# List of people from Carbondale, Illinois

The following list includes notable people who were born or have lived in Carbondale, Illinois. For a similar list organized alphabetically by last name, see the category page People from Carbondale, Illinois.

## Arts and culture

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Agnes Ayres | Apr 4, 1898 | Dec 25, 1940 | Actor (The Sheik) | Born in Carbondale |
| Shawn Colvin | Jan 10, 1956 | | Grammy Award-winning singer and musician | Grew up in Carbondale |
| Darva Conger | Sep 21, 1965 | | Winner of Who Wants to Marry a Multi-Millionaire? (2000) | Born in Carbondale |
| Ben Falcone | Aug 25, 1973 | | Actor (What to Expect When You're Expecting and Enough Said) | Born in Carbondale |
| R. Buckminster Fuller | Jul 12, 1895 | Jul 1, 1983 | Architect and futurist; built the geodesic domes found around Carbondale | Taught at Southern Illinois University Carbondale |
| John Gardner | Jul 21, 1933 | Sep 14, 1982 | Novelist and teacher (Grendel) | Taught at Southern Illinois University Carbondale |
| Paul Gilbert | Nov 6, 1966 | | Guitarist (Racer X, Mr. Big) | Born in Carbondale |
| Rodney Jones | 1950 | | Poet and nominee for the Pulitzer Prize | Professor of English at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale |
| Laurie Metcalf | Jun 16, 1955 | | Actress (Roseanne, 2017 Tony Award winner) | Born in Carbondale |
| Dave Soldier | Nov 6, 1956 | | Composer and founder of the Thai Elephant Orchestra | Born in Carbondale |
| Frankie Trumbauer | May 30, 1901 | Jun 11, 1956 | Saxophonist; contemporary of Bix Beiderbecke | Born in Carbondale |

## Crime

| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
| Timothy Krajcir | | Nov 28, 1944 | | Serial killer; murdered two Carbondale women | | |
Daniel Woloson Serial Rape; Robbery Strangle Susan Schumake

## Military

| Name | Image | Birth | Death | Known for | Association | Reference |
| Oscar Koch | | Jan 10, 1897 | May 16, 1970 | US Army officer; served as Intelligence officer (G-2) for Third United States Army during World War II | Lived in Carbondale | |
| John Alexander Logan Jr. | | Jul 24, 1865 | Nov 11, 1899 | US Army officer; posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor for actions during the Philippine–American War | Born in Carbondale | |

## Politics

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Laura Liu | Jul 19, 1966 | Apr 17, 2016 | Illinois Appellate Court judge | Born in Carbondale |
| Sheila Simon | Mar 13, 1961 | | 46th lieutenant governor of Illinois | Lives in Carbondale |
| John Ratcliffe | Oct 20, 1965 | | 6th Director of National Intelligence | Graduated from high school in Carbondale |

## Sports

| Name | Birth | Death | Known for | Association |
| Sola Abolaji | Mar 27, 1985 | | Professional soccer player | Born in Carbondale |
| Ron Acks | Oct 3, 1944 | Nov 21, 2023 | Linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots and Green Bay Packers | |
| Stephen Bardo | Apr 5, 1968 | | Shooting guard at University of Illinois; ESPN college basketball analyst | |
| Jim Caldwell | Jan 16, 1955 | | Head coach of the Detroit Lions, Indianapolis Colts | Wide receiver coach at Southern Illinois University |
| Chris Carr | Mar 12, 1974 | | Shooting guard for six different NBA teams | Attended Southern Illinois University |
| Justin Dentmon | Sep 5, 1985 | | Professional basketball player, 2010 top scorer in the Israel Basketball Premier League | Born in Carbondale, went to Carbondale Elementary schools and Carbondale Community High School |
| Troy Hudson | Mar 13, 1976 | | Point guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors | Born in Carbondale |
| Brandon Jacobs | Jul 6, 1982 | | Running back for the New York Giants and San Francisco 49ers | Played football at Southern Illinois University |
| Jerry Kill | Aug 24, 1961 | | Head football coach for the University of Minnesota and Southern Illinois University | |
| Bart Scott | Aug 18, 1980 | | Linebacker for the New York Jets | Played football for Southern Illinois University |
| Wan Kuzain bin Wan Kamal | Sep 14, 1998 | | Soccer midfielder for St. Louis City SC 2 | Born in Carbondale, went to Carbondale Elementary schools and Carbondale Community High School |
| Steve Waterbury | Apr 6, 1952 | May 19, 2017 | Pitcher for the St. Louis Cardinals | Born in Carbondale |
| Shawn Watson | Sep 21, 1959 | | Quarterbacks coach for the Louisville Cardinals football team | Born in Carbondale |