List of University of South Dakota people

Last updated June 22, 2025

The following is a list of notable people associated with University of South Dakota , located in the American city of Vermillion, South Dakota.

Notable alumni

Academia

Kay Schallenkamp, president of Emporia State University, and later Black Hills State University
Robert Legvold, former director of the Harriman Institute, Columbia University Sovietologist

Politics and government

James Abourezk, U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative from South Dakota, first Arab-American U.S. Senator
Sigurd Anderson, Governor of South Dakota
Joseph H. Bottum, 27th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota and a member of the United States Senate
Kevin Brady, U.S. Representative from Texas
Dwight W. Burney, 30th Governor of Nebraska
Dan Crippen, Director of the Congressional Budget Office
Dennis Daugaard, 32nd Governor of South Dakota
George E. "Bud" Day, retired Air Force colonel, ex-POW, and most highly decorated military officer since Douglas MacArthur
Frank Farrar, 24th governor of South Dakota
Joe Foss, Marine Corp Medal of Honor recipient, 20th Governor of South Dakota, first commissioner of the American Football League
Carl Gunderson, Governor of South Dakota
Charles R. Hayes, Justice of the South Dakota Supreme Court ^[1]
Daryl Hecht, Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court
Carole Hillard, Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
Dusty Johnson, U.S. Representative and PUC Commissioner
Marty Jackley, 30th Attorney General of South Dakota ^{[ citation needed ]}
Bill Janklow, Governor of South Dakota and Representative of South Dakota
Leslie Jensen, Governor of South Dakota
Tim Johnson, U.S. senator from South Dakota
Steve T. Kirby, Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
Roberto Lange, Judge of U.S. District Court of South Dakota
Richard Barrett Lowe, Governor of American Samoa and Governor of Guam
Matt Michels, current Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
George S. Mickelson, Governor of South Dakota
John C. Miller Jr., United States Marine Corps Brigadier General
Byron S. Payne, South Dakota Attorney General ^[2]
Larry Pressler, U.S. Representative and Senator from South Dakota
A. J. Rosier, Wyoming state senator ^[3]
Merrell Q. Sharpe, Attorney General of South Dakota from 1929 through 1933, and Governor of South Dakota from 1943 through 1947
Harold J. Sykora, National Guard Major General, Adjutant General of South Dakota
John Thune, U.S. senator from South Dakota

Athletics

Dwight Anderson, cornerback and 2010 CFL All-Star
Ordell Braase, 1957–68, drafted in 14th round by the Baltimore Colts, two-time All-Pro, NFL Players Association President
George Burnside, former Racine Legion blocking back
Matt Chatham, former NFL linebacker, (2000–05, New England Patriots, 2006–07, New York Jets)
Tom Compton, offensive lineman for the Washington Redskins
Jack Doyle, former athletic director, former men's basketball coach, former assistant men's basketball coach, inducted into the USD Athletic Hall of Fame 2002,^[4] member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Hall of Fame^[5]^[6]
Filip Filipović, former NFL punter (2002–2003 Dallas Cowboys, 2003–2004 San Francisco 49ers, 2004 Minnesota Vikings, 2006 Houston Texans, 2007 Chicago Bears)
Yvette Greer-Albrecht, hurdler
Emily Grove, pole vaulter
John Kohler, former offensive lineman, drafted in the 3rd Round, 1969, Denver Broncos ^{[ citation needed ]}
Greg Lansing, basketball head coach, Indiana State
Stefan Logan, return specialist for Detroit Lions
Mark McLoughlin, former Calgary Stampeders kicker
Derek Miles, pole vaulter for USA Track and Field and Olympian
Ko Quaye, defensive lineman for the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League
Joe Robbie, original owner of the Miami Dolphins franchise
A.J. Schable, defensive end for NFL Seattle Seahawks; 2006, Arizona Cardinals
Josh Stamer, former NFL linebacker. (2003–07, Buffalo Bills; 2008, Tennessee Titans; 2009, Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills)
Tyler Starr, Atlanta Falcons linebacker, drafted 255th overall in 7th round of 2014 NFL Draft
Johnny Vann, former defensive back, drafted in the 10th round, Washington Redskins, 1973–74^{[ citation needed ]}
Travis Theis, football player in Canadian Football League
Jamel White, former running back (1999, Indianapolis Colts; 1999, Cleveland Browns; 2004, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; 2005, Detroit Lions)

Other

Tillie Black Bear, anti-domestic violence activist
Norman H. Boke, botanist
Ernest Bormann, rhetorical theorist
Tom Brokaw, longtime NBC News anchorman and retired NBC Nightly News anchor
Pete Dexter, novelist
Ernest O. Lawrence, inventor of the cyclotron; winner of 1939 Nobel Prize for Physics; namesake of chemical element 103, lawrencium; participated in the Manhattan Project;
John H. Lawrence, physicist and physician recognized for pioneering work in nuclear medicine; often referred to as the father of modern nuclear medicine
Faye Cashatt Lewis, physician and author, first women to receive an M.D. from Washington University School of Medicine ^[7]
Kenneth J. Meier, Charles Gregory Professor of Political Science, Texas A&M University
Greg Mortenson, humanitarian and founder of the Central Asia Institute
Al Neuharth, founder of USA Today and the Freedom Forum, former CEO of Gannett
Pat O'Brien, television presenter
Earl Rose, Dallas County medical examiner at the time of the assassination of John F. Kennedy^[8]
Faith Spotted Eagle, Yankton Dakota counselor and activist
Gene Vidal, athlete, aviation pioneer, New Deal official and father of Gore Vidal
Anna Johnson Pell Wheeler, mathematician, known for her contributions to infinite dimensional linear algebra
Abby Whiteside, piano teacher and theorist

Faculty

Roger Baron, professor of law
William O. Farber, former professor of political science
Oscar Howe, Native American painter^[9]
Patrick Garry, professor of law
Sheila Gestring, 18th president
Arne B. Larson, founder and curator of the National Music Museum or "Shrine to Music"
Alexander Pell (known in Russia as Sergey Degayev), first Dean of the School of Engineering (1905); researcher in mathematics
Frank Pommersheim, professor of law

References

↑ "Charles R. Hayes Dies After Long Legal Career", The Black Hills Weekly (June 5, 1968), p. 1.
↑ "University of South Dakota: Senior Class Exercises and the Presentation of Diplomas". Omaha Daily Bee . Omaha, NE. June 10, 1897. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.
↑ Bartlett, Ichabod Sargent (1918). History of Wyoming. Vol. 2. Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company. pp. 55–56.
↑ Jack Doyle, USD Hall of Famer Archived 2013-11-13 at the Wayback Machine
↑ Jack Doyle, NACDA Hall of Fame, Article #1
↑ Jack Doyle, NACDA Hall of Fame, Article #2
↑ Shanley, Mary Kay (January 28, 1968). "Her job: heal and listen". The Des Moines Register. p. 38. Retrieved June 10, 2023.
↑ Martin, Douglas (May 2, 2012). "Earl Rose, Coroner When Kennedy Was Shot, Dies at 85". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved April 1, 2013.
↑ Oscar Howe

External links

University of South Dakota Alumni Association

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[Obit-1] "Charles R. Hayes Dies After Long Legal Career", The Black Hills Weekly (June 5, 1968), p. 1.

[2] "University of South Dakota: Senior Class Exercises and the Presentation of Diplomas". Omaha Daily Bee . Omaha, NE. June 10, 1897. p. 3 – via Newspapers.com.

[3] Bartlett, Ichabod Sargent (1918). History of Wyoming. Vol. 2. Chicago: S. J. Clarke Publishing Company. pp. 55–56.

[4] Jack Doyle, USD Hall of Famer Archived 2013-11-13 at the Wayback Machine

[5] Jack Doyle, NACDA Hall of Fame, Article #1

[6] Jack Doyle, NACDA Hall of Fame, Article #2

[:1-7] Shanley, Mary Kay (January 28, 1968). "Her job: heal and listen". The Des Moines Register. p. 38. Retrieved June 10, 2023.

[Martin-8] Martin, Douglas (May 2, 2012). "Earl Rose, Coroner When Kennedy Was Shot, Dies at 85". The New York Times. New York. Retrieved April 1, 2013.

[9] Oscar Howe

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]