# List of South Dakota State University people

List of prominent alumni of South Dakota State University.

## Academia, science, and technology

* John Merton Aldrich (1888), zoologist, entomologist and curator of insects at the United States National Museum.
* Stephen Foster Briggs (1907), inventor of the Briggs & Stratton engine
* Theodore Schultz (1928), Economist, Nobel Laureate, 1979 Nobel Prize in Economics, and chair of Chicago School of Economics
* Irwin Gunsalus, discovered lipoic acid, founder of United Nations International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, and chair of National Academy of Sciences
* Robert H. Burris (1936), National Academy of Sciences professor of Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
* Cleveland L. Abbott Professor and coach of Tuskegee University and namesake of Tuskegee's Abbott Memorial Alumni Stadium
* Gene Amdahl (1948), Architect of the IBM 360, IBM 704, IBM 709, and Amdahl's Law
* John Mortvedt (1953), soils scientist
* Vern L. Schramm (1963), Professor of Biochemistry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine
* Roger Zwieg (1964), NASA Astronaut and flight instructor

## Arts and literature

* Harvey Dunn (1902), American Painter
* Jeanine Basinger (1958), Film historian
* James Pollock (1965), American abstract and landscape artist
* Kang-i Sun Chang (1972), Chair of the East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale University.

## Business

* Nizar Al-Adsani (1983), CEO of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation.
* Jerry Lohr, Founder and owner of J. Lohr Vineyards and Wines
* Dana J. Dykhouse, Chief Executive Officer of First Premier Bank

## Government and law

* Philo Hall (1886), U.S. Representative from South Dakota and 6th Attorney General of South Dakota
* Sigurd Anderson, 19th Governor of South Dakota
* Ben Reifel (1932), U.S. Representative from South Dakota, first Indian member of Congress
* Francis G. Dunn (1935), Chief Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court
* Andrew Wendell Bogue (1941), Chief Judge, United States District Court for the District of South Dakota
* Gordon Mydland (1944), 23rd Attorney General of South Dakota
* Richard F. Kneip (1945), 6th United States Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore and 25th Governor of South Dakota
* William Dougherty (1954), Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
* Frank E. Denholm (1956), U.S. Representative from South Dakota
* Kermit A. Sande (1964), 24th Attorney General of South Dakota
* Tom Daschle (1969), United States Majority Leader of the United States Senate and U.S. Representative from South Dakota
* Larry Long (1969), 29th Attorney General of South Dakota
* Randy Seiler, 41st United States Attorney for the District of South Dakota
* Alan Lance (1971), 31st Attorney General of Idaho, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and National Commander of The American Legion
* David Gilbertson (1972), current Chief Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court
* Mike Rounds (1976), current U.S. Senator from South Dakota and 31st Governor of South Dakota
* Stephen Censky (1981), former United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
* Carole Hillard (1982), Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
* Kristie Fiegen (1984), Chairwoman of South Dakota Public Utilities Commission
* Gregory J. Stoltenburg (1984), current presiding judge, Third Circuit Court of South Dakota
* Mark Salter (1990), current Associate Justice of the South Dakota Supreme Court
* Jason Frerichs (2007), current South Dakota Senate Minority Leader
* Kristi Noem (2011), 8th Secretary of Homeland Security, former U.S. Representative from South Dakota and first female Governor of South Dakota
* Charles Abourezk, current Chief Justice, Rosebud Sioux Tribe Supreme Court
* Pam Cole, former member of the South Dakota State Senate

## Military

* Willibald C. Bianchi (1939), World War II veteran and Medal of Honor recipient
* William E. DePuy (1941), U.S. Army General and first commander of TRADOC
* Leo K. Thorsness (1953), U.S. Air Force Colonel, Medal of Honor recipient, and Washington state senator
* Jake Krull (1960), U.S. General and South Dakota state senator
* Raymond W. Carpenter (1970), U.S. Major General of the United States Army, Director of the Army National Guard
* Franklin J. Blaisdell (1971), U.S. Air Force General
* Mark A. Clark (1980), U.S. Major General of United States Marine Corps
* Gregory J. Stoltenburg (1984), U.S. Lieutenant Colonel

## Sports

* Paul Miller (1936), NFL halfback for the Green Bay Packers and 1x NFL Champion
* Mark Barber (1937), NFL fullback for Cleveland Rams
* Paul Ellering, Manager of the Road Warriors Hawk and Animal. Currently working in NXT managing The Authors of Pain
* Jon Madsen, NCAA Wrestling National Champion, current mixed martial artist
* Doug Eggers (1955), NFL linebacker for Baltimore Colts and Chicago Cardinals
* Pete Retzlaff (1956), NFL player, 5x Pro-bowler and president of the NFL Players Association
* Tom Black (1964), NBA center for Seattle SuperSonics
* Wayne Rasmussen (1964), NFL safety for the Detroit Lions
* Jim Langer (1970), NFL center, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, and 2x Super Bowl Champion
* Lynn Boden (1975), NFL guard for Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears
* Brad Seely (1978), current NFL special teams coach of the Oakland Raiders
* Steve Lingenfelter (1981), NBA forward for Washington Bullets and San Antonio Spurs
* Rod DeHaven (1991), 2000 Olympic Marathoner and 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials Champion
* Doug Miller (1993), NFL linebacker for San Diego Chargers
* Adam Vinatieri (1996), NFL kicker and 4x Super Bowl Champion
* Adam Timmerman (1995), NFL guard for Green Bay Packers and St. Louis Rams, 2x Pro-Bowler, and 2x Super Bowl Champion
* Steve Heiden (1999), NFL tight end for the Cleveland Browns, San Diego Chargers, and current NFL special teams coach of the Arizona Cardinals
* Josh Ranek (2002), CFL running back for the Edmonton Eskimos, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Ottawa Renegades
* Parker Douglass (2009), NFL placekicker for Cleveland Browns and New York Jets
* JaRon Harris (2009), NFL wide receiver for Green Bay Packers
* Danny Batten (2010), NFL defensive end for Buffalo Bills
* Colin Cochart (2011), NFL tight end for Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys
* Dale Moss (2012), NFL wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers
* David Michaud, professional Mixed Martial Artist
* Nate Wolters (2013), NBA guard for Utah Jazz
* Zach Zenner (2014), NFL running back for Detroit Lions
* Dallas Goedert (2018), NFL tight end for Philadelphia Eagles
* Jake Wieneke (2018), NFL wide receiver for Minnesota Vikings
* Bryan Witzmann (2014), NFL offensive lineman for Kansas City Chiefs