Notable Alumni of University of Kansas

Juan Manuel Santos 1951–

Former President of Colombia, Nobel Peace Prize recipient

Also attended: Kansas State University, Harvard University, Tufts University

Bob Dole 1923–2021

Kansas senator and Senate Republican leader

Attended until 1943

Also attended: University of Arizona, Washburn University

Spouse: Elizabeth Dole (Harvard University, Duke University)

Kathleen Sebelius 1948–

21st US Secretary of Health and Human Services

Also attended: Trinity Washington University

Father: John J. Gilligan (University of Notre Dame, University of Cincinnati-Main Campus)

Caroline Lucas 1960–

Former Green Party leader and MP

Bachelor of Journalism · Class of 1987

Sam Brownback 1956–

46th Governor of Kansas and former US senator

Juris Doctor · Class of 1982

Also attended: Kansas State University

Pat Roberts 1936–

US Senator from Kansas from 1997 to 2021

Also attended: Kansas State University

Jerry Moran 1954–

United States Senator from Kansas

Bachelor of Science, Juris Doctor · Class of 1981

Also attended: Fort Hays State University

Nancy Kassebaum 1932–2026

Former US Senator from Kansas

Attended until 1954

Also attended: University of Michigan-Ann Arbor

Spouse: Howard Baker (Tulane University of Louisiana, The University of the South)

Father: Alf Landon (University of Kansas)

Jane Dee Hull 1935–2020

20th Governor of Arizona

Bachelor of Arts

Also attended: Arizona State University-Tempe, Kansas State University

Roger Marshall 1960–

US senator from Kansas and physician

M.D. · Class of 1987

Also attended: Butler Community College, Kansas State University

Keith Kellogg 1944–

Retired US Army lieutenant general and diplomat

Also attended: Santa Clara University

Alf Landon 1887–1987

Kansas governor and 1936 Republican presidential nominee

Child: Nancy Kassebaum (University of Kansas, University of Michigan-Ann Arbor)

Mark Parkinson 1957–

45th Governor of Kansas

Also attended: Wichita State University

Dusty Johnson 1976–

US Representative for South Dakota

Master in Public Administration · Class of 2002

Also attended: University of South Dakota

William Borah 1865–1940

Republican US senator from Idaho

Doug Lamborn 1954–

US Representative from Colorado, 2007 to 2025

Juris Doctor, Bachelor of Science · Class of 1978

Jeff Colyer 1960–

47th governor of Kansas and surgeon

Also attended: Georgetown University, Kansas State University

Derek Schmidt 1968–

U.S. representative and former Kansas Attorney General

Bachelor of Science, Doctor of Juridical Science · Class of 2015

Also attended: Georgetown University, Independence Community College

Kevin Yoder 1976–

Former U.S. Representative from Kansas

Juris Doctor, Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1999

Dennis Moore 1945–2021

Six-term U.S. representative from Kansas

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1967

Also attended: Washburn University, Southern Methodist University

Sheila Bair 1954–

19th Chair of the U.S. Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

Also attended: University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Francisco Santos 1961–

Former Vice President of Colombia

Also attended: Kansas State University, Harvard University, The University of Texas at Austin

Ken Martin 1973–

Chair of the Democratic National Committee

David Cheung 1937–2013

Hong Kong educator, pastor and former legislator

Also attended: Kansas State University, Covenant Theological Seminary

Kate Spade 1962–2018

Fashion designer and co-founder of Kate Spade New York

Also attended: Arizona State University-Tempe

Alan Mulally 1945–

Former CEO of Ford Motor Company

Also attended: Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Philip Anschutz 1939–

Billionaire businessman and Washington Examiner owner

Cynthia Carroll 1956–

Former chief executive of Anglo American

Also attended: Kansas State University, Harvard University, Skidmore College

Jerry Colangelo 1939–

Sports executive and former Phoenix Suns owner

Also attended: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Child: Bryan Colangelo (Cornell University)

Christopher A. Sinclair 1950–

Chairman of Reckitt

Marketing

Also attended: Dartmouth College

Clyde Tombaugh 1906–1997

Astronomer who discovered Pluto

Also attended: Northern Arizona University, Kansas State University

Vernon L. Smith 1927–

Economist and Chapman University professor

Master of Arts · Class of 1951

Also attended: California Institute of Technology, Friends University, Kansas State University

Ronald Evans 1933–1990

NASA astronaut and US Navy officer

Also attended: Naval Postgraduate School, United States Naval Academy

Paul R. Ehrlich 1932–2026

Stanford biologist and environmentalist on population growth

Master of Arts, Doctor of Philosophy · Class of 1957

Also attended: University of Pennsylvania

Joe Engle 1932–2024

NASA astronaut, commander of Space Shuttle STS-2

Bachelor of Science

Steven Hawley 1951–

Former NASA astronaut and professor emeritus

Also attended: University of California-Santa Cruz

Spouse: Sally Ride (University of California-Los Angeles, Swarthmore College)

Loral O'Hara 1983–

Engineer and NASA astronaut

Also attended: Purdue University-Main Campus

Pamela C. Rasmussen 1959–

Ornithologist and expert on Asian birds

Attended until 1990

Also attended: Walla Walla University

George Kelly 1905–1967

Psychologist, founder of personal construct psychology

Also attended: University of Iowa, Friends University, Park University

Joseph W. Kennedy 1916–1957

Chemist and co-discoverer of plutonium

Also attended: University of California-Berkeley, Kansas State University, Stephen F. Austin State University

Elmer McCollum 1879–1967

Biochemist known for work on diet and health

Also attended: Yale University

Walter Sutton 1877–1916

Geneticist of the Boveri–Sutton chromosome theory

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

George Tiller 1941–2009

Kansas physician murdered by an anti-abortion extremist

Larry Laudan 1941–2022

Philosopher of science and epistemologist

Also attended: Princeton University

Martin Gutzwiller 1925–2014

Physicist known for quantum chaos work

Doctor of Philosophy

Edward Harrison Taylor 1889–1978

Herpetologist and university professor

Also attended: Kansas State University

Elmer S. Riggs 1869–1963

Paleontologist at the Field Museum

Michael S. Engel 1971–

Paleontologist and entomologist

Also attended: Kansas State University, Cornell University

John Merton Aldrich 1866–1934

Entomologist at the United States National Museum

Attended until 1893

Also attended: Michigan State University, South Dakota State University, Stanford University

Zhou Zhonghe 1965–

Paleontologist known for early bird evolution studies

Doctorate

Xiaoming Wang 1957–

Chinese-born vertebrate paleontologist and geologist

Doctor of Philosophy

Wang Yuan

Paleontologist, director of Paleozoological Museum of China

Mandy Patinkin 1952–

Actor and musical theatre singer

Also attended: The Juilliard School

Don Johnson 1949–

Actor who starred in Miami Vice

Child: Jesse Johnson (Occidental College)

Rex Stout 1886–1975

Detective fiction writer, creator of Nero Wolfe

Gillian Flynn 1971–

Author of Gone Girl

Also attended: Northwestern University

Dee Wallace 1948–

Actress known as Mary in E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

Scott Bakula 1954–

Actor in Quantum Leap and Star Trek: Enterprise

Also attended: Kansas State University, Jefferson College

Rob Riggle 1970–

Actor, comedian and retired Marine officer

Film, Theatre

Also attended: Kansas State University, Webster University

Kari Wahlgren 1977–

Voice actress in animation, anime and games

Attended until 1999

William Inge 1913–1973

Playwright and novelist

Also attended: Independence Community College, Vanderbilt University

Billy Drago 1945–2019

Actor often cast as villains, in The Untouchables

Nikki Glaser 1984–

Stand-up comedian and actress

Bachelor of Arts

James Gunn 1923–2020

Science fiction writer, editor and scholar

Charles Rogers 1904–1999

Film actor and musician, "America's Boyfriend"

Kelli McCarty 1969–

Miss USA 1991, actress and model

Robert Morris 1931–2018

Minimalist sculptor and conceptual artist

Also attended: San Francisco Art Institute, Kansas City Art Institute, CUNY Hunter College

Spouse: Simone Forti (Reed College)

Pat Cadigan 1953–

Science fiction author associated with cyberpunk

Also attended: University of Massachusetts-Amherst

Bill Farmer 1952–

Voice actor, the voice of Disney's Goofy since 1987

Frank Harris 1856–1931

Irish-American editor, writer and publisher

Moses Gunn 1929–1993

Actor and Obie Award-winning stage performer

Also attended: Tennessee State University

Sara Paretsky 1947–

Detective fiction author, creator of V. I. Warshawski

Also attended: University of Chicago, Kansas State University

Terry Kiser 1939–

American film and television actor

Iliza Shlesinger 1983–

Stand-up comedian and actress

Also attended: Emerson College

Trai Byers 1983–

Actor known for the TV series Empire

Also attended: Yale University

Spouse: Grace Byers (University of California-Irvine, University of South Florida-Main Campus)

John L. Allen Jr. 1965–2026

Journalist, editor of Catholic news site Crux

Also attended: Fort Hays State University

Frank Wilcox 1907–1974

Film, television and Broadway actor

Also attended: Benedictine College

Sidney Toler 1874–1947

Actor best known as Charlie Chan

William Allen White 1868–1944

Newspaper editor and Progressive movement leader

Child: William Lindsay White (Harvard University)

Aaron Douglas 1899–1979

Painter and major Harlem Renaissance figure

Also attended: University of Nebraska-Lincoln

Herk Harvey 1924–1996

American film director of Carnival of Souls

Daniel Woodrell 1953–2025

Novelist who coined the phrase country noir

Also attended: University of Iowa

Diane Brewster 1931–1991

Television actress in The Fugitive and Maverick

Alex Graves 1965–

Film and television director, screenwriter and producer

Also attended: University of Southern California

Scott Heim 1966–

Novelist, author of Mysterious Skin

Also attended: Columbia University in the City of New York

Ridley Pearson 1953–

Author of suspense and thriller novels

Also attended: Brown University

Susan Ford 1957–

Photojournalist and daughter of President Gerald Ford

Also attended: George Washington University

Father: Gerald Ford (Yale University, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary)

Mother: Betty Ford (Bennington College)

Unique Priscilla 1970–

Indonesian actress and model

Also attended: Kansas State University

Thomas Frank 1965–

Political analyst, historian, co-founder of The Baffler

Also attended: University of Chicago, Kansas State University, University of Virginia-Main Campus

Wilt Chamberlain 1936–1999

NBA center for 14 seasons

Attended until 1958

Paul Pierce 1977–

NBA player and 2008 Finals MVP

Al Oerter 1936–2007

Four-time Olympic discus champion

Joel Embiid 1994–

Philadelphia 76ers NBA player

Andrew Wiggins 1995–

Basketball player, first overall pick in 2014 NBA draft

Attended until 2014

Father: Mitchell Wiggins (Clemson University)

Mother: Marita Payne (Florida State University)

Jo Jo White 1946–2018

American professional basketball player

Also attended: Dartmouth College

Child: Brian J. White (Dartmouth College)

Mario Chalmers 1986–

Former NBA player, 34th pick in 2008 draft

Kirk Hinrich 1981–

Former NBA point guard

Billy Mills 1938–

1964 Olympic 10,000 metres champion

Sasha Kaun 1985–

Russian basketball player, 2008 NCAA champion

Sviatoslav Mykhailiuk 1997–

Ukrainian NBA basketball player

Drew Gooden 1981–

Former NBA power forward, 14 seasons

Bill Nieder 1933–2022

Shot putter, 1960 Olympic gold medalist

Marcus Morris Sr. 1989–

Former NBA basketball player

Sibling: Markieff Morris (University of Kansas)

Markieff Morris 1989–

NBA player, 13th pick in 2011 draft

Sibling: Marcus Morris Sr. (University of Kansas)

Jim Ryun 1947–

Olympic runner and former U.S. Congressman

Bachelor of Arts · Class of 1970

Also attended: Kansas State University

Child: Ned Ryun (University of Kansas)

Nick Collison 1980–

Former NBA player, Thunder special assistant

Dean Smith 1931–2015

Legendary University of North Carolina basketball coach

Thomas Robinson 1991–

Basketball player, fifth pick in 2012 NBA draft

Lynette Woodard 1959–

Basketball Hall of Fame player and coach

Attended until 1981

Brandon Rush 1985–

Former NBA player, 2008 first-round pick

Sibling: Kareem Rush (University of Missouri-Columbia)

Clyde Lovellette 1929–2016

Basketball Hall of Fame player

James Bausch 1906–1974

Football player and decathlete

Cole Aldrich 1988–

Former NBA player for the Thunder and Rockets

Ben McLemore 1993–

Former basketball player, seventh pick in 2013 NBA draft

Kelly Oubre Jr. 1995–

American NBA basketball player

Danny Manning 1966–

Former NBA player and college basketball coach

Darrell Arthur 1988–

Former NBA player, 2008 Kansas national champion

Keith Langford 1983–

Former professional basketball player

Sibling: Kevin Langford (University of California-Berkeley)

Jeff Withey 1990–

Professional basketball player, known as Kansas shot-blocker

Christian Braun 2001–

NBA player for the Denver Nuggets

Bill Hougland 1930–2017

Two-time Olympic basketball player, 1952 NCAA champion

Glenn Cunningham 1909–1988

Middle-distance runner, 1933 Sullivan Award winner

Devonte' Graham 1995–

American professional basketball player

Jacque Vaughn 1975–

Basketball coach and former NBA player

Josh Jackson 1997–

Former NBA player, fourth pick in 2017 draft

Bryce Hoppel 1997–

800m runner, 2024 World Indoor champion

Kyle Clemons 1990–

Sprinter, 2014 World Indoor Championships bronze medalist

Cheick Diallo 1996–

Malian professional basketball player

Xavier Henry 1991–

Former basketball player drafted in 2010

Bill Lienhard 1930–2022

Basketball player at the 1952 Olympics

Scot Pollard 1975–

Former NBA player for the Kings and Pacers

Greg Ostertag 1973–

Former NBA center with the Utah Jazz

Bob Kenney 1931–2014

Basketball player, 1952 Olympic gold medalist

Diamond Dixon 1992–

Sprinter, 2012 Olympic 4x400m relay gold medalist

Allen Kelley 1932–2016

Basketball player, 1960 Olympic gold medalist

Sibling: Dean Kelley (University of Kansas)

Darnell Jackson 1985–

Former basketball player, 2008 Kansas champion

J. R. Giddens 1985–

Former professional basketball player

Ochai Agbaji 2000–

Basketball player, 2022 Big 12 Player of the Year

Raef LaFrentz 1976–

Former NBA player for the Nuggets and Celtics

John Keller 1928–2000

Basketball player, 1952 Olympic gold medalist

Bill Bridges 1939–2015

Former NBA power forward and champion

Mason Finley 1990–

Shot putter and discus thrower

Also attended: University of Wyoming

Gradey Dick 2003–

NBA player, 13th pick in the 2023 draft

Communication studies

Charlie Hoag 1931–2012

Basketball player at the 1952 Olympics

Jan Johnson 1950–2025

Pole vaulter

Also attended: The University of Alabama

Child: Chelsea Johnson (University of California-Los Angeles)

Fay Moulton 1876–1945

Olympic sprinter and Kansas State football coach

Also attended: Yale University

Gary Woodland 1984–

Professional golfer, 2019 U.S. Open champion

Also attended: Washburn University

Dedric Lawson 1997–

Basketball player for CBA's Xinjiang Flying Tigers

Also attended: University of Memphis

Clifton Cushman 1938–1966

1960 Olympic 400m hurdles silver medalist

Phog Allen 1885–1974

Father of Basketball Coaching, longtime Kansas coach

Also attended: Kansas City University

Paul Stagg Coakley 1955–

Catholic Archbishop of Oklahoma City

Also attended: Mount St. Mary's University

Sam Farha 1959–

Lebanese poker player, 2003 WSOP Main Event runner-up

James D. Conley 1955–

Catholic bishop of Lincoln, Nebraska

Also attended: Mount St. Mary's University