List of Kent State University alumni

This list includes people who have graduated from or otherwise attended Kent State University at the main campus in Kent, Ohio or one of its seven regional campuses in northeastern Ohio. Kent State counts over 270,000 living alumni as of 2023.^[1]

Name	Notability	Degree (Year)	Category
Raj Aggarwal	Author and educator in international business	M.B.A. Operations Management (1970) D.B.A. Finance and International Business (1975)[2]	Business
Diana Al-Hadid	Contemporary artist	B.F.A. Sculpture (2003) B.A. Art History (2003)[3]	Arts
Timothy App	Contemporary painter	B.F.A Painting (1970)[4]	Arts
Willie Asbury	Professional football player with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League 1966-1968		Athletics - Football
John Balistreri	Ceramic artist	M.F.A. Ceramics (1988)[5]	Arts
Eugene Baker	Professional football player in the National Football League		Athletics - Football
Joe Barbee	Professional football player in the American Football League		Athletics - Football
Tom Batiuk	Comic strip author of Funky Winkerbean and Crankshaft	B.F.A. (1969)[6][7]	Literary
J. Ross Baughman	1978 Pulitzer Prize-winning photojournalist, editor, writer, educator	B.A. Journalism (1975)[8]	Journalism
Stephen "Suede" Baum	Fashion designer, contestant on Project Runway and Project Runway: All Stars	B.A. Fashion Design (1993)[9]	Fashion Design
Blitz the Ambassador (Samuel Bazawule)	Ghanaian-American Hip-Hop Artist	Ok	Music/entertainment
Brian Bell	Professional football player in the National Football League		Athletics - Football
Kaitlin Bennett	Gun rights advocate, anti-abortion activist, and social media personality	B.A. Biology (2018) [10]	Politics
Bertice Berry	Sociologist, author, lecturer, comedian, educator, and former talk show host	Ph.D.	Education
Kaitlyn Black	Television and theater actress	B.A. Theater (2005)[11]	Film and television
Bob Borden	Writer and frequent contributor, Late Show with David Letterman	Journalism (1995)[12]	Entertainment
Brannon Braga^	Producer and screenwriter for several Star Trek series and films, 24, and Flashforward	Transferred[13]	Film and television
Regina Brett	Columnist with The Plain Dealer	Bachelors in Journalism[14]	Journalism
Cedric Brown	Professional football player in the National Football League 1976-1984		Athletics - Football
Emmanuel Burriss	Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball as a second baseman	[15]	Athletics - Baseball
Debra Byrd	Backup vocalist for Barry Manilow; vocal coach for American Idol and Canadian Idol[16]		Music
Steve Byrne	Comedian		Entertainment
Curt Cacioppo	Contemporary classical music composer and pianist	B.A. Piano Performance[17]	Music
Alan Canfora	Political activist; one of nine students wounded during the Kent State shootings		Politics
John Caparulo	Comedian	Bachelors (1998)[18]	Entertainment
Michael Capellas	Current CEO of First Data Corporation; former President/CEO of Hewlett-Packard, WorldCom, Compaq, and Serena Software	B.B.A[19]	Business
Vincent J. Cardinal	Playwright and director	Bachelor's in English and Education[20]	Theater
Drew Carey	Actor, comedian, host of TV's The Price Is Right	Did not graduate[21]	Film and television
Robert Carothers	President of the University of Rhode Island since 1991	Ph.D. (1969)[22]	Education
Chris Carpenter	Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball		Athletics - baseball
Gerald Casale	Founding member of Devo		Music
Andrew Chafin	Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball as a pitcher		Athletics - Baseball
Dain Clay	Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball	[15]	Athletics - Baseball
Robert E. Cook	Democratic politician who served as a common pleas judge, district court of appeals judge, and in the United States House of Representatives	Bachelors (1947)[23]	Politics
Jim Corrigall	Professional football player in the Canadian Football League as a defensive end, member of Canadian Football Hall of Fame, former KSU head football coach		Athletics - Football
Carol Costello	Anchor and reporter for CNN	B.A. Journalism (2004)[24][25]	Journalism
Kyle Craven	Internet celebrity from the Bad Luck Brian meme	B.S. Construction Management (2012)[26]	Entertainment
Joshua Cribbs	Professional football player in the NFL	B.A. Communication Studies (2010)[27]	Athletics - Football
Ben Curtis	Professional golfer, 2003 British Open champion		Athletics - Golf
Jose Davis	Professional football player in the NFL and the Arena Football League		Athletics - Football
Wayne Dawson	Television newscaster at WJW in Cleveland	B.A. Journalism (1979)[28]	Journalism
Sarah Deal	First female Marine selected for Naval aviation training; first female aviator in the Marine Corps	B.S. Aerospace Flight Technology (1992)[29]	Aeronautics
Bryan DeCorso	Canadian professional golfer	B.S. Business Administration (1995)[30]	Athletics - Golf
John de Lancie	Actor	B.A. (1971)[21]	Film and television
John Dennis	Radio talk show personality and television sportscaster	(1974)[31]	Journalism
G. William Domhoff	Author and Research Professor in psychology and sociology	M.A. Psychology (1959)[32][33]	Science
Stephen R. Donaldson	Author of The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever series	M.A. English (1971)[34]	Literary
Jan Dowling	Head women's golf coach at the University of Florida, Canadian former professional golfer	B.S. Leisure Studies (2002)[35]	Athletics - Golf
Joyce Dyer	Writer	Ph.D.[36]	Literary
Joe Ebanks	Professional poker player in the World Series of Poker	Dropped out[37]	Entertainment
Julian Edelman	Professional football player in the NFL	Business Management	Athletics - Football
John Edwards	Professional basketball player in the NBA and NBDL		Athletics - Basketball
Abram Elam	Professional football player in the NFL		Athletics - Football
Donald Erb	Composer	B.S. Composition (1950)[38][39]
John Ferguson	Organist, composer, and teacher	M.M.[40]	Music
Colin Ferrell	Professional football player in the NFL		Athletics - Football
John Filo	Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer		Arts
Al Fisher	2008 Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year		Athletics - Basketball
Quinton Flynn	Voice actor		Film and television
Brenda Frese	Head coach for the Maryland Terrapins women's basketball program	Master's in Athletic Administration (1995)[41]	Athletics - Women's basketball
Angela Funovits	Mentalist/illusionist, star of NBC's Phenomenon		Film and television
Dae Gak (Robert Genthner)	Zen master	Ph.D. Clinical psychology (1973)	Science
Nari Gandhi	Indian architect in organic architecture		Architecture
Antonio Gates	Professional football player in the NFL as a tight end		Athletics - Football
Michael Glaser	Poet Laureate of Maryland, 2004-2009	M.A. Ph.D.[42]	Literary
Dick Goddard	TV meteorologist at WJW in Cleveland, author, and cartoonist	B.F.A. (1960)[43]	Journalism
Dan Goodspeed	Professional football player in the NFL, XFL, and Canadian Football League		Athletics - Football
Anthony Gregorc	Educational theorist; developer of the Mind Styles Model	M.S., Ph.D.[44]	Education
Matt Guerrier	Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball as a pitcher	[15]	Athletics - Baseball
Mike Gulan	Former professional baseball in Major League Baseball as a third-baseman	[15]	Athletics - Baseball
Michael M. Gunter	Educator and scholar on the Kurdish people	Ph.D. International Relations (1972)[45]	Education
Alaina Reed Hall	Television and film actress on Sesame Street and 227[46]		Film and television
Arsenio Hall	Talk show host	B.A. Speech (1977)[21]	Film and television
Jimmy Hall	Professional basketball player in Israeli National League		Athletics - Basketball
Bob Hallen	Former professional football player in the NFL[47]		Athletics - Football
Ken Hammond	Former leader of SDS, activist in the 1960s and 70s during the Kent State shootings	B.A. (1985)[48]	Politics
Andy Harmon	Professional football player in the NFL		Athletics - Football
Wayne Alan Harold	Filmmaker	B.A. Telecommunications (1988)	Film and television
James Harrison	Professional football player in the NFL as a linebacker		Athletics - Football
Steve Harvey	Television personality; host of The Steve Harvey Morning Show and Family Feud[49]		Entertainment
Dirk Hayhurst	Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball, currently for the Toronto Blue Jays as a pitcher	Communications (did not graduate)[50]	Athletics - Baseball
Robert Hemenway	Former chancellor at the University of Kentucky and the University of Kansas	Ph.D. English (1966)[51]	Education
Anne Hendershott	Author and sociologist	Ph.D. Sociology[52]	Politics, Literary
Dustin Hermanson	Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball as a pitcher[15]		Athletics - Baseball
Rick Hilles	Poet and educator	B.A. M.L.S.[53]	Literary
Keno Hills	Professional football player in the NFL		Athletics - Football
Dave Holmes	Winner of ESPN's Dream Job		Journalism
Nancy Hollister	Former Ohio state representative, Lieutenant Governor, and briefly served as Ohio's first female governor[54]		Politics
Lou Holtz	College football coach, television sportscaster	B.S. History (1959)[55]	Athletics - Football
Mike Hovancsek	Instrumentalist, founder of multicultural experimental music group Pointless Orchestra	B.S. Psychology	Music
Mackenzie Hughes	Professional golfer in the PGA Tour	Business Management (2012)[56]	Athletics - Golf
Chrissie Hynde	Lead singer for The Pretenders	Did not graduate[21]	Music
Jennifer Lyn Jackson	Playboy Playmate, April 1989		Business and Finance
Reginald Jagers III	Olympic athlete, left handed discus world record holder		Athletics - Track and field
Van Jakes	Professional football player in the NFL		Athletics - Football
Thomas Jefferson	Bronze medalist at the 1984 Summer Olympics[57]		Athletics - Track and field
Angela Johnson	Author and illustrator	Did not graduate; Received honorary doctorate (2007)[58]	Literary
Emma Johnson	National Pro Fastpitch pitcher	B.B.A. Accounting & Finance (2015)	Athletics - Softball
Jeff Johnson	Cleveland City Council member and Ohio state senator	Communications[59]	Politics
Daniel Johnston	Singer-songwriter and Artist		Music
Marvin Jones	Professional basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League		Athletics - Basketball
Michael Keaton	Actor	Dropped out[21]	Film and television
Don King	Boxing promoter	Dropped out[21]	Entertainment
Ishmaa'ily Kitchen	Professional football player in the NFL[60]		Athletics - Football
Joe Kotys	Member of the 1948 United States Men's Gymnastics Olympic team; NCAA national champion on individual events in 1949, 1950, and 1951[61]		Athletics - Gymnastics
Allison Krause	One of the four students killed during the Kent State shootings in 1970	Was studying art history[62]	Politics
Allen Kukovich	State representative in Pennsylvania from the Democratic Party	Bachelors (1969)	Politics
Jack Lambert	Professional football player in the NFL as a linebacker and a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame		Athletics - Football
Charlie Laster	Biggest contributor to field turf damage in Dix Stadium history, ADY		Athletics - Football (sorta)
Eric Lauer	Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball	B.B.A. Business (2016)[63]	Athletics - Baseball
Mike Lebowitz	Attorney, pioneer in military free speech, military law	Journalism (1999)[64]	Law
Jack Lengyel	College football coach and athletics administrator; coached at Marshall University following the crash in 1970 that killed most of the team	Masters (1962)	Athletics - Football
Bob Lewis	Founding member of Devo	B.A. Anthropology (1970)	Music
Robert Longhurst	Sculptor		Arts
Liam Lynch	Musician, director, writer		Performing arts
Jill Macoska	Scientist and academic	B.A. Physical Anthropology (1978)[65]	Science
Sarah Matthews	deputy press secretary president Trump	BA public relations(2017)	Politics
David W. May	U.S. Air Force Brigadier General, Adjutant General of Wisconsin	B.A. Music (1993)	Military
Betty-Jean Maycock	Member of 1960 United States women's gymnastics team	B.A. (1964)[66]	Athletics - Gymnastics
Hal McCoy	Beat writer for the Cincinnati Reds, Baseball Hall of Fame member		Journalism
Ben McDaniels	Assistant coach in the NFL		Athletics - Football
Mike "Scooter" McGruder	Professional football player in the NFL, 1989-1997		Athletics - Football
Nigel McGuinness (Steven Haworth)	Professional wrestler, currently with WWE		Sports/entertainment
Joe McKeown	Women's college basketball coach		Athletics - Basketball
Jay McNeil	Former professional football player in the CFL, 1994-2007		Athletics - Football
Peter Makuck	Author, poet, and critic	Ph.D. American literature[67]	Literary
Tony Martino	Professional football player in the CFL, 1988-2002		Athletics - Football
John Matsko	Coach in the National Football League		Athletics - Football
Betty-Jean Maycock	U.S. Olympian gymnast in 1960	B.A. (1964)[68]	Athletics - Gymnastics
Gene Michael	Professional baseball player, manager, and scout in Major League Baseball	[15][69]	Athletics - Baseball
Pete Mikolajewski	Professional football player in the AFL		Athletics - Football
Earl K. Miller	Neuroscientist, Professor of Neuroscience at MIT	B.A. Psychology (1985)[70]	Science
Travis Miller	Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball as a pitcher		Athletics - Baseball
Jeffrey Miller	One of the four students killed in the Kent State shootings in 1970; subject of famous photograph	Was studying psychology[62]	Politics
Jon Mills	Canadian professional golfer		Athletics - Golf
Dan Moldea	Author and investigative reporter specializing in the reporting of organized crime and political corruption	Post-graduate work in History[71]	Politics
Carl Monday	Investigative reporter for WOIO in Cleveland	Bachelor's (1973)	Journalism
Mark Mothersbaugh	Founding member of Devo	Did not graduate[21]	Music
Thurman Munson	Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball with the New York Yankees, Rookie of the Year, and MVP winner	[15]	Athletics - Baseball
Daniel Muir	Professional football player in the NFL		Athletics - Football
Rico Murray	Professional football player in the NFL		Athletics - Football
Richard Myers	Filmmaker, artist	B.F.A. (1959); M.A. (1961)[72]	Film and television
Don Nehlen	Former head football coach at Bowling Green State University and West Virginia University; member of College Football Hall of Fame	M.A. (1966)[73]	Athletics - Football
Don Nottingham	Professional football player in the NFL	B.S. Marketing (1971)[74]	Athletics - Football
Terrence O'Donnell	Justice of the Supreme Court of Ohio	B.S. Political Science (1968)[75]	Politics
Carl Oglesby	Political activist; president of Students for a Democratic Society 1965-1966	Dropped out[76]	Politics
Mwatabu S. Okantah	Poet	B.A. English, African Studies (1976)[77]	Literary
Luke Owens	Professional football player in the NFL, 1957-1965		Athletics - Football
Vipal J. Patel	Acting US Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio	M.S. Integrated Life Sciences[78]	Pre-Med
Augustus Parrish	Professional football player in the NFL		Athletics - Football
Rick Peckham	Play-by-play announcer for the Tampa Bay Lightning of the National Hockey League	B.A. Telecommunications (1977)[79]	Journalism
Taylor Pendrith	Professional golfer on the PGA Tour	B.S. Sport Administration (2014)[80]	Athletics - Golf
George Petak	Wisconsin politician		Politics
Dan Peters	College basketball head and assistant coach	B.S. Social Studies (1976)[81]	Athletics - Basketball
Lyndsay Petruny	Sports anchor, sideline reporter, sports producer, and television host	Broadcast Journalism (2008)[82]	Entertainment, media
Jeff Phelps	Sportscaster and radio host	Bachelor's (1982)[83]	Entertainment, media
Dav Pilkey	Children's author best known for Captain Underpants		Literary
Charles J. Pilliod, Jr.	Former U.S. Ambassador to Mexico; former CEO of Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company	Dropped out (1941)	Business, Politics
Gary Pinkel	Former Head football coach at the University of Missouri[84]		Athletics - Football
Mike Polk	Comedian, actor	Communications (2002)[85]	Entertainment
C.J. Prentiss	Former Minority Leader and member of the Ohio State Senate in the Democratic Party	Post-graduate certificate in Administration[86]	Politics
Bill Randle	Disc-jockey, lawyer, and university professor	Masters in Journalism	Radio
Nate Reinking	Professional basketball player in the British Basketball League, 1996–2012; member of the Great Britain national basketball team from 2005–12	Graduated (1997)[87]	Athletics - Basketball
James Renner	Film producer, reporter		Film and television, Journalism
Jeff Richmond	Composer and producer; wrote for 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live	Graduated[88]	Film and television
Alice Ripley	Tony Award-winning actress and singer	(1986)[88]	Theater
Robert Risko	Caricature artist[89]		Arts
Rich Rollins	Former professional baseball third-baseman in Major League Baseball 1961-1970	[15]	Athletics - Baseball
Dan Ronan	Former CNN Correspondent, Assoc. News Editor Transport Topics/Anchor SiriusXM Radio.	(2015) M.A. Communications/Crisis Management	Journalism
Cynthia Rylant	Award-winning children's author	M.L.S.[90]	Literary
Nick Saban	College football and NFL head coach	(1973)[91]	Athletics - Football
Abdul Salaam (Larry Faulk)	Professional football player in the NFL, 1976-1983		Athletics - Football
O. J. Santiago	Professional football player in the NFL		Athletics - Football
David Sedaris	Author, humorist	Dropped out (1977)[92]	Literary
Sandra Scheuer	One of the four students killed during the Kent State shootings in 1970; she was walking to class at the time	Was studying speech therapy[62]	Politics
William Knox Schroeder	One of the four students killed during the Kent State shootings in 1970; he was walking to class at the time	Was studying psychology[62]	Politics
Connie Schultz	Columnist for The Plain Dealer, 2005 Pulitzer Prize winner	Journalism (1979)[64]	Journalism
Travis Shaw	Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball as an infielder		Athletics - Baseball
Wayne Shaw	Professional football player in the CFL		Athletics - Football
Justine Siegal	First female coach in Major League Baseball	M.A. in Sport Studies[93]	Athletics - Baseball
Karl Smesko	Head coach in women's college basketball	B.A. in Communications (1993)[94]	Athletics - Basketball
Lowell C. Smith	President of Nichols College	B.S. in Business Administration[95]	Business
Patricia Haynes Smith	Member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Baton Rouge	B.S. in Education[96]	Politics
Andy Sonnanstine	Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball as a pitcher	[15]	Athletics - Baseball
Timothy Starks	Professional football player in the NFL		Athletics - Football
Paul Steigerwald	Sports announcer for the Pittsburgh Penguins of the National Hockey League		Journalism
Nancy Stockall	Professor of Early Childhood Studies and Special Education at Sam Houston State University	PhD 1993	Education
Steve Stone	Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball as a pitcher, winner of the Cy Young Award, sportscaster		Athletics - Baseball
Scott Stricklin	Professional baseball player, head coach for the Kent State baseball team from 2005–2013	B.A. Marketing (1995)[97]	Athletics - Baseball
Larry Sudbrook	College baseball coach at St. Bonaventure	B.A. (1978)	Athletics - Baseball
Betty Sutton	Former Congresswoman for Ohio's 13th congressional district and Judge of Ohio's 9th District Court of Appeals	Political Science	Politics
Emilia Sykes	Congresswoman for Ohio's 13th congressional district and former Ohio House Minority Leader	B.A. Psychology	Politics
Dean Sylvester	Professional ice hockey player in the National Hockey League 1995-2001		Athletics - Ice Hockey
Jeff Tabaka	Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball as a pitcher, 1994-2001	[15]	Athletics - Baseball
Jeff Timmons	Singer, producer, founding member of pop group 98 Degrees	B.S. Psychology (Dropped out)[98]	Music
Gerald Tinker	Member of gold-medal 4 x 100 meter relay team in 1972 Summer Olympics; professional football player in the NFL, 1974-1975		Athletics - Olympics, Football
Arnulfo Trejo	Founder of REFORMA, an organization to promote library services to Latinos and Spanish-speaking individuals in the United States	M.A. Library Science (1953)[99]	Education
Bonnie Turner	Writer/creator, 3rd Rock from the Sun and That '70s Show		Film and television
Dennis Chima Ugwuegbu	Nigeria's first professor of psychology	Ph.D. (1973)	Psychology
Thrity Umrigar	Indian-American writer	Ph.D. English (1997)[100]	Literary
John Van Benschoten	Professional baseball player in Major League Baseball as a pitcher		Athletics - Baseball
Chris Vrenna	Former drummer for Nine Inch Nails, The Smashing Pumpkins, and Marilyn Manson	Dropped out[101]	Music
Crista Nicole Wagner	Swimsuit model, Playboy Playmate		Entertainment
Joe Walsh	Rock and roll guitarist with the Eagles	Did not graduate Honorary doctorate (2001)[21]	Music
Ken Walter	Professional football player in the NFL, 1997-2006		Athletics - Football
Carl E. Walz	Astronaut	B.S. Physics (1977)[102]	Science
Paul Warfield	Professional football player in the NFL and member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame	M.A. Telecommunications[103] (1977)	Athletics - Football
Brad Warner	Author, documentarian, and punk rock bass guitarist		Literary, Performing arts
Henry Waszczuk	Professional football player in the CFL, 1975-1984		Athletics - Football
Fred Weber	Original vocalist for the band Devo	B.A. Sociology (1970)	Music
Bert Weidner	Professional football player in the NFL, 1990-1995		Athletics - Football
Eric Wilkerson	Professional football player		Athletics - Football
Jack Williams	Professional football player in the NFL		Athletics - Football
De'Angelo Wilson	Actor		Performing arts
Brian Windhorst	Sportswriter for ESPN.com	B.S. Journalism (2000)	Journalism
Brian Winters	Professional football player in the NFL		Athletics - Football
Ray Wise	Film and television actor in Twin Peaks and RoboCop	B.F.A. (1969)[46]	Film and television
Ryan Yip	Canadian professional golfer	B.S. (2005)[104]	Athletics - Golf
Usama Young	Professional football player in the NFL for the Cleveland Browns		Athletics - Football
Steve Zahursky	Professional football player in the NFL, 1998-2001		Athletics - Football
Dolph Ziggler (Nick Nemeth)	Professional wrestler in WWE		Sports/entertainment
Paul Zimmer	Author and poet	B.A.S. (1968)[105]	Literary
Jim Zoet	Professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association, 1982-1983		Athletics - Basketball

^ attended classes only at the Stark Campus

See also

• List of presidents of Kent State University