# List of La Salle University people

This list of La Salle University people includes alumni, faculty, presidents, and other individuals associated with La Salle University.

## Alumni

* Note: Individuals may be listed in more than one category.

### Government, law, and public policy

* Francis L. Bodine – former member of New Jersey General Assembly
* Kevin J. Boyle – member of Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 2011
* William J. Burns – United States Ambassador to Jordan; Deputy Secretary of State 2011–2014; head of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
* John F. Byrne Sr. – Pennsylvania State Senator for the 8th district 1951–1952, Philadelphia City Councilman
* Billy Ciancaglini – Republican nominee for mayor of Philadelphia, 2019
* Tina Davis – member of Pennsylvania House of Representatives
* Madeleine Dean – U.S. Congresswoman
* Joseph DeFelice – former chair of Philadelphia GOP and current Trump appointee
* Joseph T. Doyle – Pennsylvania State Representative for the 163rd district 1971–78
* Michael Driscoll – businessman, member of Pennsylvania House of Representatives since 2015, founder of the iconic Philadelphia Irish pub Finnigan's Wake
* Dwight Evans, U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania's 2nd congressional district
* Edward Fenlon – former member of Michigan House of Representatives and jurist
* Brian Fitzpatrick – U.S. Congressman from Pennsylvania's 8th congressional district
* Tom Gola – NBA Naismith Hall of Fame basketball player; Philadelphia City Controller 1970–71
* William F. Harrity – National Chairman of Democratic Party (1892–1896)
* Tom Houghton – former Pennsylvania State Representative
* William F. Keller – member of Pennsylvania House of Representatives
* Jim Kenney – Mayor of Philadelphia 2016–2024
* Emmett Joseph Leahy (1910–1964) – archivist and entrepreneur, pioneer in the discipline of records management
* Joanna E. McClinton – Pennsylvania State Representative since 2015
* Tom Murt – Pennsylvania State Representative from the 152nd district
* Dennis M. O'Brien – Speaker of Pennsylvania House of Representatives; Philadelphia City Councilman
* Michael H. O'Brien – Pennsylvania House of Representatives
* Mark Squilla – member of Philadelphia City Council
* Michael J. Stack III – Lieutenant Governor of Pennsylvania alongside Tom Wolf
* Sarah Wescott-Williams – first Prime Minister of Country Saint Maarten (2010–2014)
* John Waldron – American criminal defense lawyer
* Chris Wogan – former Pennsylvania representative and judge

### Business

* Tom Curley – co-creator, former President of USA Today
* Larry Miller – President of the Jordan Brand

### Academia & education

* Stephen Andriole – Thomas G. Labrecque Chair of Business Technology at Villanova University
* John D. Caputo – Thomas J. Watson Professor of Humanities at Syracuse University; founder of weak theology
* Naomi Halas – Stanley C. Moore Professor in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Professor in Chemistry at Rice University
* Paula Krebs – Executive Director of the Modern Language Association (MLA), 2017–present
* Michael McGinniss – President of Christian Brothers University, 1994–1999, and La Salle University, 1999–2014

### Literature

* Michael F. Flynn – science fiction author
* Charles Fuller – playwright, winner of the Pulitzer Prize
* Jack McDevitt – science fiction author
* Matthew Quick – author

### Fine arts

* John McShain – builder of The Pentagon, Jefferson Memorial, and Kennedy Center

### Entertainment

* Jessica Barth – actress
* Peter Boyle – Emmy award winning actor
* Ralph Garman – actor, voice actor

### Journalism and media

* Adam Bagni – sportscaster
* Tom Curley – founder of USA Today, former CEO of AP
* A.J. Daulerio – editor-in-chief of Gawker, Deadspin, The Small Bow
* Brady Hicks – wrestling journalist
* Tim Legler – NBA, ESPN analyst
* Meredith Marakovits – YES Network reporter
* Jillian Mele – former host at Fox News, current host at WPVI-TV
* Bill Raftery – ESPN and CBS Sports college basketball analyst
* Gary Smith – sportswriter

### Miscellaneous

* Michael William Brescia – convicted bank robber, part of the Midwest Bank Robbers group
* Johnny Dougherty – labor leader
* Walter P. Lomax Jr. – medical practitioner

### Athletics
#### American football

* Mike Mandarino – NFL
* George Somers – NFL

#### Soccer

* Cesidio Colasante – MLS draft pick
* John McCarthy – goalkeeper for the Philadelphia Union
* Courtney Niemiec – defender for the Portland Thorns FC
* Ryan Richter – defender for Ottawa Fury FC

#### Basketball

* Michael Brooks – NBA and Europe; professional career lasted 1980–2008
* Joe Bryant – NBA and Europe, father of Kobe Bryant, former head coach of Los Angeles Sparks of WNBA
* Rasual Butler – last played for the San Antonio Spurs; died on January 31, 2018
* Larry Cannon – ABA player
* Fran Dunphy – head coach for La Salle Explorers men's basketball
* Larry Foust – 8-time NBA All-Star (1951–1956, 1958–1959)
* Ramon Galloway – professional basketball player
* Tom Gola – enshrined in Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1976; NBA champion (1956); 5-time NBA All-Star (1960–1964); No. 15 retired by La Salle
* B.J. Johnson – current NBA player
* Tim Legler – NBA, analyst for ESPN's NBA coverage
* Ralph Lewis – NBA player
* Joe Mihalich – head coach of Hofstra University men's basketball
* Larry Miller – former President of NBA's Portland Trail Blazers; president of Jordan Brand
* Jeff Neubauer – head coach of Eastern Kentucky University men's basketball
* Doug Overton – NBA, played in 11 NBA seasons for eight different teams; head coach for Springfield Armor
* Jim Phelan – basketball player and coach
* Tom Piotrowski – (basketball) NBA, FIBA, CBA
* Bill Raftery – ESPN and CBS Sports college basketball analyst
* Cheryl Reeve – head coach of WNBA's Minnesota Lynx; by percentage the winningest coach in league's history, most postseason games of any WNBA coach
* Lionel Simmons – NBA, third-leading scorer in NCAA history; drafted 7th overall by Sacramento Kings in 1990
* Steven Smith – NBA, Serie A player
* Christian Standhardinger – BBL player
* Fatty Taylor – ABA, NBA player
* Randy Woods – NBA player
* Stephen Zack (born 1992), basketball player for Hapoel Holon in the Israeli Basketball Premier League

#### Olympians

La Salle Olympians have won a total of seven medals (five gold, and two bronze) in 12 Olympic Games.
* Diane Bracalente – field hockey, Seoul 1988
* Michael Brooks – captain of the boycotted 1980 basketball team
* Al Cantello – track and field, Rome 1960
* Stan Cwiklinski – rowing, gold medal, men's eight, Tokyo 1964
* Ira Davis – track and field, Rome 1960; placed 4th in the triple jump
* Hugh Foley – rowing, gold medal, men's eight, Tokyo 1964
* Charles Kieffer – rowing, gold medal, men's pair with coxswain, Los Angeles 1932
* Kathy McGahey – field hockey, bronze medal, Los Angeles 1984
* Diane Moyer – field hockey, Moscow 1980; bronze medal, Los Angeles 1984
* Cheryl Reeve - USA Women's Basketball, Paris 2024, head coach of the goal medal team
* John Uelses – first person to pole vault 16' (4.88 m), setting the world record (failed to qualify at trials)
* Joe Verdeur – swimming, gold medal, in 200 meter breaststroke, London 1948

## Faculty
### Former faculty

* Austin App – considered America's first major Holocaust denier
* Mary Ellen Balchunis – professor in the Political Science department until 2015 and Democratic nominee for Congress in 2014, 2016
* Madeleine Dean – English writing and ethics professor for 10 years in La Salle's Arts and Sciences department
* Joseph DeFelice – former chair of the Philadelphia GOP
* John Lukacs – historian specializing in populism
* Paul Westhead – English professor at La Salle 1972–1979 and NBA head coach for the 1980 championship-winning Los Angeles Lakers

### Selected men's basketball head coaches

| Head coach | Tenure |
| Ken Loeffler | 1949–1955 |
| Tom Gola | 1968–1970 |
| Paul Westhead | 1970–1979 |
| William "Speedy" Morris | 1986–2001 |
| Billy Hahn | 2001–2004 |
| John Giannini | 2004–2018 |
| Ashley Howard | 2018–2022 |
| Fran Dunphy | 2022–present |

## University presidents

| President | Tenure |
| Brother Teliow | 1863 |
| Brother Oliver | 1863–1872 |
| Brother Noah | 1872–1875 |
| Brother Joachim of Mary | 1875–1876 |
| Brother Stephen of Jesus | 1876–1878 |
| Brother Romuald | 1878–1883 |
| Brother Clementian | 1883–1885 |
| Brother Fabrician | 1885–1887 |
| Brother Isidore John | 1887–1889 |
| Brother Abraham of Jesus | 1889–1890 |
| Brother Isidore John | 1890–1900 |
| Brother Wolfred of Mary | 1900–1903 |
| Brother Abdas John | 1903–1911 |
| Brother Denis Edward | 1911–1917 |
| Brother Ennodius Richard | 1917–1922 |
| Brother Galbert Lucian | 1922–1925 |
| Brother Dorotheus Lewis | 1925–1928 |
| Brother Elzear Alfred | 1928–1932 |
| Brother Edwin Anselm | 1932–1941 |
| Brother Emilian James | 1941–1945 |
| Brother Dominic Luke | 1945 |
| Brother Gregorian Paul | 1945–1952 |
| Brother Erminus Stanislaus | 1952–1958 |
| Brother Daniel Bernian | 1958–1969 |
| Brother Daniel Burke | 1969–1976 |
| Brother Patrick Ellis | 1977–1992 |
| Brother Joseph Burke | 1992–1998 |
| Nicholas Giordano | 1998–1999 (interim) |
| Brother Michael McGinniss | 1999–2014 |
| Dr. James Gallagher | 2014–2015 (interim) |
| Dr. Colleen Hanycz | 2015–2021 |
| Tim O’Shaughnessy | 2021–2022 (interim) |
| Dr. Daniel J. Allen | 2022–present |