List of Mississippi State University people

The following is a list of notable people associated with Mississippi State University, located in the American city of Starkville, Mississippi.

Notable alumni

Politics and government

Sharion Aycock, first female federal district court judge in Mississippi
Marsha Blackburn, U.S. Senator from Tennessee
Randy Boyd, forester who serves as a Republican in the Mississippi House of Representatives for District 19 in his native Itawamba County^[1]
Jenifer Branning, Republican member of the Mississippi State Senate^[2]
Videt Carmichael, Republican member of the Mississippi State Senate^[3]
Cynthia Cooper, whistleblower, 2002 Time Person of the Year
Leonard B. Cresswell, major general in the Marine Corps; World War II Navy Cross recipient
Jess Dickinson, Mississippi Supreme Court Justice^[4]
Charles D. Easley, Mississippi Supreme Court Justice^[5]
Josh Harkins, Republican member of the Mississippi State Senate^[6]
Horace Harned, former member of the Mississippi House of Representatives
Bill Hawks, former USDA Undersecretary, Marketing and Regulatory Programs
Todd Jordan, Mayor of Tupelo, Mississippi
Mark Keenum, USDA Undersecretary, Farm and Foreign Agricultural Service
Rhonda Keenum, Assistant to President George W. Bush and director of White House Public Liaison
Billy McCoy, Speaker of the Mississippi House of Representatives^[7]
Troy H. Middleton, World War II corps commander (lieutenant general) and president of Louisiana State University
G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery, former U.S. Representative and author of the Montgomery G.I. Bill
Brandon Presley, former Democratic Public Service Commissioner for Mississippi's northern district
John C. Stennis, former U.S. Senator; "father of the Modern Navy"
Amy Tuck, Mississippi Lieutenant Governor
William Waller Jr., Mississippi Supreme Court Justice^[8]
Albert H. Wilkening, Adjutant General of Wisconsin

Academia

James E. Cofer, Fulbright Scholar and former president of Missouri State University in Springfield, Missouri, and former president of the University of Louisiana at Monroe
Frances Lucas, vice president and campus executive officer of the University of Southern Mississippi-Gulf Coast
Damir Novosel, Fulbright Scholar, founder and president of Quanta Technology in Raleigh, North Carolina, former vice president of ABB Automation Products, and former president of IEEE Power & Energy Society
Malcolm Portera, former chancellor of the University of Alabama System
Priscilla Slade, former president of Texas Southern University

Business

Richard Adkerson, CEO of Freeport-McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc.
George W. Bryan, senior vice president of Sara Lee Corporation, CEO of Sara Lee Foods, and founder of Old Waverly Golf Club
Toxey Haas, founder and CEO of Haas Outdoors, Inc. (Mossy Oak)
Martin F. Jue, amateur radio inventor; entrepreneur; founder of MFJ Enterprises^[9]
Hartley Peavey, founder of Peavey Electronics
Dalton Pritchard, early color television systems pioneer at RCA Laboratories
Arthur L. Williams, Jr., insurance magnate, #583 on Forbes' list of the world's billionaires

Media and arts

Kevin Benson, meteorologist for WPXI in Pittsburgh
Turner Catledge, former vice president of The New York Times
Jerry Clower, comedian
Bill Evans, meteorologist for WABC-TV, ABC affiliate in New York City
John Grisham, author of more than two dozen novels, many of which have been made into screenplays
Matthew F. Jones, novelist
Gregory Keyes, author
Donna Ladd, journalist
Sean McLaughlin, MSNBC Chief Meteorologist
Lewis Nordan, author
Audrey Puente, New York City meteorologist; daughter of salsa singer Tito Puente
Frank K. Spain, founder of Tupelo television station WTVA; broadcasting pioneer
Joe M. Turner, magician, mentalist, professional speaker
Brad Watson (born 1955), author

Athletics

Jim Ashmore, former NBA player
Denico Autry, DE, Oakland Raiders
Vick Ballard, NFL running back, Indianapolis Colts
Johnthan Banks, cornerback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Korey Banks, CFL DB BC Lions
Kevin Bouie, NFL player
Timmy Bowers, professional basketball player, 2006 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP
Jimmy Bragan, former MLB coach with Cincinnati, Montreal, and Milwaukee 1967–1977
Jeff Brantley, former Major League Baseball relief pitcher; commentator for the Cincinnati Reds
Rickey Brown, C for Golden State, Atlanta Hawks
Titus Brown, NFL defensive end, Cleveland Browns
Shawn Byrdsong, football player
Van Chancellor, former head coach of women's basketball at Louisiana State University, at the University of Mississippi, and of the Houston Comets of the WNBA
Ed Chapman, P for the Washington Senators in 1933
Bubba Church, pitcher for the Phillies, Reds, and Cubs from 1950 to 1955
Will Clark, former first baseman for San Francisco Giants, Baltimore Orioles, St. Louis Cardinals, and Texas Rangers
John Cohen, Mississippi State University Head Coach
Keo Coleman, former NFL linebacker
Michael Connell, PGA golfer 2001–2006^[10]
Johnie Cooks, NFL linebacker, Super Bowl XXV Champion
Fletcher Cox, defensive tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles of the National Football League
Hughie Critz, second baseman for Cincinnati Reds (1920s) and the New York Giants (1930s)
Quinton Culberson, NFL linebacker, St. Louis Rams
Erick Dampier, former NBA player
Charlie Davidson, football player
Art Davis, NFL player, college football coach
Brandon Davis, professional mixed martial artist competing in the UFC^[11]
Harper Davis, NFL player, college football head coach
Anthony Dixon, NFL running back, San Francisco 49ers
Kevin Dockery, NFL Super Bowl XLII Champion
Dominic Douglas, NFL linebacker, Denver Broncos
Frank Dowsing, first black football player at MSU^[12]
Eric Dubose, P for Baltimore and Cleveland from 2002 to 2006
Sammy Ellis, former Major League Baseball pitcher, 7 seasons
Bobby Etheridge, former MLB player
Rags Faircloth, P for Phillies in 1919
Dave "Boo" Ferriss, former Major League Baseball player
Ronald Fields, NFL DT, Denver Broncos
Joe Fortunato, five-time Pro Bowler with the Chicago Bears
Steve Freeman, former Buffalo Bills defensive back for 13 seasons; NFL game official
Willie Gay, NFL linebacker, Kansas City Chiefs
Chuck Gelatka, NFL player
Matt Ginter, pitcher for the Houston Astros
De'Mon Glanton, football player
Tom Goode, former NFL center and Super Bowl veteran
Alex Grammas, former Major League infielder
Hoyle Granger, former NFL running back
Paul Gregory, pitcher in Major League Baseball, played 1932–1933 for the Chicago White Sox
Justin Griffith, NFL running back, Oakland Raiders
Michael Haddix, former NFL running back
Mario Haggan, NFL linebacker, Denver Broncos
Tang Hamilton, Miami Heat
Walt Harris, NFL cornerback, San Francisco 49ers
Bunny Hearn, former MLB player; college coach
Ron Hill, vice president of the NFL
John Hilliard, NFL player
Jim Howarth, Major League Baseball outfielder; played all or part of four seasons in the majors, 1971–1974, for the San Francisco Giants
Bailey Howell, NBA Hall of Famer
Kent Hull, former NFL C, Buffalo Bills
Kirby Jackson, NFL DB Buffalo Bills
Rickea Jackson, WNBA small forward, Los Angeles Sparks
Justin Jenkins, NFL wide receiver, Buffalo Bills
Morley Jennings, former head football coach of the Baylor Bears; former Athletic Director of the Texas Tech Red Raiders
Alan Johnson, Colorado Rockies
Chris Jones, NFL defensive tackle, Kansas City Chiefs
Chris Jones, American player of Canadian football
Dontae' Jones, Celtics
James Jones, NFL running back, Dallas Cowboys
Todd Jordan, football player
Tommy Kelly, NFL defensive end, Oakland Raiders
Tyrone Keys, NFL linebacker, Super Bowl XX Champion
Jon Knott, former Major League Baseball outfielder with the Padres and Orioles
Jack Lazorko, pitcher for the Milwaukee Brewers, Seattle Mariners, Detroit Tigers and California Angels
Donald Lee, NFL tight end, Green Bay Packers; Super Bowl XLV Champion
D. D. Lewis, former All-Star linebacker Dallas Cowboys; member of the College Football Hall of Fame
Carlton Loewer, retired Major League Baseball player
Lance Long, NFL wide receiver, Arizona Cardinals
Jim Lyle, pitcher for the Washington Senators (now the Minnesota Twins) in 1925
Paul Maholm, LHP Atlanta Braves; formerly with Pittsburgh Pirates, Chicago Cubs
Jeff Malone, two-time All-Star as a player; coached three teams in NBA D-League
Chris Maloney, Memphis Redbirds Manager (St. Louis Cardinals AAA)
James H. "Babe" McCarthy, college and professional basketball coach
Fred McCrary, NFL running back
Alvin McKinley, NFL defensive end, Denver Broncos
Bo McKinnis, sports agent
Pernell McPhee, linebacker, Chicago Bears; formerly with Baltimore Ravens
Brandon McRae, NFL wide receiver, St. Louis Rams
Brandon Medders, MLB player
John Miller, NFL linebacker, Green Bay Packers
Leland Mitchell, New Orleans Buccaneers of the ABA
Monroe Mitchell, Washington Senators
Willie Mitchell, Cleveland Naps/Indians and Detroit Tigers
Henry Monroe, NFL DB Green Bay Packers
Mitch Moreland, first baseman, Boston Red Sox
Eric Moulds, NFL wide receiver, Buffalo Bills
Arnett Moultrie, Philadelphia 76ers
Buddy Myer, Major League Baseball, two-time All-Star second baseman
Bob Myrick, LHP for the New York Mets
Tom Neville, former NFL offensive tackle, 14 seasons
Malik Newman (born 1997), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
Jerious Norwood, NFL running back for the Atlanta Falcons
Romero Osby (born 1990), American basketball player for Maccabi Kiryat Gat of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
Walter Packer, NFL player
Rafael Palmeiro, former Major League Baseball player
Jonathan Papelbon, RHP Boston Red Sox and Philadelphia Phillies; All-Star in 2006, 2007, 2008, and 2009
Jackie Parker, former All-Star quarterback CFL; member of the College Football Hall of Fame
Wiley Peck, Spurs, Mavericks
Adam Piatt, played for the Oakland Athletics and Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Jay Powell, former Major League Baseball relief pitcher, 11 seasons; World Series veteran
Dak Prescott, NFL quarterback, Dallas Cowboys
Gary Rath, Dodgers, Twins
Fred Reid, CFL running back, Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Lawrence Roberts, Memphis Grizzlies
Ray Roberts, played for the Philadelphia Athletics
DelJuan Robinson, NFL defensive tackle, Houston Texans
Jon Shave, former player for the Texas Rangers and the Minnesota Twins
Buck Showalter, former baseball manager
Renardo Sidney, former NBA player
Jeffery Simmons, NFL defensive tackle, Tennessee Titans
Barrin Simpson, NFL linebacker
Deontae Skinner, NFL player
Darius Slay, cornerback for the Detroit Lions
Don Smith, quarterback/running back for Buccaneers, Bills, and Dolphins
Truett Smith, football player
Fred Smoot, former NFL cornerback
Homer Spragins, former MLB player
David Stewart, NFL OT Tennessee Titans
Scott Stricklin, former athletic director for Mississippi State Bulldogs, athletic director for Florida Gators
Walter Suggs, former All-Star lineman for Houston Oilers
Montez Sweat, NFL linebacker, Washington Redskins
Craig Tatum, former MLB player
Ken Tatum, former MLB player
Bobby Thigpen, former Major League Baseball relief pitcher
Del Unser, former Major League Baseball outfielder
Jarvis Varnado, Miami Heat
Victoria Vivians, WNBA Guard Indiana Fever^[13]
Fred Walters, catcher for the Boston Red Sox in 1945
Kendell Watkins, NFL tight end, Dallas Cowboys
Quinndary Weatherspoon, NBA shooting guard, Golden State Warriors
Jimmy Webb, former NFL defensive lineman, 7 seasons
Jordan Westburg, MLB All-Star infielder, Baltimore Orioles
Floyd Womack, NFL OT, Seattle Seahawks
Sid Womack, former MLB player
Marc Woodard, NFL linebacker, Philadelphia Eagles
Ellis Wyms, NFL LT, Super Bowl Champion with the Buccaneers, Oakland Raiders
Chris Young, pitching coach for the Philadelphia Phillies of Major League Baseball
Pete Young, former MLB player
Derrick Zimmerman, New Jersey Nets

Other

Machine Gun Kelly, notorious criminal; studied agriculture at MSU for two years^[14]
Jaelyn Young and Muhammad "Moe" Dakhlalla, pleaded guilty to offenses related to their attempts to join ISIS in Syria^[15]

Notable faculty

Anthony Sean Neal, author and philosophy professor at MSU
Horace M. Trent, noted physicist who taught at MSU in the 1930s

References

^ "Randy Boyd". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 4, 2015.
^ "Jenifer B. Branning". Mississippi State Senate. Retrieved February 9, 2016.
^ "Videt Carmichael". Mississippi State Senate. Retrieved January 22, 2016.
^ Supreme Court of Mississippi. "State of Mississippi Judiciary – Supreme Court". Retrieved 2010-05-08.
^ Soylent Communications. "Charles D. Easley". Retrieved 2010-05-08.
^ "Josh Harkins". Mississippi State Senate. Retrieved February 10, 2016.
^ "William McCoy's Biography – Project Vote Smart". Votesmart.org. 1942-08-14. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
^ "State of Mississippi Judiciary – Supreme Court". Courts.ms.gov. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
^ "Nine named BCoE Distinguished Alumni Fellows". Mississippi State University. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
^ "Michael Connell – Career Earnings, Tournament Wins, Stats, Awards and more". databaseGolf.com. 1975-02-07. Retrieved 2014-08-14.
^ "Brandon Davis | UFC". 14 September 2018.
^ Maraniss, Andrew (31 August 2017). "Frank Dowsing, Mississippi State's first black football player, is almost unknown today". Retrieved 24 July 2018.
^ "Victoria Vivians". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved 2019-01-06.
^ "The story behind Starkville". Retrieved 21 March 2017.
^ Green, Emma (2017-05-01). "How Two Mississippi College Students Fell in Love and Decided to Join a Terrorist Group". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2017-09-15.

[1] "Randy Boyd". Ballotpedia. Retrieved March 4, 2015.

[2] "Jenifer B. Branning". Mississippi State Senate. Retrieved February 9, 2016.

[3] "Videt Carmichael". Mississippi State Senate. Retrieved January 22, 2016.

[dickinson-4] Supreme Court of Mississippi. "State of Mississippi Judiciary – Supreme Court". Retrieved 2010-05-08.

[easley-5] Soylent Communications. "Charles D. Easley". Retrieved 2010-05-08.

[6] "Josh Harkins". Mississippi State Senate. Retrieved February 10, 2016.

[7] "William McCoy's Biography – Project Vote Smart". Votesmart.org. 1942-08-14. Retrieved 2014-08-14.

[8] "State of Mississippi Judiciary – Supreme Court". Courts.ms.gov. Retrieved 2014-08-14.

[BCoE_Fellow-9] "Nine named BCoE Distinguished Alumni Fellows". Mississippi State University. 31 March 2014. Retrieved 19 May 2016.

[10] "Michael Connell – Career Earnings, Tournament Wins, Stats, Awards and more". databaseGolf.com. 1975-02-07. Retrieved 2014-08-14.

[11] "Brandon Davis | UFC". 14 September 2018.

[undefeated-12] Maraniss, Andrew (31 August 2017). "Frank Dowsing, Mississippi State's first black football player, is almost unknown today". Retrieved 24 July 2018.

[13] "Victoria Vivians". WNBA.com - Official Site of the WNBA. Retrieved 2019-01-06.

[14] "The story behind Starkville". Retrieved 21 March 2017.

[Greenhow-15] Green, Emma (2017-05-01). "How Two Mississippi College Students Fell in Love and Decided to Join a Terrorist Group". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2017-09-15.

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