# List of University of Central Florida alumni

The University of Central Florida (UCF) is a metropolitan public research and space-grant university located on a 1,415-acre (5.73 km$^2$) main campus in Orlando, Florida, United States. UCF is a member institution of the State University System of Florida and is the largest university in the United States in terms of undergraduate enrollment. It was founded in 1963 as Florida Technological University to provide highly trained personnel to support the Kennedy Space Center and Cape Canaveral Space Force Station on Florida's Space Coast. After the university's academic scope expanded in the mid and late 1970s to encompass a wider variety of disciplines, the school was renamed The University of Central Florida in 1978. Initial enrollment in 1968 was 1,948 students; as of 2014, the university has 59,770 students from more than 140 countries, all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. Since the university's first graduating class in 1970, UCF has awarded more than 250,000 degrees, including 45,000 graduate and professional degrees, to over 200,000 alumni.
UCF alumni have made research contributions to optics, modeling and simulation, digital media, engineering and computer science, business administration, education, and hospitality management. Among the most notable is Gene Frantz ('71), inventor of the Texas Instruments Speak and Spell, and father of digital signal processing. Numerous graduates have gained notoriety in the fields of law, government, and public policy, with alumni including a prime minister, a chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, a United States assistant secretary of state, a deputy assistant secretary at the Department of the Treasury, a director of the National Reconnaissance Office, and a director of the Secret Service; in addition to numerous members of the Florida Cabinet, Florida House of Representatives and Florida Senate, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) astronauts, and numerous officers in the armed forces through a unique partnership between the university and the U.S. military. Alumni have also achieved success as executives in major organizations and Fortune 500 companies, such as Boeing, Busch Entertainment Corporation, Darden Restaurants, Ericsson, Google, NASCAR, the Orlando Magic and Texas Rangers, Sun Sports and Fox Sports Florida, Raymond James Financial, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, and Yahoo!
UCF graduates have also made notable contributions to the entertainment industry, including Cheryl Hines, widely known for her role as Cheryl David on the HBO television series Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Daniel Tosh, host of Tosh.0 on Comedy Central. In addition, The Blair Witch Project, which is considered one of the most successful independent films produced, was filmed by UCF students and directed by alumni Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sanchez. As a major competitor in college athletics, UCF has had many notable student athletes, coaches, and staff members, such as National Football League (NFL) players Blake Bortles, Daunte Culpepper, Asante Samuel, Latavius Murray, and Brandon Marshall; National Basketball Association (NBA) such as the popular fan favorite Tacko Fall; NASCAR driver Aric Almirola; and woman's soccer player and Olympic gold medalist Michelle Akers. More than 70 UCF alumni currently compete in professional sports, such as basketball, football, baseball, golf, soccer, and auto racing. In just 25 years as a FBS program, as of 2021, 48 players have been drafted into the NFL.

## Space, science, and engineering

| Alumnus | Class year | Notability |
| Gisele Bennett | 1987 (B.S.), 1989 (M.S.) | Professor at Georgia Institute of Technology and Director of the GTRI Electro-Optical Systems Laboratory |
| Fernando Caldeiro | 1995 | Former NASA astronaut |
| Isabel Escobar | 1991 (B.S.), 1996 (M.S.) 2000(Ph.D) | EPA Science to Achieve Results (STAR) Fellow and renowned environmental researcher. |
| Alan Eustace | 1984 | Google Senior Vice President of engineering and knowledge; holds the world record for the highest-altitude free-fall space jump |
| Stuart Fullerton | — | Professor and entomologist, founder of UCF's "Bug Closet" |
| Jin Kang | 1996 | Chair of the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Johns Hopkins University |
| Ramon Lugo III | 1979 | Former Director of NASA's Glenn Research Center |
| Kim Medley | 2012 (Ph.D) | environmental scientist and the director of Tyson Research Center at Washington University in St. Louis |
| William W. Parsons | — | Former Director of NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center and John C. Stennis Space Center, Space Shuttle Program Manager |
| Lesa Roe | — | Former Acting Deputy Administrator of NASA and Director of NASA's Langley Research Center |
| Lee R. Scherer | 1979 | Former Director of NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center |
| Nicole Stott | 1992 | NASA astronaut |

## Arts and entertainment

| Alumnus | Class year | Notability |
| Francesca Battistelli | 2007 | Singer, songwriter |
| Teddy Blass | — | Music composer and producer |
| David Blue | 2001 | Actor, former star on Ugly Betty and Stargate Universe |
| Stephen Christian | 2002 | Lead singer and songwriter for Anberlin |
| Jay Coffin | 1996 | Television personality, Golf Channel |
| Terence Trent D’Arby | — | Singer, songwriter |
| Sierra Deaton | 2013 | Singer, songwriter, and dancer, co-winner of the 2013 season of X-Factor as part of musical duo Alex & Sierra |
| Dorian | — | Rapper, producer |
| Ericka Dunlap | 2005 | Miss Florida, 2003 and Miss America, 2004 |
| Kat Edorsson | — | Survivor: One World contestant |
| Angelo Garcia | — | Singer and songwriter for Menudo |
| Teri Harrison | — | Model and actress, Playboy Playmate of the Month for October 2002 |
| Cheryl Hines | 1987 | Emmy-nominated actress |
| Jessica Holmes | — | Television presenter, former co-host of Slime Time Live |
| Greg Hubbard | — | Singer and songwriter for Sawyer Brown |
| Kyle Israel | 1997 | Sports analyst |
| Kristina Janolo | — | Miss Florida, 2011 |
| Brian Kleinschmidt | — | The Amazing Race 15 contestant |
| Michael Lynche | — | American Idol Season Nine finalist |
| Jonathan Mangum | 1993 | Actor and comedian, former star of Strip Mall and Drew Carey's Improv-A-Ganza |
| Shanna McLaughlin | — | Playboy Playmate of the Month for July 2010 |
| Mark Miller | — | Singer and songwriter for Sawyer Brown |
| Daniel Myrick | 1994 | Writer and director of the Blair Witch Project |
| Brett Novek | 2006 | Actor and fashion model, a former contestant on season one of America's Most Smartest Model |
| Valery Ortiz | — | Singer, actress on South of Nowhere |
| Monica Padilla | 2005 | Survivor: Samoa contestant |
| Rebecca Parchment | — | Miss Cayman Islands, 2007 |
| Plies (real name Algernod Washington) | — | Rapper and founder of Big Gates Records |
| Scott Porter | — | Actor and musician, former star of Friday Night Lights |
| Qusai | — | Rapper, DJ, TV personality from Saudi Arabia |
| Jaclyn Raulerson | — | Miss Florida, 2010 |
| Adrian R'Mante | 1996 | Actor, former star of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody |
| Eduardo Sanchez | 1994 | Writer and director of the Blair Witch Project |
| Mónica Spear | 2004 | Miss Venezuela, 2004; 4th runner-up Miss Universe, 2005 |
| Chase Stokes | 2015 | Actor, co-star of the Netflix teen drama series Outer Banks |
| Lauren Thompson | — | Television personality, Golf Channel |
| Daniel Tosh | 1996 | Stand-up comedian and host of Comedy Central's Tosh.0 |
| Robert Venditti | 2001 | Comic book writer |

## Business

| Alumnus | Class year | Notability |
| Jim Atchison | 1992 | President and chief executive officer, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment |
| Dan Benjamin | — | Software developer and founder, 5by5 Studios |
| Ross Brown | 1989 | Senior Vice President, Worldwide Partners and Alliances, VMware |
| Anthony Connelly | 1988 | Senior vice president and chief financial officer, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts |
| Toby Crabel | — | Hedge fund manager, founder of Crabel Capital Management |
| Brian Crutcher | — | President and chief executive officer, Texas Instruments |
| Dan Demole | 2001 | Co-founder and chief operating officer, Jingle Punks Music |
| Brian France | 1984 | Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, NASCAR |
| Taylor Gerring | 2005 | Co-founder and former Director of Technology of Ethereum |
| Alan Gooch | — | Executive Director, Orlando Sports Foundation |
| John Hart | 1973 | MLB Network analyst, former general manager of the Cleveland Indians and Texas Rangers |
| Ian Ippolito | — | Founder of vWorker, Planet Source Code, and the Real Estate Crowdfunding Review |
| George Kalogridis | 1976 | President, Walt Disney World Resort |
| Laurette Koellner | 1977 | Former president, Boeing International |
| Mark Johnston | — | Chief Executive Officer, The Melting Pot |
| Nelson Marchioli | — | Former president and chief executive officer, Denny's |
| Alex Martins | 2001 | President, Chief Executive Officer, and Chief Operating Officer, Orlando Magic |
| Michael Mielke | 2003 | Vice President of Engineering, Raydiance Inc. |
| Craig Miller | — | Former president and chief executive officer, Ruth's Chris Steak House |
| Brian Nichols | 1986 | VP of Enterprise Project Risk Management and Technology Integration, NBCUniversal |
| Angel Ruiz | — | President and chief executive officer, Ericsson North America |
| Theresa Schefstad | 1980 | Founder and former president, CEO and director, Raymond James |
| Salli Setta | 1987 | President, Red Lobster |
| Richard Walsh | 1977 (B.A.), 1983 (M.P.P.) | Former senior vice president of Darden Restaurants and Chairman of the UCF Board of Trustees |
| Allen Weiss | 1976 | Former president of worldwide operations, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts |
| Brian Wheeler | 1995 | Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Tijuana Flats |

## Civic, education, and journalism

| Alumnus | Class year | Notability |
| John C. Bersia | 1977 | Pulitzer Prize for Editorial Writing, 2000 |
| Gisselle Brown | 1977 | Influential Educator, 2000 |
| Olga Calvet | 1971 | Charter member of the UCF Board of Trustees |
| Luther "Fred" Carter | 1972 | President of Francis Marion University |
| Cindy Elavsky | 1996 (B.A.), 2001 (B.A.) | Syndicated columnist |
| Michael Grindstaff | 1978 | Former chairman of the UCF Board of Trustees |
| Jim Huber | — | Sports anchor for CNN Sports Illustrated, and sports commentator for Turner Sports |
| Dylan Lyons | 2019 | Multimedia journalist for Spectrum News 13 and WCJB-TV |
| Hector Perez | — | National Commissioner of the Boy Scouts of America, member of the executive board of its National Council, former member of the Florida Board of Governors |
| Omar Raja | 2016 | Founder of House of Highlights, which was later acquired by Bleacher Report; TV, digital, and social content commentator for ESPN; digital marketing producer for ESPN |
| Steven Sotloff | — | TIME journalist |
| Nancy Yasecko | 1997 | Educator, filmographer |

## Government, law, public policy, and military

| Alumnus | Class year | Notability |
| Bruce Antone | — | Former Florida state representative |
| Dick Batchelor | 1971 | Former Florida state representative |
| Kevin Beary | 2001 | Former sheriff of Orange County, Florida |
| Randolph Bracy | 2008 | Former Florida Senate member |
| Robert P. Burke | — | Vice Admiral, United States Navy, 58th chief of naval personnel |
| Michael Carey | 1982 | Brigadier General, United States Air Force |
| Mike Clelland | 2001 | Former Florida state representative |
| Lee Constantine | 1974 | Current Seminole County commissioner, former Florida state senator, Florida state representative and mayor of Altamonte Springs, Florida |
| Steve Crisafulli | 1996 | Speaker of the Florida House of Representatives |
| Richard Crotty | 1972 | Current charter member of the UCF Board of Trustees, former mayor of Orange County, Florida |
| Anna Eskamani | 2015 | Florida state representative |
| M. Rony Francois | 1983 | Former secretary of the Florida Department of Health |
| J. Greg Hanson | 1987 | Former assistant sergeant at arms and first chief information officer of the United States Senate |
| Kim Holmes | — | Former assistant secretary of state for International Organization Affairs and vice president for Foreign and Defense Policy Studies at the Heritage Foundation |
| Mike Horner | 1995 | Former Florida state representative |
| R. Glenn Hubbard | 1979 | Dean of the Columbia University Graduate School of Business, former deputy assistant secretary at the United States Department of the Treasury and chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors |
| Randy Johnson | — | Former Florida state representative |
| Scott Large | 1979 | Former director of the National Reconnaissance Office, and associate deputy director of the Central Intelligence Agency |
| Dick Locke | — | Served in the Florida House of Representatives for the 26th district, 1982–1990, as a Democrat |
| Mark O'Mara | 1979 | Attorney and CNN legal analyst |
| Julia Pierson | 1981 | Former director of the United States Secret Service |
| Rene Plasencia | 1996 | Current Florida state representative |
| John Quiñones | 1988 | Former Florida state representative |
| David Richardson | 1979 (B.S.), 1983 (B.S.B.A.) | Current Florida state representative |
| Joe Saunders | 2005 | Former Florida state representative |
| Robert C. Schenck | 1998 | Former Florida state representative |
| Imbarek Shamekh | 1981 | Former prime minister of Libya and secretary general of General People's Congress of Libya |
| Derek Skees | — | Former Montana state representative |
| Eric Smith | 1978 | Former Florida education commissioner |
| Denver Stutler | 1987 (B.S.), 1989 (M.S.) | Former secretary of the Florida Department of Transportation, former chief of staff for Florida Governor Jeb Bush |
| Dwayne Taylor | — | Current Florida state representative |
| John Taylor | 1980 | Current Pennsylvania state representative |
| Lawrence G. Walters | 1985 | First Amendment attorney and anti-censorship advocate; founder of Walters Law Group |

## Sports
### Baseball

| Alumnus | Class year | Notability |
| Cody Allen | 2008 | Former MLB pitcher for the Cleveland Indians and Los Angeles Angels |
| Chasen Bradford | 2010 | MLB pitcher free agent |
| Drew Butera | 2005 | MLB catcher for the Los Angeles Angels |
| Craig Cozart | 1996 | College baseball coach at UCF and High Point |
| Matt Fox | 2001 | Former MLB pitcher for the Boston Red Sox, Minnesota Twins, Seattle Mariners |
| Colton Gordon | — | MLB pitcher for Houston Astros |
| Ben Lively | 2013 | MLB pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds |
| Mike Maroth | 1998 | Former MLB pitcher for the Detroit Tigers and St. Louis Cardinals |
| Dylan Moore | 2015 | MLB infielder for the Seattle Mariners |
| Chad Mottola | 1992 | Tampa Bay Rays, Coach MLB and Former outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds, Toronto Blue Jays, Miami Marlins and Baltimore Orioles |
| Rob Radlosky | — | Former MLB pitcher for the Minnesota Twins |
| Eric Skoglund | 2014 | MLB pitcher for the Kansas City Royals |
| Esix Snead | 1998 | Former MLB outfielder for the New York Mets |
| Darnell Sweeney | 2012 | Professional utility player for the Sioux Falls Canaries |
| Beau Taylor | 2010 | MLB catcher free agent |
| Clay Timpner | 2004 | Former MLB outfielder for the San Francisco Giants |
| Thaddeus Ward | 2015 | MLB pitcher for the Washington Nationals |
| Daniel Winkler | 2011 | MLB pitcher for the Chicago Cubs |

### Basketball

| Alumnus | Class year | Notability |
| Chad Brown | 2019 | professional basketball player |
| Emma Cannon | — | WNBA forward |
| Shaheed Davis | 2016 | professional basketball player |
| Tacko Fall | 2019 | professional basketball player |
| Brandon Goodwin | — | NBA G League player |
| Joey Graham | — | former NBA player, drafted 16th overall by Toronto Raptors in 2005. |
| Stephen Graham | — | former NBA player and coach |
| Taylor Hendricks | — | NBA player; drafted 9th overall by the Utah Jazz in 2023 |
| Mark Jones | 1994 | former NBA player |
| Jeffrey Jordan | — | Son of Michael Jordan |
| Marcus Jordan | — | Son of Michael Jordan |
| Masseny Kaba | 2021 | Player for the Guinea women's national basketball team |
| Stan Kimbrough | 1989 | Former NBA point guard |
| Tari Phillips | 1991 | Former WNBA player |
| Jermaine Taylor | 2009 | former NBA player |
| Matt Williams | — | former NBA player |

### Football

| Alumnus | Class year | Notability |
| Kamar Aiken | 2010 | Former NFL wide receiver |
| Jordan Akins | 2017 | NFL tight end |
| Brandon Alexander | 2014 | CFL defensive back for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers |
| Otis Anderson Jr. | 2020 | former NFL running back (until passing away in 2021) |
| Charlie Baumann | 1997 (M.B.A.), 2004 (M.S.) | former NFL placekicker |
| Tim Beck | 1988 | Head coach at Coastal Carolina |
| Sylvester Bembery | 1987 | Arena Football Hall of Fame lineman |
| Atari Bigby | 2004 | former NFL safety |
| Blake Bortles | 2014 | former NFL quarterback; 3rd overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft |
| A. J. Bouye | 2012 | former NFL cornerback; All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections |
| Siaha Burley | 1999 | former NFL player and AFL Head Coach of Jacksonville Sharks |
| Joe Burnett | 2009 | former NFL cornerback |
| Davin Bush | 2009 | former CFL halfback |
| Rob Calabrese | 2012 | Offensive Assistant coach at Los Angeles Rams |
| Paul Carrington | 2005 | former NFL Defensive end |
| Kenny Clark | 1999 | former NFL wide receiver |
| Nevelle Clarke | 2019 | UFL defensive back |
| Bret Cooper | — | former AFL wide receiver/defensive back |
| Daunte Culpepper | 1998 | former NFL quarterback; 50 Greatest Vikings, Madden NFL 2002 cover, and Sammy Baugh Trophy (1998) |
| Elgin Davis | 1987 | former NFL running back |
| Kalia Davis | 2021 | NFL Defensive tackle |
| Gabe Davis | 2019 | NFL wide receiver |
| Troy Davis | 2013 | former NFL linebacker |
| Donald De La Haye | — | UFL placekicker; famous YouTuber with over a million subscribers, known as Deestroying |
| Reggie Doster | 2007 | Former NFL defensive back |
| Leger Douzable | 2007 | former NFL defensive end and current Sports commentator |
| Steve Edwards | 2001 | former NFL offensive lineman |
| Travis Fisher | 2002 | former NFL cornerback and college position coach |
| Ryan Flinn | 2002 | former NFL punter |
| Bernard Ford | 1987 | former NFL wide receiver |
| Jordan Franks | 2017 | former NFL Tight end |
| Jimmy Fryzel | 2002 | former NFL wide receiver |
| Doug Gabriel | 2002 | former NFL wide receiver |
| Cedric Gagné-Marcoux | 2006 | former CFL guard |
| Michael Gaines | 2002 | former NFL tight end |
| Clayton Geathers | 2015 | former NFL safety and current UCF football position coach |
| Jacoby Glenn | 2014 | former NFL cornerback |
| Jeff Godfrey | 2013 | former NFL slotback |
| Alan Gooch | 1982 | former UCF coach 1983–2003 |
| Tay Gowan | 2021 | NFL cornerback |
| Richie Grant | 2020 | NFL safety |
| Cornell Green | 1998 | former NFL player tackle |
| Shaquem Griffin | 2018 | former NFL linebacker; 2019 Sport Emmy Award and NCAA Inspiration Award recipient |
| Shaquill Griffin | 2016 | NFL cornerback; Pro Bowl selection |
| Franco Grilla | 1992 | former AFL kicker |
| Mike Gruttadauria | 1994 | former NFL center |
| Rannell Hall | 2015 | former NFL Wide receiver and cornerback |
| Rick Hamilton | 1992 | former NFL linebacker |
| Jacob Harris | 2020 | NFL Wide receiver |
| Clinton Hart | — | former NFL safety |
| Alex Haynes | 2004 | former NFL running back |
| Trysten Hill | 2018 | NFL Defensive tackle |
| Mike Hughes | 2017 | NFL cornerback |
| Charley Hughlett | 2012 | NFL long snapper |
| Kemal Ishmael | 2012 | former NFL safety |
| Rashad Jeanty | 2002 | former NFL defensive lineman |
| Greg Jefferson | 1994 | former NFL defensive lineman |
| Shawn Jefferson | 1990 | former NFL wide receiver; current New York Jets wide receivers coach |
| Brandon Johnson | 2021 | NFL wide receiver |
| Darcy Johnson | 2005 | former NFL tight end |
| Storm Johnson | 2014 | former NFL running back |
| Ricot Joseph | 2001 | former NFL safety |
| D. J. Killings | 2016 | CFL defensive back |
| Adrian Killins | 2019 | former NFL running back |
| Charles Lee | 2000 | former NFL wide receiver |
| Brandon Marshall | 2006 | former NFL wide receiver; 10,000 Receiving Yards Club, 100 greatest Bears of All-Time, Hall of Fame nominee |
| Chris Martin | 2013 | former NFL offensive lineman |
| Jordan McCray | 2013 | UFL center |
| Justin McCray | 2014 | NFL guard |
| Bruce Miller | 2010 | former NFL fullback |
| Wyatt Miller | 2018 | former NFL offensive tackle |
| Paul Miranda | 1998 | former NFL cornerback |
| Latavius Murray | 2013 | NFL running back; Pro Bowl selection |
| Jamar Newsome | 2010 | former NFL wide receiver |
| Tre Nixon | 2020 | NFL wide receiver |
| Elton Patterson | 2003 | former NFL defensive end |
| Breshad Perriman | 2015 | former NFL Wide receiver |
| Jamiyus Pittman | 2017 | former NFL defensive tackle |
| Terrance Plummer | 2014 | former NFL linebacker |
| Matt Prater | 2006 | NFL placekicker |
| Sha'reff Rashad | 2009 | former NFL safety |
| Jah Reid | 2011 | former NFL offensive tackle |
| Aaron Robinson | 2020 | NFL cornerback |
| Josh Robinson | 2011 | former NFL cornerback |
| Asante Samuel | 2003 | former NFL cornerback; four-time Pro Bowl selections and New England Patriots All-Dynasty Team |
| Keith Shologan | 2007 | CFL defensive tackle |
| Mike Sims-Walker | 2007 | former NFL wide receiver |
| Josh Sitton | 2008 | former NFL offensive lineman; four-time Pro Bowl selection, Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame, and football Hall of Fame nominee. |
| Kevin Smith | 2008 | former NFL running back |
| Marquette Smith | 1995 | former NFL running back |
| Tre'Quan Smith | 2018 | NFL wide receiver |
| Bob Spitulski | 1991 | former NFL linebacker |
| William Stanback | — | CFL running back; Terry Evanshen Trophy (CFL East MVP) |
| Ryan Swoboda | 2022 | NFL offensive tackle |
| Torell Troup | 2010 | former NFL defensive tackle |
| Alex Ward | 2021 | NFL long snapper |
| Marlon Williams | 2020 | UFL wide receiver |
| Divaad Wilson | 2022 | NFL cornerback |
| Ted Wilson | 1986 | former NFL wide receiver |
| Matthew Wright | 2018 | NFL kicker |

### Golf

| Alumnus | Class year | Notability |
| Connor Arendell | 2012 | Professional golfer on the European Tour and Web.com Tour |
| Blayne Barber | 1994 | Professional golfer on the PGA Tour; winner of 2011 Palmer Cup |
| Robert Damron | 1994 | Professional golfer on the PGA Tour; winner of 2001 Verizon Byron Nelson Classic |
| Ricardo Gouveia | 2014 | Professional golfer on the European Tour |
| Cliff Kresge | 1991 | Professional golfer on the PGA Tour |
| Ben Leong | 1994 | Professional golfer on the Asian Tour; winner of 2008 Worldwide Selangor Masters |

### Soccer

| Alumnus | Class year | Notability |
| Michelle Akers | 1988 | Soccer player; member of the U.S. championship teams of the 1991; 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup; was named to the FIFA 100; FIFA's Woman Player of the Century |
| Amy Allmann | 1987 | Goalkeeper for the 1991 FIFA Women's World Cup champion United States |
| Hadji Barry | 2015 | Forward for the Orlando City SC |
| Deshorn Brown | 2012 | Former MLS striker for DC United |
| Lou Cioffi | 1979 | Former goalkeeper for the Orlando Lions |
| Warren Creavalle | 2011 | Former MLS fullback for the Houston Dynamo, Toronto FC, and Philadelphia Union |
| Jonathan Dean | 2019 | MLS defender for Chicago Fire |
| Winston DuBose | 1976 | Former NASL player for the Tampa Bay Rowdies and the Tulsa Roughnecks |
| Kevan George | 2011 | Former MLS defensive midfielder for Columbus Crew SC |
| Cal Jennings | 2019 | Forward for the Tampa Bay Rowdies |
| Sean Johnson | 2008 | Major League Soccer goalkeeper for the Toronto FC, represented Team USA in the 2022 FIFA World Cup |
| Carrie Lawrence | 2008 | Defender for Orlando Pride |
| Yanis Leerman | — | Defender for Loudoun United |
| Matt Luzunaris | 2007 | Former Major League Soccer striker San Jose Earthquakes, Orlando City, Rochester New York FC |
| Ryan McIntosh | 2005 | Former Major League Soccer goalkeeper D.C. United |
| Konya Plummer | 2019 | Professional soccer centre back for the Jamaican national team |
| Aline Reis | 2011 | Goalkeeper for the Brazil women's national football team |
| Ryan Roushandel | 2008 | Former professional soccer midfielder and current Assistant Coach for San Antonio FC |
| Nick Taylor | 2021 | Major League Soccer left back for Orlando City |
| Eric Vasquez | 2003 | Former Major League Soccer midfielder for Columbus Crew and Miami FC |
| Gino Vivi | 2022 | MLS midfielder for the LA Galaxy |
| Romario Williams | — | Forward for Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC |
| Kim Wyant | 1985 | Goalkeeper for the first United States women's national soccer team (1985) |

### Other

| Alumnus | Class year | Notability |
| Aric Almirola | 2005 | NASCAR driver for Joe Gibbs Racing |
| Parker Boudreaux | — | Pro wrestler for All Elite Wrestling |
| Christina Crawford | 2011 | Pro wrestler for World Wrestling Entertainment |
| Phil Dalhausser | 2001 | Pro beach volleyball player with the AVP; co-winner of the gold medal in the 2008 Beijing Olympics |
| Dasha Gonzalez | 2012 | Pro wrestler for All Elite Wrestling |
| Shea Holbrook | 2012 | Professional race car driver in the Pirelli World Challenge |
| Scott Lagasse Jr. | — | Retired professional race car driver in the NASCAR Nationwide Series |
| Tom Lawlor | 2005 | Three-time national champion in the NCWA, 2003, 2004, 2005; as a freshman he placed third; current mixed martial artist for the Ultimate Fighting Championship |
| Seth Petruzelli | — | Competed on The Ultimate Fighter 2, retired professional Ultimate Fighting Championship mixed martial artist |
| Mattie Rogers | 2020 | Professional weightlifter who competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics |
| Kristen Thomas | 2020 | Professional rugby player who competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics |
| Tyra Turner | 1998 | Professional beach volleyball player on the AVP Tour |
| Tristan Wade | — | Professional Poker player, World Series of Poker bracelet at the 2011 World Series of Poker Europe and 3 Money finishes at World Poker Tour |

## Honorary degree recipients

* Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, regarded as one of the greatest basketball players of all time; honorary Doctor of Public Service (2017)
* Muhammad bin Fahd Al Saud, Governor of the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia and Prince of the second generation of the Saudi Arabian Royal Family; honorary Doctor of Public Service (2017)
* Óscar Arias, 40th & 45th President of Costa Rica and Nobel Peace Prize laureate; honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (1999)
* Reubin Askew, 37th Governor of Florida; honorary Doctor of Public Service (1999)
* Norman R. Augustine, former United States Under Secretary of the Army; honorary Doctor of Engineering Science (1995)
* Jim Bacchus, founding member and twice chairman of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organization and former U.S. House of Representatives from Florida; honorary Doctor of Public Services (2001)
* Nicolaas Bloembergen, physicist and Nobel laureate, recognized for his work in developing driving principles behind nonlinear optics for laser spectroscopy; honorary Doctor of Service (1996)
* Robert A. Bryan, former interim president of the University of Central Florida; honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (1992)
* Jeb Bush, former 43rd Governor of Florida; honorary Doctor of Public Service (2018)
* Sven Caspersen, economist; honorary Doctor of Engineering Science (1988)
* Linda Chapin, politician, Director of the Metropolitan Center for Regional Studies at the University of Central Florida; honorary Doctor of Public Service (1998)
* Bill Clinton, 42nd President of the United States; honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (2013)
* Trevor Colbourn, second President of the University of Central Florida; honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (1998)
* Michael M. Crow, 16th and current president Arizona State University; honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (2013)
* Kurt H. Debus, first Director of NASA's Launch Operations Center (later renamed the Kennedy Space Center); Honorary Doctor of Engineering Science (1970)
* Richard DeVos, billionaire businessman, co-founder of Amway, owner of the Orlando Magic basketball team; honorary Doctor of Commercial Science (2002)
* Joseph Daniel Duffey, 14th Director of the United States Information Agency; honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (1979)
* Buddy Dyer, 32nd Mayor of Orlando; honorary Doctor of Public Service (2018)
* Harriet Elam-Thomas, 15th United States Ambassador to Senegal and Director of Diplomacy Program at UCF; honorary Doctor of Public Science (2005)
* Alan Ginsburg, real estate developer, and the founder of The CED Companies; honorary Doctor of Public Service (2014)
* Bob Graham, 38th governor of Florida and former United States senator from Florida; honorary Doctor of Public Service (1985)
* Albert Francis Hegenberger, major general in the United States Air Force; pioneering aviator; honorary Doctor of Engineering Science (1979)
* Roald Hoffmann, theoretical chemist, won the 1981 Nobel Prize in Chemistry; honorary Doctor of Science (1991)
* Teresa Jacobs, 4th Mayor of Orange County, Florida; honorary Doctor of Public Service (2018)
* Bob Kahn, electrical engineer, first introduced the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) and the Internet Protocol (IP), fundamental communication protocols of the Internet; honorary Doctor of Science (2002)
* Richard M. Karp, computer scientist and computational theorist; honorary Doctor of Science (2001)
* Howard Lance, businessman and industrial engineer; President and chief executive officer of MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates; honorary Doctor of Science (2009)
* Charles N. Millican, first president of the University of Central Florida; honorary Doctor of Laws (1989)
* James C. Robinson, health economist; honorary Doctor of Public Service (1988)
* Lee R. Scherer, Director of NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center (KSC) 1975–1979; honorary Doctor of Engineering Science (1979)
* William C. Schwartz, civic leader in Central Florida and pioneer in the laser industry; honorary Doctor of Engineering Science (1985)
* Thaddeus Seymour, academician; honorary Doctor of Letters (1990)
* Isaac Bashevis Singer, Nobel Prize for Literature recipient; honorary Doctor of Letters (1986)
* John Skipper, television executive, current executive chairman of DAZN Group, and former president of ESPN; honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (2016)
* Charles H. Townes, physicist, Nobel Prize in Physics recipient; honorary Doctor of Science (2007)
* Joseph F. Traub, computer scientist; honorary Doctor of Science (2001)
* Desmond Tutu, South African Anglican bishop and theologian and Nobel Peace Prize laureate; honorary Doctor of Humane Letters (1999)
* Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, former Governor of Puerto Rico; honorary Doctor of Public Science (2006)
* LeRoy T. Walker, track field coach and the first black president of the United States Olympic Committee; honorary Doctor of Public Services (2001)
* Elie Wiesel, writer, professor, political activist, Nobel laureate, and Holocaust survivor; honorary Doctor of Letters (1988)
* John Young, NASA astronaut; honorary Doctorate of Applied Science (1970)
* Lotfi A. Zadeh, mathematician, computer scientist, electrical engineer, artificial intelligence researcher; honorary Doctor of Science (2000)