List of Missouri State University alumni

This is a list of notable alumni of Missouri State University. Most of these students attended under the former names of the school: Fourth District Normal School (1905–1919), Southwest Missouri State Teacher's College (1919–1972), and Southwest Missouri State University (1972–2005).

## Athletes

[edit]

* Blake Ahearn, current NBA G-League head coach, former NBA D-League player, played in 15 NBA Games
* David Arkin, former NFL player
* Scott Bailes, former MLB player
* Mark Bailey, former MLB player
* Buddy Baumann, former MLB player
* Jake Burger, current MLB player
* Scott Carroll, former MLB player
* Dylan Cole, current NFL player
* Zak Cummings, professional mixed martial artist for the Ultimate Fighting Championship[1]
* Ross Detwiler, current MLB player
* Winston Garland, former NBA player
* Matt Hall, current MLB player
* Clay Harbor, current NFL player and The Bachelorette contestant
* Jason Hart, former MLB player
* Kyle Hiebert, current MLS player
* Ryan Howard, former MLB player
* Alize Johnson, current NBA player
* Pierce Johnson, current MLB player
* Mike Kickham, former MLB player
* Jerry Lumpe, former MLB player
* Shaun Marcum, former MLB player
* Bill Mueller, former MLB player
* Matt Palmer, former MLB player
* Lance Parker, former MLS player
* Curtis Perry, former NBA player
* Matt Pickens, current MLS player
* John Rheinecker, former MLB player
* Norm Siebern, former MLB player
* Brett Sinkbeil, former MLB player
* Horton Smith, first Masters Tournament winner
* Brad St. Louis, former NFL player
* Jackie Stiles, former WNBA player, NCAA All-Time Leading Scorer
* Jamal Sutton, former MLS player
* Luke Voit, current MLB player
* Jason Whittle, former NFL player
* Brad Ziegler, former MLB player

## Business people

[edit]

* David Glass, former Wal-Mart CEO, former Kansas City Royals owner

## Entertainers

[edit]

* Jim Bohannon, radio talk show host, Westwood One
* Kevin Brockmeier, author
* Don S. Davis, actor
* John Goodman, actor
* Tess Harper, actor
* Kendra Kassebaum, Broadway actor, singer
* Lori Lewis, soprano, lead vocalist of symphonic metal band Therion
* Kyle Dean Massey, actor
* Crystal Methyd, drag queen and runner-up of RuPaul's Drag Race (season 12)
* Daya Betty, drag queen and finalist of RuPaul's Drag Race (season 14)
* Kathleen Turner, actor (transferred to University of Maryland, Baltimore County)
* Caleb Hearon, comedian, actor, writer

## Art and media

[edit]

* Julie Blackmon, photographer
* Bessie Breuer, journalist, novelist, writer, and playwright
* Theodore Melfi, director and screenwriter for Hidden Figures

## Public officials

[edit]

* Roy Blunt, former Minority Whip of the United States House of Representatives; former U.S. Senator
* Eric Burlison, former Missouri senator; current U.S. Congressman from Missouri's 7th congressional district
* Donald Dedmon, fourth president of Radford University and ninth (acting) president of Marshall University[2]
* Lacey Eastburn, tenth president of Northern Arizona University
* M. Douglas Harpool, Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
* Bob Holden, former governor of Missouri
* Lincoln Hough, Republican member of the Missouri Senate
* Margaret B. Kelly, former Missouri State Auditor
* Austin Petersen, former 2016 presidential candidate for the Libertarian Party nomination
* Carrie Tergin, current Jefferson City mayor
* Todd Tiahrt, former U.S. Congressman from Kansas's 4th congressional district and current Republican National Committeeman from Kansas

## Military

[edit]

* Frank J. Grass, United States Army General and Chief of the National Guard Bureau
* Jarrett Robertson, major general in the United States Army

## Engineers

[edit]

* Geraldine Holm Hoch, engineer at Lockheed Martin and Northrop Grumman

## Scientists

[edit]

* Caleb Hickman, biologist, zoologist[3]
* Kim Medley, environmental scientist at Washington University in St. Louis
* Dorothy Martin Simon, physical chemist

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Zak Cummings UFC Bio". Retrieved January 1, 2014.
2. ^ "Donald Newton Dedmon - Ninth President (Acting), 1970-1971". Marshall University. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
3. ^ Spencer, George M. (July 11, 2023). "Dr. Caleb Hickman | Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma | Supervisory Biologist". Winds of Change. Retrieved January 1, 2024.