The following are notable people who were either born, raised, or have lived for a significant period of time in the American state of Kansas.

Academics and Nobel Prize laureates

Milton S. Eisenhower (1899–1985), university president; Abilene Wendell Johnson (1906–1965), psychologist and speech pathologist, author of The Monster Study; Roxbury Jack S. Kilby (1923–2005), Nobel Prize winner in Physics; Great Bend Solon Toothaker Kimball (1909–1982), anthropologist; Manhattan Stanford Lehmberg (1931–2012), historian; McPherson Norman Malcolm (1911–1990), philosopher; Selden Deane Waldo Malott (1898–1996), president of Cornell University; Abilene Abby Lillian Marlatt (1869–1943), home economics; Manhattan Eric K. Meyer (born 1953), journalism professor and Pulitzer Prize nominee; Marion M. Lee Pelton (born 1950), president of Willamette University; Wichita John Brooks Slaughter (1934–2023), college president and first African-American director of the National Science Foundation; Topeka Vernon L. Smith (born 1927), Nobel Memorial Prize winner in Economics; Wichita Earl Wilbur Sutherland Jr. (1915–1974), 1971 Nobel Prize winner in Physiology and Medicine; Burlingame Donald Worster (born 1941), historian; Lawrence

Arts and literature Artists

Nina E. Allender (1873–1957), artist and women's suffrage cartoonist; Auburn Grace Bilger (1907–2000), artist; Olathe Grant Bond (born 1974), artist; Kansas City Blackbear Bosin (1921–1980), Native American artist; Wichita Gwendolyn Elizabeth Brooks (1917–2000), poet; Topeka Bruce Conner (1933–2008), artist; McPherson John Steuart Curry (1897–1946), artist; Winchester Aaron Douglas (1900–1979), artist; Topeka Randall Duell (1903–1992), architect and art director; Russell County Edgar Heap of Birds (born 1954), artist; Wichita Bruce Helander (born 1947), artist; Great Bend Elizabeth Layton (1909–1993), artist; Wellsville Evan Lindquist (born 1936), printmaker, Artist Laureate of Arkansas; Salina Barbara Morgan (1900–1992), photographer; Buffalo, Kansas Gordon Parks (1912–2006), photographer and film director; Fort Scott Birger Sandzen (1871–1954), artist, art professor at Bethany College; Lindsborg Gary Mark Smith (born 1956), photographer, studied at University of Kansas; Wichita W. Eugene Smith (1918–1978), photographer; Wichita Mort Walker (1923–2018), cartoonist, creator of Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois comic strips; El Dorado

Authors

Laura Abbot, author of Harlequin romance novels; Kansas City Elizabeth Barr Arthur (1884–1971), poet, author, journalist, librarian, police officer, suffragist; Lincoln County Gwendolyn Brooks (1917–2000), author, poet; Topeka William Burroughs (1914–1997), author; Lawrence Don Coldsmith (1926–2009), author of Western fiction; Iola Dorothy Canfield Fisher (1879–1958), author of children's books; Lawrence Thomas Frank (born 1965), author and editor; Mission Hills Clara H. Hazelrigg (1861–1937), author, educator, social reformer; Council Grove Jane Heap (1883–1964), author and publisher; Topeka Scott Heim (born 1966), author; Hutchinson Langston Hughes (1902–1967), author and poet; Lawrence William Inge (1913–1973), playwright; Independence Bill James (born 1949), author; Mayetta Bill Martin Jr. (1916–2004), children's author; Hiawatha Fred Myton (1885–1955), screenwriter; Garden City Gwendolen Overton (1874/76–1958), novelist; short story writer Kathy Patrick, author, founder of Pulpwood Queens Book Club; Eureka Scott Phillips (born 1961), author; Wichita Vance Randolph (1892–1980), folklorist; Pittsburg Red Reeder (1902–1998), author and United States Army officer; Fort Leavenworth Richard Rhodes (born 1937), author and historian; Kansas City Lois Ruby, author of historic fiction; Lawrence Damon Runyon (1880–1946), author; Manhattan Mary Francis Shura (1923–1990), children's, romance and mystery author; Pratt William Stafford (1914–1993), poet and pacifist; Hutchinson Max Yoho (1934–2017), author; Colony

Dancers Clark Tippet (1954–1992), ballet; Parsons

Musicians

Athletics Athletes A–F

Alvan Adams (born 1954), basketball; Lawrence John H. Adams (1914–1995), jockey; Iola Neil Allen (born 1958), baseball pitcher, pitching coach; Kansas City David Arkin (born 1987), pro football player; Wichita Elden Auker (1910–2006), baseball pitcher; Norcatur Chase Austin (born 1989), NASCAR driver; Eudora Chris Babb (born 1990), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League; Topeka Ron Baker (born 1993), NBA player (New York Knicks); Utica and Scott City (born in Hays) Thane Baker (born 1931), gold medalist at 1956 Summer Olympics, decathlon; Elkhart Tony Barker (born 1968), football player; Wichita Chris Barnes (born 1970), professional bowler; Topeka James Bausch (1906–1974), gold medalist 1932 Summer Olympics; Garden Plain Oliver Bradwell (born 1992), sprinter; Wichita Judy Bell (born 1936), member of World Golf Hall of Fame; Wichita Matt Besler (born 1987), professional soccer player; Overland Park B.H. Born (1932–2013), basketball player; Medicine Lodge Clint Bowyer (born 1979), NASCAR driver; Emporia George Brett (born 1953), baseball Hall of Famer; Mission Hills Bryce Brown (born 1991), football player; Wichita Orville Brown (1908–1981), pro wrestler, NWA champion; Sharon Mildred Bliss Burke (1915–1989), pro wrestler, Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame; Coffeyville Enos Cabell (born 1949), baseball player; Fort Riley Veronica Campbell-Brown (born 1982), track and field athlete (Olympic and world champion); Great Bend Antoine Carr (born 1961), basketball player Willie Cauley-Stein (born 1993), professional basketball player Spearville Larry Cheney (1886–1969), baseball pitcher; Belleville Jack Christiansen (1928–1986), football Hall of Famer; Sublette Tony Clark (born 1972), baseball player; Newton Maliek Collins (born 1995), football player; Kansas City Baron Corbin (born 1984), football player, WWE wrestler; Lenexa Nolan Cromwell (born 1955), football player; Smith Center Aaron Crow (born 1986), baseball player; Topeka Glenn Cunningham (1909–1988), silver medalist, 1936 Olympic Games,1,500m run; Elkhart Johnny Damon (born 1973), baseball player; Fort Riley Eldon Danenhauer (1935–2021), football player; Clay Center Darren Daulton (born 1962), baseball player; Arkansas City Wantha Davis (1917–2012), jockey; Liberal Joey Devine (born 1983), baseball player; Junction City Lynn Dickey (born 1949), football player; Osawatomie Andy Dirks (born 1986), baseball player; Burrton Larry Drew (born 1958), basketball player and coach; Kansas City Mark Duckens (born 1965), football player; Wichita Brian Duensing (born 1983), baseball player; Marysville Brody Eldridge (born 1987), football player; La Cygne Tim Elliott (born 1986), mixed martial artist; Wichita Maurice Evans (born 1978), basketball player; Wichita Kyle Farnsworth (born 1976), baseball player; Wichita Galen Fiss (1931–2006), football player; Johnson City Adrianna Franch (born 1990), soccer player (world champion); Salina Scott Fulhage (born 1961), football player; Beloit

G–M

Andrew Gachkar (born 1988), football player; Overland Park Kendall Gammon (born 1968), football player; Rose Hill Tyson Gay (born 1982), track and field athlete (world champion); Great Bend Maurice Greene (born 1974), track and field athlete (world and Olympic champion); Kansas City Adrian Griffin (born 1974), basketball player and coach; Wichita Geneo Grissom (born 1992), football player; Hutchinson Andy Gruenebaum (born 1982), soccer player Don Gutteridge (1912–2008), baseball player and manager; Pittsburg Joe Hastings (born 1987), football player; Wichita Tanner Hawkinson (born 1990), football player; McPherson Mark Haynes (born 1958), football player; Kansas City Ben Heeney (born 1992), football player; Hutchinson Bobby Henrich (born 1938), baseball player; Lawrence Don Hill (1904–1967), football player; Hiawatha Shaun Hill (born 1980), football player; Parsons Elon Hogsett (1903–2001), baseball player; Brownell Lionel Hollins (born 1953), basketball player and coach; Arkansas City Scott Huffman (born 1964), pole vaulter; Quinter Damian Johnson (born 1962), football player; Great Bend Walter Johnson (1887–1946), baseball Hall of Famer; Humboldt Pete Kilduff (1893–1930), baseball player; Weir Fred Kipp (born 1931), baseball pitcher; Piqua Tonya Knight (born 1966), IFBB professional bodybuilder; Overland Park Laurie Koehn (born 1982), WNBA player; Moundridge Gene Krug (born 1955), baseball player; Garden City Adam LaRoche (born 1979), baseball player; Fort Scott Bobby Lashley (born 1976), professional wrestler for WWE; Junction City Shalee Lehning (born 1987), WNBA player; Sublette Martin Lewis (born 1975), NBA basketball player; Liberal Danny Manning (born 1966), NBA basketball player; Lawrence Harold Manning (1909–2003), Steeplechase world record holder and Olympian; Sedgwick Rudy May (born 1944), baseball player; Coffeyville Jon McGraw, professional football player; Riley Archie "Hap" McKain (1911–1985), baseball player; Delphos Peter Mehringer (1910–1987), Olympic gold medalist wrestler, pro football player; Kinsley Brian Moorman (born 1976), football player; Sedgwick Mike Morin (born 1991), baseball player; Leawood

N–Z

Marcio Navarro (born 1978), professional kickboxer and mixed martial artist; Wichita Jordy Nelson (born 1985), football player; Leonardville Terence Newman (born 1978), football player; Salina Nicole Ohlde (born 1982), WNBA player; Clay Center Antonio Orozco (born 1987), professional boxer; Garden City Victor Ortiz (born 1987), professional boxer; Garden City Bob Orton (1929–2006), professional wrestler; Kansas City Bob Orton Jr. (born 1950), professional wrestler, WWE Hall of Fame; Kansas City John Parrella (born 1969), professional football player; Topeka Hal Patterson (1932–2011), professional football player; Larned Jordan Phillips (born 1992), professional football player; Towanda Joseph Randle (born 1991), professional football player; Wichita Ronn Reynolds (born 1958), professional baseball player; Wichita Dustin Richardson (born 1984), MLB pitcher; Newton John Riggins (born 1949), football player, Pro Football Hall of Famer; Centralia Brandon Rios (born 1986), professional boxer; Garden City Lafayette Russell (1905–1978), football player, B-movie actor "Reb" Russell; Osawatomie Johnny Rutherford (born 1938), race car driver; Coffeyville Jim Ryun (born 1947), athlete and politician; Wichita Barry Sanders (born 1968), football player, NFL Hall of Famer; Wichita Melvin Sanders (born 1981), pro basketball player; Liberal Wes Santee (1932–2010), NCAA cross country champion, track and field athlete; Ashland Gale Sayers (1943–2020), NFL Hall of Famer; Wichita Otto Schnellbacher (1923–2008), pro basketball and football player; Sublette Ryan Schraeder (born 1988), professional football player; Wichita Grant Sherfield (born 1999), basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League Wayne Simien (born 1983), NCAA All-American, NBA basketball player; Leavenworth Mark Simoneau (born 1977), professional football player; Smith Center Marilynn Smith (1929–2019), professional golfer and LPGA co-founder; Topeka Darren Sproles (born 1983), professional football player; Olathe Bubba Starling (born 1992), professional baseball player; Gardner Lee Stevens (born 1967), professional baseball player; Lawrence Jackie Stiles (born 1978), WNBA basketball player; Claflin Stewart "Smokey" Stover (born 1938), professional football player; McPherson Darrell Stuckey (born 1987), professional football player; Kansas City Tom Sturdivant (1930–2009), professional baseball player; Gordon Steve Tasker (born 1962), NFL Pro Bowl MVP in 1993; Leoti (born in Smith Center Luther Haden "Dummy" Taylor (1875–1958), baseball pitcher; Oskaloosa Doug Terry (born 1968), pro football player; Liberal Tommy Thompson (1916–1989), pro football player; Hutchinson Joe Tinker (1880–1948), MLB shortstop, member of Baseball Hall of Fame; Muscotah