# List of New Mexico State University people

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This is a list of notable people affiliated with New Mexico State University.

## Faculty and staff

* Reta Beebe - professor emeritus in the Astronomy Department, best known for participation in the Voyager mission
* David Boje - author; current NMSU endowed Bank of America professor of management
* Garrey Carruthers - former NMSU President and Dean of College of Business; former governor of New Mexico
* David Clements - conspiracy theorist
* James Cuffey - former professor in astronomy, known for photoelectric photometry
* Frank Harary - mathematician, specialized in graph theory
* Lou Henson - former NMSU basketball head coach
* Jerry Kill - NMSU football head coach
* Delano Lewis - founding director of New Mexico State University's International Relations Institute
* Mark Medoff - playwright, screenwriter, film and theatre director, actor, and professor
* Antonya Nelson - English professor at NMSU; author
* Cyrus Nowrasteh - screenwriter and director
* Gerald W. Thomas - NMSU President Emeritus, 1970–1984
* Edward O. Thorp - mathematician best known for writing the book Beat the Dealer and co-inventing the first wearable computer; Associate Professor of Mathematics 1961–65
* Clyde Tombaugh - astronomer best known for his discovery of Pluto; former professor of astronomy
* Frank Alan Ward - Distinguished Professor in the College of Agriculture, Consumer, and Environmental Science; 2022 DARE Hall of Fame Award; Colorado State University: Lifetime Achievement Award, 2022

## Alumni
### Science, medicine, and technology

* Arlan Andrews - mechanical engineer and science fiction author
* John A. D. Cooper - physician and educator
* Alan Hale - astronomer famous for discovering the Hale-Bopp Comet
* Bill Inmon - computer scientist, recognized as the father of the data warehouse
* Paul W. Klipsch - audio pioneer; founder of Klipsch and Associates; namesake of the Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NMSU
* Jaron Lanier - writer, computer scientist, composer, and virtual reality pioneer
* Kathy Lueders - engineer, NASA Associate Administrator of Human Exploration and Operations (HEO)
* Rose Marie Pangborn - scientist, pioneer in the sensory analysis of food
* Stuart Pimm - theoretical ecologist and conservation biologist
* Harold Reitsema - astronomer, part of the teams that discovered Larissa and Telesto
* Mark W. Spong - roboticist; Dean of Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science at the University of Texas at Dallas
* Paul Carpenter Standley - botanist
* Sarah Stewart - research scientist, pioneer in the field of viral oncology, co-discovered the first polyomavirus

### Law, politics, military and government

* Norma Bixby - member of the Montana House of Representatives
* Donald Bratton - politician
* William Burt - Republican member of the New Mexico Senate
* Michael L. Connor - United States Deputy Secretary of the Interior
* David Coss - US politician and former mayor of Santa Fe, New Mexico
* Lee Cotter - Republican member of the New Mexico Senate
* Candy Ezzell - Republican member of the New Mexico House of Representatives
* Edgar Franklin Foreman, Jr. - motivational speaker in Dallas who served one term in the United States House of Representatives
* Gregory J. Fouratt - former United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico
* Chuck Franco - game warden, police officer, undersheriff, current First Gentleman of New Mexico
* Mary Helen Garcia - Democratic member of the New Mexico House of Representatives
* Mary Jane Garcia - former member of the New Mexico Senate
* Ron Griggs - politician
* David Campos Guaderrama - United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
* Gary King - Attorney General of New Mexico
* Greg Lopez - U.S. Representative from Colorado
* Lester Lyles - former Air Force general, Chairman of the Board for USAA
* Patrick H. Lyons - politician from New Mexico
* John McEneny - politician
* Ken Miyagishima - mayor of Las Cruces, New Mexico
* Howie Morales - Democratic member of the New Mexico Senate
* Steven Neville - Republican member of the New Mexico Senate
* Steve Pearce - US Representative for New Mexico
* Renee Schulte - Iowa State Representative
* William Sharer - Republican member of the New Mexico Senate
* Roosevelt Skerrit - Prime Minister of Dominica Attended but graduated from Mississippi
* William Soules - Democratic member of the New Mexico Senate
* James Edward Wharton - United States Army Brigadier General, killed in action during World War II
* Pat Woods - Republican member of the New Mexico Senate
* Bob Wooley - Republican member of the New Mexico House of Representatives

### Business

* Kevin Johnson - CEO of Starbucks Corporation
* Dave Lopez - telecommunications executive

### Academia, arts, and literature

* Lee K. Abbott - writer; professor emeritus of English at Ohio State University
* Subhankar Banerjee - photographer, author and activist
* Denise Chavez - author, playwright and stage director
* Upile Chisala - poet
* Leroy Quintana - poet, Vietnam veteran
* Larry Torres - linguist and lecturer on Southwestern culture
* Martin Guevara Urbina - writer, professor, and researcher; as a sociologist and criminologist, works on Latina and Latino issues in the United States

### Athletics

* Willie Adams - former NFL defensive end
* Andre Anderson - former CFL defensive tackle for the BC Lions
* Pervis Atkins - NFL running back, played for the Los Angeles Rams, Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders
* Leo Barker - NFL linebacker, played for the Cincinnati Bengals
* Greg Bearman - CFL defensive back
* Rich Beem - professional golfer with a three PGA Tour wins including 2002 PGA Championship
* Jim Bostic - NBA forward
* Randy Brown - NBA guard
* Bart Bryant - professional golfer with three PGA Tour wins
* Tom Byrum - professional golfer with one PGA Tour win
* Joe Campbell - NFL defensive end, played for the New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
* Steve Colter - NBA guard
* Charlie Criss - NBA guard
* Andy Dorris - NFL defensive end, played for the St. Louis Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks and Houston Oilers
* Andre Francis - former FL defensive back
* Bob Gaiters - NFL running back, played for the NY Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos
* Roy Gerela - NFL placekicker, played for the Houston Oilers, Pittsburgh Steelers and San Diego Chargers
* Jim Germany - CFL running back, played for the Edmonton Eskimos, was an All-Star and part of 5 Grey Cup championship teams
* Jonte Green - NFL cornerback for the Detroit Lions
* Duriel Harris - NFL wide receiver, played for the Miami Dolphins
* Steve Haskins - professional golfer with two Web.com Tour wins
* Lou Henson - former coach of New Mexico State and University of Illinois men's basketball
* Davon House - NFL defensive back for the Green Bay Packers
* Bobby Humphrey - NFL wide receiver, played for the NY Jets and Denver Broncos
* Martin Iti - basketball player
* Bob Jackson - former NFL running back
* Charley Johnson - NFL quarterback, played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Oilers and Denver Broncos ; full professor of Chemical Engineering at NMSU; member of the Denver Broncos Ring of Honor
* Walter Johnson - NFL defensive lineman, played for the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals; three-time Pro Bowl (1967, 1968, 1969); member of the College Football Hall of Fame
* LaTraia Jones - football coach; former player at University of Wyoming
* Reggie Jordan - NBA guard
* Sam Lacey - NBA center
* Billy Ray Locklin - former CFL defensive lineman
* Kerry Locklin - college football coach
* Denvis Manns - football running back, famous for rushing for 1,000 yards in four consecutive seasons in college
* Anita Maxwell - former WNBA forward for the Cleveland Rockers, only basketball player (male or female) in school history to have her uniform number (40) retired
* Kyle Nelson - NFL long snapper
* Michael New - former basketball player and coach of the Milton Keynes Lions
* Jerry Nuzum - NFL running back, played for the Pittsburgh Steelers
* Cliff Olander - gridiron football quarterback
* J. R. Patton - stock car racing driver
* Buck Pierce - CFL quarterback, played for the BC Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers
* Joe Pisarcik - NFL quarterback, played for the New York Giants and Philadelphia Eagles; best remembered for his role in a 1978 play that has since been referred to as "The Fumble" by NY Giants fans and "The Miracle at the Meadowlands" by Philadelphia Eagles fans
* Ron Porterfield - Major League Baseball athletic trainer
* Tony Sanchez - head football coach at UNLV
* Joe Schmiesing - former NFL defensive lineman, played for the St. Louis Cardinals
* Siddeeq Shabazz - Canadian Football League linebacker
* Alena Sharp - professional golfer on the LPGA Tour
* Pascal Siakam - NBA forward, NBA championship in 2019 with Toronto Raptors
* Jannah Sonnenschein (born 1996) - Dutch-Mozambican swimmer
* Danny Villanueva - NFL placekicker, played for the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys; media entertainment entrepreneur
* Gary Ward - former baseball coach for Oklahoma State University and New Mexico State University
* Walt Williams - NFL cornerback, played for the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears
* John Williamson - NBA guard
* Tony Wragge - former NFL offensive lineman for various teams
* Fredd Young - NFL linebacker; played for the Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts; four-time Pro Bowler (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987); two-time All-Pro (1984, 1987); member of the Seattle Seahawks 35th anniversary team
* Jahmar Young (born 1986) - basketball player in the Israeli National League

### Entertainment, film, news and television

* Scott Bailey - actor
* Baxter Black - cowboy poet; radio and television commentator
* Kira Davis - film producer
* William Frankfather - actor
* Barbara Funkhouser - journalist, first woman to serve as editor of the El Paso Times (1980–1986)
* Franc Luz - movie and television actor
* Alvy Ray Smith - co-founder of Pixar
* Brittany Toll - Miss New Mexico 2011

### Other

* Jorge A. Rojas - general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)
* Clara Belle Williams (1885–1994) - first African-American graduate of the university (English, 1937)