FAMOUS ALUMNI

The University of Utah boasts many distinguished alumni, among them professional athletes, inventors, actors, politicians, educators, entrepreneurs, authors, university and church presidents and scientists. The names that follow (alphabetically) belong to some of the most recognizable public figures to attend the U.




  • Jamal Anderson,
    1999 NFL Pro Bowl, led NFC in rushing

  • Mike Anderson,
    2001 NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year

  • Rocky Anderson,
    former mayor of Salt Lake City

  • Alan Ashton,
    co-founder of WordPerfect Corp.

  • Zane Beadles,
    2014 Super Bowl starter, 2012 Pro Bowl

  • Terrel H. Bell,
    former U.S. Secretary of Education

  • Bob Bennett,
    former U.S. Senator

  • Andrew Bogut,
    2015 NBA champion with Golden State, No. 1 draft pick in 2005

  • Nolan Bushnell,
    co-founder of Atari and inventor of Pong

  • Orson Scott Card,
    award-winning science fiction author

  • Ron Carlson,
    award-winning fiction author



    • Ed Catmull,
    co-founder and president of Pixar, Disney Animation
  • Jim Clark,
    co-founder of Silicon Graphics, Netscape, WebMD



    • Stephen Covey,
    authored The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People
  • C.J. Cron,
    Los Angeles Angels 1B/DH, 2011 MLB first round draft pick



    • Keene Curtis,
    Tony Award winning actor
  • Andre Dyson,
    2006 Super Bowl starter

  • Kevin Dyson,
    “Music City Miracle” put Titans in 1999 Super Bowl

  • Spence Eccles,
    prominent financier and philanthropist

  • Larry EchoHawk,
    former head of the Bureau of Indian Affairs

  • LaVell Edwards (MS),
    former BYU football coach

  • Luther Elliss,
    two-time NFL Pro Bowler

  • Lily Eskelsen,
    vice president of the National Education Association

  • David Evans,
    groundbreaking computer scientist

  • Richard Paul Evans,
    authored best seller The Christmas Box

  • Arnie Ferrin,
    NBA, former Utah athletics director

  • Mark Fuller,
    president and CEO of WET Design

  • Jake Garn,
    former U.S. Senator

  • E. Gordon Gee,
    former president of Ohio State University

  • Larry Gluth,
    vice president with Habitat for Humanity

  • Bill Gore,
    inventor of Gore-Tex fabric

  • Henri Gouraud,
    computer scientist invented Gouraud shading

  • Jordan Gross,
    2004 Super Bowl starter and two-time Pro Bowl starter

  • Lee Grosscup,
    popularized “shovel pass,” former ABC football analyst

  • Ann Weaver Hart,
    21st president of University of Arizona

  • Gordon B. Hinckley,
    15th president of the Mormon Church



    • Jon. M. Huntsman Jr.
    former U.S. Ambassador to China, former governor of Utah
  • Mickey Ibarra,
    former White House director of intergovernmental affairs

  • Robert Jarvik,
    MD, inventor of the Jarvik-7 artificial heart

  • Alan C. Kay,
    innovator of overlapping windows concept for PCs

  • Frederick Kempe,
    president and CEO of the Atlantic Council

  • Kay Atkinson King,
    a director for the U.S. House of Representatives

  • Blaine Lindgren,
    Olympic silver medalist in track

  • Missy Marlowe,
    Olympic gymnast, NCAA champion



    • J. Willard Marriott,
    founder of Marriott International Inc.


    Bob McDonald,
    former chair, president and CEO of Proctor & Gamble
  • David O. McKay,
    ninth president of the Mormon Church

  • Andre Miller,
    ranks in the NBA’s top 10 in career assists

  • Wat Misaka,
    only Japanese-American to play in the NBA

  • Leilani Mitchell,
    WNBA starting point guard, currently with Phoenix

  • Charles K. Monfort,
    owner/general partner of the Colorado Rockies

  • Thomas S. Monson,
    16th president of the Mormon Church

  • John Naisbett,
    author of the bestseller Megatrends

  • David Neeleman,
    founder and former CEO of JetBlue Airways

  • John C. Nelson,
    MD, advisor to the National Institutes of Health

  • Martin Newell,
    computer scientist invented the Utah teapot

  • John Nogawski,
    former president and COO for CBS TV distribution

  • Raymond Noorda,
    former president, CEO and chair of Novell Inc.

  • Jody Olsen,
    former deputy director of the Peace Corps

  • Martha Raddatz,
    chief foreign correspondent for ABC News

  • Simon Ramo,
    scientist developed the intercontinental ballistic missile

  • Calvin Rampton,
    Utah’s only three-term governor



    • Holly Rowe,
    ESPN sideline reporter and play-by-play
  • John W. Ryan,
    former president of Indiana University

  • Cecil O. Samuelson,
    12th president of Brigham Young University



    • George Seifert,
    former NFL coach won two Super Bowls
  • Rocco Siciliano,
    special assistant to President Eisenhower

  • Alex Smith,
    No. 1 NFL draft pick in 2005, 2014 Pro Bowl

  • Sean Smith,
    NFL starter for the Kansas City Chiefs

  • Steve Smith,
    five-time Pro Bowler led NFL in receiving in 2005

  • Wallace Stegner,
    Pulitzer Prize winning author

  • Jane Summerhays,
    Tony Award-nominated actress

  • Laurel Thatcher,
    Pulitzer Prize-winning historian

  • Keith Van Horn,
    No. 2 NBA draft pick averaged 16 pts in 10-year career

  • Olene Walker,
    first woman governor of Utah

  • John Warnock,
    co-founder of Adobe Systems Inc.

  • Eric Weddle,
    five-time All-Pro safety for NFL’s San Diego Chargers

  • Brad Wilkins,
    architect of the world’s tallest building, the Burj Khalifa of Dubai

  • Terry Tempest Williams,
    author and environmentalist

  • Larry Wilson,
    NFL Pro Football Hall of Fame

  • Evelyn Wood,
    speed reading innovator

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