# List of Purdue University alumni

Here follows a list of notable alumni of Purdue University.

## Notable alumni
### Academia
#### College chancellors, presidents and vice-presidents

* Robert Altenkirch – former President of the New Jersey Institute of Technology and University of Alabama in Huntsville
* Rebecca Ehretsman – eighteenth president of Wartburg College
* Hank Foley – current President of the New York Institute of Technology
* Tony Frank – President, Colorado State University
* Domenico Grasso – Chancellor, University of Michigan-Dearborn
* Richard J. Grosh – former President of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
* Arthur G. Hansen – former President of the Georgia Institute of Technology and Purdue University
* Edwin D. Harrison – former President of the Georgia Institute of Technology
* Renu Khator – Chancellor of the University of Houston System and President of the University of Houston
* Dorothy Leland – President, Georgia College & State University
* Duane Litfin – President, Wheaton College
* Sally Mason – President of the University of Iowa, former Provost of Purdue University
* Hanna Nasser – former President of Birzeit University, political figure
* Sunder Ramaswamy – President of the Monterey Institute of International Studies
* Kenneth "Buzz" Shaw – Chancellor of Syracuse University
* Gary Allan Sojka – President of Bucknell University
* Hugo F. Sonnenschein – economist and educational administrator, President of the University of Chicago
* James J. Stukel – former President of the University of Illinois
* Blake Ragsdale Van Leer – former President of the Georgia Institute of Technology
* Larry N. Vanderhoef – Chancellor of the University of California, Davis
* Brent W. Webb – academic vice president of Brigham Young University
* John T. Wolfe Jr. – former President of Savannah State University

#### Deans

* Srinivas Aravamudan – Dean of the Humanities, Duke University
* Arthur J. Bond – Dean of the School of Engineering and Technology at Alabama A&M University and civil rights activist
* Paul Weber – Dean of Faculties and interim president of the Georgia Institute of Technology

#### Professors

* Nolan B. Aughenbaugh – Antarctic explorer and professor emeritus of Geological Engineering at the University of Mississippi
* Ibrahim (Abe) Baggili – CSE Division Chair and Roger Richardson professor of computer science and cybersecurity, Louisiana State University
* James R. Barker – professor of Organizational Theory and Strategy, Waikato University
* Michael Baye – Bert Elwert Professor of Business Economics, Indiana University
* L. W. Beineke – professor of graph theory at Indiana University – Purdue University Fort Wayne
* Ronald A. Bosco – expert on Ralph Waldo Emerson, Puritan homiletics and poetics
* Ronald Breaker – Henry Ford II Professor of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology at Yale University
* Monty Buell – chair of the Department of History and Philosophy at Walla Walla University
* George Casella – statistician at Rutgers University, Cornell University, and the University of Florida
* James Samuel Coleman – author of the Coleman Report on the sociology of education
* Carl W. Condit – architectural historian, Northwestern University
* Clarence Cory – the first Professor in Mechanical and Electrical Engineering at UC Berkeley; received BME degree from Purdue University in 1889 at the age of 16 and a Doctor of Engineering degree from Purdue University in 1914
* Bruce E. Dale – Professor of Chemical Engineering, Michigan State University
* Kenneth E. deGraffenreid – Professor of Intelligence Studies, Institute of World Politics
* Victor Denenberg – developmental psychobiologist
* Ralph Faudree – mathematician, combinatorialist, provost at University of Memphis
* James Fieser – professor of philosophy at the University of Tennessee at Martin
* Allan Friedman – Guy L. Odom Professor of Neurological Surgery at Duke University Medical Center
* Michael T. Goodrich – mathematician, computer scientist, department chair at the University of California, Irvine
* Kevin Granata – adjunct professor, Department of Engineering Science and Mechanics and Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Tech; victim of the Virginia Tech massacre
* Ann E. Hagerman – professor of biochemistry at University of Miami
* William D. Haseman – computer science professor at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee and Carnegie Mellon University
* Larry Howell – professor of mechanical engineering, Brigham Young University
* Robert Owen Hutchins – professor organic chemistry at Drexel University
* Roger G. Ibbotson – professor of finance, Yale School of Management
* Richard Ian Kimball – professor of history, Brigham Young University
* Benn Konsynski – Goizueta Business School, Emory University
* Lawrence Landweber – John P. Morgridge Professor Emeritus of Computer Science at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
* Arthur H. Lefebvre – professor; Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering between 1976 and 1993; pioneer of gas turbine technology and developer of fuel spray technology; professor at Cranfield University, UK
* G. V. Loganathan – professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Virginia Tech; victim of the Virginia Tech massacre
* Fred Mannering – professor, College of Engineering, University of South Florida
* Donald Matthews – political scientist, University of Washington
* James McDonald – economist at Brigham Young University
* Deborah E. McDowell – English professor and author
* Scott A. McLuckey – John A. Leighty Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Purdue University
* Dorothy Runk Mennen – theatre professor, author, founding president of the Voice and Speech Trainers Association
* Gary Milhollin – law professor, anti–nuclear weapons activist
* William F. Miller – vice president and provost, Stanford University
* William E. Moore – chemistry professor and vice chancellor for academic affairs at Southern University; Moore was the first Black PhD in chemistry to graduate from Purdue
* Toby Moskowitz – financial economist, University of Chicago
* David Mount – computer scientist, University of Maryland
* J. Keith Murnighan – Harold H. Hines Jr. Distinguished Professor of Risk Management at the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University
* Donna J. Nelson – chemistry professor; Nelson Diversity Surveys author, scientific workforce scholar (Postdoctorate 1980–1983)
* Robert W. Newcomb – professor of electrical engineering at the University of Maryland
* Dallin D. Oaks – linguistics professor at Brigham Young University
* Peter N. Peregrine – anthropologist and archaeologist
* Larry L. Peterson – computer scientist at Princeton University
* Ronald L. Phillips – biologist, University of Minnesota
* T. Pradeep – Professor of Chemistry, Indian Institute of Technology Madras, Chennai, India
* Steven Pray – Bernhardt Professor of Nonprescription Products and Devices at Southwestern Oklahoma State University
* Dhananjay Ravat – Professor of Geophysics, University of Kentucky, developed many exploration geophysics and heat flow methods
* John C. Reynolds – computer scientist
* Sherwin Rosen – labor economist
* Lyle F. Schoenfeldt – business management professor, known for a standard textbook on human resources
* Granville Sewell – mathematician and intelligent design advocate
* Thomas B. Sheridan – Professor of Mechanical engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, pioneer of robotics and remote control technology
* Carolyn Sherif – social psychologist
* Stephen C. Smith PhD – Sociology professor and researcher. Also practicing family therapist
* Murray Sperber – Professor Emeritus of English and American Studies at Indiana University, author of several books on college sports
* John W. Sutherland – professor and Fehsenfeld Family Head of Environmental and Ecological Engineering (EEE), Purdue University
* Yizhi Jane Tao – Rice University biochemist who mapped the structure of the influenza A virus nucleoprotein to an atomic level
* James Tour – synthetic organic chemist and nanotechnologist at Rice University
* Ralph von Frese – geophysicist who identified the Wilkes Land mass concentration in Antarctica
* Gregory Weeks – international relations scholar at Webster University Vienna
* Donald Weeks - Maxcy Professor Emeritus of Agriculture and Natural Resources at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln
* Jill Zimmerman – computer scientist and the James M. Beall Professor of Mathematics and Computer Science at Goucher College

### Science and technology
#### Astronauts and aviators

* Neil Armstrong – Gemini 8, Apollo 11; first man to walk on the Moon
* John Blaha – STS-29, STS-33, STS-43, STS-58, STS-79, STS-81
* Roy D. Bridges – STS-51-F
* Mark N. Brown – STS-28, STS-48
* John H. Casper – STS-36, STS-54, STS-62, STS-77
* Eugene Cernan – Gemini 9A, Apollo 10, Apollo 17; most recent man to walk on the Moon
* Roger Chaffee – killed in Apollo 1 accident
* Richard O. Covey – STS-51-I, STS-26, STS-38, STS-61
* Andrew J. Feustel – STS-125, STS-134
* Guy S. Gardner – STS-27, STS-35
* Henry C. Gordon – Air Force colonel selected for Boeing X-20 Dyna-Soar program
* Virgil I. Grissom – second American in space, Gemini 3, killed in Apollo 1 accident
* Guy Gruters – fighter pilot and prisoner of war in the Vietnam War
* Gregory J. Harbaugh – STS-39, STS-54, STS-71, STS-82
* Iven Carl Kincheloe Jr. – flying ace of the Korean War, first pilot to fly above 100,000 feet (30,480 m)
* Michael J. McCulley – STS-34
* Loral O'Hara – Soyuz MS-24
* Gary E. Payton – STS-51-C
* Mark L. Polansky – STS-98, STS-116, STS-127
* Jerry L. Ross – STS-61-B, STS-27, STS-37, STS-55, STS-74, STS-88, STS-110; holds the US record for spaceflights
* Karl Schoen – one of the first U.S. flying aces of World War I
* Loren J. Shriver – STS-51-C, STS-31, STS-46
* Chesley "Sully" Sullenberger – pilot of US Airways flight 1549 which successfully ditched in the Hudson River
* Scott D. Tingle – Soyuz MS-07
* Janice E. Voss – STS-57, STS-63, STS-83, STS-94, STS-99
* Charles D. Walker – STS-41-D, STS-51-D, STS-61-B
* Mary E. Weber – STS-70, STS-101
* George Welch – World War II fighter pilot and test pilot; best known for shooting down four Japanese planes during the attack on Pearl Harbor
* Donald E. Williams – STS-51-D, STS-34
* David A. Wolf – STS-58, STS-86, Mir 24, STS-89, STS-112, STS-127

#### Engineers

* Mohamed Atalla – Distinguished Engineering Alumnus, inventor of MOSFET (metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor), pioneer in silicon semiconductors and security systems, founder of Atalla Corporation
* Stephen Bechtel Jr. – Chairman emeritus of Bechtel Group
* Don R. Berlin – chief designer of several military aircraft of World War II
* Afua Bruce – Executive Director of the National Science and Technology Council in the Office of Science Technology and Policy at the White House, Chief Program Officer at DataKind
* Orestes H. Caldwell – one of the first five members of the Federal Radio Commission
* Abraham Burton Cohen – civil engineer notable for designing record-breaking concrete bridges such as the Tunkhannock Viaduct
* John P. Costas – electrical engineer, inventor of the Costas loop and the Costas array
* Wayne Hale – NASA engineer
* Mamoon Hamid – Managing Member and General Partner at Kleiner Perkins
* Richard E. Hayden – acoustics engineer, won the Wright Brothers Medal in 1973 for a research paper on noise reduction for STOL aircraft
* John H. McMasters – aeronautical engineer
* John Joseph Martin – mechanical engineer, author of Atmospheric Entry
* Elwood Mead – Commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation for construction of Grand Coulee, Hoover and Owyhee dams; namesake of Lake Mead
* Benjamin Franklin Miessner – engineer and inventor (did not graduate)
* Daniel Raymer – aerospace engineer
* Henry Sampson – inventor and nuclear engineer
* Malcolm Slaney – electrical engineer and research scientist at Google
* Games Slayter – chemical engineer, inventor of fiberglass

#### Researchers

* Robert C. Baker – inventor of the chicken nugget
* Fernley H. Banbury – inventor of the Banbury mixer in 1916
* Farhan Baqai – camera engineer at Apple Inc. and IEEE fellow
* Myron L. Bender – biochemist, recipient of the Midwest Award of the American Chemical Society
* Seymour Benzer – physicist and biologist, winner of the Wolf Prize in Medicine in 1991
* Henry Luke Bolley – botanist, plant pathologist, and football coach
* Richard Bootzin – clinical and research psychologist
* Robert D. Cess – atmospheric scientist
* Rita R. Colwell – environmental microbiologist and scientific administrator; Director of National Science Foundation
* Ward Cunningham – inventor of the wiki concept
* Harry Daghlian – physics, the first peacetime fatality of nuclear fission
* Joel Emer – microprocessor architect and Intel Fellow
* Dan Farmer – computer security researcher
* Martin Feinberg – mathematician and chemical engineer
* Elizabeth J. Feinler – information scientist and Internet pioneer
* Gloria Niemeyer Francke – pharmacist and science writer
* William H. Gerstenmaier – associate administrator at NASA
* Norman E. Gibbs – software engineering researcher
* Millicent Goldschmidt – microbiologist and 2006 "Outstanding Alumni", Purdue Department of Biological Sciences
* Jonathan Grudin – researcher of human–computer interaction and computer-supported cooperative work
* Kun-Liang Guan – biochemist
* Clarence Hansell – research engineer who pioneered investigation into the biological effects of ionized air
* Obed Crosby Haycock – researcher of the upper atmosphere
* Jesse E. Hobson – director of SRI International
* Deng Jiaxian – physicist, "father of the Chinese A-bomb"
* Bradford Keeney – psychotherapist, ethnographer, cybernetician
* Gerhard Klimeck – nanotechnologist
* Harry Kloor – physicist, chemist, screenwriter
* Bertram Kostant – mathematician
* Markus Kuhn – computer scientist
* Matthew Luckiesh – "father of the science of seeing"
* Robert W. Lucky – electrical engineer, inventor, and research manager
* Andrew Majda – ISI highly cited researcher in mathematics
* Herbert Newby McCoy – chemist
* Elwood Mead – former Head, Bureau of Reclamation; oversaw the construction of Hoover Dam
* Marilyn T. Miller – pediatric ophthalmologist
* Ben Roy Mottelson – Nobel Laureate in Physics in 1975
* Ian Murdock – founder of the Debian Project
* David E. Nichols – pharmacologist, world-renowned expert on psychedelics, founder of the Heffter Institute
* Alex Golden Oblad – chemist and chemical engineer who worked on catalysis
* Edward Mills Purcell – Nobel Laureate in Physics in 1952
* C. N. R. Rao – solid-state and materials chemist
* Malcolm Ross – director of the US Navy manned balloon program Project Strato-Lab; set the current altitude record for manned balloon flight with Victor Prather in 1961
* Stacy Sims – exercise physiologist with a focus on women's health and fitness
* Yitang Zhang – mathematician known for his work with twin primes
* Ming-Ming Zhou – structural and chemical biologist

### Arts and entertainment

* Dulquer Salmaan – Actor and film producer, known for his role as Aji Mathew in Comrade in America, also Bangalore Days.
* Robert K. Abbett – book-cover illustrator and outdoor painter
* George Ade – humorist
* Ted Allen – host of Chopped and Queer Eye
* Max Armstrong – agriculture broadcaster in Chicago
* Donald Bain – author and ghostwriter (Murder, She Wrote, Coffee, Tea or Me)
* Karen Black – actress
* Monte Blue – actor of the silent film era, later a character actor
* Millie Bobby Brown – actress, known for her role in the television series Stranger Things as well as in the Enola Holmes films.
* Jack Cashill – author, journalist, blogger, contributor to WorldNetDaily
* Kenneth Choi – actor, known for his role as Jim Morita in Captain America: The First Avenger, also Red Dawn and sitcoms
* Kate Collins – author (Flower Shop Mysteries)
* Trevor Collins – Manager at Achievement Hunter
* Thomas James De la Hunt – Indiana historian and columnist
* Eric Dill – musician, member of the band The Click Five
* Simone Elkeles – young-adult romance writer
* Dick Florea – television personality in Fort Wayne, Indiana
* William R. Forstchen – novelist
* Jim Gaffigan – comedian and actor
* JoAnn Giordano – textile artist
* Mass Giorgini – punk rock producer of bands such as Rise Against and Anti-Flag and bassist for Screeching Weasel and Squirtgun
* Gerald Jay Goldberg – novelist
* Harold Gray – creator of Little Orphan Annie comic strip
* Jeff Grubb – author and game designer
* Gabriel Gudding – essayist and poet
* Moira Gunn – host of National Public Radio programs Tech Nation and BioTech Nation
* John Guzlowski – author
* Jack Horkheimer – host of astronomy television program Jack Horkheimer: Star Gazer
* Benjamin Bean Horner – architect and photographer
* Steve Horton – New York Times bestselling graphic novelist
* Rick Karr – journalist
* Callie Khouri – screenwriter, director, and film producer
* Jane King – business journalist
* Michael King – political commentator, columnist, television producer
* Harry Kloor – screenwriter, physicist, chemist
* Mercedes Lackey – fantasy novelist
* Wayne Lamb – Broadway and television dancer and Professor Emeritus of Theatre
* Ian McCollum – YouTuber, firearm historian; owner and host of the website and YouTube channel Forgotten Weapons
* John T. McCutcheon – cartoonist, recipient of a Pulitzer Prize in 1931
* Delita Martin – printmaker and mixed media artist
* Hoshang Merchant – poet
* Felicia Middlebrooks – radio news broadcaster
* Gavin Mikhail – pianist, singer-songwriter
* Karen Marie Moning – novelist
* Tom Moore – theater director
* Carrie Newcomer – singer and songwriter
* Clifton Nicholson – sculptor and jewelry designer
* Mark O'Hare – writer and cartoonist who has worked on various Nickelodeon and Cartoon Network programs
* Bree Olsen – adult film actress
* Chubby Parker – folk musician
* George Peppard (attended) – actor
* Bob Peterson – animator, screenwriter, director and voice actor at Pixar
* Julian Phillips – Emmy Award winner, co-host of weekend Fox & Friends, Fox TV
* Carol Plum-Ucci – young-adult novelist and essayist
* Pat Proctor – war game developer, U.S. Army lieutenant colonel
* Bruce Rogers – typographer, inventor of the Centaur typeface
* Peter Schneider – film executive, the Walt Disney Company
* Dave Schulthise – punk rock bass guitarist for the Dead Milkmen
* Gary Mark Smith – artist, author, master global street photographer
* Richard Sprague – author and researcher of the John F. Kennedy assassination
* Martha Hopkins Struever – dealer and scholar of American Indian art
* Elizabeth Stuckey-French – short story writer and novelist
* Booth Tarkington – novelist
* Stephanie S. Tolan – children's book author
* Martin Walls – poet
* Don West – pitchman, television personality, wrestling broadcaster
* Perry Wilson – movie critic, thecinemapsycho.com
* Lebbeus Woods – artist and architect

### Business and industry

* Samuel R. Allen (BS 1977) – CEO of John Deere
* Chuck Armstrong – president of the Seattle Mariners
* Joyce Beber – advertising executive, promoter of hotelier Leona Helmsley
* Stephen Bechtel Jr. – chairman emeritus and director of Bechtel Group, Inc.
* Paul Bevilaqua – chief engineer, Advanced Development Projects, Lockheed Martin Skunk Works
* Gordon Binder – former CEO of Amgen (1988–2000)
* Michael Birck – chairman and founder of Tellabs, Inc.
* Charles F. Bowman – co-founder of Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Popping Corn
* Beth Brooke – global vice chair of Public Policy for Ernst & Young
* Susan Bulkeley Butler – first female partner at Accenture; author of Become the CEO of You, Inc.
* Herman Cain (MS '71) – businessman, politician, and columnist; former chairman and CEO of Godfather's Pizza
* James Cash Jr. – member of the boards of directors at General Electric, Microsoft, and Walmart
* JoMei Chang – co-founder of Tibco Software
* Allen Chao – co-founder of Watson Pharmaceuticals
* Richard E. Dauch – co-founder of American Axle & Manufacturing
* Rodger Dean Duncan – author and business consultant
* Michael L. Eskew – chairman and CEO, UPS
* Gen Fukunaga – president of FUNimation
* Greg Hayes (1982) – CEO and chair of RTX Corporation; Business Roundtable member
* Gerald D. Hines (BSME 1948) – real estate developer and principal of Hines
* John R. Horne (BS 1960) – former CEO of Navistar
* Brian Lamb – co-founder, chairman, and CEO of C-SPAN
* Howard Lance – CEO of Maxar Technologies
* Marshall Larsen – former chairman, president, and CEO of Goodrich Corporation
* Cook Lougheed – entrepreneur and philanthropist
* Bala S. Manian – medical technology entrepreneur
* Preston McAfee – economist at Google
* Steven McGeady – former Intel executive
* Wade Miquelon – executive vice president and chief financial officer for Walgreens
* Herman H. Pevler – former president of the Norfolk and Western Railway and of the Wabash Railroad
* Patricia Kessler Poppe – president & CEO, CMS and Consumers Energy
* Orville Redenbacher – business leader and agriculturalist; co-founder of Orville Redenbacher's popcorn
* Donald Rice – CEO of Agensys and board member of Wells Fargo Bank
* Lee Schmidt – golf course architect, co-founder of Lee-Schmidt Design, Inc.
* Edmund Schweitzer – president of Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories
* Ruth Siems – home economist with General Foods, inventor of Stovetop Stuffing
* Venu Srinivasan – chairman of TVS Motor
* Don Thompson – CEO of McDonald's
* James A. Thomson – president and CEO, Rand Corporation
* Paul C. Varga – former chief executive officer and Chairman of Brown–Forman
* Gregory Wasson – president and chief operating officer, Walgreens corporation
* Sanjiva Weerawarana – co-founder, chairman and CEO of WSO2

### Government and law
#### National office

* Akinwumi Adesina – President of the African Development Bank
* Rashid al-Rifai – ambassador and government minister in Iraq
* Joseph Kingsley Baffour-Senkyire – Ghanaian academic, politician and diplomat; member of parliament in the first republic of Ghana and formerly Ghana's ambassador to the United States of America
* Jim Baird – U.S. Representative from Indiana's 4th district (R)
* Donald W. Banner – former U.S. Commissioner of Patents and Trademarks
* Joe L. Barton – U.S. Representative from 6th District of Texas (R)
* Birch Bayh – former United States Senator from Indiana (D)
* Earl L. Butz – former Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (R)
* Chang Chia-juch – former Minister of Economic Affairs of Taiwan
* Bob Charles – former member of the Australian House of Representatives
* Mark Chen – former Secretary-General and former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan
* Curt Clawson – U.S. Representative from Florida's 19th congressional district (R)
* Chuck Conner – Acting Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture
* Margaret E. Curran – United States Attorney for Rhode Island
* Harry Allison Estep – Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Pennsylvania (R)
* Fahmi Fadzil – member of Malaysian House of Representatives and Minister of Communications and Digital
* Mauricio Fernández Garza – former Mayor of San Pedro Garza García (1989–1991) and former Mexican Senator from Nuevo León (1994–2000)
* Gary A. Grappo – U.S. Ambassador to Oman
* John H. Hager – Lieutenant Governor of Virginia, U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education (R)
* Keith Hall – former Commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
* Clifford M. Hardin – former Secretary of the United States Department of Agriculture (R)
* Ralph Harvey – U.S. Representative from Indiana (R)
* Adnan Kahveci – Turkish Minister of State and Minister of Finance, founding member of the Motherland Party
* Keith J. Krach – former U.S. Under Secretary of State; Chairman/CEO of DocuSign and Ariba; Chairman of Purdue Board of Trustees
* Suwat Liptapanlop – government minister in Thailand
* David McKinley – U.S. Representative for West Virginia (R)
* Ted McKinney – U.S. Under Secretary, Trade & Foreign Agricultural Affairs, USDA; CEO of National Association of State Departments of Agriculture-NASDA
* Anthony W. Miller – United States Deputy Secretary of Education
* Marwan Muasher – Deputy Prime Minister, Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
* Essam Sharaf – former Prime Minister of Egypt
* Jefferson Shreve – U.S. Representative from Indiana's 6th congressional district (6)
* Ann Stock – U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs
* Kevin Sullivan – White House Communications Director
* Claude R. Wickard – former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture
* Richard Llewellyn Williams – first U.S. Ambassador to Mongolia
* Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu – Member of Parliament in India
* Mathukumilli Bharat – Member of Parliament in India

#### Military

* Terry M. Cross – former vice commandant of the United States Coast Guard
* Nelson F. Gibbs – U.S. Assistant Secretary of the Air Force
* Sun Liren – Chinese Nationalist general who excelled in the Burma Campaign during World War II
* Carter B. Magruder – four-star general, U.S. Army
* Glen W. Martin – Inspector General of the U.S. Air Force
* B. J. Penn – former Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Navy
* Carol M. Pottenger – vice admiral, U.S. Navy
* Jerald D. Slack – U.S. Air National Guard major general, Adjutant General of Wisconsin
* Carol I. Turner – former Chief of the United States Navy Dental Corps
* James C. Van Sice – former Superintendent of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy
* Russell R. Waesche – commandant of the U.S. Coast Guard during World War II
* Fahmi Fadzil – Member of Parliaments in Malaysia
* David D. Thompson – United States Space Force general who has served as the first vice chief of space operations
* Derek Tournear - Director of the Space Development Agency

#### Sub-national office

* Ron Alting – Indiana State Senator (R)
* Brian Bosma – Speaker of the Indiana General Assembly
* Robert J. Burkhardt – former Secretary of State of New Jersey (D)
* Suzanne Crouch – 52nd Lieutenant Governor of Indiana (R)
* Sue Ellspermann – Lieutenant Governor of Indiana (R)
* Kirk Fordice – former Governor of Mississippi (R)
* Kent Gaffney – former member of the Illinois House of Representatives (R)
* Chuck Goodrich – member of the Indiana House of Representatives
* Jerry E. Hinshaw (Class of 1940) – former member of the Arkansas House of Representatives (R)
* Elaine Hopson (BA 1959) - Oregon state representative (D)
* Matt Hostettler – member of the Indiana House of Representatives (R)
* Ralph S. Johnson (Class of 1930) – aviator; former member of the Wyoming House of Representatives (R)
* Delores G. Kelley – Maryland State Senator (D)
* Sheila Klinker – member of the Indiana House of Representatives (D)
* J. Tom Lendrum – member of the Ohio House of Representatives (R)
* Harry G. Leslie – former Governor of Indiana (R)
* Alan Olsen – Oregon State Senator (R)
* Paul Parks – Massachusetts Secretary of Education (D)
* Zach Payne – member of the Indiana House of Representatives
* Scott Reske – member of the Indiana House of Representatives (D)
* William Ridenour – member of the West Virginia House of Delegates (R)
* Darlene Senger – member of the Illinois House of Representatives (R)
* Wayne Townsend – member of both houses of the Indiana legislature and the Democratic candidate for governor in 1984 (D)
* Frank Watson – member of the Illinois Senate (R)

#### Local office

* Isaac Colton Ash – Los Angeles, California, City Council member
* Jane Baker – first female mayor of San Mateo, California
* John J. Barton – former mayor of Indianapolis, Indiana (D)
* Marty Blum – former mayor of Santa Barbara, California
* Elgin English Crull – longest serving city manager of Dallas, Texas to date (1952 to 1966); was city manager when John F. Kennedy was assassinated
* A.E. Henning – Los Angeles, California, City Council member, 1929–33
* Robert J. LaFortune – former mayor of Tulsa, Oklahoma
* Bart Peterson – former mayor of Indianapolis, Indiana (D)
* David H. Rodgers – former mayor of Spokane, Washington (R)

#### Other political and legal figures

* Nels Ackerson – lawyer, 2008 candidate for U.S. Congress from Indiana (D)
* Allen Alley – Oregon Republican Party chairman
* Roberto Feliberti Cintrón – Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of Puerto Rico
* Uthum Herat – Deputy Governor of the Central Bank of Sri Lanka and Alternate Executive Director of the International Monetary Fund
* Jeffrey M. Lacker – president of Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond
* Charles Mok – Hong Kong Legislative Council member
* Marilyn Quayle – lawyer, novelist, and political figure, wife of former U.S. Vice President Dan Quayle

### Sports
#### Baseball

* Bernie Allen – 12-year career infielder with the Minnesota Twins, Washington Senators, New York Yankees and Montreal Expos; also played for the Boilermakers
* Jermaine Allensworth – former Major League Baseball player
* Roger Bossard – head groundskeeper for the Chicago White Sox, sports turf consultant for MLB, NFL, Major League Soccer
* Jay Buente – relief pitcher for the Florida Marlins
* Michael Duursma – shortstop for the Netherlands national baseball team
* Bob Friend – former MLB pitcher; 4-time All-Star, World Series Champion
* Josh Lindblom – relief pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies
* Joe McCabe – former Major League baseball player
* Cameron Perkins – infielder for the Philadelphia Phillies
* Kevin Plawecki – catcher for the Boston Red Sox
* Moose Skowron – former Major League Baseball player; 6-time All-Star, 5-time World Series Champion
* Nick Wittgren – Relief Pitcher for the Miami Marlins

#### Basketball

* Brian Cardinal – NBA Champion Dallas Mavericks, former professional NBA basketball player from 2000 to 2012
* Joe Barry Carroll – NCAA Final Four 1980, former NBA basketball player, 1st pick overall in NBA Draft (1980)
* Terry Dischinger – former NBA basketball player, (1962–73) NBA Rookie of the Year; Olympic Gold in basketball (1960)
* Katie Douglas – former basketball player in the WNBA
* Ray Eddy – former Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball head coach
* Carsen Edwards – NBA player Boston Celtics, twice named an All-American
* Herm Gilliam – NBA Champion Portland Trail Blazers, NBA player (1969–77), NCAA Finals 1969
* Paul Hoffman – former NBA player, BAA Rookie of the Year (1947), NBA Champion (1948), former general manager for the Baltimore Bullets
* Robbie Hummel – 1st Team All-Big Ten; professional basketball player for the Minnesota Timberwolves
* JaJuan Johnson – Big-Ten Player of the Year; current professional basketball for the Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League
* Carl Landry – 1st Team All-Big Ten; current professional NBA player for the Sacramento Kings
* Billy Keller – NCAA Finals 1969, 3-time ABA Champion, former University of Indianapolis men's basketball coach
* Frank Kendrick – former NBA player and NBA Champion (1975), Golden State Warriors
* Alan Major – former head coach of the Charlotte 49ers
* Cuonzo Martin – current head coach of the Missouri Tigers men's basketball
* Brad Miller – former NBA basketball player, two-time NBA All-Star
* E'Twaun Moore – 1st Team All-Big Ten; currently an NBA free agent, last played for the Phoenix Suns
* Rick Mount – three-time All-American at Purdue and two-time Big Ten Player of the Year; NCAA Finals 1969; former American Basketball Association basketball player
* Matt Painter – current Purdue Boilermakers men's basketball head coach, former coach at Southern Illinois University, 16 NCAA Tournament appearances
* Glenn Robinson – 1994 NCAA Player of the Year (John R. Wooden Award, Naismith Awards and four other polls), two-time 1st Team All-American; former NBA player, 1st pick overall in NBA draft (1994); NBA champion (2005) with San Antonio Spurs
* Amy Ruley – North Dakota State University women's basketball coach
* Dave Schellhase – first-team All-American at Purdue; former Indiana State Sycamores men's basketball head coach, former Minnesota State-Moorhead head coach
* Jerry Sichting – NBA Champion Boston Celtics, NBA player (1980–90), NCAA Final Four 1980
* Kevin Stallings – current Vanderbilt Commodores men's basketball head coach, former coach at Illinois State University
* Caleb Swanigan—NCAA National Player of the year 2017, NBA first round draft pick, Big Ten Player of the year 2017
* Howie Williams – Olympic Gold in basketball (1952), AAU National Champion (1952, 1953)
* Trevion Williams (born 2000) – basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
* John Wooden – Basketball Hall of Fame honoree as both player and coach; 10-time NCAA Champion coach at UCLA; 1932 National champion and All-American as player
* Zach Edey - 2-time consensus national player of the year (2023-2024), 2 time all American; Currently playing for the Memphis Grizzlies.
* Stephanie White-- (1995-1999) former professional basketball player and the current head coach of the Indiana Fever of the WNBA.

#### Football

* Mike Alstott – former NFL and Super Bowl Champion fullback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Purdue's all-time leading rusher
* Cliff Avril – NFL defensive end of the Seattle Seahawks; Champion Super Bowl XLVIII and participated in XLIX
* Ryan Baker – NFL defensive end for the Miami Dolphins, 2009–2012
* Erich Barnes – NFL defensive back, four-time All-Pro
* David Blough – NFL assistant quarterbacks coach for the Washington Commanders
* Drew Brees (Class of 2000) – Super Bowl Champion, Super Bowl MVP, All-Pro, Pro Bowl quarterback, San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints; Maxwell Award; 2 x Heisman Trophy Finalist; Rose Bowl Game
* George Bolan – Chicago Staleys (1921), Bears (1922–24)
* Dave Butz – 16-year, 2x Super Bowl Champion NFL Lineman with the Washington Redskins and selected to the all NFL 1980s Team
* Scott Campbell – played quarterback for six seasons for the Pittsburgh Steelers and Atlanta Falcons
* Rosevelt Colvin – 2x Super Bowl Champion, professional football player in the NFL with the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots
* Gary Danielson – former NFL quarterback; current TV announcer, College Football
* Len Dawson – Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback with the Kansas City Chiefs, Super Bowl IV MVP
* Jim Everett – Pro Bowl NFL quarterback; Saint Louis Rams, New Orleans Saints, San Diego Chargers
* Tim Foley – Former Defensive Back for Purdue and Defensive Back for Miami Dolphins Super Bowl Champions
* Gilbert Gardner – NFL linebacker, member of the Super Bowl XLI-winning Indianapolis Colts
* Wayne Gift – NFL player with the Cleveland Rams
* Bob Griese – Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback with the Miami Dolphins; lead Dolphins to 17-0-0 perfect season; 2x Super Bowl Champion quarterback; College Football Hall of Fame, Rose Bowl Champion quarterback
* Steve Griffin – former NFL and Arena Football League player
* Nick Hardwick – former NFL center of the San Diego Chargers
* Matt Hernandez – NFL offensive tackle
* Mark Herrmann – former NFL quarterback with the Indianapolis Colts and San Diego Chargers; 3-time Bowl game MVP with Purdue, Heisman Trophy finalist
* Paul Humphrey – NFL center for the Brooklyn Dodgers
* Clarence Janecek – NFL offensive guard of the Pittsburgh Pirates
* Dustin Keller – NFL tight end of the Miami Dolphins
* Ryan Kerrigan – NFL linebacker of the Washington Redskins / Football Team and Philadelphia Eagles; 1st Team All-American
* Ed Klewicki – Detroit Lions, 1930s
* Jon Krick – Arena Football League player
* John Letsinger – Pittsburgh Pirates, 1933
* Matt Light – NFL left tackle of the New England Patriots; 3x Super Bowl Champion Super Bowl (XXXVI, XXXVIII, XXXIX), and participated in XLII
* Jim Looney – NFL linebacker of the San Francisco 49ers
* Marc May – NFL tight end of the Minnesota Vikings
* Rondale Moore – NFL wide receiver of the Arizona Cardinals
* Raheem Mostert – NFL running back for the San Francisco 49ers
* Wave Myers – former coach at Ball State
* Mike Neal – NFL defensive tackle of the Green Bay Packers
* Rob Ninkovich – linebacker for the New England Patriots; has also played for the New Orleans Saints and the Miami Dolphins
* Kyle Orton – quarterback, drafted by the Chicago Bears had played for several NFL teams.
* Curtis Painter – backup quarterback for the Indianapolis Colts, drafted in 2009 to succeed Peyton Manning
* Shaun Phillips – NFL defensive end of the Tennessee Titans
* Mike Phipps – College Football Hall of Fame former NFL Quarterback, Cleveland Browns, Chicago Bears, Heisman Trophy Runner-up
* Bernard Pollard – NFL safety of the Tennessee Titans
* Ed Rate – former NFL blocking back for the Milwaukee Badgers
* Karl Singer – AFL tackle for the Boston Patriots
* Joe Skibinski – former NFL guard for the Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers
* Ed Skoronski – NFL player
* Blane Smith – former NFL linebacker for the Green Bay Packers
* Anthony Spencer – NFL linebacker drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in 2007
* John Standeford – NFL wide receiver of the Detroit Lions, member of the Super Bowl XLI-winning Indianapolis Colts
* Darryl Stingley – former NFL wide receiver with the New England Patriots
* Hank Stram – Pro Football Hall of Fame coach of the Kansas City Chiefs
* Taylor Stubblefield – NCAA Division 1 football career receptions leader, played for the St. Louis Rams
* Kevin Sumlin (Class of 1989)– Former the Head coach of the Arizona Wildcats and currently associate head coach, co-offensive coordinator, and tight ends coach for the University of Maryland
* Michael Terrizzi – played briefly for the San Francisco 49ers
* Calvin Williams – NFL wide receiver of the Philadelphia Eagles; rookie of the year
* Clem Woltman – former NFL tackle for the Philadelphia Eagles
* Rod Woodson – Super Bowl Champion (XXXV) Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back, 11-time Pro-Bowler (at three different positions) and former NFL cornerback

#### Other sports

* Stephan Bonnar – appeared on the first season of The Ultimate Fighter, retired professional mixed martial artist, two-time Golden Gloves Champion, UFC Hall of Fame member
* David Boudia – Olympic diver (2008, gold 2012, silver 2016)
* Larry Burton – Olympic runner (1976)
* Keith Carter – Olympic swimmer (silver, 1948)
* Joe Corso – Olympic wrestler (1976)
* Javier Díaz – Olympic swimmer for Mexico (2000, 2004)
* Dick the Bruiser – professional wrestling champion; real name William Afflis; also played in the NFL
* Amanda Elmore – Olympic rower (gold 2016)
* Ray Ewry – ten-time Olympic champion in track and field (gold, 1900, 1904, 1906, 1908)
* Jon Fitch – Boilermaker team captain wrestler; professional mixed martial artist, formerly with the Ultimate Fighting Championship
* Cliff Furnas – Olympic runner (1920)
* Ray Gunkel – AAU Champion wrestler, NCAA semifinalist and professional champion
* Ed Glover – Olympic pole-vaulter (bronze, 1906)
* Matt Hamill (attended) – three-time NCAA Division III National Champion in wrestling, silver and gold medalist of the 2001 Summer Deaflympics; mixed martial artist who fought in the Ultimate Fighting Championship; retired
* Lacey Hearn – Olympic athlete (1904)
* Chris Huffins – Olympic decathlete (1996, 2000)
* Steele Johnson – Olympic diver (silver 2016)
* Pariya Junhasavasdikul – Thai professional golfer who plays on the Asian Tour
* Shiv Kapur – Professional golfer
* Gerald Koh – Olympic swimmer (2000)
* Gyöngyvér Lakos – Olympic swimmer (2000)
* Matt Mitrione – former NFL player and current Heavyweight fighter for Bellator MMA
* Nate Moore – Boilermaker team captain wrestler; current MMA competitor, formerly fighting for Strikeforce (mixed martial arts)
* Nedzad Mulabegovic – shot put for Croatia (2012)
* Betty Mullen-Brey – 100-meter butterfly (1956)
* Ryan Newman – 2008 Daytona 500 Champion, 2002 Winston Cup Rookie of the Year
* Coralie O'Connor – swimming (1952)
* Jake O'Brien – Boilermaker wrestler; current MMA fighter, previously the WEC and the UFC
* Ike Olekaibe – Olympic athlete (2000)
* Carol Pence-Taylor – Olympic swimmer (1948)
* Kara Patterson – Javelin (2012)
* Eric Rodwell – professional bridge player
* Joan Rosazza – Olympic swimmer (silver, 1956)
* Chris Schenkel – sportscaster
* Lauren Sesselmann – Women's Soccer for Canada (2012)
* Doug Sharp – Olympic bobsledder (2002)
* Miguel Torres (attended), wrestler; current professional mixed martial arts fighter, former WEC Bantamweight Champion
* Frank Verner – Olympic athlete (1904)
* Fred Wampler – PGA Tour golfer
* Beth Whittall – 100-meter butterfly for Canada (1956)
* Jeanne Wilson-Vaughn – Olympic swimmer (1948)
* Fred Wilt – Olympic runner (1948)

### Other alumni

* David A. Bednar – LDS Church Apostle; former President of BYU-Idaho
* Vikram Buddhi – imprisoned for threatening the life of U.S. President George W. Bush
* Theodore M. Burton – LDS Church leader
* Kathy Calvin – chief executive officer, United Nations Foundation
* Russell Mawby – chairman emeritus, W.K. Kellogg Foundation
* Sarah Jo Pender – convicted murderer and prison escapee
* Eric Justin Toth – fugitive on the FBI Ten Most Wanted list
* Richard Leroy Walters – homeless philanthropist