List of New Mexico State University people explained

This is a list of notable people affiliated with New Mexico State University.

Faculty and staff

• Reta Beebe - professor emeritus in the Astronomy Department, best known for participation in the Voyager mission
• David Boje - author; current NMSU endowed Bank of America professor of management^[1]
• Garrey Carruthers - former NMSU President and Dean of College of Business; former governor of New Mexico
• David Clements - conspiracy theorist
• James Cuffey - former professor in astronomy, known for photoelectric photometry
• Frank Harary - mathematician, specialized in graph theory
• Delano Lewis - founding director of New Mexico State University's International Relations Institute
• Mark Medoff - playwright, screenwriter, film and theatre director, actor, and professor
• Antonya Nelson - English professor at NMSU; author
• Burl Noggle - professor, American historian
• Cyrus Nowrasteh - screenwriter and director
• Fred T. Plog, III-archaeologist, anthropologist, author
• Gerald W. Thomas - NMSU President Emeritus, 1970–1984
• Edward O. Thorp - mathematician best known for writing the book Beat the Dealer^[2] and co-inventing the first wearable computer; Associate Professor of Mathematics 1961–65^[3]
• Clyde Tombaugh - astronomer best known for his discovery of Pluto; former professor of astronomy^[4]
• Lou Henson - former NMSU Basketball Head Coach
• Jerry Kill - NMSU Football Head Coach
• Frank Alan Ward - Distinguished Professor in the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Science; 2022 DARE Hall of Fame Award; Colorado State University: Lifetime Achievement Award, 2022.^[5]

Alumni

Science, medicine, and technology

• Arlan Andrews - mechanical engineer and science fiction author
• John A. D. Cooper - physician and educator
• Stuart Pimm - theoretical ecologist and conservation biologist.
• Alan Hale - astronomer famous for discovering the Hale-Bopp Comet
• Bill Inmon - computer scientist, recognized as the father of data warehouse
• Paul W. Klipsch - audio pioneer; founder of Klipsch and Associates; namesake of the Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NMSU^[6]
• Jaron Lanier - writer, computer scientist, composer, and virtual reality pioneer
• Kathy Lueders - engineer, NASA Associate Administrator of Human Exploration and Operations (HEO)
• Rose Marie Pangborn - scientist, pioneer in the sensory analysis of food
• Harold Reitsema - astronomer, part of the teams that discovered Larissa and Telesto
• Mark W. Spong - roboticist; Dean of Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science at the University of Texas at Dallas
• Paul Carpenter Standley - botanist
• Sarah Stewart - research scientist, pioneer in the field of viral oncology, co-discovered the first polyomavirus^[7]

Law, politics, military and government

• Norma Bixby - member of the Montana House of Representatives
• Donald Bratton - politician
• William Burt - Republican member of the New Mexico Senate
• Michael L. Connor - United States Deputy Secretary of the Interior
• David Coss - US politician and former mayor of Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Lee Cotter - Republican member of the New Mexico Senate
• Candy Ezzell - Republican member of the New Mexico House of Representatives
• Edgar Franklin Foreman, Jr. - motivational speaker in Dallas who served one term in the United States House of Representatives
• Gregory J. Fouratt - former United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico
• Chuck Franco - game warden, police officer, undersheriff, current First Gentleman of New Mexico
• Mary Helen Garcia - Democratic member of the New Mexico House of Representatives
• Mary Jane Garcia - former member of the New Mexico Senate
• Ron Griggs - politician
• David Campos Guaderrama - United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
• Gary King - Attorney General of New Mexico
• Greg Lopez - U.S. Representative from Colorado
• Lester Lyles - former Air Force general, Chairman of the Board for USAA
• Patrick H. Lyons - politician from New Mexico
• John McEneny - politician
• Ken Miyagishima - mayor of Las Cruces, New Mexico
• Howie Morales - Democratic member of the New Mexico Senate
• Steven Neville - Republican member of the New Mexico Senate
• Steve Pearce - US Representative for New Mexico
• Renee Schulte - Iowa State Representative^[8]
• William Sharer - Republican member of the New Mexico Senate
• Roosevelt Skerrit - Prime Minister of Dominica Attended but graduated from Mississippi ^[9]
• William Soules - Democratic member of the New Mexico Senate
• James Edward Wharton - United States Army Brigadier General, killed in action during World War II^[10]
• Pat Woods - Republican member of the New Mexico Senate
• Bob Wooley - Republican member of the New Mexico House of Representatives

Business

• Kevin Johnson - CEO of Starbucks Corporation
• Dave Lopez - telecommunications executive

Academia, arts, and literature

• Lee K. Abbott - writer; professor emeritus of English at Ohio State University
• Subhankar Banerjee - photographer, author and activist
• Denise Chavez - author, playwright and stage director
• Upile Chisala - poet^[11]
• Leroy Quintana - poet, Vietnam veteran
• Larry Torres - linguist and lecturer on Southwestern culture
• Martin Guevara Urbina - writer, professor, and researcher; as a sociologist and criminologist, works on Latina and Latino issues in the United States

Athletics

• Willie Adams - former NFL defensive end
• Andre Anderson - former CFL defensive tackle for the BC Lions
• Pervis Atkins - NFL running back, played for the Los Angeles Rams, Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders
• Leo Barker - NFL linebacker, played for the Cincinnati Bengals
• Greg Bearman - CFL defensive back
• Rich Beem - professional golfer with a three PGA Tour wins including 2002 PGA Championship
• Jim Bostic - NBA forward
• Randy Brown - NBA guard
• Bart Bryant - professional golfer with three PGA Tour wins
• Tom Byrum - professional golfer with one PGA Tour win
• Joe Campbell - NFL defensive end, played for the New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Steve Colter - NBA guard
• Charlie Criss - NBA guard
• Andy Dorris - NFL defensive end, played for the St. Louis Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks and Houston Oilers
• Andre Francis - former FL defensive back
  • Bob Gaiters - NFL running back, played for the NY Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos Roy Gerela - NFL placekicker, played for the Houston Oilers, Pittsburgh Steelers and San Diego Chargers
• Jim Germany - CFL running back, played for the Edmonton Eskimos, was an All-Star and part of 5 Grey Cup championship teams
• Jonte Green - NFL cornerback for the Detroit Lions
• Duriel Harris - NFL wide receiver, played for the Miami Dolphins
• Steve Haskins - professional golfer with two Web.com Tour wins
• Lou Henson - former coach of New Mexico State and University of Illinois men's basketball
• Davon House - NFL defensive back for the Green Bay Packers
• Bobby Humphrey - NFL wide receiver, played for the NY Jets and Denver Broncos
• Martin Iti - basketball player
• Bob Jackson - former NFL running back
• Charley Johnson - NFL quarterback, played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Oilers and Denver Broncos ; full professor of Chemical Engineering at NMSU; member of the Denver Broncos Ring of Honor
• Walter Johnson - NFL defensive lineman, played for the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals; three-time Pro Bowl (1967, 1968, 1969); member of the College Football Hall of Fame
• LaTraia Jones - football coach; former player at University of Wyoming
• Reggie Jordan - NBA guard
• Sam Lacey - NBA center
• Billy Ray Locklin - former CFL defensive lineman
• Kerry Locklin - college football coach
• Denvis Manns - football running back, famous for rushing for 1,000 yards in four consecutive seasons in college
• Anita Maxwell - former WNBA forward for the Cleveland Rockers, only basketball player (male or female) in school history to have her uniform number (40) retired^[12]
• Kyle Nelson - NFL long snapper
• Michael New - former basketball player and coach of the Milton Keynes Lions
• Jerry Nuzum - NFL running back, played for the Pittsburgh Steelers
• Cliff Olander - gridiron football quarterback
• J. R. Patton - stock car racing driver
• Buck Pierce - CFL quarterback, played for the BC Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• Joe Pisarcik - NFL quarterback, played for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles; best remembered for his role in a 1978 play that has since been referred to as "The Fumble" by NY Giants fans and "The Miracle at the Meadowlands" by Philadelphia Eagles fans
• Ron Porterfield - Major League Baseball athletic trainer
• Tony Sanchez - head football coach at UNLV
• Joe Schmiesing - former NFL defensive lineman, played for the St. Louis Cardinals
• Siddeeq Shabazz - Canadian Football League linebacker
• Alena Sharp - professional golfer on the LPGA Tour
• Pascal Siakam - NBA forward, NBA championship in 2019 with Toronto Raptors
• Danny Villanueva - NFL placekicker, played for the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys. Media entertainment entrepreneur
• Gary Ward - former baseball coach for Oklahoma State University and New Mexico State University
• Walt Williams - NFL cornerback, played for the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears
• John Williamson - NBA guard
• Tony Wragge - former NFL offensive lineman for various teams
• Jahmar Young (born 1986) - basketball player in the Israeli National League
• Fredd Young - NFL linebacker; played for the Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts; four-time Pro Bowler (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987); two-time All-Pro (1984, 1987); member of the Seattle Seahawks 35th Anniversary Team
• Jahmar Young - NBA guard
• Jannah Sonnenschein (born 1996) - Dutch–Mozambican swimmer

Entertainment, film, news and television

• Scott Bailey - actor
• David James Baker - filmmaker
• Baxter Black - cowboy poet; radio and television commentator
• Kira Davis - film producer
• William Frankfather - actor
• Barbara Funkhouser - journalist, first woman to serve as editor of the El Paso Times (1980–1986)^[13]
• Alvy Ray Smith - co-founder of Pixar
• Brittany Toll - Miss New Mexico 2011
• Franc Luz - Movie and Television Actor

Other

• Jorge A. Rojas - general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)
• Clara Belle Williams (1885 - 1994) - first African-American graduate of the university (English, 1937)

External links

• New Mexico State University official website
• NMSU Alumni Association official website

Notes and References

1. Web site: David . Boje . David Boje | New Mexico State University - Academia.edu . Nmsu.academia.edu . October 12, 2010.
2. Book: Beat the Dealer: A Winning Strategy for the Game of Twenty-One (9780394703107): Edward O. Thorp: Books . 0394703103. Thorp. Edward O.. 1966. Knopf Doubleday Publishing .
3. Web site: About Edward O. Thorp . October 12, 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110710172039/http://www.edwardothorp.com/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/vita_20080922.doc . July 10, 2011 . dead .
4. Web site: Melissa. Gottwald. Maura. Kenny. Clyde W. Tombaugh Biographical Outline . Archives.nmsu.edu . October 12, 2010 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20081013125038/http://archives.nmsu.edu/exhibits/tombaugh_website/bio.html . October 13, 2008 .
5. Web site: Group of NMSU faculty named among top scientists worldwide . The NewsMarket . November 8, 2023 . May 1, 2024.
6. Web site: Founder Biography . Klipsch.com . May 5, 2002 . October 12, 2010.
7. Fulghieri. Carl. Bloom. Sharon. Sarah Elizabeth Stewart. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 20. 5. 2014. 893–895. 1080-6040. 10.3201/eid2005.131876. 4012821. 24751102.
8. https://www.legis.iowa.gov/legislators/legislator?ga=84&personID=6586
9. http://www.caribbeanelections.com/knowledge/biography/bios/skerrit_roosevelt.asp
10. Book: John . Greenwood . Normandy to Victory: The War Diary of General Courtney H. Hodges . 2008 . 429. University Press of Kentucky . 978-0813126425 .
11. Web site: Hawksley . Rupert . 2019-11-05 . How Upile Chisala became a voice for young, black women around the world . 2024-02-02 . The National . en.
12. News: Former Aggies to be inducted into intercollegiate athletic hall of fame . January 10, 2002 . The Round Up . https://web.archive.org/web/20040912111225/http://www.roundupnews.com/news/2002/01/10/Sports/Former.Aggies.To.Be.Inducted.Into.Intercollegiate.Athletic.Hall.Of.Fame-162689.shtml . September 12, 2004 .
13. News: Alex . Hinojosa . Barbara Funkhouser, former El Paso Times editor, dies at 84 . . 2014-08-16 . 2014-09-21.