Alumni
Entertainment, arts, and media
- Lloyd Bryan Molander Adams, executive producer, channel executive and director
- K.D. Aubert, fashion model, actress and Fantanas member
- David Hasemyer, Pulitzer Prize winning journalist; B.A. Journalism 1979 [1]
- John Baldessari, conceptual artist; B.A., 1953; M.A., 1957 [2]
- Greg Bear, science fiction author; B.A. English, 1973
- Jesse Billauer, quadriplegic, motivational speaker, surfer; B.A. Communications, 2002
- Haley Bishop, actress
- Christopher Bramble, Independent playwright John Milton's Paradise Lost ; B.A. Literature 2002 [3]
- Luke Brugnara, businessman, casino mogul
- Justin Burquist, filmmaker and music video director
- Brian Patrick Butler, actor and filmmaker
- Russell Carpenter, cinematographer of Titanic ; B.A. English, 1972 [4]
- Dan Corson, artist; B.A. Theater, 1986
- Dustin Daniel Cretton, filmmaker
- Erika De La Cruz, television host and media personality for Fashion Week; B.A. Film and Fashion
- Amy Devers, furniture designer and TV personality (Freeform Furniture, Designer People , Trading Spaces , Home Made Simple); B.A. Furniture Design, 1997 [5]
- June Edmonds, painter and public artist
- Chukuka S. Enwemeka, Professor Emeritus
- DJ Rectangle, DJ/turntablist and Grammy Award-nominated dance/hip hop/club record producer; B.B.A.
- Fred Dryer, actor-producer and former NFL player
- Manny MUA, YouTuber; B.A., 2013
- Faye Emerson, actress
- Sid Fleischman, author of children's books and screenplays; B.A. English
- Matt Flynn, drummer of Maroon 5 (attended briefly)
- Courtney Friel, television host; B.A. Political Science, 2002
- Vic Fuentes, lead singer of Pierce the Veil
- Ted Giannoulas, The San Diego Chicken
- Bob Goen, media personality and Entertainment Tonight anchor-correspondent; B.A. Telecommunications and Film, 1976 [6]
- Mark Grace, long time Chicago Cubs first baseman, current color analyst for the Arizona Diamondbacks and Fox Sports
- Justin Halpern, author; B.A., 2003
- Crystal Harris, model
- Fred Holle, fine art painter and educator
- Benjamin Howard, filmmaker
- Brion James, actor
- Darren Kavinoky, lawyer, TV personality
- Julie Kavner, actress; voice of Marge Simpson, The Simpsons ; B.A. Drama, 1971
- Kathleen Kennedy, film producer; B.A. Telecommunications and Film, 1976
- Cy Kuckenbaker, filmmaker, 1998
- George Lewis, NBC Nightly News correspondent
- Joe Liggins, R&B musician who wrote and recorded "The Honeydripper"
- Jim Lindberg, lead singer of punk band Pennywise (band) (attended briefly)
- Art Linkletter (1912–2010), veteran entertainer; B.A. Teaching, 1934
- Cleavon Little, actor; B.A. Drama
- Peter Menefee, costume- and stage-designer
- Abby Martin, journalist, RT TV network; 9/11 conspiracy theorist; activist with mediaroots.org; B.A. Political Science, 2006
- David McKenna, writer, "American History X"
- Adam Montoya, Internet celebrity, known as SeaNanners; B.A., 2006 [7]
- Kathy Najimy, actress; voice of Peggy Hill on King of the Hill
- Gregory Peck, actor
- Lisa Dergan Podsednik, model
- Zach Porter, lead singer of pop band Allstar Weekend
- Andy Rathbone, author of ...for Dummies books, technology writer; B.A. Literature, 1986
- Constance Reid, author of several biographies of mathematicians and popular books about mathematics; B.A. 1938
- Michael Matteo Rossi, Filmmaker [8]
- Marion Ross, TV actress (Happy Days)
- Marisa Scheinfeld, photographer; M.F.A., 2011
- Wally Schlotter, chairman of the San Diego Film Commission from 1978 to 1996
- Whitney Shay, blues singer, 2008 [9]
- Tammie Souza, television meteorologist; B.S. Biology
- Suzy Spafford, cartoonist, creator of "Suzy's Zoo"; B.F.A., 1957
- J. Michael Straczynski, writer; B.A. Psychology and Sociology, 1976
- Susanna Thompson, actress; B.A. Drama, 1980
- Salvador Torres, artist and muralist, father of the Chicano Park murals; M.A. Painting and Drawing, 1973
- Joan D. Vinge, author; B.A., 1971
- Alison Waite, model
- Carl Weathers, actor/former professional football player, Apollo Creed in Rocky
- Don Weeke, fiber and gourd artist, M.S.W, 1976
- Kimberly Weinberger, actress
- Raquel Welch, actress
- Steve Yuhas, radio broadcaster and television personality
- Jeanne Zelasko, sports journalist, Fox Sports
- Saweetie, rapper. Saweetie attended SDSU for two years before transferring to the University of Southern California
Business
- Charles Brandes, founder of Brandes Investment Partners; B.A. Economics, 1965
- Norman E. Brinker, founder of Steak & Ale, former president of Jack in the Box, restaurateur innovator; B.S. Management 1957 [10]
- Adelia Coffman, founding CFO of Qualcomm Incorporated; B.S. Accounting 1976 [10]
- Vince Ferraro, Senior General Management and Marketing Executive, ExecRank's 2012 list of top 50 CMOs; B.S. Business Administration
- Van Arsdale France, '34, founding employee training manager at Disneyland, co-creator of "Disney University"
- Maruta Gardner, American educator and community activist; M.S. Administration and Supervision 1976
- Rick Hamada CEO of Avnet; B.S. Finance 1982 [11]
- Chris R. Hansen, hedge fund manager, unsuccessfully tried to lure the Sacramento Kings to Seattle in 2013 [12]
- Nik Ingersöll, American entrepreneur and designer. [13] [14]
- W. Craig Jelinek, President and chief executive officer of Costco. [15]
- Peggy Johnson, former Executive Vice President of Qualcomm, former Executive Vice President of Business Development at Microsoft, current CEO of Magic Leap; B.S. Electrical Engineering [16]
- Doug Manchester, real estate developer, namesake of Manchester Grand Hyatt Hotel in San Diego, publisher of the San Diego Union Tribune ; B.S. Finance 1965
- Robert O. Peterson, founder of Jack in the Box
- Sol Price, founder of Price Club (later merged with Costco); B.A. Philosophy 1936 [17]
- S. Donley Ritchey, former CEO and President of Lucky Stores and current director of The McClatchy Company; B.S. Accounting 1955, M.S. Management 1963 [18]
- Jim Sinegal, Costco Chief Executive Officer, named to Time Magazine's 2006 list of The 100 most influential people; B.A. 1959
- James M. Sweeney, founder and former CEO, CareMark, Inc. (now CVS CareMark), B.S. 1969
- Russell Weiner, founder RockStar Energy Drink; B.A. Political Science 1992 [19]
- Mike Wells, Prudential plc Chief Executive Officer [20]
Science
- Belle Benchley, Director of San Diego Zoo from 1927 to 1953
- Samuel Kounaves, professor of chemistry at Tufts University
- Joan Bybee, PhD (at UCLA), linguist; M.A. Linguistics
- Laurance Doyle, PhD (at Heidelberg University), SETI astronomer; M.S. Astronomy
- Jacques Gauthier, PhD (at UCB), Paleotonlogist and Professor at Yale University and Peabody Museum of Natural History; B.S. Zoology 1973, M.S. Biological Science 1980
- Arthur Jensen, PhD (at Columbia University), Professor Emeritus of educational psychology at University of California, Berkeley; M.A. Psychology 1952
- M. Brian Maple, PhD (at UCSD), professor of physics at University of California, San Diego; B.S. Physics 1963
- Gordon Eugene Martin, MA, pioneering piezoelectric materials researcher for underwater sound transducers [21]
- Bridgette Meinhold, M.S. (from Stanford University), artist and author with a focus on sustainability; B.S. Mechanical Engineering 2003
- Ellen Ochoa, PhD (from Stanford University), first Latina astronaut; B.S. Physics 1980
- Mark M. Phillips, PhD (from UC Santa Cruz), US astronomer and cosmologist, Gruber Prize Laureate of 2007 for the discovery of Dark Energy and the Accelerating Universe, member of the High-Z Supernova Search Team; B.S. Astronomy 1973
- LaVerne E. Ragster, M.S., marine biologist; 4th president of the University of the Virgin Islands from 2002 to 2009
- Bernard Rimland, PhD, autism researcher and founder of the Autism Society of America; M.S. Psychology
- J. Michael Scott, PhD (from Oregon State University), biologist and ornithologist; M.S. Marine Biology
- Gina Simmons Schneider, PhD, psychoanalyst, writer; B.A. Psychology 1983
- Robert Titzer, professor and infant researcher; teaching certificate
- Paul J. Zak, Professor and founder of the Neuroscience as a Service (NaaS) platform Immersion
- David Wrenn, COO of SpinLaunch since October 2023
Politics and government
- Muhammed Al-Jasser, PhD. (at UCR), Saudi Arabian economist who served as the Minister of Economy and Planning and Chairman of Saudi Telecom; B.A. Economics 1979 [22]
- David Alvarez, San Diego City Council member
- Karen Bass, mayor of Los Angeles
- Roger Benitez, U.S. Federal Judge; B.A., 1974
- Clair Burgener, U.S. Representative from California, 1973–1983
- Ken Calvert, U.S. Representative from California; B.A., 1975 [23]
- Ammar Campa-Najjar, Democratic candidate
- John Duarte, U.S. Representative from California; B.A. Finance, 1989
- Kevin Faulconer, mayor of San Diego; B.A. Political Science, 1990
- Dusty Foggo, former CIA official
- Georgette Gomez, San Diego City Council member
- Mike Gotch, California State Assemblyman and San Diego City Council member
- Shirley Horton, Assemblywoman 2002–2008
- Duncan D. Hunter, former member of Congress, California; convicted felon [24]
- Brian Jones (born 1968), politician serving in the California State Senate
- Steven T. Kuykendall, former member of Congress, California; M.B.A., 1974 [25]
- Bill Lowery, lobbyist and former member of Congress [26]
- Mark Meckler, political activist
- Rodney Melville, US judge
- Celeste Rodriguez, California state assemblywoman
- Mary Salas, California state assemblywoman
- Lori Saldana, California state assemblywoman
- Jerry Sanders, former mayor of San Diego, former Chief of Police
- Glenn E. Trowbridge (born 1943), Republican member of the Nevada Assembly. [27]
- Howard Wayne, Assemblyman 1996–2002
- Leon Williams, San Diego City Council member (1969–1982), San Diego County Board of Supervisors supervisor (1982–1994), first Black member of both institutions. [28]
- Bob Wilson, former member of Congress, namesake of Bob Wilson Naval Hospital [29]
Sports
Baseball
- Greg Allen, New York Yankees outfielder
- Bud Black, former Major League Baseball pitcher and former manager of the San Diego Padres; B.S. Management 1979 [18]
- Kerwin Danley, Major League Baseball umpire
- Jeff DaVanon, MLB baseball player
- Ty France, Seattle Mariners infielder
- Mark Grace, retired Major League Baseball player and World Series Champion
- Chris Gwynn, retired Major League Baseball player
- Tony Gwynn, Baseball Hall of Famer
- Tony Gwynn Jr., Los Angeles Dodgers outfielder
- Alex Hinshaw, San Francisco Giants pitcher
- Aaron Harang, San Diego Padres pitcher
- Doug Harvey, former MLB Umpire and Baseball Hall of Fame Inductee 2010
- David Hensley, MLB infielder [30]
- Jason Phillips, former Major League Baseball catcher
- Travis Lee, former Major League Baseball player
- Justin Masterson, Cleveland Indians pitcher
- Bobby Meacham, former Major League Baseball player [31]
- Bob Mendoza, Rugby Player of the Year 1967, former Red Sox outfielder
- Addison Reed, relief pitcher for the Boston Red Sox
- Dave Smith, former Major League Baseball pitcher
- Casey Schmitt (born 1999), infielder for the San Francisco Giants
- Stephen Strasburg (born 1988), former Washington Nationals pitcher, 2019 World Series MVP
Basketball
- Dakarai Allen, professional basketball player
- Ryan Amoroso, former professional basketball player
- Matt Bradley, professional basketball player
- Michael Cage, former NBA player
- Brian Carlwell, former professional basketball player
- Zylan Cheatham, New Orleans Pelicans forward
- Mehdi Cheriet, former professional basketball player
- Angelo Chol, professional basketball player
- Josh Davis, former professional basketball player
- Jason Deutchman, former professional basketball player
- Malachi Flynn, Toronto Raptors guard
- Jamaal Franklin, professional basketball player
- D. J. Gay, former professional basketball player
- Terrell Gomez, professional basketball player
- Kim Goetz, drafted 2nd round, 34th overall pick 1979 NBA draft
- Morris Gross, former San Diego State Aztecs coach for Aztecs men's basketball and baseball
- Brandon Heath, former professional basketball player
- Randy Holcomb, former NBA player
- Michael Holper, former professional basketball player
- Tina Hutchinson (born 1964/1965), basketball player
- Keshad Johnson, NBA forward for Miami Heat
- Steffond Johnson, former NBA player
- Trey Kell, professional basketball player
- Joel Kramer (b. 1955), professional basketball player
- Jaedon LeDee, Minnesota Timberwolves forward
- Rock Lee, former NBA player
- Kawhi Leonard, Los Angeles Clippers forward, 2014 & 2019 NBA Finals MVP
- Steve Malovic (1956–2007), American-Israeli basketball player [32]
- Jalen McDaniels, Washington Wizards center
- Joe McNaull, former professional basketball player
- Nathan Mensah, professional basketball player
- Matt Mitchell, professional basketball player
- J. J. O'Brien, professional basketball player
- Malik Pope, professional basketball player
- Hubert Roberts (born 1961), American-Israeli basketball player
- Aerick Sanders, Green Bay Phoenix coach and former professional basketball player
- Jordan Schakel, NBA G League player Maine Celtics
- John Sharper, former professional basketball player
- Winston Shepard, professional basketball player
- Marcus Slaughter, former NBA basketball player
- Deshawn Stephens, professional basketball player
- Chase Tapley, former professional basketball player
- Xavier Thames, drafted 2nd round, 59th overall pick of the 2014 NBA draft
- Malcolm Thomas (born 1988), professional basketball player [33]
- Dave Velasquez, San Diego State Aztecs men's basketball assistant coach
- Lorrenzo Wade, former professional basketball player
- Anthony Watson, drafted 4th round, 87th overall pick 1986 NBA draft
- Yanni Wetzell, professional basketball player
- Billy White, professional basketball player
- Richie Williams, former professional basketball player
- Kevin Zabo, professional basketball player
Football
- Rob Awalt, former NFL tight end
- Alex Barrett, San Francisco 49ers defensive end
- Daniel Bellinger, New York Giants tight end
- Aaron Brewer, Arizona Cardinals long snapper
- Daniel Brunskill, Tennessee Titans center
- Greg Boyd, former NFL defensive end
- Vincent Brown, former NFL wide receiver
- Willie Buchanon, former NFL cornerback
- Don Coryell, former NCAA and NFL head coach, member of the College Football Hall of Fame
- Isaac Curtis, former NFL wide receiver
- Tom Dahms, former NFL offensive tackle
- Brad Daluiso, former NFL placekicker
- Vernon Dean, former NFL cornerback
- Will Demps, former NFL safety
- Mike Douglass, former NFL linebacker
- Fred Dryer, former NFL defensive end, actor
- William Dunkle, offensive guard for the Pittsburgh Steelers
- Darius Durham, former NFL wide receiver [34]
- Herm Edwards, former Kansas City Chiefs head coach
- Gavin Escobar, Dallas Cowboys tight end
- Brett Faryniarz, former NFL linebacker
- Marshall Faulk, former NFL running back; Pro Football Hall of Famer, Super Bowl Champion, 2000 NFL MVP
- Roman Fortin, former NFL center
- John Fox, football player
- Donte Gamble, American football player
- Gary Garrison, former NFL wide receiver
- Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila, former NFL defensive end
- Joe Gibbs, former NFL head coach of the Washington Redskins, Hall of Famer, and owner of NASCAR racing team Joe Gibbs Racing
- La'Roi Glover, former NFL defensive tackle
- Robert Griffith, former NFL safety
- Az-Zahir Hakim, former NFL wide receiver
- Darren Hall, Arizona Cardinals cornerback
- Ronnie Hillman, running back for the Denver Broncos
- Mike Houghton, former Buffalo Bills guard
- Bob Howard, former NFL cornerback
- Keith Ismael, Arizona Cardinals center
- Joe Jackson, gridiron football player
- Monte Jackson, former NFL cornerback
- Terry Jackson, former NFL cornerback
- Damontae Kazee, Pittsburgh Steelers safety
- Freddie Keiaho, current NFL linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts and Super Bowl XLI Champion
- Mike Kozlowski, former NFL safety
- Joe Lavender, former NFL cornerback
- John Madden, former Oakland Raiders head coach, Monday Night Football color commentator
- Matt McCoy, current NFL linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Patrick McMorris, Miami Dolphins safety
- Claudie Minor, former NFL offensive tackle
- Rich Moran, former NFL punter
- Kirk Morrison, Former Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, and Jacksonville Jaguars starting linebacker
- Haven Moses, NFL wide receiver [35]
- Segun Olubi, Indianapolis Colts linebacker
- Kassim Osgood, former NFL wide receiver
- Scott Piercy, professional golfer
- Damon Pieri, NFL player
- Chester Pitts, NFL, Houston Texans
- Noel Prefontaine, Toronto Argonauts kicker
- Jimmy Raye, VP of Football Operations for the Indianapolis Colts
- Benny Ricardo, former NFL placekicker
- Patrick Rowe, NFL player [36]
- Brian Russell, former NFL safety
- Ephraim Salaam, former NFL offensive tackle
- Mike Saxon, former NFL punter
- Chaz Schilens, NFL wide receiver, formerly with Oakland Raiders, currently with New York Jets
- Darnay Scott, former Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver
- Tyrell Shavers, Buffalo Bills wide receiver
- Brian Sipe, former Cleveland Browns quarterback
- Webster Slaughter, former wide receiver
- Jeff Staggs, former NFL linebacker
- Cameron Thomas, Kansas City Chiefs defensive end
- Zachary Thomas, New England Patriots offensive tackle
- Kyle Turley, former NFL offensive tackle
- Don Warren, former NFL tight end
- Jeff Webb, former Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver
- Ralph Wenzel, former NFL offensive guard
- Jim Wilks, former NFL defensive end
- Nate Wright, former NFL cornerback
Soccer
- Marcelo Balboa, World Cup and MLS soccer star
- Steven Beitashour, MLS All-Star Soccer, player for San Jose Earthquakes
- Joe Corona, soccer player, Club Tijuana Xoloitzcuintles de Caliente and United States men's national soccer team
- Gordon Dallas, North American Soccer League player
- Tally Hall, goalkeeper for Major League Soccer (MLS)'s Houston Dynamo
- Hannah Keane (born 1993), soccer player
- Dennis Sanchez, soccer coach [37]
- Daniel Steres (born 1990), professional soccer player with the LA Galaxy
- Eric Wynalda, World Cup and MLS soccer player; Fox Sports broadcaster
Other sports
- Marty Hogan (born 1958), racquetball player
- Enrique Hernández, 1968 Olympic weightlifter
- Armen Keteyian, sports journalist, HBO Sports, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel
- Jeanne Lenhart, senior Olympian, volleyball player, Ms. Senior San Diego 2012
- Ilima-Lei Macfarlane (Anthropology 2013), professional Mixed Martial Artist, inaugural and current Bellator MMA Flyweight Champion [38]
- Chris Marlowe, sportscaster, former Olympic volleyball player
- Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz (1921–2014), surfer and physician
- Charlene Rink, former professional fitness competitor
- Arnie Robinson, Olympic long jump gold medalist
- Xander Schauffele, professional golfer
- Willie Steele, 1948 Olympic long jump gold medalist
Military
- Robert Cardenas, retired Brigadier General; B.A. 1972
- Thomas J. Haynes, Air National Guard general
- Merrill McPeak, retired Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force; B.A. Economics, 1957
- William J. Marks, USN Commander, spokesman for the Defense Intelligence Agency; M.A. Mass Communication and Media Studies, 2007
- James E. McPherson, retired Navy officer, former 39th Judge Advocate General of the Navy; Bachelor of Public Administration, 1977
- Eugene P. Wilkinson, first Commanding Officer of the USS Nautilus (SSN-571), the world's first nuclear submarine; B.S. Chemistry, 1938
- Donald Erwin Wilson, U.S. Navy admiral; B.S. Accounting, 1954; M.S. Management, 1955
Crime
- Kristin Rossum, toxicologist convicted of the murder of her husband [39]
- Duncan D. Hunter, US Representative plead guilty to conspiracy to misuse campaign funds. [40]
