–2000, played professionally in Iceland, France, and Romania

Bill Bridges, All-American, 1975 NBA Championship with Golden State Warriors

Mario Chalmers, 2007 Big 12 Co-Defensive Player of the Year, 2008 National Champions, MOP of 2008 Championship Game, 34th pick of 2008 NBA draft, Miami Heat, 2012 and 2013 NBA Finals Champion with the Miami Heat, currently an NBA free agent

Wilt Chamberlain, two-time All-American, Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer and NBA all-time leader for career rebounds and most points in a single game with 100 points

Sherron Collins, 2010 All-American, NBA player for Charlotte Bobcats, currently with Windsor Express

Nick Collison, All-American, NBA player for the Oklahoma City Thunder also known as "Mr. USA Basketball" for representing the country in international basketball

Joel Embiid, NBA player for the Philadelphia 76ers

Drew Gooden, All-American, 4th pick 2002 NBA draft, Basketball America Player of the Year 2002, Milwaukee Bucks

Xavier Henry, All Big 12 honorable mention, 12th pick in the 2010 NBA draft, Memphis Grizzlies

Kirk Hinrich, All-American, NBA player with the Chicago Bulls

Raef LaFrentz, All-American, NBA player with the Portland Trail Blazers

Keith Langford, professional basketball player (with Maccabi Tel Aviv)

Clyde Lovellette, All-American; first basketball player in history to play on NCAA, Olympic, and NBA championship squads; three NBA Finals titles and 1952 Olympic gold medal and NCAA Champion

Danny Manning, basketball player and coach; two-time All-American, 1988 recipient of the Naismith and Wooden Awards, Big 8 Player of the Decade for the 1980s, two-time NBA all-star

Ben McLemore, 7th pick of 2013 NBA draft, Sacramento Kings

Ralph Miller, former men's basketball coach at Oregon State University, the University of Iowa, and Wichita State University, member of the Basketball Hall of Fame

Marcus Morris, All-American basketball player, fourteenth pick in the 2011 NBA draft, Houston Rockets

Markieff Morris, thirteenth pick of the 2011 NBA draft, Phoenix Suns

James Naismith, inventor of basketball

Gregory Donovan Ostertag, NBA Utah Jazz 1995–2012, retired

Paul Pierce, All-American, NBA All-Star, 2008 NBA Finals Champion and NBA Finals MVP with the Boston Celtics, now on the Los Angeles Clippers

Scot Pollard, NBA, free agent

Thomas Robinson, NBA player for the Sacramento Kings

Dave Robisch, two-time All-American, 13 seasons in the ABA and NBA

Adolph Rupp, former men's basketball coach at the University of Kentucky and the third winningest coach in the sport; two-time Helms National Championship team member at KU

Brandon Rush, two-time All-American, MVP of the 2008 Big 12 Tournament, 2008 National Champions, 13th pick of 2008 NBA draft, Indiana Pacers, 2015 NBA Finals Champion as a member of the Golden State Warriors

Wayne Simien, two-time All-American, 2005 Big 12 Player of the Year

Dean Smith, basketball coach at the University of North Carolina; third winningest coach in the sport; 1952 NCAA Basketball title at KU

Tyshawn Taylor, NBA player for the Brooklyn Nets

Mark Turgeon, former player and current head coach for University of Maryland, formerly at Wichita State and Texas A&M

Darnell Valentine, All-American, three-time Academic All-American, 16th pick in 1981 NBA draft, 10 years in NBA

Jacque Vaughn, head coach of Orlando Magic, two-time All-American, and 27th pick in 1997 NBA draft

Jo Jo White, All-American, 1968 gold medal Mexico City Olympics, named the most valuable player of the 1976 NBA Finals, seven-time NBA All-Star with Boston Celtics

Lynette Woodard, four-time All-American at KU; major college basketball's career women's scoring leader; first female member of the Harlem Globetrotters; Olympic women's basketball gold medalist

Julian Wright, All-American, 13th pick of 2007 NBA draft, Toronto Raptors

Andrew Wiggins, first pick in the 2014 NBA draft, 2015 NBA Rookie of the Year, current Minnesota Timberwolves player

Football

Gilbert Brown, NFL nose tackle for Super Bowl XXXI Champion Green Bay Packers; 11 seasons in NFL

Jon Cornish, CFL running back for the Calgary Stampeders; 2013 CFL season Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian; 2012 CFL season Most Outstanding Canadian; played in and won the 96th Grey Cup

Nolan Cromwell, All-American; in 1976 set NCAA rushing record for a quarterback; 1980 NFC Defensive Player of the Year; four-time pro bowl selection in 11 years with the Los Angeles Rams

J.P. Darche, former NFL long-snapper for the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs, graduated from the KU Medical School in 2014 following his retirement from football (played football at and received undergraduate degree from McGill University in Canada)

Dick Davis, American Football League champion with the 1962 Dallas Texans

Jack Del Rio, former NFL linebacker, former head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars; played collegiately for the University of Southern California; earned his degree from KU while playing for the Kansas City Chiefs

Bobby Douglass, KU and NFL quarterback; led 9–1 Jayhawks to Orange Bowl in 1968; All-American 1968, drafted 2nd round by Chicago Bears in 1969, retired 1978

Mike Getto, Head Baseball Coach, All-American in Football, Head Coach for the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1942

John Hadl, two-time All-American, once as halfback and once as quarterback; KU Football Player of the Century; NFL quarterback 1962–1977

Chris Harris Jr, cornerback for Denver Broncos; Super Bowl 50 champion; two-time Pro Bowler

James Holt, 2008 Insight Bowl defensive MVP; signed by the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2009

Ron Jessie, former NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver

Mike Johnson, NFL player

Rod Jones, Aloha Bowl Champion 1995, National Football League 1996–2002, Cincinnati Bengals, St. Louis Rams, Washington Redskins

Curtis McClinton, played in Super Bowl IV with the Kansas City Chiefs; sixth-leading rusher in franchise history; MVP

Monte Merkel, NFL guard

Tyler Patmon, NFL cornerback

Elvis Patterson, former NFL cornerback, two-time Super Bowl champion (XXI, XXVIII)

Willie Pless, star football linebacker in the Canadian Football League; NCAA and Big 8 record holder for tackles with 633 (in only 3 years); 11-time All-Pro and 5-time Defensive Player of the Year in CFL

John Riggins, Super Bowl XVII MVP; NFL Hall of Fame inductee

Gale Sayers, All-American, NFL Hall of Fame running back

Laverne Smith, NFL running back, Pittsburgh Steelers

Dana Stubblefield, NFL all-pro defensive end; drafted in the first round of the 1993 NFL Draft, 26th overall, by the San Francisco 49ers; NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year; four-time All-Pro selection (1994, 1995, 1996, 1997); NFL Defensive Player of the Year 1997

Darrell Stuckey, NFL safety, San Diego Chargers

Aqib Talib, 2008 Orange Bowl MVP; first round NFL draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Broderick Thompson, former NFL offensive linema

John E. Zook, defensive end KU (1966-1968) NFL (1969-1979); KU All-Time team, All-American 1968, 2nd-Team All-Pro 1973, 2nd-Team All-NFC 1972 & 1973, 1973 Pro Bowl; missed only three games in ten years before final pro season

Golf

Matt Gogel, professional golfer on the PGA Tour; winner of the 2002 AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am on the PGA Tour

Gary Woodland, professional golfer on the PGA Tour; winner of the 2011 Transitions Championship at Innisbrook and the 2013 Reno Tahoe Open on the PGA Tour

Track and field

Bill Alley, javelin, Olympian and US record holder

Glenn Cunningham, former world record holder in 1500m and the mile, silver medal in 1936 Olympics in 1500m

Bill Dotson, former distance runner; broke four minute mile on both indoor and outdoor tracks

Billy Mills, the only US Olympic 10,000m gold medal winner; former world record holder

Bill Nieder, shot put; won silver at the 1956 Summer Olympics and gold in 1960 Summer Olympics; set three shot put world records

Al Oerter, All-American, four consecutive gold medals in olympic discus throw; two-time world record holder

Jim Ryun, former U.S. congressman; three-time Olympic runner and silver medalist; held world records in the 880, 1,500m, and indoor and outdoor miles

Wes Santee, middle distance runner, Olympian

Athletic directors

Kent Weiser, current athletic director at Emporia State University; former women's golf coach at Kansas