# List of Bowling Green State University alumni

This is a list of notable people associated with Bowling Green State University, located in the American city of Bowling Green, Ohio.

## Arts and entertainment
### Authors and writers

* Fernando Alegría, Chilean poet
* Tony Ardizzone, novelist
* James Baldwin, author, poet (writer in residence)
* Matt Bell, author
* Mary Biddinger, poet
* James Carlos Blake, author
* Philana Marie Boles, author of Glitz, Little Divas, In the Paint, and Blame It on Eve
* Scott Cairns, poet
* Gary Cohn, comic book writer
* Jennifer Crusie, writer
* Jim Daniels, poet and writer
* Tom De Haven, writer
* Anthony Doerr, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer
* Frank Dungan, television producer and writer
* Edmundo Farolan, author and actor
* David Feldman, author of Imponderables
* Robert Ferrigno, writer
* Carolyn Forche, writer
* Charles Fort, poet
* Sally Miller Gearhart, science fiction writer, women's studies pioneer, and early gay rights activist
* Diana Pavlac Glyer, author and expert on J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and the Inklings
* Darrell Hamamoto, writer
* Joseph D. Haske, author
* Alan Heathcock, fiction writer
* Steve Heller, fiction author
* Brad Hurtado, television producer
* Jack LoGiudice, television writer and producer
* Sandra Markle, children's book author
* Susan Neville, short story writer
* Charles Nicol, writer, expert on Vladimir Nabokov
* William Patrick Patterson, author and fourth way teacher
* Barbara Paul, author
* James Purdy, author
* Arnold Rampersad, Pulitzer Prize-nominated author
* Terry Ryan, writer
* Marc Sumerak, freelance writer, often works on Marvel Comics series
* Jean Thompson, fiction writer
* Anne Valente, author
* Allen Wier, author
* Dara Wier, poet
* Kayla Williams, linguist and author
* Theresa Williams, writer

### Actors

* Lexi Allen, singer, actress, television personality
* Bernie Casey, former professional football player, actor, and visual artist
* Tim Conway, Emmy Award-winning actor
* Frank Dungan, television producer and Primetime Emmy Award winner
* Quinton Flynn, voice actor
* Robert Patrick, actor
* James Pickens, Jr., actor
* Ric Reitz, actors
* Kathia Rodriguez, actress
* Eva Marie Saint, Academy Award-winning actress
* Ron Sweed, television actor
* Matt Zimmerman, actor

### Musicians and composers

* Uzee Brown Jr, composer
* Chris Castle, folk musician
* David Conte, composer
* Hildward Croes, Aruban musician
* Joseph Dangerfield, composer
* Minnita Daniel-Cox, soprano
* Ray Davis, bass singer and founding member of The Parliaments
* John Douglas, conductor
* Tim Hagans, jazz musician
* Bob Hartman, Christian rock artist and founder of the band Petra
* Jennifer Higdon, Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning classical music composer
* Michael Holmes, saxophonist
* Eglė Janulevičiūtė, Lithuanian classical pianist
* Marian McPartland, jazz musician
* Mildred Miller, mezzo-soprano, received an honorary degree
* Ric Ocasek, rhythm guitarist and songwriter for The Cars
* Griffen Palmer, country singer-songwriter
* Rich Perry, jazz musician
* Bill Randle, DJ, received an honorary doctorate
* James Swearingen, concert band literature composer
* William Takacs, musician

### Artists

* Robert Archambeau, ceramic artist; worked in the studio of Jun Kaneko; colleague of painter Don Reichert
* Kathrine Baumann, handbag designer, model, and actress
* Barbara Bosworth, large format photographer
* George O. Hughes, painter, poet, performance artist
* Tony Kern, film director, directed A Month of Hungry Ghosts
* Dominick Labino, glass artist, scientist, honorary doctorate
* Tim McCreight, metal smith
* Jason Nelson, pioneering net artist, digital poet
* Ed Sayles, theater director
* William Silvers, wildlife artist, painter for Walt Disney, Industrial Light and Magic, Sony Pictures, DreamWorks, and Warner Brothers
* Douglas Steakley, metal smith and photographer; winner of the 2003 Ansel Adams Award for Conservation Photography
* Rick Valicenti, graphic designer

### Dancers

* Mary Jo Freshley, Korean dance instructor at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
* Judson Laipply, creator of the "Evolution of Dance"

## Athletes
### Olympians

* Rob Blake, Hall of Fame ice hockey player, won Stanley Cup in 2001; three-time member of the Canadian Olympic hockey team, winning a gold medal in 2002
* Scott Hamilton, professional figure skater and Olympic gold medalist
* Margarita Kalmikova, two-time Olympian swimmer from Latvia
* Ken Morrow, former professional ice hockey player and member of the 1980 USA Olympic hockey team
* Mark Wells, former professional ice hockey player and member of the 1980 USA Olympic hockey team
* Dave Wottle, won an Olympic gold medal for the 800 meter run at the 1972 Summer Olympics

### Soccer

* Bud Lewis, former professional soccer player and head coach at Wilmington College 1975–2017
* Dennis Mepham, former professional soccer player for the Cleveland Force (1978–1988)
* Dana Veth, former professional soccer player

### Basketball

* Harold Anderson, former college basketball coach; Basketball Hall of Fame member
* Tom Collen, collegiate basketball coach
* Antonio Daniels, former professional basketball player
* Tom Hancock, basketball coach
* Bob Hill, professional basketball coach
* Richaun Holmes, professional basketball player for the Washington Wizards
* Howard Komives, former professional basketball player for the New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Buffalo Braves, and Kansas City Kings
* Jay Larranaga, former professional basketball player and current member of the Los Angeles Clippers coaching staff
* Keith McLeod, former professional basketball player
* Steve Merfeld, basketball coach
* Charlie Parker, basketball coach
* Isaac Rosefelt, American-Israeli former basketball player
* Richard Skeel, basketball coach
* Nate Thurmond, former professional basketball player; seven-time NBA All-Star; member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame; named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History
* Daeqwon Plowden, professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks, of the National Basketball Association

### Baseball

* Larry Arndt, infielder for the Oakland Athletics; BGSU Baseball Hall of Fame member
* Burke Badenhop, former MLB pitcher
* Doug Bair, former professional baseball player
* Jon Berti, professional baseball player currently with the Miami Marlins
* Orel Hershiser, former professional baseball player, currently an analyst for the Los Angeles Dodgers
* Jim Joyce, former MLB umpire
* Roger McDowell, former professional baseball player and coach
* Nolan Reimold, former MLB baseball player
* Andy Tracy, former professional baseball player; current manager for the Columbus Clippers of the International League
* Chet Trail, former professional baseball player

### Football

* Martin Bayless, former professional football player
* Karl Brooks, professional football player currently with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League
* Khary Campbell, former professional football player
* Jeff Genyk, current tight ends coach and special teams coordinator for the University of Wisconsin football team
* Joe Green, former professional player for the New York Giants
* Jeff Groth, former professional football player
* Josh Harris, professional football player, last with the New York Giants
* Omar Jacobs, professional football player currently with the Jacksonville Sharks of the Arena Football League
* Chris Jones, professional football player with the New England Patriots
* Kamar Jorden, professional football player currently with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League
* Kory Lichtensteiger, professional football player currently with the Washington Redskins
* Scotty Miller, professional football player, Super Bowl LV champion
* Quintin Morris, professional football player currently with the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League
* Scott Mruczkowski, professional football player
* Don Nehlen, former player who became a highly successful coach at West Virginia University and college football hall of fame member
* Kevin O'Brien, former professional football player
* Dean Pees, NFL Defensive Coordinator
* Doyt Perry, former college football coach and college football hall of fame member
* Dave Preston, former professional football player
* Robert Redd, professional football player
* Bob Reynolds, former professional football player
* Jamie Rivers, former professional football player
* Bob Schnelker, former professional football player
* Bob Seaman, football coach
* Doug Smith, former professional football player
* Fred Sturt, former professional football player
* Shaun Suisham, professional football player currently with the Pittsburgh Steelers
* Vince Villanucci, former professional football player
* Phil Villapiano, former professional football player; four-time Pro Bowler
* Mike Weger, former professional football player
* Charlie Williams, former professional football player
* Bob Wolfe, football coach

### Hockey

* Kevin Bieksa, professional ice hockey player currently with the Anaheim Ducks
* Aris Brimanis, professional ice hockey player currently with the Hannover Scorpions
* Dan Bylsma, former professional ice hockey player and current head coach of the Seattle Kraken
* Gino Cavallini, former professional hockey player, scorer for the Falcons NCAA National Championship, winning overtime goal
* Greg de Vries, former professional ice hockey player, won Stanley Cup in 2001
* Dave Ellett, former professional ice hockey player
* Nelson Emerson, former professional ice hockey player
* Alex Foster, professional ice hockey player
* Mark Friedman (born 1995), NHL player
* Garry Galley, former professional ice hockey player
* Andrew Hammond, professional ice hockey player
* Brian Hills, former professional ice hockey player, current associate head coach of the RIT Tigers men's hockey team
* Brian Holzinger, former professional ice hockey player and Hobey Baker Award winner
* Mike Johnson, former professional ice hockey player, currently an analyst for the NHL Network, and TSN and color commentator for the Winnipeg Jets
* Dan Kane, former professional ice hockey player
* Ken Klee, former professional ice hockey player
* Mike Liut, former professional ice hockey player
* Brian MacLellan, professional ice hockey player, won Stanley Cup in 1989; current General Manager of the Washington Capitals
* Jon Matsumoto, professional hockey player currently with the San Jose Sharks
* George McPhee, former professional ice hockey player, Hobey Baker Award winner, General Manager of NHL's Vegas Golden Knights and former GM of Washington Capitals
* Todd Reirden, former professional ice hockey player and current head coach for the Washington Capitals; won Stanley Cup in 2018
* Dan Sexton, professional ice hockey player currently with the Tampa Bay Lightning
* Jonathan Sigalet, professional ice hockey player playing for Brynäs IF in the Swedish Hockey League
* Jordan Sigalet, former professional ice hockey player; currently the goaltending coach for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League
* Wayne Wilson, current head coach of the RIT Tigers men's hockey team
* Paul Ysebaert, former professional ice hockey player

### Other

* Alissa Czisny, figure skater and 2009 US Figure Skating National Champion
* Mike McCullough, professional golfer
* Nick Mileti, former owner of Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Crusaders, and writer of Closet Italians
* Kurt Weaver, rugby match official

## Politics
### Ambassadors

* Daniel Ayalon, former Israeli ambassador to the U.S.
* Leonardo Neher, US Ambassador to Upper Volta

### Judicial

* John R. Adams, federal judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
* James Henry Gorbey, United States federal judge
* Brenda Hollis, Chief persecutor in the Special Court for Sierra Leone
* James R. Knepp II, United States District Judge
* Sara Elizabeth Lioi, United States District Judge
* James H. Wakatsuki, Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii

### Activists

* Dominick Evans, activist, transferred to Wright State
* Sam Pollock, labor activist, did not graduate
* Baldemar Velasquez, labor activist, received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters

### Politicians

* Elizabeth M. Boyer, lawyer, writer, publisher, and feminist founder of WEAL
* Dan Greenberg, former politician, Heritage Foundation analyst, and writer for Cato Institute; leader of the Advance Arkansas Institute
* Nick Licata, Seattle politician and activist
* Mike Reichenbach, South Carolina politician
* Pierre-Célestin Rwigema, 7th Prime Minister of Rwanda
* Edmond Spaho, Democratic Party of Albania MP
* Robin Weirauch, politician

#### United States Congress

* Robert P. Hanrahan, former U.S. Congressional Representative (R-IL)
* Gene Krebs, former Ohio State Representative (R-OH, 1993–2000)
* Bob Latta, U.S. Congressional Representative (R-OH)
* Tom Luken, former mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio and U.S. Congressional Representative (D-OH)
* Tim Ryan, U.S. Congressional Representative (D-OH)

#### City government

* Janeé Ayers, labor organizer, member of the Detroit city council
* Hou Chong-wen, deputy mayor of Chiayi City, Taiwan
* Sandi Jackson, Chicago alderman
* Paul Muenzer, former mayor of Naples, Florida (1992–1996)
* Don Plusquellic, 59th mayor of Akron, Ohio
* Kathy Sheehan, mayor of Albany, New York (D)

#### State of Ohio government

* Bruce Johnson, 63rd Lieutenant governor of Ohio
* Betty Montgomery, former Ohio Attorney General and State Auditor (R)
* Scott Nein, former Republican member of the Ohio General Assembly

##### Ohio House of Representatives

* Robin Belcher, former Democrat member of the Ohio House of Representatives
* Terry Boose, former Republican Member of the Ohio House of Representatives
* Tim Brown, former Republican member of the Ohio House of Representative
* Rex Damschroder, former Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives
* Charlie Earl, former Ohio state representative, Libertarian candidate in the 2014 Ohio gubernatorial election
* Bruce Goodwin, former Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives
* Charles Kurfess, former member of the Ohio House of Representatives and judge
* Derek Merrin, Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives
* Chris Redfern, former Ohio state Representative and former chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party (D)
* Douglas Swearingen, Jr., Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives and former baseball player

##### Ohio Senate

* Steve Buehrer, former member of the Ohio Senate and former director of the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation
* Kevin Coughlin, former Republican member of the Ohio Senate
* M. Ben Gaeth, former member of the Ohio Senate
* Randy Gardner, Ohio state senator (R) and Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education
* Theresa Gavarone, Republican member of the Ohio Senate

#### Other state governments

* Tim Berry, Indiana State Auditor (R)
* Arnold E. Brown, first African American elected to represent Bergen County in the New Jersey Legislature
* Dan Carter, State Representative, Connecticut 2nd Assembly District
* Tal Hutchins, Democrat member of the West Virginia House of Delegates
* Sue Rocca, former republican member of the Michigan House of Representatives
* John Villapiano, former Democrat member of the New Jersey General Assembly and former professional football player

## News

* Karen T. Borchers, former photojournalist for The Mercury News; shared a Pulitzer Prize for covering the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
* Ken W. Clawson, journalist and spokesman for President Richard Nixon
* David Dietz, science journalist, 1937 Pulitzer Prize winner, honorary degree
* Beth Macy, journalist and non-fiction writer; author of Truevine
* Jason Schmitt, journalist, director of Paywall: The Business of Scholarship

### Broadcast journalism

* Leon Bibb, WEWS news anchor
* Herb Clarke, weatherman
* Steve Hartman, CBS News correspondent
* Allison Payne, journalist and anchorwoman
* Wilma Smith, former television anchor, Lower Great Lakes Emmy Awards winner

### Sports journalism

* Jay Crawford, ESPN sportscaster
* Jim Day, sportscaster
* Mike Emrick, NHL on NBC play-by-play announcer
* Jason Jackson, ESPN sportscaster
* Steve Mason, sports journalist with ESPN
* Steve Mears, NHL Network sportscaster
* Grant Napear, sports journalist and former lacrosse player

## Science
### Geology

* Conrad Allen, geologist and inventor
* Barbara Bedette, paleontologist, cataloged 30,860 Cenozoic molluscs

### Mathematics and statistics

* Jie Chen, statistician with interdisciplinary biology research
* Andrew Ogg, mathematician, creator of Ogg's formula, and involved in the creation of the Grothendieck–Ogg–Shafarevich formula, and the Néron–Ogg–Shafarevich criterion

### Sociology

* Howard E. Aldrich, sociologist and business theorist
* Anthony Walsh, criminologist and author
* William Julius Wilson, university professor at Harvard, sociologist, and author; 80th president of the American Sociological Association; advisor to Sudhir Venkatesh

### Psychology

* Russell Barkley, clinical psychologist
* Ralph Blair, psychotherapist and LGBT advocate
* J. Bruce Overmier, experimental psychologist
* Charlie Reeve, professor of psychology

### Biology

* John E. Dohms, biologist specializing in avian disease pathology; member of the BGSU lacrosse team
* William Eugene Evans, marine biologist and 5th National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration president
* Dan O'Brien, wildlife biologist and author
* Sally Rockey, entomologist and former deputy director of the National Institutes of Health
* Seymour Van Gundy, nematologist

### Technology

* James G. Nell, electrical engineer involved in the development of GERAM
* George Sweigert, first inventor to patent the cordless telephone, radio engineer
* Jeremy Zawodny, computer technologist, MySQL promoter, Linux Magazine columnist

### Chemistry

* Gary Keck, organic chemist specialized in synthesis of natural products; developer of Keck asymmetric allylation
* John Michael Ramsey, analytical chemist specializing in microfluidics and nanofluidics

### Communications

* Arthur P. Bochner, communications scholar
* Suresh Canagarajah, Sri Lankan linguist specializing in translanguaging and linguistic imperialism
* Bradley S. Greenberg, communications theorist
* Joan Kaderavek, speech language pathologist

### Economics

* William Easterly, development economist, author of The Elusive Quest for Growth and The Tyranny of Experts
* Paul Chongkun Hong, professor of operations management

### Political science

* David J. Jackson, political science professor at BGSU
* W. Wesley McDonald, political scientist, author of Russell Kirk and the Age of Ideology

## Business and philanthropy

* Jeffrey Boutelle, CEO of Pharmavite
* Judith Craven, leadership roles in Luby's and Sysco
* Otara Gunewardene, Sri Lankan founder of Odel
* Michael C. Heim, CIO of Eli Lilly and Company
* Carole Kariuki, CEO of the Kenyan Private Sector Alliance
* Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe Systems
* Deborah Thigpen, entrepreneur and publicist

## Historians

* Mary Beckinsale, art historian, President Emeritus of Studio Arts College International, honorary degree
* Robert Hugh Ferrell, historian focusing on World War I and American foreign policy
* Stanley Kutler, historian who sued for the release of tapes relating to Watergate
* Robert L. Paquette, historian, cofounder of the Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization
* William J. Reese, education historian
* H. Micheal Tarver, Latin American historian; Commissioner on the Arkansas History Commission and Arkansas Historical Records Advisory Board

## Military

* John N. Abrams, four star general and commander of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command
* Niles Fulwyler, former US Army major general and former commanding general of the White Sands Missile Range

## Academic administrators

* Victor Boschini, chancellor of Texas Christian University
* Dean L. Bresciani, president of North Dakota State University
* Rosa Roberto Carter, former president of the University of Guam
* Erma Johnson Hadley, first African American chancellor of Tarrant County College
* Sarah Harder, feminist and former president of the American Association of University Women
* William N. Johnston, 16th president of Wesley College (Delaware)
* Adena Williams Loston, president of St. Philip's College, San Antonio, Texas; former Chief Education Officer at NASA
* Kathleen M. Murray, 14th president of Whitman College, 21st president of Hamline University, acting president of Macalester College
* Jack Ohle, president of Gustavus Adolphus College
* Everett Piper, former president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University and political columnist

## Other

* Robert Balling, climate change denier
* Peter Manto, bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church's Diocese of the Central States