The following is a list of notable University of Memphis people, including alumni, notable faculty members and administrators, and others affiliated with the University of Memphis.
Notable alumni
Government, public service, and public policy Rex Armistead – private detective, investigator for the defunct Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission and the Arkansas Project Arthur Barclay – New Jersey General Assembly memberAssemblyman Arthur Barclay, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed August 18, 2016. Angie Craig – United States representative for Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District Bernice Donald – United States district court judge Bob Fisher – president of Belmont University since 2000 John Ford – Tennessee politician Tre Hargett – secretary of state, Tennessee Willie Herenton – former mayor of Memphis Ed Jackson – Tennessee state senator James F. Kyle – state senator, Tennessee Legislature David Lillard – Tennessee state treasurer since 2009 Viola Harris Mcferren – civil rights activist Curtis S. Person Jr. – former state senator, Tennessee Legislature Van Poole – former member of both houses of the Florida Legislature Frank Scott Jr. – current mayor of Little Rock, AR Jim Strickland – former mayor of Memphis Fred Thompson – actor and former U.S. senator
Literature, arts, and media Barbara Anderson – actress Dixie Carter – actress Eric Jerome Dickey – author John Dye – actor Johanna Edwards – bestselling novelist Galen Fott – director and animator Brian A. Hopkins – author Jason Isbell – recording artist and songwriter, member of The 400 Unit and Drive-By Truckers Michael Jeter – actor Terry Manning – music producer, photographer Wink Martindale – radio DJ, radio personality, singer, game show host, television personality, television producer (BS 1957) Gary Parrish – sports columnist, radio host and television analyst Edmund Warren Perry Jr. – writerKoeppel, Fredric, "Ex-Memphian Warren Perry Embraces Art, from Light-Hearted to Heavy-Handed," The Commercial Appeal August 30, 2009 Olan Rogers – comedian, actor, filmmaker, and YouTuber William Sanderson – actor Stella Stevens – actress J. Karen Thomas – actress (Drop Dead Diva, Nashville) Trenyce – singer, American Idol finalist
Athletics
Dave Anderson – multiple teams, MLB Vincent Askew – multiple teams, NBA Earl Barron – NBA Will Barton – Denver Nuggets, NBA William Bedford – multiple teams, NBA Isaac Bruce – San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams, NFL Antonio Burks – NBA Rodney Carney – Golden St. Warriors, NBA Joey Dorsey – Toronto Raptors, NBA Chris Douglas-Roberts – Milwaukee Bucks, NBA Jake Elliott – Philadelphia Eagles, Tyreke Evans – Sacramento Kings, NBA Larry Finch – Memphis TAMs, ABA T. J. Frier – football player Hunter Goodman – Colorado Rockies, Stephen Gostkowski – New England Patriots, NFL Earnest Gray – NFL, New York Giants Sylvester Gray – Miami Heat, NBA Penny Hardaway – NBA Jim Hardin – Major League Baseball pitcher, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves Chad Harville – multiple teams, MLB Cedric Henderson – Utah Jazz, NBA Richard Jones – New York Nets, NBA Larry Kenon – multiple teams, NBA Bill Laurie – 1973 NCAA Championship game starting point guard for Memphis State Jerry Lawler – Hall of Fame professional wrestler, WWE Ronald Leary – Dallas Cowboys, NFL Keith Lee – New Jersey Nets, NBA James Logan – Houston Oilers, Seattle Seahawks, NFL Steve Matthews – Kansas City Chiefs, NFL Hank McDowell – multiple teams, NBA Mike McKenzie – New Orleans Saints, NFL Andy Nelson – Baltimore Colts, NFL Lloyd Patterson – Saskatchewan Roughriders Ryan Peniston – British tennis player Elliot Perry – Phoenix Suns, NBA Derrick Rose – Chicago Bulls, NBA Jack Smith – Philadelphia Eagles, NFL Cliff Taylor – multiple teams, NFL Adonis Thomas (born 1993) – basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League Andre Turner – multiple teams, NBA Dan Uggla – Atlanta Braves, MLB David Vaughn – multiple teams, NBA Dajuan Wagner – Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA Darius Washington – NBA Tamika Whitmore – Indiana Fever, WNBA Win Wilfong – Cincinnati Royals, NBA DeAngelo Williams – Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL Shawne Williams – New York Knicks, NBA Jacob Wilson – multiple teams, MLB Francis Winkler – Green Bay Packers, NFL Jerome Woods – Kansas City Chiefs, NFL Lorenzen Wright – multiple teams, NBA Wayne Yates – Los Angeles Lakers, NBA
Professors and scholars Richard Bausch – novelist and short story writer; Moss Chair of Excellence in English at the University of Memphis Béla Bollobás – mathematician; known for his work in combinatorics; Fields Medal winner Timothy Gowers' dissertation advisor Peter J. Brand – Egyptologist Joyce Cobb – jazz vocalist Jack Cooper – jazz composer, arranger Miriam DeCosta-Willis – first African-American faculty member at what was then Memphis State University Ralph Faudree – mathematician with a focus on Ramsey theory; provost of the university Robert Fisher – MBA, president of Belmont University Stan Franklin – cognitive scientist; proponent of artificial consciousness Arthur C. Graesser – cognitive psychologist; editor of the Journal of Educational Psychology Jessie Mae Hemphill – electric guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist specializing in Southern music Benjamin Hooks – civil rights leader Xiangen Hu – professor in cognitive psychology John Lee – author, professor of English Michael Leff – scholar of rhetoric Jennifer R. Mandel – professor of biology Milton C. Moreland – archaeologist and president of Centre College Cecil C. Rousseau – mathematician and author who specializes in graph theory and combinatorics Rebecca Skloot – New York Times bestselling science writer, professor of English Joe Gray Taylor – historian and writer
Coaches John Calipari – Kentucky basketball coach Penny Hardaway – Memphis basketball coach Dana Kirk – Memphis basketball coach Josh Pastner – Memphis basketball coach Tic Price – Memphis basketball coach
Other Stan Bronson Jr. – Guinness World Record holder batboy for Memphis Tigers baseball
References