The following is a list of notable people associated with Kansas State University, whose main campus is located in the American city of Manhattan, Kansas.
University presidents
Since 1863, 15 men (and no women) have served as president of Kansas State University (or its predecessor institutions). The most recent officeholder is Richard Linton, the 15th president who has been serving since 2022.
Alumni
Academia
Anna Estelle Arnold (1879–1942) – school teacher, administrator, textbook publisher Erle Bartley – professor (1949–1983); developed widely used preventative for ruminal tympany (ruminant bloat) May Louise Cowles – researcher and nationwide advocate of home economics study Kenneth S. Davis – historian, professor, nominated for National Book Award Milton S. Eisenhower – former president of Kansas State, Penn State, and Johns Hopkins universities; brother of Dwight D. Eisenhower Louis Edwin Fry Sr. (1903–2000) (B.S. 1927, M.S. 1929) – architect, professor; former chair of the department of architecture at Howard University Leon Quincy Jackson (1926/1927–1995) (M.S. 1954) – architect, professor at Tennessee State University, and an early African American architect in Oklahoma and Tennessee Charlotte P. Morris (PhD) – interim president of Tuskegee University (2010; 2017–2018) Ernest Fox Nichols – physicist, president of Dartmouth College (1909–16) and MIT (1921–23) Michael O'Donnell – professor, researcher on adolescent wellness George P. "Bud" Peterson – president of the Georgia Institute of Technology (2009–present); chancellor of the University of Colorado-Boulder (2006–09) Imam Prasodjo – professor at the University of IndonesiaDr. Imam Budidarmawan Prasodjo, M.A. . University of Indonesia staff website. Accessed 26 June 2018. John Brooks Slaughter – chancellor of University System of Maryland (1982–88), president of Occidental College (1988–99), director of the National Science Foundation Helen B. Thompson (1875–1969) – home economist, professor emeritus at University of California, Los Angeles; Thompson Hall on the Kansas State Agricultural College campus is named in her honor Jackie Vietti – president of Butler Community College for 17 years; interim president of Emporia State University in 2015
Arts and media Kirstie Alley – actress (Cheers, Veronica's Closet, Fat Actress); winner of two Emmy Awards Craig Bolerjack – announcer on NFL on CBS; Utah Jazz television announcer Charles L. Brainard – architect; active in preserving the papers of Dwight D. Eisenhower and establishing the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home Jane Butel – cookbook author; founder of the Jane Butel Cooking School Bill Buzenberg – journalist; executive director of Center for Public Integrity; former vice-president of news at NPR Del Close – actor, improviser, writer; co-founder of I.O. theatre in Chicago and one of premier influences on modern improvisational theater Lucinda Dickey – actress (Breakin', Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo), former Solid Gold dancer Roy M. Fisher – journalist; former editor-in-chief of Chicago Daily News Gail Gregg – artist Eddie Griffin – comedian Mitch Holthus – radio voice of Kansas City Chiefs Nathan Johnson – modernist architect in Detroit Gordon Jump – actor (WKRP in Cincinnati, "Maytag Man") Charles Melton – actor Virgil Miller – film special effects pioneer; Academy Award nominee Clementine Paddleford – journalist and food writer; declared by Time magazine in 1953 as the "best known food editor in the United States" Darcy Pattison – writer of children's literature, blogger, writing teacher and indie publisher Steve Pepoon – TV writer/producer; Emmy winner, The Simpsons Steve Physioc – broadcaster for the Kansas City Royals Keylee Sue Sanders – television fashion consultant; former Miss Teen USA; pageant organizer Lawrence M. Schoen – science fiction author Mark Schultz – musicianK-State University Archives, VF: Alumni, Notable Kevin Warren Sloan – student athlete; landscape architect, urban planner and writer Crystal Smith – model, actress, and Playboy centerfold Pete Souza – photojournalist and official White House photographer (1983–1989); chief White House photographer (2009–2017) Eric Stonestreet – actor (Modern Family), Emmy Award winner Theresa Vail – Miss Kansas 2013 Jerry Wexler – record producer; enshrined in Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
English/creative writing Traci Brimhall – Kansas Poet Laureate Derick Burleson – poet Frank Marshall Davis – poet; journalist; editor of several African-American newspapers Darren DeFrain – fiction writer Taylor Mali – slam poet Claude McKay – poet influential during Harlem Renaissance Debra Monroe – fiction writer Bryan Penberthy – poet Kevin Rabas – poet Ed Skoog – poet
Business Leanne Caret – president and CEO (2018–2022) of Boeing Defense, Space & Security Gregory C. Case – CEO of Aon James Harbord – major general during World War I; president and chairman of the board for RCA Damon T. Hininger – chief executive officer of the Corrections Corporation of AmericaCorrections Corp Of America : Damon T. Hininger, Bloomberg Business Carl Ice – president (2010–14) and president and CEO (2014–20) of BNSF Railway Jim Isch – officer at NCAA; interim executive director of NCAA (2009–2010) William A. Porter – founder of E-Trade Devon Pritchard – president of Nintendo of America
Politics, government and military Emory S. Adams – United States Army general Lewis Bloom (grad. 1972) – member of the Kansas House of Representatives Joseph Boakai – vice president of Liberia (2006–2018) Sam Brinton – nuclear engineer, LGBT activist, policy analyst for Bipartisan Policy Center, and deputy assistant secretary for the Office of Nuclear Energy Sam Brownback – U.S. senator, Kansas (1996–2011), 46th governor of Kansas (2011–2018) Donald M. Campbell Jr. – commanding general of U.S. Army Recruiting Command in Fort Knox John W. Carlin – 40th governor of Kansas; Archivist of the United States (1995–2005) Glen E. Edgerton – major general, U.S. Army Marlin Fitzwater – press secretary under Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush Kenji Fujimori – Peruvian businessman and Congressman Jim Geringer – 30th governor of Wyoming Mike Hayden – 41st governor of Kansas Lori Healey – commissioner of the Chicago Department of Planning and Development Lynn Jenkins – Kansas state treasurer (2002–08), U.S. House of Representatives (2009–2019) Ronald E. Keys – general, U.S. Air Force
Richard A. Knobloch – brigadier general, U.S. Air Force Henry D. Linscott – lieutenant general, U.S. Marine Corps Roger Marshall – junior United States senator from Kansas Michael A. McAuliffe – brigadier general, U.S. Air Force Frank B. Morrison – 31st governor of Nebraska (1961–67) Richard Myers – chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff (2001–2005) Richard Bordeaux Parker – diplomat John Jacob Rhodes – minority leader of the U.S. House of Representatives (1973–1981) Pat Roberts – U.S. senator, Kansas (1996–2020) Bernard W. Rogers – NATO Supreme Allied Commander Glenn Rogers – member of the Texas House of Representatives (2021–present) Susanna M. Salter – mayor of Argonia, Kansas (1887); first female mayor in the United States Fred Andrew Seaton – U.S. senator, Nebraska (1951–1952); U.S. Secretary of the Interior (1956–1961) K. Gary Sebelius – magistrate judge of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas Harold Sebring – chief justice of the Florida Supreme Court, American judge at the Nuremberg Trials, dean of the Stetson University College of Law, and head coach of the Florida Gators football teamFlorida Supreme Court, Supreme Court Portrait Gallery, Justice Harold Sebring . Retrieved May 11, 2010. Richard J. Seitz – lieutenant general, U.S. Army Theresa Sparks – president of the San Francisco Police Commission John Strick – member of the Kansas State Senate (1985–1992) Virginia Trotter – U.S. assistant secretary of Education (1974–1977) Harriet Waddy – major in the Women's Army Corps Allen West – U.S. House of Representatives from Florida's 22nd district (2011–2013)
Science and technology Mark Alfred Carleton – botanist David Fairchild – botanist and explorer Paul C. Fisher – inventor Philip Fox – astronomer Alwyn Howard Gentry – botanist Luis Montaner – HIV/AIDS researcher Nellie M. Payne – entomologist and agricultural chemist Elieser Posner – grain scientistElieser Posner World Cat, accessed 17 September 2019 Geraldine L. Richmond – physical chemist; National Medal of Science laureate Lloyd Carlton Stearman – aircraft designer Charles Hazelius Sternberg – paleontologist Walter Tennyson Swingle – botanist Peter Tsai – inventor of N95 mask Samuel Wendell Williston – paleontologist
Athletics
Baseball Elden Auker – All-American (1932); All-Big Six Conference in football, basketball, and baseball; played for Detroit Tigers Josh Billings – 11-year Major League Baseball veteran Ted Power – 12-year Major League Baseball veteran Bobby Randall – played for Minnesota Twins (1976–80), former head baseball coach at Iowa State University (1985–1995), former head baseball coach at University of Kansas (1996–2002) Andy Replogle – pitcher for Milwaukee Brewers Kite Thomas – outfielder for Philadelphia Athletics, Washington Senators; namesake of Kite's Bar in Manhattan, Kansas Carlos Torres – pitcher for Chicago White Sox Craig Wilson – All-American (1992); member of the 1992 Olympic baseball team in Barcelona; played for Chicago White Sox Earl Woods – father of Tiger Woods; broke color barrier in baseball in the Big Seven Conference at Kansas State
Basketball
Ernie Barrett – first-round pick in 1951 NBA draft (Boston Celtics), former athletic director at Kansas State, number retired by KSU Michael Beasley – active NBA player, All-American and Big 12 Conference Player of the Year (2008), second overall selection in the 2008 NBA draft Rolando Blackman – College Basketball Hall of Famer, All-American (1981), first-round pick in 1981 NBA draft (Dallas Mavericks), four-time NBA All-Star Bob Boozer – College Basketball Hall of Famer, two-time All-American (1958, 1959), first overall draft pick in 1959 NBA draft (Cincinnati Royals), NBA All-Star Bob Chipman – former basketball coach at Washburn University; team won 1986–1987 NAIA national championship Norris Coleman (born 1961) – NBA forward for the Los Angeles Clippers, 1994 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP Mike Evans – two-time Big Eight Conference Player of the Year (1977, 1978), first-round pick in 1978 NBA draft (Denver Nuggets), NBA executive and coach Marcus Foster (born 1995) – basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League Bill Guthridge – former basketball coach at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, National Coach of the Year (1998) D.J. Johnson Gene Keady – former basketball coach at Purdue, four-time National Coach of the Year (1984, 1994, 1996, 2000) Lon Kruger – basketball coach at Oklahoma, former coach of Atlanta Hawks, two-time Big Eight Conference Player of the Year (1973, 1974) Rodney McGruder – active NBA player (Los Angeles Clippers) Mike McGuirl (born 1998) – player for Hapoel Haifa in the Israeli Basketball Premier League Willie Murrell – led KSU to Final Four in 1964, former ABA basketball player, number retired by KSU Nicole Ohlde – three-time All-American (2002, 2003, 2004), first-round pick in 2004 WNBA draft, number retired by KSU Jacob Pullen – all-time scoring leader for KSU (2,132 career points), winner of Frances Pomeroy Naismith Award Mitch Richmond – Naismith Hall of Fame, All-American (1988), first-round pick in 1988 NBA draft, six-time NBA All-Star, NBA All-Star Game MVP Howie Shannon – All-American (1948), first overall draft pick in 1949 BAA Draft (Providence Steamrollers)