List of Utah State University alumni

Last updated

Notable alumni
Harry Reid official portrait.jpg
Harry Reid, BS '61, U.S. Senator, D-NV
Chris Cooley at Redskins training camp, August 2006.jpg
Chris Cooley, two-time NFL Pro Bowl tight end
Dennis Black - Official Portrait - 84th GA.jpg
Dennis Black, Iowa State Representative
William Marion Jardine.jpg
William Marion Jardine, Secretary of Agriculture (1925–1929); Ambassador to Egypt (1930–1933)
Lars Peter Hansen photo in 2007.jpg
Lars Peter Hansen, B.S. 1974, Nobel Laureate economist

This list of Utah State University alumni includes notable graduates, non-graduate former students, and current students of Utah State University (USU), a public, land-grant, research university located in Logan, Utah. This list does not contain the names of presidents or faculty of the university, unless they happen also to be alumni.

Contents

Founded in 1888 under the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act as the Agricultural College of Utah, USU has grown to more than 28,000 students. Although it is headquartered in Logan, USU operates throughout the state of Utah through five regional campuses and more than 20 distance education sites. On June 13, 1899, graduates of the Agricultural College of Utah met to create the Alumni Association. [1] Today, the Alumni Association is located in the historic David B. Haight Alumni Center, which was dedicated on July 11, 1991. [2] Alumni chapters exist in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Washington DC. [3] USU boasts more than 180,000 alumni, who are found in every U.S. state and more than 100 countries. [4]

Activism

NameClass year(s)Degree(s)NotabilityReference
Rick Bass 1979B.S. GeologyWriter and environmental activist [4]
Gregory C. Carr 1982B.S. HistoryEntrepreneur, human rights activist, and founder of the Gregory C. Carr Foundation, which supports human rights, education and the arts [4]
Steve Carr 1981B.S.First and only American elected to Standing Commission of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, the worldwide organization's highest governing body
Sonia Johnson 1958B.A. EnglishFeminist and writer [5]

Business

NameClass year(s)Degree(s)NotabilityReference
Nolan Bushnell Founded Atari Inc. and the Chuck E. Cheese's chain
Gregory C. Carr 1982B.S. HistoryEntrepreneur; founded the company that first developed voice mail; chaired Prodigy, an early global ISP [4]
Charlie Denson 1978B.S. MarketingPresident of Nike Brand [4] [6]
John Forzani 1971B.S. Physical EducationFounder of Forzani Group, Canada's largest sporting goods retailer with 215 company-owned stores under the names Coast Mountain Sports, Sport Chek and Sport Mart [4]
Jason Lindsey 1995B.A. M.A.Co-founder and president of Overstock.com
Dick Motta 1953B.S. Physical EducationOwner of the Bluebird Inn in Logan and the Bluebird Inn Bed and Breakfast in Bear Lake, Utah; former NBA coach and color commentator; coach of Chicago Bulls, Washington Bullets and Dallas Mavericks; NBA Coach of the Year in 1971; won an NBA Championship while coaching the Washington Bullets [4]
Ward Parkinson 1969B.S. Electrical EngineeringFounder of Micron Technology; VP of Commercial Development of Ovonyx, Inc. [4]
Gary E. Stevenson 1979B.A.Co-founder of ICON Health & Fitness

Education

NameClass year(s)Degree(s)NotabilityReference
Caryn Beck-Dudley 1980B.S. Political ScienceDean of the College of Business at Florida State University; first female dean of the Huntsman School of Business (2002–2005) [4]
Randy L. Bott 1970
1975
B.S.
M.S.
Named #1 Professor in the U.S. by RateMyProfessors.com
Linda J. Eyre 1970B.S.Co-author, with her husband Richard Eyre, of 33 books on parenting, including New York Times #1 best seller Teaching Your Children Values; developed and founded Joy Schools preschool system
Richard Eyre 1968B.S.Co-author, with his wife Linda J. Eyre, of 33 books on parenting, including New York Times #1 best seller Teaching Your Children Values; developed and founded Joy Schools preschool system

Government and politics

NameClass year(s)Degree(s)NotabilityReference
Norah al-Faiz 1982MEdDeputy Minister for Women's Education in Saudi Arabia; first woman appointed to ministerial post in Saudi Arabia [4]
Ezra Taft Benson U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (1953–61)
Dennis Black B.S. Forest Management
M.S. Natural Resources Economics
Democratic politician, representing the 21st District in the Iowa Senate since 1995
Laurence J. Burton 1956Elected as a Republican to the Eighty-eighth and to the three succeeding Congresses (1963–1971) [7]
Kathleen Clark 1972B.S. Political ScienceFirst woman appointed Director of the Bureau of Land Management (2002–07) [4]
George D. Clyde 1921B.S.Governor of Utah
Spencer Cox B.A. Lieutenant Governor of Utah, Governor of Utah [8]
Elizabeth Dowdeswell 1972M.S. Behavioral Sciences29th Lieutenant Governor of Ontario (2014–2023); Executive Director, United Nations Environment Programme (1993–98); Canada's permanent representative to the World Meteorological Organization; twice elected to its executive council [4]
John Gardner Ford 1975B.S.Son of former U.S. President Gerald Ford; attended USU during his presidency
Steven Ford Son of former U.S. President Gerald Ford; attended USU during his presidency
Kenny Guinn 1970Ed.D. Educational AdministrationFormer Governor of Nevada [4]
Paula Hawkins First woman ever elected to a full term in the U.S. Senate without a family connection (1981–87)
William Marion Jardine 1925PhDU.S. Secretary of Agriculture (1925–1929); U.S. Ambassador to Egypt [9]
Howard Jarvis Anti-tax activist in California
Wayne Johnson HistoryRepublican member of both houses, consecutively, of the Wyoming State Legislature, 1993 to 2017 [10]
Lorna Kesterson JournalismNewspaper reporter and editor; first woman elected mayor of Henderson, Nevada (1985–1993) [11]
Evan Mecham Governor of Arizona
Michael W. Mosman 1981B.S.Federal District Judge
Harry Reid 1961B.S. Political ScienceFormer U.S. Senator, D-NV; former U.S. Senate Majority Leader; youngest lieutenant governor in Nevada's history [4]
Mike Simpson 1972B.S.U.S. House of Representatives, R-ID
Marlon O. Snow Member of the Utah House of Representatives [4]
Chris Stewart 1984B.S.U.S. House of Representatives, R-UT; New York Times best-selling author
Ted Stewart 1972B.S.Federal District Judge
Jean Westwood First female Chair of the Democratic National Committee (1972)
Ardeshir Zahedi 1950B.S. Animal ScienceFormer Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to the United States [4]

Humanities and fine arts

NameClass year(s)Degree(s)NotabilityReference
Michael Ballam 1972B.S. MusicTenor; founder and director of the Utah Festival Opera; author of more than 30 publications and music recordings [4]
Rick Bass 1979PEN/O.Henry Prize-winning novelist, essayist
Reed Cowan 1998B.S.Emmy Award-winning journalist, documentary filmmaker
Douglas Kent Hall Writer and photographer
Craig Jessop 1973B.S.Music director; former director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Don Quayle 1952
1963
B.S.
M.S.
First president of National Public Radio
Bill Ransom 1998M.A.Science fiction writer; Stegner Fellow at Stanford
Chip Rawlins 1974
1983
B.S.
M.S.
Non-fiction writer, poet
Jan Shipps 1961B.S.Historian of Mormonism
May Swenson 1934B.S.Poet; Chancellor of Academy of American Poets
Brad Teare Painter and illustrator
Gene Tobey 1965
1967
1969
A.A.
B.F.A.
M.F.A.
Artist; sculptor; teaches sculpture and three-dimensional design at USU Logan; namesake of Gene Tobey Memorial Art Scholarship Fund created by his wife Rebecca Tobey in 2006 [12]
Mark Walton 1998B.F.A.Annie-nominated voice actor and story artist, known as the voice of "Rhino" in the movie Bolt
Kevin Wasden 2008B.A.Science fiction and fantasy artist and illustrator

Military

NameClass year(s)Degree(s)NotabilityReference
John K. Cannon 1914Air Commander-in-Chief, Allied Air Forces, Mediterranean Theater of Operations, World War II; four-star general
Peter Cooke 1971
1973
Political ScienceRetired major general; United States Army Reserves for 39 years [13]
Russell Maughan 1917Pilot of first-ever dawn-to-dusk transcontinental flight across the United States
Chase Nielsen 1939Participant in Doolittle Raid, career U.S. Air Force officer

Religion

NameClass year(s)Degree(s)NotabilityReference
Ezra Taft Benson President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)
Hugh B. Brown Member of the First Presidency of the LDS Church
Quentin L. Cook 1964B.S.Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church
David B. Haight 1929Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church [4]
W. Rolfe Kerr 1960
1966
B.S.
M.S.
Commissioner of Education of the LDS Church
Boyd K. Packer 1949
1953
B.S.
M.S.
President of the LDS Church's Quorum of Twelve Apostles
L. Tom Perry 1949B.S. Business AdministrationMember of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church [4]
Jan Shipps 1961B.S. HistoryPreeminent non-Mormon expert on Mormonism; Professor Emeritus of history and religious studies in the School of Liberal Arts at Indiana University-Purdue University [4]
Gary E. Stevenson 1979B.S. Business AdministrationMember of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church [14]

Science

NameClass year(s)Degree(s)NotabilityReference
Nathan Baldwin Inventor of headphones
Mary L. Cleave 1975
1980
M.S. Biology
Ph.D. Civil and Environmental Engineering
NASA astronaut [4]
Richard F. Daines 1974B.S.Commissioner of Health for New York State; head of the New York Department of Health
Eldon J. Gardner1934

1935

B.S. Zoology and Chemistry

M.S. Zoology

Geneticist, cancer researcher, discovered a familial colon cancer, Gardner's syndrome; first dean of the College of Science at Utah State University, prolific author of science papers and textbooks [15]
Julia F. Knight 1964B.S. MathematicsMathematician in model theory and computability theory at the University of Notre Dame, Fellow of the American Mathematical Society [16]
George Piranian 1937B.S. Agriculture, M.S. BotanyMathematician in complex analysis; founded the Michigan Mathematical Journal with Paul Erdős, Fritz Herzog and Arthur J. Lohwater
Archimedes Plutonium 1979MEdAs Ludwig van Ludvig, notable Usenet personality
Julie A. Robinson 1989B.S. ChemistryChief Scientist of the International Space Station
Gene P. Weckler 1958B.S. Electrical EngineeringPresident of Rad-icon Imaging Corporation [4]
Shang Fa Yang 1963Ph.D.Research unlocked key to prolonging freshness in fruits and flowers; 1991 Wolf Prize in Agriculture, considered the "Nobel Prize of Agriculture"

Sports

NameClass year(s)Degree(s)NotabilityReference
Lionel Aldridge Former NFL defensive end, Green Bay Packers and San Diego Chargers
Kent Baer 1974B.S.Former head football coach, Notre Dame; defensive coordinator at many universities
Rick Baird 2000US bobsled team, 1998–2003; forerunner during 2002 Winter Olympics
Ed Berry Former NFL and CFL All Star defensive back, Green Bay Packers
Jay Don Blake Professional golfer and PGA Tour winner
Jim Boatwright 1974American-Israeli basketball player; won two Euroleague championships with Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv
Clyde Brock 1962B.S.Former CFL All-Star offensive tackle
Anthony Calvillo All-time leading passer and star quarterback in the Canadian Football League
Mike Connelly 1959Former NFL center, Dallas Cowboys
Chris Cooley Two-time NFL Pro Bowl tight end, currently with the Washington Redskins
Kevin Curtis 2003B.S.NFL wide receiver, currently with the Philadelphia Eagles
Chuck Detwiler Former NFL and WFL player
LaVell Edwards 1952B.S. Physical Education College Football Hall of Fame coach; head coach of 1984 National Champion BYU Cougars [4]
Kyle Fiat Professional lacrosse player, Philadelphia Wings
Gar Forman 1984B.S.Current general manager, Chicago Bulls
Bob Gagliano 1981Former NFL and USFL quarterback
Hal Garner 1985Former linebacker, Buffalo Bills
Jim Garrett 1951Former NFL coach and scout
Tay Glover-Wright CFL cornerback for Ottawa Redblacks, formerly with Calgary Stampeders, formerly NFL cornerback for Indianapolis Colts
Cornell Green 1962Former NFL All-Pro defensive back, Dallas Cowboys; played basketball at USU
Donnie Henderson 1986B.S.Former defensive coordinator, New York Jets and Detroit Lions
Eric Hipple 1980B.S.Former starting NFL quarterback, Detroit Lions
Jim Hough 1978B.S.Former offensive lineman, Minnesota Vikings
Phil Johnson 1963
1965
B.S.
M.S.
Former NBA head coach; currently longtime assistant coach, Utah Jazz; named NBA's top assistant coach three times
Rulon Jones 1987B.S.Former NFL defensive lineman, Denver Broncos; AFC Defensive Player of the Year, 1986
Micah Knorr 1997B.S.Former NFL punter, Dallas Cowboys, and Denver Broncos
Greg Kragen 2005B.S.Former NFL Pro Bowl defensive tackle, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, and Carolina Panthers
Travis LaBoy B.S.Former NFL linebacker
MacArthur Lane 2003B.S.Former NFL Pro Bowl running back
Jordan Love 2021 [a] NFL quarterback, Green Bay Packers
Dick Motta 1953B.S. Physical EducationOne of top 10 winningest NBA head coaches of all time; NBA Coach of the Year, 1971; head coach of 1978 NBA champion Washington Bullets; owner of the Bluebird Inn in Logan and the Bluebird Inn Bed and Breakfast in Bear Lake, Utah; former NBA coach and color commentator; Coach of Chicago Bulls, Washington Bullets and Dallas Mavericks; NBA Coach of the Year in 1971; won an NBA Championship while coaching the Washington Bullets [4]
Merlin Olsen 1962
1971
B.S. Finance
M.S.
College and Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive tackle; later NFL analyst and TV personality; selected to 14 Pro Bowls; 1974 NFL MVP; actor, Little House on the Prairie and Father Murphy [4]
Phil Olsen 1970B.S.Former NFL center and defensive tackle, Boston Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos, and Buffalo Bills
Donald Penn 2005B.S.NFL offensive tackle, Washington Redskins Formerly Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Oakland Raiders
Marv Roberts 1970B.S.Former ABA basketball player
Len Rohde 1960B.S.Former NFL Pro Bowl tackle, San Francisco 49ers
Roy Shivers 1966Former NFL running back, CFL head coach and general manager
Jay Silvester 1959
1971
B.S.
M.S.
Four-time Olympian discus thrower, silver medal (1972); broke world record four times; first to throw 60 meters
Al Smith B.S.Former NFL linebacker, Houston Oilers
Robert Turbin 2011Former NFL tailback, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, and Indianapolis Colts; Super Bowl champion (XLVIII) [4]
Bobby Wagner 2011B.S.NFL linebacker, Seattle Seahawks * Super Bowl champion (XLVIII) [4]

Miscellaneous

NameClass year(s)Degree(s)NotabilityReference
Freddy Deeb Professional poker player, World Series of Poker
Mark Hofmann Author of the Salamander letter; convicted murderer

Notes

  1. Graduating class of 2021, but did not complete his senior year in order to enter the 2020 NFL draft

References

  1. Simmonds, A.J. (1991), Utah State University's David B. Haight Alumni Center
  2. "David B. Haight Alumni Center". Utah State University. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
  3. "Utah State Alumni Association Chapters". Utah State University. Archived from the original on November 9, 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 "Utah State University Greats". Utah State University. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved November 6, 2011.
  5. "Inventory of the Sonia Johnson papers". University of Utah. Retrieved April 30, 2012.
  6. NIKE, Inc. - The official corporate website for Nike and its affiliate brands
  7. "Burton, Laurence Junior, (1926 - 2002)". United States of America, Congress. Retrieved December 20, 2011.
  8. Posted 2:45 pm, October 8, 2013, by David Wells (October 8, 2013). "Utah's new Lt. Governor announced". fox13now.com. Retrieved May 5, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. "William Marion Jardine". NNDB. Retrieved September 25, 2012.
  10. "Wayne Johnson, Cheyenne, Wyoming". intelius.com. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  11. McMurdo, Doug (January 17, 2012). "Former Henderson mayor Lorna Kesterson dies at 86". Las Vegas Review-Journal . Retrieved January 20, 2012.
  12. Tobey, Rebecca. Partners in Art: Gene and Rebecca Tobey, pp. 350 - 355. Fresco Fine Art Publications, 2007. ISBN   978-1-934491-02-7
  13. McEntee, Peg (February 29, 2012). "Democrat Peter Cooke launches fiery run for Utah governor". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  14. "Elder Gary E. Stevenson". churchofjesuschrist.org. Retrieved May 5, 2017.
  15. "ELDON J. GARDNER, 79, PROFESSOR AND CANCER RESEARCHER, DIES". Deseret News. February 4, 1989. Retrieved April 30, 2020.
  16. Julia Knight – Named professorships and directorships at Notre Dame Archived 2013-10-17 at the Wayback Machine , retrieved 2013-10-16.