The following is a list of people associated with the University of Louisville.

Notable alumni

Arts and entertainment Harriette Simpson Arnow (BS, 1930) – former author, best known for The Dollmaker Terry Bisson (BA, 1964) – contemporary science fiction author Nick DeMartino (BA) – former senior vice president, Media and Technology for the American Film Institute Bob Edwards (BA, 1969) – former host of NPR's Morning Edition, host of The Bob Edwards Show on XM Satellite Radio and PRI's Bob Edwards Weekend Howard Fineman (JD, 1975) – Newsweek chief political analyst Sam Gilliam (BFA, 1955; MFA, 1961) – painter, specializing in color field and abstract art Sue Grafton (BA, 1961) – contemporary detective novel author Edward N. Hamilton Jr (BFA, 1969) – sculptor, works include York, the Spirit of Freedom, and the Amistad Memorial Michael Jackman – columnist, poet, essayist, fiction writer, and college professor Jenny Kiefer – horror author Static Major – singer, songwriter, most famous from his work with Lil Wayne on "Lollipop" Delfeayo Marsalis (MA, 2004) – jazz trombonist and record producer; brother of Wynton Marsalis and son of Ellis Marsalis Amanda Matthews (BA) – sculptor and painter Beverle Graves Myers – author of historical mystery novels and short stories Mary Spencer Nay (BA, 1941; MA, 1960) – painter and printmaker Marsha Norman (BA, 1969) – Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning playwright Barbara A. Perry (BA, 1978) – author; political analyst; Senior Fellow, University of Virginia Miller Center of Public Affairs; former Carter Glass Professor of Government, Sweet Briar College Diane Sawyer – attended but did not graduate law school; anchor of ABC World News Ben Sollee – cellist, singer, and songwriter Henry Strater – painter, illustrator Kevin M. Sullivan – true crime author, historian Kenneth Victor Young (BA, MA) – painter, designer, educator

Business Owsley Brown Frazier (BA, 1958; JD. 1960) – former director of Brown-Forman Corporation Robert Nardelli (MBA, 1975) – CEO of Chrysler; former CEO of Home Depot; former CEO of General Electric Company Frank Neuhauser (BS, 1934) – patent attorney; winner of the first National Spelling Bee in 1925 Sadiqa Reynolds (BS, 1993) – CEO of the Perception Institute; former president and CEO of the Louisville Urban League Leslie Stephen Wright (1913–1997) – president of Samford University in Birmingham, Alabama 1958–83

Politics David L. Armstrong (JD, 1969) – former mayor of Louisville (1996–2002) Reuf Bajrovic – former Minister of Energy of Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (BA, 2000) Jared Bauman (BS. 2008) – politician Solon Borland (MD, 1841) – former U.S. senator (D), Arkansas Adrielle Camuel – politician Beverly Chester-Burton (born 1963) – politician Christopher Dodd (JD, 1972) – former U.S. senator (D), Connecticut James B. Edwards (DMD, 1955) – former U.S. Secretary of Energy and governor of South Carolina Charles R. Farnsley (LLB, 1926) – Kentucky General Assembly 1936–40; mayor of Louisville 1948–53; U.S. House of Representatives 1965–67 Gina Haspel – director of CIA (BA, 1978) Henry D. Hatfield (DMD, 1900) – former U.S. senator and governor of West Virginia David L. Huber – former U.S. attorney for the Western District of Kentucky Addison James – United States representative from Kentucky Thomas Lee Judge – 18th governor of Montana John A. Logan (JD, 1851) – Union general in the Civil War, won Medal of Honor at Vicksburg, led Union forces at Battle of Atlanta, senator for Illinois Romano Mazzoli (JD, 1960) – representative for KY's 3rd US Congressional District 1971–95 Mitch McConnell (BA, 1964) – U.S. senator and majority leader (R), Kentucky Louie Nunn (JD, 1950) – governor of Kentucky (1967–1971) Jim Smith – member of the Indiana Senate Evan B. Stotsenburg – president pro tempore of the Indiana Senate; Indiana attorney general (1915–1917) Troy Stubbs – member of the Alabama House of Representatives Ephraim L. Van Winkle – secretary of state of Kentucky (1863–1866) John S. Van Winkle – secretary of state of Kentucky (1866–1867) Ben Waide (BS) – member of the Kentucky House of Representatives

Religion

Aryeh Kaplan (BA, 1961) – Orthodox rabbi, author, and translator known for his knowledge of physics and kabbalah

Science and engineering

James Gilbert Baker (BA, 1935) – winner of Presidential Award for Merit, developed the Baker-Schmidt telescope, pushed for U2 spy plane development Lawrence F. Dahl (BS, 1951) – professor emeritus of chemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison Keith Fitzgerald (BA, 1994) – political scientist and immigration policy pundit Thomas L. Maddin (1826–1908) – Confederate physician, professor of medicine at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine David Meade – book author Renã A. S. Robinson (BS, 2000) – spectrometry, proteomics, Alzheimer's disease and aging Gary Sullivan (BS, 1982; MEng 1983) – researcher and standardization leader in video compression technology including H.264/AVC and HEVC Chang-Lin Tien (MEng, 1957) – UC Berkeley chancellor 1990–97; engineering scholar

Notable faculty William Burke Belknap – economist; hardware manufacturer; philanthropist; horse breeder; professor of Economics at the University of Louisville Jim Chen – legal scholar and expert on constitutional law Colin Crawford – legal scholar and dean of the University of Louisville School of Law Paul W. Ewald – evolutionary biologist Agnes Moore Fryberger – first director of music appreciation at the university Kee Chang Huang – distinguished professor of pharmacology Michael Jackman – columnist, poet, essayist and fiction writer Melanie B. Jacobs – legal scholar and dean of the University of Louisville School of Law John LaBarbera – jazz professor, nominated for 2005 Grammy award in the Best Large Jazz Ensemble category for his CD On the Wild Side Justin McCarthy – discredited Armenian genocide denier Tom Owen – professor of Libraries and Community Relations Associate, Louisville Metro Council representative Nikola Rušinović – professor at the University of Louisville School of Medicine, the Independent State of Croatia's unofficial envoy to the Holy See during World War II James Speed – lecturer, U.S. attorney general under President Abraham Lincoln Eugenia Wang – professor with a primary focus in researching the genetic aspect of aging in humans Harold Wren – legal scholar and law school dean Roman Yampolskiy – computer scientist known for his work on artificial intelligence safety

Notable athletic alumni

Football

Current NFL players Jaire Alexander – cornerback, Green Bay Packers Teddy Bridgewater (2011–2014) – Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos Miami Dolphins quarterback Jamon Brown – offensive tackle, Green Bay Packers Preston Brown (2010–2013) – Buffalo Bills linebacker Lamar Jackson (2015–2018) – quarterback for Baltimore Ravens; NFL; 2016 Heisman Trophy winner DeVante Parker (2011–2014) – Miami Dolphins wide receiver Bilal Powell (2007–10) – New York Jets running back

Current CFL players Otis Floyd (1995–1998) – Hamilton Tiger-Cats linebacker Trent Guy – Toronto Argonauts slotback

Current AFL players Donovan Arp (1999–2000) – Austin Wranglers offensive/defensive lineman Kevin Gaines (1990–1993) – Grand Rapids Rampage defensive back

Current UFL players Brian Brohm (2004–2007) – Las Vegas Locomotives quarterback 2011–2012 Ronnie Ghent (1997–2001) – Hartford Colonials tight end

Former pros David Akers (1992–1995) – San Francisco 49ers kicker; five-time Pro Bowl selection (2001, 2002, 2004, 2005, 2010) Bruce Armstrong (1983–1986) – former New England Patriots offensive lineman; played in the NFL for 14 seasons; six-time Pro Bowl selection (1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996 and 1997); one of only 11 inducted into the Patriots Hall of Fame; one of only seven to have his number retired Deion Branch (2000–01) – New England Patriots wide receiver; Super Bowl XXXIX MVP with the New England Patriots, tied record for catches in a Super Bowl Ray Buchanan (1989–1991) – former Atlanta Falcons, Indianapolis Colts, and Oakland Raiders defensive back Curry Burns (1998–2002) – free agent safety Michael Bush (2003–2006) – Chicago Bears running back Mark Clayton (1979–1982) – former Miami Dolphins and Green Bay Packers wide receiver; five-time Pro Bowl selection (1984, 1985, 1986, 1988 and 1991) Harry Douglas (2003–2007) – Tennessee Titans wide receiver Elvis Dumervil (2002–2005) – Denver Broncos, Baltimore Ravens defensive end; tied the NCAA single-season sack record (24); first team All-American and the 2005 Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner as college football's Defensive Player of the Year; 2005 Ted Hendricks Award as college football's top defensive end Salem Ford (1914–1916) – former Louisville Brecks halfback Renardo Foster (2003–2006) – free agent offensive lineman William Gay (2003–2006) – Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Antoine Harris (2002–2005) – free agent defensive back Nate Harris (2005–2006) – free agent linebacker Earl Heyman (2005–2009) – New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Ernest Givins (1984–1985) – former Houston Oilers and Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver; two-time Pro Bowl selection (1990 and 1992) Ernie Green (1959–1962) – former Green Bay Packers and Cleveland Browns running back and fullback Jay Gruden (1985–1988) – former Arena Football League quarterback for the Tampa Bay Storm, led the team to four ArenaBowl championships; League MVP in 1992 and MVP of ArenaBowl VII; first quarterback inducted into the Arena Football Hall of Fame in 1998; head coach of the Washington Redskins; former head coach of the Orlando Predators, led the team to titles in ArenaBowls XII and XIII Tom Jackson (1970–1972) – former Denver Broncos linebacker; three-time Pro Bowl selection (1977–1979); analyst on ESPN's NFL GameDay; two-time Missouri Valley Conference player of the year (1971, 1972) Joe Jacoby (1977–1980) – former Washington Redskins offensive lineman; key member of "The Hogs"; member of Super Bowl XVII, Super Bowl XXII, and Super Bowl XXVI Championship teams; four-time Pro Bowl selection (1983–1986) Brandon Johnson (2002–2005) – Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Chris Johnson (2001–2002) – Oakland Raiders defensive back Joe Johnson (1990–1993) – former New Orleans Saints and Green Bay Packers defensive end; two-time Pro Bowl selection (1998 and 2000) Stefan LeFors (2000–05; played 2001–2004) – former quarterback with the Carolina Panthers in the NFL and the Edmonton Eskimos and Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the CFL; head high school football coach at the Christian Academy of Louisville Lenny Lyles (1954–1957) – drafted by the Baltimore Colts in the first round (11th overall) of the 1958 NFL Draft; one-time Pro Bowl selection; one of the first African American football players at the University of Louisville; often referred to as "the fastest man in football" Sam Madison (1993–1996) – former Miami Dolphins and New York Giants defensive back; four-time Pro Bowl selection (1999, 2000, 2001, and 2002) Frank Minnifield (1979–1982) – former Cleveland Browns defensive back; four-time Pro Bowl selection (1986–1989); co-creator of the "Dawg Pound"; led nation in kickoff returns in 1981 and punt returns in 1982 Roman Oben (1991–1995) – offensive lineman Amobi Okoye (2003–2006) – Chicago Bears defensive lineman Richard Owens (1999–2003) – free agent tight end Chris Redman (1996–1999) – Atlanta Falcons quarterback; 1999 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award winner Kerry Rhodes (2001–2004) – Arizona Cardinals defensive back, 2005 NFL All-Rookie team Kolby Smith (2003–2006) – free agent running back Jason Spitz (2002–2005) – Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman Montavious Stanley (2002–2005) – free agent defensive tackle Howard Stevens – running back, Baltimore Colts, New Orleans Saints; member of Louisville Athletic Hall of Fame