# What notable alumni went to your school/university? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [December 18, 2008, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-notable-alumni-went-to-your-school-university/477750 "2008-12-18T15:41:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![stucco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e56c9b/32.png) [@stucco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/stucco)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 10:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-notable-alumni-went-to-your-school-university/477750/61 "2008-12-18T22:33:06Z")
> [@Maeglin](#): > > I went to a school that’s been around a long time, so that helps rack up famous alumni. The [list](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_University#Alumni_and_attenders) is pretty impressive, and includes Barack Obama. Anna Paquin spent a year there as a freshman when I was a senior, and sadly, I never got her number. I went to high school with Anna Paquin! I barely talked ever talked to her though. Famous former students at my college include: Ira Glass Jeffry Eugenides Randy Pausch JFK Jr. Laura Linney Masi Oka (Hiro on Heroes!) And of course, Brian from _Family Guy_\*\* ---
**Author:** ![Tripler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripler/32/21807_2.png) [@Tripler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tripler)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-notable-alumni-went-to-your-school-university/477750/62 "2008-12-18T22:41:02Z")
I went to Embry-Riddle (Prescott, AZ), and our only notable alumnus (outside of academia) is [Scott O’Grady](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scott_O%27Grady). And then there’s me, but gimme some time here. . . Tripler When I take over the world, you’ll know me. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 10:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-notable-alumni-went-to-your-school-university/477750/63 "2008-12-18T22:46:34Z")
**Newt Gingrich** taught me Poli Sci at what was then West Georgia College, and I went to school there with popular radio personality **Rhubarb Jones**. Quasi ---
**Author:** ![Spavined\_Gelding](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/958977/32.png) [@Spavined\_Gelding](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spavined_Gelding)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 10:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-notable-alumni-went-to-your-school-university/477750/64 "2008-12-18T22:54:02Z")
I attended a jerk-water little college in Missouri briefly (until it was decided that the school could do without my scholarship). Its big brag distinguished alumnus was Robert Cummings, [this guy](http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0191950/). Big whoop? ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-notable-alumni-went-to-your-school-university/477750/65 "2008-12-18T22:58:19Z")
**WHOOP!** Well of **course**! From those of us old enough to remember him. I know him from the small screen, but he was a great comedic actor in the style of Dick van Dyke (which was not his real name, BTW). Quasi ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-notable-alumni-went-to-your-school-university/477750/66 "2008-12-18T23:05:01Z")
> [@mmouse9799](#): > > I went to MacMurray College in Jacksonville, IL. Wikipedia lists two alumni of note, both of which I’m not quite sure about. One actress, who most people have never heard who only went to school there for two years. The other is a dean at Rutgers. > > But, to be fair, the student body at Mac only numbers about 650 at any given time. When were you at MacMurray? My husband has several friends who went there and he lived in Jacksonville for many years. In fact we were just up there last weekend for his ex-wife’s memorial service. ---
**Author:** ![Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazle_Weatherfield)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-notable-alumni-went-to-your-school-university/477750/67 "2008-12-18T23:07:51Z")
University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana: Ang Lee and Roger Ebert are the only two I can think of right now. There must be more! (Henry Blake’s character from Mash?) ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2008, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-notable-alumni-went-to-your-school-university/477750/68 "2008-12-18T23:09:34Z")
Limiting it to people I’m actually proud of : ``` * Maurice Bloomfield - Austrian-born U.S. philologist and Sanskrit scholar * Jay Bocook - Renowned Composer and Arranger - Work Featured at 1984 Olympic Games * Ben Browder - Three-time Saturn Awards winner for Best Actor on Television on Farscape * Betsy Byars - children's author, winner of the Newbery Medal, a National Book Award, an Edgar Award and the Regina Medal * Joseph H. Earle - member of the South Carolina House of Representatives from 1878 to 1882, a member of the South Carolina Senate from 1882 to 1886, South Carolina attorney general from 1886 to 1890 and a United States Senator from South Carolina in 1897 * William Dimitrouleas (1973) - United States District Judge * Hans Einstein - the foremost authority on the lung disease Valley Fever * Wilton E. Hall - newspaper publisher and United States Senator from South Carolina from 1944 to 1945 * Clement Haynsworth - Former United States judge and an unsuccessful nominee for the United States Supreme Court * Baron Hill - Indiana congressman * Victoria Jackson - Former cast member of Saturday Night Live * Herman Lay - Founder of the Lay's Corporation, later creating the largest-selling snack food company in the US, the Frito-Lay corporation * Keith Lockhart - Current conductor of the Boston Pops * John Michael McConnell - Has served as director of the National Security Agency and currently serves as Director of National Intelligence * Keelan Parham- Cartoonist, author of Let's Toon Caricatures, owner of Caricature Connection, a caricature concession company based out of Walt Disney World, member of the National Cartoonists Society * Roger C. Peace - United States Senator from South Carolina * William H. Perry - United States Representative from South Carolina * Richard Riley - Former Governor of South Carolina and U.S. Secretary of Education under the Clinton administration * Mark Sanford - Current Governor of South Carolina * George Singleton - Novelist * Alexander Stubb - Minister for Foreign Affairs of Finland * Nick Theodore - Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina from 1987 to 1995 * Charles Townes - Nobel Prize-winner in Physics, inventor of the maser, laid theoretical groundwork for invention of laser * John B. Watson - Member of Kappa Alpha Order and Class of 1899, American Psychologist, founder of Behaviorism ``` Athletes ``` * Brian Bratton - NFL player, rookie free agent for the Atlanta Falcons in 2005, formerly a receiver for Baltimore Ravens assigned to the Cologne Centurions of NFL Europe. * Luther Broughton - former NFL tight end * Ricardo Clark - Professional soccer player for the Houston Dynamo, 2003 MLS Rookie of the Year runner-up * Austin Creed - Professional wrestler for Total Nonstop Action Wrestling * Beth Daniel - LPGA Tour, World Golf Hall of Fame, 32 career victories * Clint Dempsey - Professional soccer player, 2004 MLS Rookie of the Year and member of the United States men's national soccer team, only US player to score a goal in the 2006 World Cup, currently plays midfield for Fulham of the English Premier League * Brad Faxon - eight time winner on the PGA Tour, played on two Ryder Cup teams * Jerome Felton - Furman fullback; 5th round draft pick by the NFL Detroit Lions in 2008 NFL Draft * Bruce Fleisher - won the U.S. Amateur in 1968, professional golfer on the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour * Stanford Jennings - Former NFL player for the Cincinnati Bengals, scored a touchdown in Super Bowl XXIII; current New Balance sales executive * Betsy King - LPGA Tour, World Golf Hall of Fame, 34 career victories * Jonathan Leathers - Professional soccer player for the Kansas City Wizards * Ingle Martin - NFL player, QB for Kansas City Chiefs * Angel Martino - Olympic Gold Medalist in swimming * Tom Mastny - Pitcher for Cleveland Indians * Scott Nelson - 4 year soccer letterman, 31 career goals at Furman, drafted 56th by Houston Dynamo in 2007 draft * Cam Newton - NFL player, Defensive Back for Carolina Panthers[14] * John Barry Nusum - Professional soccer player for the Virginia Beach Mariners and Philadelphia Kixx * Dottie Pepper - Former LPGA Tour champion; current NBC and Golf Channel commentator * Sergei Raad - Professional soccer player for the Kansas City Wizards * Bear Rinehart - South Carolina Player-of-the-Year Award 2002 and Singer/Guitarist of NeedToBreathe. * Orlando Ruff - NFL player for Cleveland Browns * David Hugh Segal - Olympic Bronze Medalist in track and field * Frank Selvy - Former NBA All-Star; holds record for the most points in any NCAA Division 1 basketball game * Sherri Turner - Professional golfer, won the 1988 LPGA Championship * Derek Waugh - head men's basketball coach at Stetson University * David Whitehurst - Former quarterback for the Green Bay Packers * Sam Wyche - Former NFL head coach; led Cincinnati Bengals to Super Bowl XXIII * Shea Salinas- soccer player MLS team San Jose Earthquakes. ``` Furman University, btw. ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-notable-alumni-went-to-your-school-university/477750/69 "2008-12-19T00:47:14Z")
Off the top of my head (guess where I went!) Dave Letterman: Light night host (the only alumni people ever mention) Papa John: of pizza fame Doug Jones: Actor, mostly in costume. (Was the fawn in Pan’s Labarynth, Abe in both Hellboys) One of the actresses in “Cheers” but I can never remember her name… (After looking it up it was Joyce DeWitt of “Threes Company” close enough I guess Brad Maynard, Reggie Hodges: Both starting punters in the NFL (Bears, Jets respectively) Stedman: Oprah’s bitch. Jim Davis: Garfield creator Jason Whitlock: Columnist for “KC Star” and “Fox Sports” And more infamous than famous… Brian Collins: The “boom goes the dynamite” kid that was exploited on the internet (Yes, I said exploited, he was one of my friends and all the publicity he got reigned havoc on the poor kid. know where I went? Ball State University (CHIRP CHIRP!) And we have some soon-to-be NFL players on our team this year, stay tuned for that in a couple years. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-notable-alumni-went-to-your-school-university/477750/70 "2008-12-19T01:05:18Z")
Inns of Court School of Law Gandhi Tony Blair Maggie Tatcher MA Jinnah (founder of Pakistan) Clement Atlee Herbert Asquit (UK PM in WWI) Lord Denning Lincolns Inn Thomas More MA Jinnah John Donne to name a few. ---
**Author:** ![Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/c37758/32.png) [@Kilvert\_s\_Pagan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kilvert_s_Pagan)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 1:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-notable-alumni-went-to-your-school-university/477750/71 "2008-12-19T01:32:25Z")
> [@Don\_t\_Call\_Me\_Shirley](#): > > Robert Gates, Sec. of Defense. > James Watson, discoverer of DNA ( I noticed Wallenstein claims him too) > Lots of musicians and basketball players (what IU is known for) > > Indiana University. Pretty short shrift… we also had Mark Cuban (who I knew back then) Jane Pauley Hoagy Carmichael Dick Enberg Evan Bayh Kevin Kline Lee Majors Ernie Pyle Michael Brecker Peter Erskine Booker T. Jones and of course Jared Fogle, who was at IU when he lost all that weight eating at Subway every day…:rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![MissIntent](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/97f17d/32.png) [@MissIntent](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MissIntent)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 2:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-notable-alumni-went-to-your-school-university/477750/72 "2008-12-19T02:55:13Z")
> [@Caricci](#): > > This guy: [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark\_Mathabane](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mark_Mathabane). > > He went to a number of schools but did two years at mine, where he graduated. His book _Kafir Boy In America_contained a chapter about how the 1984 Student Association election was rigged. His outrage was very strong and he was treated unfairly, but stilll he was a real dickhead. You didn’t like him? That’s interesting, I read one of his books, it was heartbreaking and moving, I guess I expected him to be a nice guy. ---
**Author:** ![Convict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ad7895/32.png) [@Convict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Convict)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-notable-alumni-went-to-your-school-university/477750/73 "2008-12-19T03:40:35Z")
Joan Allen Robert Zemeckis Melissa Barrington (the Weather Channel) Michael Turner (Atlanta Falcons) Ned Colletti (GM, L.A. Dodgers) Dennis Hastert (former Speaker of the House) Markos Moulitsas (Daily Kos) And perhaps the most famous alum… Homer J. Simpson (Dan Castellaneta) Northern Illinois University ---
**Author:** ![Sir\_T-Cups](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed655f/32.png) [@Sir\_T-Cups](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sir_T-Cups)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 3:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-notable-alumni-went-to-your-school-university/477750/74 "2008-12-19T03:56:26Z")
> [@Convict](#): > > Joan Allen > Robert Zemeckis > Melissa Barrington (the Weather Channel) > Michael Turner (Atlanta Falcons) > Ned Colletti (GM, L.A. Dodgers) > Dennis Hastert (former Speaker of the House) > Markos Moulitsas (Daily Kos) > > And perhaps the most famous alum… > > Homer J. Simpson (Dan Castellaneta) > > **Northern Illinois University** Go MAC conference!!! :D:D ---
**Author:** ![zoogirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b9bd4f/32.png) [@zoogirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoogirl)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-notable-alumni-went-to-your-school-university/477750/75 "2008-12-19T04:19:12Z")
I was at Edmonds Junior High with Michael J Fox and at New Westminster Senior Secondary my choir and guitar teacher was Charlotte Diamond ---
**Author:** ![DadWagonDriver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/edb3f5/32.png) [@DadWagonDriver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DadWagonDriver)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-notable-alumni-went-to-your-school-university/477750/76 "2008-12-19T04:35:58Z")
> [@Hi\_Neighbor](#): > > You didn’t even mention B-movie icon Bruce Campbell! That guy slays me. I also forgot Greg Jennings, WR - Green Bay Packers, and Tony Scheffler, TE - Denver Broncos. (As a reminder, it’s Western Michigan, hence the “wmu” in my user name!) ---
**Author:** ![Snarky\_Kong](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a183cd/32.png) [@Snarky\_Kong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snarky_Kong)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-notable-alumni-went-to-your-school-university/477750/77 "2008-12-19T04:47:12Z")
> [@Hazle\_Weatherfield](#): > > University of Illinois, Champaign/Urbana: Ang Lee and Roger Ebert are the only two I can think of right now. There must be more! (Henry Blake’s character from Mash?) Well, I said Hugh Hefner on the first page. Gene Hackman, Dick Butkus, and Dan Savage are a couple names of interest. We’ve got more interesting alums in engineering and science, but their names aren’t well known. ---
**Author:** ![Sunrazor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sunrazor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunrazor)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-notable-alumni-went-to-your-school-university/477750/78 "2008-12-19T04:47:36Z")
Here are the ones I recognized from the University of Northern Colorado Wiki site: Steve Antonopulos, Head Athletic Trainer of the Denver Broncos Greg Germann, actor from Ally McBeal and Talladaga Nights James A. Michener, author (not really an alumnus, but he taught English there back in the 1930s. The library is named after him.) Nick Nolte, actor Neal Rubin, Detroit News columnist and author of comic strip Gil Thorp. Tom Tancredo, congressman and wingnut Wellington Webb, former mayor of Denver (also an alum of my other alma mater, Northeastern Junior College here in my hometown.) Fred Brown, Denver Post political writer and columnist (I know him! I know him!) And, of course, yours truly, who will be notable some day when those fancy schmancy New York literary agents smarten up and recognize my fiction for the great American literature it really is! ---
**Author:** ![Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b3f665/32.png) [@Sophistry\_and\_Illusion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sophistry_and_Illusion)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 9:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-notable-alumni-went-to-your-school-university/477750/79 "2008-12-19T09:37:38Z")
I went to a small liberal arts college. Lots of senators and a handful of governors. William Henry Harrison went there, but his only real claim to fame is that he served the shortest time in office (31 days) of any US president ever. Stephen Colbert studied philosophy for two years there, but then transferred to Northwestern. But I got my PhD from Georgetown. Lots of notable alumns, there; \*\*Olentzero \*\*already mentioned some of them in post #51. ---
**Author:** ![footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/9f8e36/32.png) [@footballisplayedwithyourfeet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/footballisplayedwithyourfeet)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2008, 10:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-notable-alumni-went-to-your-school-university/477750/80 "2008-12-19T10:02:24Z")
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