# List of San Jose State University people

The following is a list of notable persons (students, alumni, faculty or academic affiliates) associated with San José State University, located in the American city of San Jose, California.

## Notable alumni
### Academia

* Bettina Aptheker (M.A. 1976) — author, professor, political activist
* Marshall Drummond (B.S. 1964, M.B.A. 1969) — former chancellor, California Community College System
* Harry Edwards (B.A. 1964) — Professor Emeritus of Sociology, University of California, Berkeley; author of The Revolt of the Black Athlete
* Terry Erwin (B.A. 1964, M.A. 1966) — entomologist, Smithsonian Institution
* Lawrence H. Keeley (B.A. 1970) — archaeologist; professor, University of Illinois Chicago; author of War Before Civilization
* Mary E. Lyons (M.A. 1976) — President, University of San Diego
* Sidney Siegel (B.A. 1951) — psychologist and economist, known for the Siegel–Tukey test and considered a founding father of experimental economics
* Henry Suzzallo (Dip.Ed. 1894) — former president, University of Washington
* Jennifer Wilby (M.S. 1992) — Director of the Centre for Systems Studies, University of Hull
* Hamza Yusuf (B.A. 1997) — Islamic scholar

### Artists and musicians

* Amber Aguirre (M.A. 1990, M.L.I.S. 1996) — ceramic sculptor
* Bernd Behr (attended 1995–98) — artist
* Mary Blair (B.F.A. 1931) — artist and illustrator who helped create Disney's Cinderella (1950), Alice in Wonderland (1951) and Peter Pan (1953)
* Lindsey Buckingham (attended 1968–70) — musician best known for Fleetwood Mac
* Doug Clifford — rock drummer best known for his work as a founding member of Creedence Clearwater Revival
* Stu Cook — bass guitarist best known for his work with Creedence Clearwater Revival (attended SJSU, but did not graduate)
* Binh Danh — photographer noted for chlorophyll leaf prints and dauggerotypes of National Parks
* Irene Dalis — New York Metropolitan Opera star and founder of Opera San Jose
* Allan Graham — visual artist (studied at SJSU; graduated from University of New Mexico)
* Robert Graham — internationally acclaimed sculptor whose work includes the Olympic Gateway in Los Angeles (attended SJSU before transferring to San Francisco Art Institute)
* PJ Hirabayashi — co-founder of San Jose Taiko, recipient of National Heritage Fellowship
* Roy Hirabayashi — co-founder of San Jose Taiko, recipient of National Heritage Fellowship
* Shinichi Ishizuka — manga artist
* Tom Johnston — rock guitarist and vocalist best known for his work as a founding member of The Doobie Brothers
* Paul Kantner — rock guitarist best known for his work as a founding member of Jefferson Airplane
* Titus Kaphar — contemporary painter and 2018 MacArthur Fellows Program Genius Award recipient
* David Kuraoka — ceramic artist
* Peter Wayne Lewis — Jamaican-American contemporary artist known for his large-scale abstract paintings
* Sal Maccarone — nationally acclaimed woodworker and sculptor whose work includes "The Spirit of Tenaya" in Yosemite National Park
* Bryan "Brain" Mantia — drummer, Primus, Guns N' Roses, Tom Waits, Buckethead
* Ann Millikan — musician and composer
* Stevie Nicks (attended 1968–70) — musician best known for Fleetwood Mac
* Larry Norman — Christian rock musician, singer and songwriter; founding member of the '60s rock band People! (attended SJSU, but did not graduate)
* Fred H. Roster — sculptor
* Na Omi Judy Shintani — artist known for works about Japanese internment during WWII; CAAIAF 2023 (BS in Graphic Design)
* Patrick Simmons — rock guitarist and vocalist best known for his work as a founding member of The Doobie Brothers
* Gordon Smedt — pop artist and painter (studied graphic design and illustration at SJSU 1982–1984; graduated from Art Center College of Design)
* Wayne Thiebaud — painter (studied at SJSU 1949–1950; graduated from Sacramento State University)
* Jacqueline Thurston — visual artist and writer, professor emerita of Art SJSU
* Cal Tjader — Grammy Award-winning jazz musician (studied at SJSU; graduated from San Francisco State University)
* Michael Whelan — artist and illustrator specializing in imaginative realism; Science Fiction Hall of Fame inductee

### Authors

* Lorna Dee Cervantes — poet, Pulitzer Prize nominee
* William J. Craddock — novelist, author of Be Not Content and Twilight Candelabra
* Carmen Giménez Smith — poet, American Book Award winner
* James D. Houston — co-author of Farewell to Manzanar; author of Continental Drift, Snow Mountain Passage, and others; Lurie Distinguished Visiting professor of Creative Writing at SJSU in Spring 2006
* Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston — co-author of Farewell to Manzanar
* Jayne Ann Krentz — New York Times bestselling author
* Ella Leffland — novelist (Rumors of Peace) and short story writer (Last Courtesies and Other Stories)
* Edwin Markham — poet
* Patricia A. McKillip — novelist
* Sandra McPherson — poet
* Robert Scoble — blogger, author, and social media pioneer
* Amy Tan — novelist; author of The Joy Luck Club

### Aviation

* Jason Dahl — airline pilot and United Airlines Flight 93 captain who died in the September 11 attacks

### Business

* Terry Alderete — businesswoman
* Helder Antunes — Senior Director, Cisco Systems; chairman of the board, OpenFog Consortium
* James F. Boccardo — trial lawyer, businessman, and philanthropist
* Finis Conner — founder, Conner Peripherals and co-founder of Seagate Technology
* Ron Conway — billionaire angel investor and philanthropist; co-founder and former CEO of Altos Computer Systems
* Robert Frankenberg — former CEO, Novell
* Carl Guardino — President and CEO, Silicon Valley Leadership Group
* Omid Kordestani — Senior Vice President, Google
* Brian Krzanich — CEO, CDK Global and former CEO, Intel Corporation
* Jenny Ming — CEO, Charlotte Russe; former CEO of Old Navy
* Gordon Moore — co-founder, Intel Corporation (studied two years at SJSU; graduated from U.C. Berkeley)
* Louis Nguyen — Chairman and CEO, Saigon Asset Management
* Ed Oates — co-founder, Oracle Corporation
* Daniel R. Scoggin — founder and CEO, TGI Fridays
* Mike Sinyard — founder and CEO, Specialized Bicycle Components
* James E. Thompson — founder and chairman, Crown Worldwide Group

### Film, theatre, and TV

* Coby Bell — actor; best known for his role as NYPD officer Tyrone Davis, Jr. on the NBC drama Third Watch
* Danny Lee Clark — actor, writer and producer; played Nitro on American Gladiators
* Rosanna DeSoto — film actress, best for her role of Connie Valenzuela in the 1987 film La Bamba
* Yousef Erakat — actor, comedian, vlogger
* Debrah Farentino — film and television actress; model (attended SJSU; transferred to UCLA)
* Jerry Juhl — head writer and producer for The Muppets and Fraggle Rock
* Omar Benson Miller — actor
* Steve Silver — founder of Beach Blanket Babylon, a popular cabaret show in San Francisco
* Kurtwood Smith — actor, best known for the role of Red Forman on That '70s Show
* The Smothers Brothers — comedians
* Bobbi Starr — pornographic actress
* Luis Valdez — Chicano playwright, screenwriter and director best known for his movie La Bamba

### Journalism

* Chauncey Bailey — Oakland Post editor-in-chief; murdered in 2007
* Grant Brisbee — San Francisco Giants writer for The Athletic
* Earl Dotter — photojournalist documenting America's most dangerous jobs
* Kim Komenich — photojournalist, filmmaker and teacher; Pulitzer Prize winner (1987)
* John Kouns — photojournalist during the Civil Rights Movement
* Tony Kovaleski — broadcast journalist (KNTV-TV); multiple Emmy awards; winner of the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award (2010)
* Hassina Leelarathna — Sri Lankan-American journalist
* Steve Lopez — newspaper columnist, Los Angeles Times; novelist
* Dave Meltzer —editor of the Wrestling Observer Newsletter
* Anacleto Rapping — photojournalist and teacher; three-time Pulitzer Prize winner
* Marcio Sanchez — photojournalist; Pulitzer Prize winner (2021)
* Steve Starr — photojournalist; Pulitzer Prize winner (1970)
* David Willman — reporter; Pulitzer Prize winner (2001)

### Miscellaneous

* Christopher Darden — prosecutor in the O. J. Simpson murder case
* Dirk Dirksen — godfather of San Francisco punk; tour manager for The Doors, Iron Butterfly, The Supremes and Ray Charles; owner of the Mabuhay Gardens punk club in San Francisco (attended SJSU, but did not graduate
* Rob Janoff — graphic designer best known for his creation of the Apple logo
* Harry W. Jenkins — major general, U.S. Marine Corps
* Jessica McClintock — fashion designer
* Anthony Poshepny, aka Tony Poe — legendary CIA paramilitary officer
* Edward Soriano — Lieutenant General, United States Army; as of April 2009, highest ranking Filipino American in the United States military

### Politics and government

* Richard C. Baldwin — Associate Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
* James T. Beall Jr. — California Assemblyman, 24th district, and former Santa Clara County Supervisor
* Lee P. Brown — former Mayor of Houston; former Police Commissioner of New York City; former Director of the Office of National Drug Control Policy
* Ben Nighthorse Campbell — former U.S. Senator from Colorado
* Albert E. Carter — former U.S. Congressman
* David C. Casas — former mayor of Los Altos and Los Altos city council member
* Cindy Chavez — former member of San Jose City Council and former vice mayor of San Jose
* Judy Chirco — San José City councilmember, District 9
* William Clark, Jr. — former U.S. Ambassador to India
* Michael Deaver — Deputy White House Chief of Staff for President Ronald Reagan
* Robert Doerr — former Mayor of San Jose, California (1956–1958)
* Paul Fong — California Assemblyman, 22nd district
* Robert "Bob" Foster — Mayor of Long Beach, California; former president, Southern California Edison; former CSU Trustee
* Mike Honda — U.S. Representative from California
* Lou Henry Hoover — former First Lady of the United StatesLou Henry Hoover (DipEd, 1893), philanthropist and former First Lady of the United States
* Johnny Khamis — councilmember on the San Jose City Council
* Amy Khor — Singaporean politician, Senior Minister of State for Transport and Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment
* Linda J. LeZotte — San Jose City councilmember, District 1
* Evan Low — California State Assemblyman; member of California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus
* Gus Morrison — Mayor of Fremont, California (1985–1989; 1994–2004; since January 2012)
* Gaylord Nelson — former U.S. Senator; Governor of Wisconsin; founder of Earth Day
* Lyn Nofziger — White House advisor to presidents Richard Nixon and Ronald Reagan
* Robert Rivas — California State Assemblyman
* Ed Rollins — National Campaign Director for Reagan–Bush (1984) and Mike Huckabee (2007); regular guest political analyst on CNN (attended SJSU; graduated from CSU Chico)
* Jim Silva — California State Assemblyman; former mayor of Huntington Beach
* Laurie Smith — Sheriff, Santa Clara County; first female county sheriff in the history of the state of California
* Fernando Torres-Gil — first assistant secretary for aging at the Department of Health and Human Services in the Clinton Administration; associate dean of the School of Public Affairs at UCLA
* Joe Trippi — presidential campaign manager for Howard Dean (2004)
* Sim Tze Tzin — Malaysian politician
* Aisha Wahab — California State Senator, 10th district
* Carole Ward Allen — former BART board director, District 4; former Oakland port commissioner
* Kent Wiedemann — former U.S. Ambassador to Cambodia
* Ken Yeager — politician, member of Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors

### Science and technology

* Barbara Bekins — hydrologist and National Academy of Engineering fellow
* Daniel W. Bradley — co-discoverer of Hepatitis C
* Sarah Clatterbuck — computer engineer
* Ray Dolby — engineer, founder of Dolby Laboratories (studied two years at SJSU; graduated from Stanford University)
* Dian Fossey — ethologist and gorilla expert
* Charles Ginsburg — engineer, inventor of the videocassette recorder; National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee
* Jan Koum — billionaire entrepreneur, co-founder and CEO of WhatsApp; managing director at Facebook, Inc. (attended SJSU, but did not graduate)
* Gordon Moore — scientist, author of Moore's Law
* Roger Wakimoto — atmospheric scientist, tornado expert, director of NCAR and NSF
* James Lewis Wayman — 2013 Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers

### Sports
#### Baseball

* Jeff Ball — former Major League Baseball player, San Francisco Giants
* Aaron Bates — Major League Baseball player, Boston Red Sox
* Mike Brown — former Major League Baseball player, California Angels and Pittsburgh Pirates
* Ken Caminiti — former Major League Baseball player, Houston Astros et al.
* Anthony Chavez — former Major League Baseball player, California Angels
* Chris Codiroli — former Major League Baseball player, Oakland Athletics
* Kevin Frandsen — Major League Baseball player, Philadelphia Phillies
* Gary Hughes — former Major League Baseball assistant coach, Chicago Cubs
* Pat Hughes — play-by-play radio broadcaster for Chicago Cubs
* Jason Jimenez — former Major League Baseball player, Detroit Tigers and Tampa Bay Devil Rays
* Randy Johnson — former Major League Baseball player, Atlanta Braves
* Brad Kilby — Major League Baseball player, Oakland Athletics
* Hal Kolstad — former Major League Baseball player, Boston Red Sox
* Mark Langston — former Major League Baseball player, Seattle Mariners, California Angels, et al.
* Larry Lintz — former Major League Baseball player, Montreal Expos et al.
* John Oldham — former Major League Baseball player, Cincinnati Reds
* Jason Simontacchi — former Major League Baseball player, St. Louis Cardinals and Washington Nationals
* Anthony Telford — former Major League Baseball player, Baltimore Orioles, Montreal Expos, et al.
* Carlos Torres — Major League Baseball player, Chicago White Sox

#### Basketball

* Tariq Abdul-Wahad (Olivier Saint-Jean) — former NBA player (Sacramento Kings)
* Jack Avina — former men's basketball coach for the Portland Pilots
* Ricky Berry — former NBA player (Sacramento Kings)
* Wil Carter — former basketball player who played professionally in the Netherlands, Cyprus, France, and Japan
* Marquin Chandler — former professional basketball player
* Brandon Clarke — NBA player (Memphis Grizzlies)
* Rick Darnell — former ABA player
* Coby Dietrick — former NBA player (San Antonio Spurs and Golden State Warriors)
* Tony Farmer — former NBA player
* Justin Graham — former professional basketball player
* Dick Groves — former NBA player (San Diego Rockets)
* Darnell "Dr. Dunk" Hillman — former NBA player (Indiana Pacers, New Jersey Nets et al.)
* Ed Hughes — former BAA player (Washington Capitols)
* Stu Inman — former NBA player and coach (Chicago Stags, Portland Trail Blazers, et al.)
* James Kinney — professional basketball player
* Steve McKean — former basketball coach for the New Zealand men's national basketball team
* Chris McNealy — former NBA player for the New York Knicks
* Walt McPherson — former San Jose Spartans head coach
* Omari Moore — current NBA player for the Milwaukee Bucks
* Adrian Oliver — former professional basketball player
* Wally Rank — former NBA player (San Diego Clippers)
* C. J. Webster — former professional basketball player
* Sid Williams — former NBA player (Portland Trail Blazers)

#### Football

* Courtney Anderson — former NFL tight end, Atlanta Falcons and Oakland Raiders
* Marcus Arroyo — head football coach, UNLV
* Stacey Bailey — former NFL wide receiver, Atlanta Falcons
* Keith Birlem — former SJSU quarterback, NFL player, member of San Jose State Hall of Fame
* Kim Bokamper — former NFL linebacker, Miami Dolphins
* John Broussard — NFL wide receiver, Jacksonville Jaguars
* Gill Byrd — former NFL defensive back, San Diego Chargers; two NFL Pro Bowl appearances
* Jim Cadile — former NFL guard, Chicago Bears
* Sheldon Canley — former NFL running back, San Francisco 49ers and New York Jets
* Matt Castelo — former NFL linebacker, Seattle Seahawks; former CFL linebacker, Hamilton Tiger-cats
* Steve Clarkson — nationally renowned quarterbacks coach; founder of Steve Clarkson Dreammaker quarterback camp
* Sherman Cocroft — former NFL defensive back, Kansas City Chiefs
* Clarence Cunningham — former AFL wide receiver, defensive back, running back, and kick returner; former AF2 starter, Stockton Lightning; IFL free safety, Catania Elephants
* Neal Dahlen — former SJSU quarterback, NFL manager and scout; holds the record for the most earned Super Bowl rings at seven
* Rashied Davis — NFL wide receiver, Chicago Bears
* Yonus Davis — CFL running back, BC Lions
* Steve DeBerg — former NFL quarterback, Dallas Cowboys
* David Diaz-Infante — former NFL and CFL offensive guard, San Diego Chargers, Denver Broncos, Philadelphia Eagles, and Sacramento Gold Miners
* Oscar Donahue — former NFL wide receiver, Minnesota Vikings
* Terry Donahue — UCLA head football coach; College Football Hall of Fame inductee (attended SJSU for one year)
* Leon Donohue — former NFL offensive lineman, San Francisco 49ers and Dallas Cowboys
* Carl Ekern — former NFL linebacker, Los Angeles Rams; one NFL Pro Bowl appearance
* David Fales — NFL quarterback, New York Jets
* Mervyn Fernandez —former NFL wide receiver, Los Angeles Raiders
* Coye Francies — NFL defensive back, Cleveland Browns
* Jeff Garcia — NFL quarterback, San Francisco 49ers et al.; four NFL Pro Bowl appearances
* Trestin George — CFL defensive back, BC Lions
* Jarron Gilbert — NFL defensive tackle, Chicago Bears
* Charley Harraway — former NFL running back, Washington Redskins and Cleveland Browns
* Paul Held — former NFL quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers
* Willie Heston — former SJSU halfback; College Football Hall of Fame inductee (attended SJSU 1898–1900; graduated from University of Michigan)
* James Hodgins — former NFL fullback, St. Louis Rams et al.
* Duke Ihenacho — NFL safety, Denver Broncos
* Johnny Johnson — former NFL running back, New York Jets; one NFL Pro Bowl appearance; consensus choice for Rookie of the Year (1990)
* Cody Jones — NFL defensive tackle, Los Angeles Rams; one NFL Pro Bowl appearance
* James Jones — NFL wide receiver, Oakland Raiders
* Rick Kane — former NFL running back, Detroit Lions
* Bob Ladouceur — among winningest high school football coaches in U.S. history; coached De La Salle High Spartans to 151 consecutive wins 1992–2003
* Bill Leavy — NFL referee; officiated Super Bowl XL
* Dwight Lowery — NFL defensive back, New York Jets and two-time All-American at SJSU
* Joe Nedney — NFL kicker, San Francisco 49ers
* William Yaw Obeng — Arena Football League lineman, San Jose Sabercats
* Chris Owens — NFL defensive back, Atlanta Falcons
* Tom Petitthome — former AFL player, San Jose Sabercats
* Art Powell — NFL wide receiver, Oakland Raiders; Raiders' 7th all-time leading receiver
* Waylon Prather — former NFL punter, New Orleans Saints, New York Jets and Arizona Cardinals
* Jim Psaltis — former NFL defensive back
* David Richmond — NFL wide receiver, Cincinnati Bengals
* Scott Rislov — AFL quarterback, San Jose Sabercats
* Al Saunders — former NFL head coach for the San Diego Chargers
* Rufus Skillern — CFL and NFL wide receiver, BC Lions and Baltimore Ravens
* Gerald Small — former NFL defensive back, Miami Dolphins
* Carl Sullivan — former NFL defensive end, Green Bay Packers
* Adam Tafralis — CFL quarterback, Hamilton Tiger-Cats
* Tyson Thompson — NFL kick returner, Dallas Cowboys
* Bob Titchenal — former NFL linebacker, Washington Redskins and Los Angeles Dons; one Pro Bowl appearance; former head football coach, University of New Mexico and SJSU
* Paul Varelans — retired professional MMA fighter formerly with the UFC
* Dick Vermeil — NFL head coach; winning coach, Super Bowl XXXIV
* Bill Walsh — NFL head coach; winning coach, Super Bowl XVI, Super Bowl XIX, and Super Bowl XXIII; Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee
* Gerald Willhite — former NFL running back, Denver Broncos
* Billy Wilson — former NFL receiver, San Francisco 49ers; six NFL Pro Bowl appearances
* Louis Wright — former NFL defensive back, Denver Broncos; 1st round NFL draft pick; five NFL Pro Bowl appearances
* Roy Zimmerman — former NFL quarterback, Washington Redskins; one Pro Bowl appearance

#### Golf

* Ron Cerrudo — PGA golfer and tour winner
* Bob Eastwood — PGA golfer and tour winner
* Pat Hurst — LPGA golfer and tour winner; #16 on the all-time LPGA money list
* Juli Inkster — LPGA golfer; two-time U.S. Women's Open winner (1999 and 2002); #4 on the all-time LPGA money list
* Mark Lye — PGA golfer and tour winner
* Roger Maltbie — PGA golfer and tour winner
* Janice Moodie — LPGA golfer and tour winner
* Arron Oberholser — PGA golfer; AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am winner (2006)
* Patty Sheehan — LPGA golfer; two-time U.S. Women's Open winner (1992 and 1994)
* Ken Venturi — PGA golfer; 1964 U.S. Open winner and Sports Illustrated "Sportsman of the Year"
* Mark Wiebe — PGA golfer and tour winner

#### Olympic Games

* Charles Adkins — 1952 Olympian (boxing); gold medalist
* Kevin Asano — 1988 Olympian (judo); silver medalist; USA Judo Hall of Fame inductee
* Bob Berland — 1984 Olympian (judo); silver medalist
* Felix Böhni — 1980 and 1984 Olympian (pole vault)
* Vinnie Bradford — 1984 Olympian (fencing)
* Suzannah Brookshire-Gonzales — 2020 Olympian (softball)
* Colton Brown — 2016 and 2020 Olympian (judo)
* Ed Burke — 1964 and 1968 Olympian (track and field), U.S.A. Flagbearer at the 1984 Opening Ceremonies in Los Angeles
* Russ Camilleri — 1960 and 1964 Olympian (freestyle and Greco Roman wrestling)
* Robin Campbell — 1984 Olympian (track and field – 800 metres)
* John Carlos — 1968 Olympian (track and field – 200 meters); bronze medalist; best known for giving raised fist salute from the medalists' podium during the 1968 Summer Olympic Games in Mexico City
* Dedy Cooper — 1980 Olympian (track and field – 110 meter hurdles)
* Michelle Cox — 2020 Olympian (softball)
* Jim Doehring — 1992 Olympian (track and field – shot put); silver medalist
* Emma Entzminger — 2020 Olympian (softball)
* Clara Espar Llaquet — 2020 Olympian (water polo); silver medalist
* Lee Evans — 1968 Olympian (track and field – 4x400 meters and 400 meters); two-time gold medalist and world record holder
* Jeff Fishback — 1964 Olympian (track and field)
* George Haines — swim coach for seven U.S. Olympic teams; head swim coach at UCLA and Stanford University
* Steve Hamann — 1980 Olympian (water polo)
* Mike Hernandez — 1972 Olympian (soccer)
* Mitch Ivey — 1968 and 1972 Olympian (swimming); silver and bronze medalist
* Margaret Jenkins — 1928 Olympian (track and field)
* Stacey Johnson — 1980 Olympian (fencing)
* Russ Lockwood — 1976 Olympian (Greco Roman wrestling)
* Marti Malloy — 2012 Olympian (judo); bronze medalist
* Keith Nakasone — 1980 Olympian (judo)
* Ben Nighthorse Campbell — 1964 Olympian (judo)
* Ray Norton — 1960 Olympian (track and field)
* Christos Papanikolaou — 1968 Olympian (track and field – pole vault); world record holder (first man over 18 feet)
* John Powell — 1976 and 1984 Olympian (track and field – discus); two-time bronze medalist
* Raju Rai — 2008 Olympian (men's singles badminton)
* Ronnie Ray Smith — 1968 Olympian (track and field athlete – 4 × 100 meters); gold medalist and world record holder
* Tommie Smith — 1968 Olympian (track and field athlete – 200 meters); gold medalist; best known for giving raised fist salute from the medalists' podium during the 1968 Summer Olympic Games
* Willie Steele —1948 Olympian (track and field – long jump); gold medalist
* Robyn Stevens — 2020 Olympian (20k race walking)
* Jill Sudduth — 1996 Olympian (synchronized swimming): gold medalist
* Mike Swain — 1988 Olympian (judo); bronze medalist; first American male to win the World Judo Championships
* Lynn Vidali — 1968 and 1972 Olympian (swimming); silver and bronze medalist
* Jim Zylker — 1972 Olympian (soccer)

#### Other

* Isai Alvarado — professional Super Smash Bros. player
* Joey Chestnut — competitive eater; world record holder
* Shane Golobic — dirt track racing driver
* Krazy George Henderson — professional cheerleader and self-proclaimed inventor of the audience wave
* Ryan Suarez — former MLS soccer player (Los Angeles Galaxy and Dallas Burn)
* Yoshihiro Uchida — head coach, SJSU judo team; team coach, 1964 U.S. Olympic judo team; instrumental in developing organized intercollegiate judo competition in the U.S.
* Peter Ueberroth — Major League Baseball Commissioner (1984–1989); U.S. Olympic Committee chair; Time magazine's "Man of the Year"
* Robert Wall — actor and martial artist
* Justin Willis — professional mixed martial artist, current UFC heavyweight

### Fictional Alumni

* Amir Qadiri — main character of the novel The Kite Runner

## Faculty and staff

* James J. Asher — Professor Emeritus of psychology; inventor of Total Physical Response (TPR)
* Dwight Bentel — driving force behind the development of the SJSU School of Journalism and Mass Communications
* Elbert Botts — former chemistry professor; California Department of Transportation employee; inventor of Botts dots
* Celia Correas de Zapata — former Spanish professor; world expert on Latin American women's fiction; widely published author
* Paul Douglass — English professor; renowned literary scholar; winner of the 2007 Elma Dangerfield award for his publication of new and original work related to the life and times of the poet Lord Byron;
* Bob Gliner — emeritus faculty of sociology
* Daniel Goldston — mathematics professor; developed breakthrough methods for proving there are arbitrarily large primes that are unusually close together
* Lou Harrison — former composer-in-residence; world-renowned composer
* Fred Iltis — Holocaust emigre and entomologist
* Persis Karim — former co-director of the Persian Studies Program, and professor
* Jessica Mitford — former sociology professor; renowned muckraking journalist; author of The American Way of Death
* Bruce Ogilvie — psychology professor; renowned sports psychologist
* Rudy Rucker — former computer science professor; renowned science fiction author; often credited as a founding father of cyberpunk
* Frederick Spratt — art professor (1956–1989) and art department chair; known for his Color Theory paintings; founder of the Frederick Spratt Gallery in San Jose
* Shelby Steele — former English professor; writer; documentary filmmaker; author of The Content of our Character; Emmy Award winner; National Book Critics Circle Award winner
* Allen Strange — Professor Emeritus of music; renowned musician and composer; author of Electronic Music: Systems, Techniques, and Controls, a key text on modular analog synthesis; author of other texts on modern music practices
* Lloyd (Bud) Winter — track coach; produced over 100 All-Americans and nine Olympians at SJSU; coached SJSU track team to two NCAA national titles; National Track and Field Hall of Fame inductee; author of So You Want to be a Sprinter