# List of Youngstown State University people

The following is a list of notable people associated with Youngstown State University, located in the American city of Youngstown, Ohio.

## Notable alumni
### Actors, musicians, and artists

* Harry L. Alford, arranger and composer of band marches
* Pat DiCesare, entrepreneur and rock and roll promoter
* Harold Danko, jazz pianist
* Bob DiPiero, country music songwriter who has written 15 #1 hits
* Khaledzou, music producer and member of noise pop duo MUNNYCAT
* Sean Jones, jazz recording artist, lead trumpeter for Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra
* Emanuel Kiriakou, songwriter, producer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, based in Los Angeles
* Edward Leffingwell, art critic and curator
* Ben Neill, composer, performer, inventor of the mutantrumpet
* Ed O'Neill, actor, known as Al Bundy on Married... with Children and Jay Pritchett on Modern Family
* Roland F. Seitz, composer, bandmaster, and music publisher
* Michael S. Smith, jazz drummer and percussionist

### Activism

* Jerry Lee, President of the Jerry Lee Foundation
* Evelyn G. Lowery, American Civil Rights Movement activist and leader; marched in the historic Selma to Montgomery March

### Athletes

* Tony Aiello, former NFL player, Brooklyn Tigers and Detroit Lions
* Hank Allen, former MLB outfielder, pinch hitter and third baseman for the Washington Senators, Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox
* Ron Allen, former MLB first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals
* Al Campana, former NFL running back, Chicago Bears
* George Cappuzzello, former MLB pitcher for the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros
* Billy Clapper, basketball coach, IMG Academy
* Craig Cotton, former NFL tight end, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions
* Caylen Croft, former WWE wrestler
* Bob Davie, former Notre Dame football coach; former ESPN commentator; head coach of the University of New Mexico
* Dave Dravecky, former MLB pitcher, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants
* Sloko Gill, former NFL center, Detroit Lions
* Ralph Goldston, former NFL running back, Philadelphia Eagles
* Brad Hennessey, former MLB pitcher, Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros
* Ron Jaworski, former NFL quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles, color commentator for ESPN Monday Night Football
* Tim Johnson, former NFL linebacker, Baltimore Ravens and Oakland Raiders
* Donald Jones, NFL wide receiver for the New England Patriots
* Larry Jordan, NFL linebacker and defensive back for the Denver Broncos
* Andy Kosco, former MLB outfielder and first baseman
* Don Leshnock, former MLB pitcher for the Detroit Tigers
* Quentin Lowry, former NFL linebacker, Washington Redskins
* Lamar Mady, former NFL offensive lineman, Oakland Raiders
* Ray Mancini, former boxer
* Mark Mangino, college football coach; former head coach at Kansas
* Vince Marrow, former NFL tight end, Buffalo Bills
* Marcus Mason, professional football player, NFL running back, Washington Redskins
* Paul McFadden, 1984 NFL Rookie of the Year, President of the YSU Foundation
* Ed McGlasson, former NFL center, New York Jets, Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants
* Leo Mogus, former NBA player
* Pat Narduzzi, head coach of the University of Pittsburgh
* Kelly Pavlik, former boxer
* Kendrick Perry, professional basketball player, Sydney Kings of the NBL
* Carmen Policy, NFL executive, San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns
* Brandian Ross, professional football player, NFL cornerback, Green Bay Packers
* Rick Shepas, head football coach at Waynesburg University
* Ken Smith, former MLB first baseman and left fielder for the Atlanta Braves
* Cliff Stoudt, former NFL quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers, St. Louis Cardinals, Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins
* Russell Stuvaints, former National Football League defensive back, Pittsburgh Steelers
* Vytautas Šulskis, professional Lithuanian basketball player, BC Šiauliai of Lithuania
* Justin Thomas, MLB relief pitcher
* Jeff Wilkins, professional football player, NFL kicker for the St. Louis Rams

### Business

* Sam Bahour, Palestinian American businessman and entrepreneur
* Joseph G. Brimmeier, former Chief Executive Officer of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission
* Thom Brodeur-Kazanjian, CEO of Yandy.com
* Mary Ann Campana, founder of Pollyanna Clothes and a record breaking aviator.
* Nanette Lepore, fashion designer
* Milan Puskar, founder of Fortune 500 company Mylan Laboratories
* Sonny Vaccaro, founder of ABCD Basketball Camp; marketing executive for Nike, Reebok and Adidas
* Ryan Wood, co-founder of the Under Armour company

### Crime

* Donna Roberts, convicted of the murder of her ex-husband

### Government and politics

* Amy Acton, director of Ohio Department of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic
* Vincent A. Biancucci, former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
* Charles J. Carney, former US Congressman
* Peter C. Economus, United States federal judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
* Ron Gerberry, former member of the Ohio House of Representatives
* Nathaniel R. Jones, former judge U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
* Rich Kasunic, Pennsylvania State Senator
* Jim Lynch, former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
* Riyad Mansour, Permanent Representative to the United Nations from Palestine
* Harry Meshel, former president of the Ohio State Senate; chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party
* Sylvester Patton, former member of the Washington State Senate
* Margarita Prentice, former member of the Ohio House of Representatives
* Leslie H. Sabo, Jr., Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient (did not graduate)
* Chris Sainato, Pennsylvania state representative
* Amy Salerno, former member of the Ohio House of Representatives
* Patricia Haynes Smith (graduate study), Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Baton Rouge, Louisiana
* A. William Sweeney, former Ohio Supreme Court Justice
* James Traficant, former U.S. Congressman
* Jay Williams, appointed by President Obama to cabinet position in the Office of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers; former mayor of Youngstown

### Journalism and media

* Christopher Barzak, author whose first novel, One for Sorrow, was made into the Sundance Feature Film Jamie Marks is Dead
* Simeon Booker, first black reporter for The Washington Post
* Elfreda Chatman, known for her ethnographic approaches in researching information seeking behaviors among understudied or minority groups
* Noah Cicero, novelist, short story writer, and poet
* Mark Dailey, Canadian newscaster for Citytv
* Frank Marzullo, meteorologist for WXIX-TV, the Fox network affiliate in Cincinnati, Ohio
* David Lee Morgan, Jr., sportswriter; author; motivational speaker; literacy facilitator; author of LeBron James: The Rise of A Star (2003)
* Jerry Nachman, former vice president of MSNBC cable news network
* Ed Rosenthal, author; criminal defendant (did not graduate)

### Religion

* Robert M. Nemkovich, sixth Prime Bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church
* Nicholas (Smisko), former metropolitan bishop of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese

### Science and technology

* John Blangero, human geneticist; highly cited scientist in the field of complex disease genetics
* Steven R. Little, chemical engineer, pharmaceutical scientist, and department chair of Chemical Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh
* John McGinness, physicist and physician; contributed to the modern field of organic electronics
* Amit Patel, cardiothoracic surgeon and world pioneer of stem cell therapy for heart failure
* Alverna Babbs Williams, first American pilot with disabilities to earn a pilot's license

### Space exploration

* Thomas Bopp, astronomer; co-discoverer of Comet Hale-Bopp
* Ron Parise, NASA astronaut, STS-35 and STS-37

## Notable scholars and administrators

* Christopher Barzak, author
* Adam Earnheardt, academic and author
* Paul Sracic, political scientist and author
* Jim Tressel, college football coach and university administrator, Lieutenant Governor of Ohio (2025-present)
* Bruce Waller, philosopher
* Bill Johnson, businessman and former U.S. Congressman