List of Utah State University alumni explained

See also: List of Utah State University presidents and List of Utah State University faculty. 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.

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. Today, the Alumni Association is located in the historic David B. Haight Alumni Center, which was dedicated July 11, 1991.[1] Alumni chapters exist in Arizona, California, Colorado, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Washington DC.[2] USU boasts more than 180,000 alumni, who are found in every U.S. state and more than 100 countries.[3]

Activism

NameClass year(s)Degree(s)NotabilityReference
1979B.S. GeologyWriter and environmental activist
1982B.S. HistoryEntrepreneur, human rights activist, and founder of the Gregory C. Carr Foundation, which supports human rights, education and the arts
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
1958B.A. EnglishFeminist and writer[4]

Business

NameClass year(s)Degree(s)NotabilityReference
Founded Atari Inc. and the Chuck E. Cheese's chain
1982B.S. HistoryEntrepreneur; founded the company that first developed voice mail; chaired Prodigy, an early global ISP
Charlie Denson1978B.S. MarketingPresident of Nike Brand[5]
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
Jason Lindsey1995B.A. M.A.Co-founder and President of Overstock.com
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
Ward Parkinson1969B.S. Electrical EngineeringFounder of Micron Technology; VP of Commercial Development of Ovonyx, Inc.
Gary E. Stevenson1979B.A.Co-founder of ICON Health & Fitness

Education

NameClass year(s)Degree(s)NotabilityReference
Caryn Beck-Dudley1980B.S. Political ScienceDean of the College of Business at Florida State University; first female dean of the Huntsman School of Business (2002–2005)
1970
1975
B.S.
M.S.
Named #1 Professor in the U.S. by RateMyProfessors.com
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
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
1982MEdDeputy Minister for Women's Education in Saudi Arabia; first woman appointed to ministerial post in Saudi Arabia
U.S. Secretary of Agriculture (1953–61)
B.S. Forest Management
M.S. Natural Resources Economics
Democratic politician, representing the 21st District in the Iowa Senate since 1995
1956Elected as a Republican to the Eighty-eighth and to the three succeeding Congresses (1963–1971)[6]
1972B.S. Political ScienceFirst woman appointed Director of the Bureau of Land Management (2002–07)
1921B.S.Governor of Utah
B.A.Lieutenant Governor of Utah, Governor of Utah[7]
Elizabeth Dowdeswell1972M.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
1975B.S.Son of former U.S. President Gerald Ford; attended USU during his presidency
Son of former U.S. President Gerald Ford; attended USU during his presidency
1970Ed.D. Educational AdministrationFormer Governor of Nevada
First woman ever elected to a full term in the U.S. Senate without a family connection (1981–87)
1925PhDU.S. Secretary of Agriculture (1925–1929); U.S. Ambassador to Egypt[8]
Anti-tax activist in California
HistoryRepublican member of both houses, consecutively, of the Wyoming State Legislature, 1993 to 2017[9]
JournalismNewspaper reporter and editor; first woman elected Mayor of Henderson, Nevada (1985–1993) [10]
Governor of Arizona
1981B.S.Federal District Judge
1961B.S. Political ScienceFormer U.S. Senator, D-NV; Former U.S. Senate Majority Leader; youngest Lieutenant Governor in Nevada's history
1972B.S.U.S. House of Representatives, R-ID
1984B.S.U.S. House of Representatives, R-UT; New York Times best-selling author
1972B.S.Federal District Judge
First female Chair of the Democratic National Committee (1972)
1950B.S. Animal ScienceFormer Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs and Ambassador to the United States

Humanities and fine arts

NameClass year(s)Degree(s)NotabilityReference
1972B.S. MusicTenor; founder and Director of the Utah Festival Opera; author of more than 30 publications and music recordings
1979PEN/O.Henry Prize-winning novelist, essayist
1998B.S.Emmy Award-winning journalist, documentary filmmaker
Writer and photographer
1973B.S.Music director; former director of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
Painter
1952
1963
B.S.
M.S.
First President of National Public Radio
1998M.A.Science fiction writer; Stegner Fellow at Stanford
1974
1983
B.S.
M.S.
Non-fiction writer, poet
1961B.S.Historian of Mormonism
1934B.S.Poet; Chancellor of Academy of American Poets
Painter and illustrator
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[11]
1998B.F.A.Annie-nominated voice actor and story artist, known as the voice of "Rhino" in the movie Bolt
2008B.A.Science fiction and fantasy artist and illustrator

Military

NameClass year(s)Degree(s)NotabilityReference
1914 Air Commander-in-Chief, Allied Air Forces, Mediterranean Theater of Operations, World War II; four-star General
1971
1973
Political ScienceRetired Major General; United States Army Reserves for 39 years[12]
1917 Pilot of first-ever dawn-to-dusk transcontinental flight across the United States
1939Participant in Doolittle Raid, career U.S. Air Force officer

Religion

NameClass year(s)Degree(s)NotabilityReference
President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)
Member of the First Presidency of the LDS Church
1964B.S.Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church
1929Member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church
1960
1966
B.S.
M.S.
Commissioner of Education of the LDS Church
1949
1953
B.S.
M.S.
President of the LDS Church's Quorum of Twelve Apostles
1949B.S. Business AdministrationMember of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church
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
1979B.S. Business AdministrationMember of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles of the LDS Church[13]

Science

NameClass year(s)Degree(s)NotabilityReference
Inventor of headphones
1975
1980
M.S. Biology
Ph.D. Civil and Environmental Engineering
NASA astronaut
1974B.S.Commissioner of Health for New York State; head of the New York Department of Health
Eldon J. Gardner19341935B.S. Zoology and ChemistryM.S. ZoologyGeneticist, 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.[14]
1964B.S. MathematicsMathematician in model theory and computability theory at the University of Notre Dame, Fellow of the American Mathematical Society[15]
1937B.S. Agriculture, M.S. BotanyMathematician in complex analysis; founded the Michigan Mathematical Journal with Paul Erdős, Fritz Herzog and Arthur J. Lohwater
1979MEdAs Ludwig van Ludvig, notable Usenet personality
1958B.S. Electrical EngineeringPresident of Rad-icon Imaging Corporation
1963Ph.D.Research unlocked key to prolonging freshness in fruits and flowers; 1991 Wolf Prize in Agriculture, considered the "Nobel Prize of Agriculture"
Julie A. Robinson1989B.S. ChemistryChief Scientist of the International Space Station
Ma Shijun (Chinese: 马世骏)1948M.S. Insect EcologyMember of Chinese Academy of Sciences, 1980. Famous for the research on tackling migratory locust in East Asia.

Sports

NameClass year(s)Degree(s)NotabilityReference
Former NFL defensive end, Green Bay Packers and San Diego Chargers
1974B.S.Former head football coach, Notre Dame; defensive coordinator at many universities
2000U.S. Bobsled Team, 1998–2003; forerunner during 2002 Winter Olympics
Former NFL and CFL All Star defensive back, Green Bay Packers
Professional golfer and PGA Tour winner
1974American-Israeli basketball player; won two Euroleague championships with Israel's Maccabi Tel Aviv
1962B.S.Former CFL All-Star offensive tackle
All-time leading passer and star quarterback in the Canadian Football League
1959Former NFL center, Dallas Cowboys
Two-time NFL Pro Bowl tight end, currently with the Washington Redskins
2003B.S.NFL wide receiver, currently with the Philadelphia Eagles
Former NFL and WFL player
1952 B.S. Physical EducationCollege Football Hall of Fame coach; head coach of 1984 National Champion BYU Cougars
Professional lacrosse player, Philadelphia Wings
1984B.S.Current General Manager, Chicago Bulls
1981Former NFL and USFL quarterback
1951Former NFL coach and scout
1985Former linebacker, Buffalo Bills
1962Former NFL All-Pro defensive back, Dallas Cowboys; played basketball at USU
1986B.S.Former defensive coordinator, New York Jets and Detroit Lions
1980B.S.Former starting NFL quarterback, Detroit Lions
1978B.S.Former offensive lineman, Minnesota Vikings
1963
1965
B.S.
M.S.
Former NBA head coach; currently longtime assistant coach, Utah Jazz; named NBA's top assistant coach three times
1987B.S.Former NFL defensive lineman, Denver Broncos; AFC Defensive Player of the Year, 1986
1997B.S.Former NFL punter, Dallas Cowboys, and Denver Broncos
2005B.S.Former NFL Pro Bowl defensive tackle, Denver Broncos, Kansas City Chiefs, and Carolina Panthers
B.S.Former NFL linebacker
2003B.S.Former NFL Pro Bowl running back
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
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
1970B.S.Former NFL center and defensive tackle, Boston Patriots, Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos, and Buffalo Bills
2005B.S.NFL offensive tackle, Washington Redskins Formerly Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Oakland Raiders
1970B.S.Former ABA basketball player
1960B.S.Former NFL Pro Bowl tackle, San Francisco 49ers
1966Former NFL running back, CFL head coach and general manager
1959
1971
B.S.
M.S.
Four-time Olympian discus thrower, silver medal (1972); broke world record four times; first to throw 60 meters
B.S.Former NFL linebacker, Houston Oilers
2011Former NFL tailback, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns, Dallas Cowboys, and Indianapolis Colts. Super Bowl champion (XLVIII)
2011B.S. NFL linebacker, Seattle Seahawks * Super Bowl champion (XLVIII)
2021NFL quarterback, Green Bay Packers

Miscellaneous

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

Notes and References

  1. Web site: David B. Haight Alumni Center . Utah State University . 6 November 2011.
  2. Web site: Utah State Alumni Association Chapters. Utah State University. 6 November 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20111109122057/http://www.usu.edu/alumni/chapters/. 9 November 2011.
  3. Web site: Utah State University Greats . Utah State University . 6 November 2011 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110927042328/http://www.usu.edu/greats/alumni/index.cfm?article=19028 . 27 September 2011 . dead.
  4. Web site: Inventory of the Sonia Johnson papers . University of Utah . April 30, 2012.
  5. http://www.nikebiz.com/media/executives/charlie_denson.html NIKE, Inc. - The official corporate website for Nike and its affiliate brands
  6. Web site: Burton, Laurence Junior, (1926 - 2002) . United States of America, Congress . 20 December 2011.
  7. Web site: Posted 2:45 pm, October 8, 2013, by David Wells . Utah's new Lt. Governor announced . fox13now.com . 2013-10-08 . 2017-05-05.
  8. Web site: William Marion Jardine. NNDB. September 25, 2012.
  9. Web site: Wayne Johnson, Cheyenne, Wyoming. intelius.com. May 1, 2016.
  10. News: Doug. McMurdo. Former Henderson mayor Lorna Kesterson dies at 86 . . 2012-01-17 . 2012-01-20.
  11. Tobey, Rebecca. Partners in Art: Gene and Rebecca Tobey, pp. 350 - 355. Fresco Fine Art Publications, 2007.
  12. Web site: Democrat Peter Cooke launches fiery run for Utah governor . The Salt Lake Tribune . 29 Feb 2012 . 31 May 2012 . McEntee . Peg.
  13. Web site: Elder Gary E. Stevenson . churchofjesuschrist.org . 2017-05-05.
  14. Web site: ELDON J. GARDNER, 79, PROFESSOR AND CANCER RESEARCHER, DIES. . 1989-02-04. Deseret News. en. 2020-04-30.
  15. http://professorships.nd.edu/professorships/the-charles-l-huisking-professor-of-mathematics-1/ Julia Knight – Named professorships and directorships at Notre Dame