List of people from Toledo, Ohio

Art Tatum, at the Vogue Room, New York (between 1946 and 1948)

The city of Toledo, Ohio, the largest city and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, is the birthplace and home of several notable individuals. This is a list of people from Toledo, Ohio and includes people that were born or lived in Toledo, Ohio and the surrounding area. Individuals included in this listing are people presumed to be notable because they have received significant coverage in reliable sources that are independent of the subject.

This is a dynamic list and may never be able to satisfy particular standards for completeness. You can help by adding missing items with reliable sources.

Arts and entertainment

Architecture and design

• Norman Bel Geddes – industrial designer, Hollywood set designer, noted modernist architect
• Lutah Maria Riggs – architect, known for her work in Santa Barbara, California

Art

• Richard DeVore – ceramic artist
• Sheree Hovsepian – Iranian-American collage artist and photographer, raised in Toledo.
• Joseph Kosuth – conceptual artist
• Paul Timman – Hollywood tattoo artist
• Israel Abramofsky – modern artist

Journalism

Gloria Steinem, pictured here in 1972, is a feminist icon.

• Emily St. John Bouton – journalist, author, educator
• Amy Braunschweiger – freelance journalist for The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal
• Christine Brennan – USA Today sports columnist; ESPN, ABC, and NPR sports analyst; author of seven books
• Janet Cooke – disgraced journalist, forced to return a Pulitzer Prize for a fabricated story
• Steve Hartman – CBS News reporter
• Louise Markscheffel – journalist, editor, critic
• David Ross Locke – journalist and political commentator during American Civil War under pen name Petroleum V. Nasby
• Claudia Quigley Murphy – journalist, economic consultant, advisory counsel, author
• P. J. O'Rourke – political satirist, journalist, writer
• Gloria Steinem – founder of Ms.; feminist icon; journalist; women's rights advocate

Literature and poetry

• Mildred Benson – author of the original books in the Nancy Drew series
• Michael Brooks – historian and journalist
• Leah Marie Brown - journalist and bestselling novelist
• Paul Laurence Dunbar – poet, originally from Dayton, Ohio
• Edward Eager – author of children's books
• Louis Effler – medical writer and doctor
• Mari Evans – author, dramatist
• Margaret Wynne Lawless (1847–1926) – poet, author, educator, philanthropist
• Christopher Moore – novelist
• Scott Nearing – conservationist, peace activist, educator, writer
• Allen Saunders – cartoonist, creator of Mary Worth and Steve Roper comic strips
• Scott Smith – novelist, author of A Simple Plan and The Ruins
• Mildred D. Taylor – author of various novels concerning race relations, particularly Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry and its sequels
• Elizabeth Witherell – editor-in-chief of The Writings of Henry D. Thoreau

Modeling

• Runa Lucienne – model, actress, social media influencer
• Cynthia Myers – Playboy Playmate, model, actress
• Jan Roberts – Playboy Playmate, model

Music

Tom Scholz is the founder of the 1970s rock band Boston.

• Rance Allen – gospel singer
• Anita Baker – R&B singer, eight-time Grammy Award winner
• Crystal Bowersox – singer-songwriter
• Teresa Brewer – singer and actress
• Chris Byrd – gospel singer
• Stanley Cowell – pianist, composer
• Citizen – rock band
• Larry Fuller – jazz pianist
• Jon Hendricks – member of the jazz group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross
• Chester "Lyfe" Jennings – singer
• Johnny and the Hurricanes – rock band
• Koufax – alternative rock band
• Lollipop Lust Kill – heavy metal/alternative band
• Gary Louris – singer and guitarist for The Jayhawks
• Shirley Murdock – R&B singer
• Helen O'Connell – singer and TV personality
• Frank Proffitt – banjoist
• Jim Riggs – musician and music educator, University of North Texas Regents Professor Emeritus of Music
• Sanctus Real – Christian rock band
• Tom Scholz – founder of 1970s rock group Boston
• Scott Shriner – bassist of the rock band Weezer
• Ruby Starr – rock singer
• Static Rituals – alternative rock band
• Statik Link (member, Josh Andres) – electronic music producer
• Stylex – electroclash/new wave band
• Art Tatum – jazz pianist, recipient of Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award
• This Beautiful Republic – Christian rock band
• Cecile Vashaw, composer and music educator
• We are the Fury – alternative rock band
• Mary Zilba – singer

Theater and film

Jamie Farr played Maxwell Klinger on the long-running TV series M*A*S*H.

• Dusty Anderson – actress and model
• Cliff Arquette – actor, comedian, grandfather of David, Patricia, Alexis, and Rosanna Arquette
• Jonathan Bennett – film actor
• Casey Biggs – actor
• William Blinn – screenwriter of Purple Rain, Roots, Fame, Brian's Song and Eight Is Enough.
• Pat Brady – actor, born Robert Ellsworth Patrick Aloysious
• Lizze Broadway – film and television actress
• Joe E. Brown – actor, comedian
• Daws Butler – voice actor, voice of Yogi Bear, Huckleberry Hound
• Jason Cameron – actor, television presenter, model
• John Cromwell – actor, film producer and director, father of James Cromwell
• Jason Dohring – actor
• Robert Drew – director and pioneer of cinéma-verité
• Dominick Evans – filmmaker and activist
• Jamie Farr – actor
• Teresa Ganzel – actress
• Philip Baker Hall – actor
• Sandy Helberg – film and television actor
• Katie Holmes – actress
• Rich Iott – television and film producer
• Eric Kripke – television writer, director, and producer
• Otto Kruger – actor
• Lenore Lonergan – actress
• Phyllis Welch MacDonald – actress
• Brent Miller – film and television producer
• Shirley Mitchell – radio and television actress
• Cassie Okenka – Broadway actress
• Adrianne Palicki – film and television actress
• Kate Shindle – Broadway actress
• Robert B. Sinclair – film and theater director
• Alyson Stoner – actress and dancer
• Lloyd Thaxton – producer, director, writer, hosted self-titled TV show in 1960s
• Danny Thomas – actor, comedian, singer and father of Marlo Thomas
• Bonnie Turner – creator of That '70s Show and 3rd Rock from the Sun
• Derek Westerman – film director, screenwriter, and producer
• Afton Williamson – television and film actress

Government

• Stephen Bolles – U.S. Representative from Wisconsin
• Walter Folger Brown – former Postmaster General of the United States
• Doug Ducey – Arizona Secretary of the Treasury, then Governor
• Ernest E. Debs – Los Angeles City Council member and county supervisor, born in Toledo
• Thomas Francis Ford – member of the U.S. Congress, elected to Los Angeles City Council by write-in vote
• Samuel M. Jones – Mayor 1897-1904
• Marcy Kaptur – U.S. Representative for Ohio's 9th congressional district
• Kristina Keneally – Premier of New South Wales, Australia
• Daniel Poneman – former U.S. Deputy Secretary of Energy
• Natalie Price – member of the Michigan House of Representatives
• Stephanie Rader – OSS spy in WWII
• Jason Sheppard – member of the Michigan House of Representatives
• Brand Whitlock – Mayor and U.S. Ambassador to Belgium during World War I

Business

• Doug Dohring – former CEO and co-founder of Neopets
• Martin Frankel – former financier convicted in 2002 of insurance fraud, racketeering and money laundering
• Edward Drummond Libbey – glassmaker, philanthropist

Science and technology

NASA flight director Gene Kranz

• Eugene F. "Gene" Kranz – retired NASA flight director who served during the Gemini and Apollo space programs, known for his role in the rescue of Apollo 13
• Lyman Spitzer Jr. – theoretical physicist, astronomer, driving force behind the Hubble Space Telescope
• Michael S. Witherell – particle physicist, former director of Fermilab, and presently director of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
• Jeff Kummer - Discovered the human bodies Inner-Radial Magnetism.

Sports

Baseball

• A.J. Achter – (b. 1988) is a college baseball coach and former MLB baseball pitcher.
• Roger Bresnahan – (1879–1944), nicknamed "The Duke of Tralee" Baseball Hall of Fame member; who played for the New York Giants and also owned Toledo Mud Hens
• Stan Clarke – (b. 1960) is a former pitcher in Major League Baseball.
• Gene Cook – (1932–2002)longtime executive of Toledo Mud Hens, International League Hall of Fame member
• Jack Hallett – (1914–1982) was a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for Chicago White Sox, Pittsburgh Pirates, and New York Giants
• Terry Harmon – (b. 1944) is a former professional baseball player who played for Philadelphia Phillies
• Brad Hennessey – (b. 1980) is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played for San Francisco Giants
• Addie Joss – (1880–1911), nicknamed "the Human Hairpin" was a Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher. He pitched for Cleveland Naps
• Jim Joyce – (b. 1955) is a former professional baseball umpire.
• Bill Laskey – (b. 1957) is a former professional baseball pitcher who played San Francisco Giants.
• Jim Leyland – (b. 1944) is a former professional baseball player, coach and manager. He serves as a special assistant to the Detroit Tigers.
• Zach McClellan – (b. 1978) is a former professional baseball pitcher who played for the Colorado Rockies.
• Bob Meyer – (b. 1939) is a former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for New York Yankees, Milwaukee Brewers.
• Doug Mientkiewicz – (b. 1974) is a retired professional baseball player, who also served as the manager for the Toledo Mud Hens. He is one of five American players to win both an Olympic gold medal and a World Series championship.
• George Mullin - (1880–1944), known by the nickname "Wabash George", was a baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers
• Lee Richmond – (1857–1929) was an American pitcher in Major League Baseball. pitched first perfect game in MLB history.
• Ron Rightnowar – (b. 1964) is a former major league baseball player who played for Milwaukee Brewers.

Basketball

• John Amaechi – NBA player

• 

  Zia Cooke

  Sonny Boswell - Inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, class of 2022
• William Buford - Ohio Mr. Basketball in 2008. Currently playing for Darüşşafaka Tekfen
• Don Donoher – University of Dayton head coach
• Don Collins – NBA player
• L. J. Cooke – first men's basketball head coach for Minnesota Golden Gophers
• Zia Cooke – WNBA player
• Duke Cumberland – Harlem Globetrotter
• Don Donoher – head coach & athletic director for Dayton Flyers men's basketball; College Basketball Hall of Famer
• Bob Harrison – NBA player
• Nigel Hayes – player with Los Angeles Lakers
• Dennis Hopson – NBA player
• Melvin Newbern – NBA player
• Natasha Howard – WNBA player
• Jim Jackson – NBA player; olympic bronze medalist (1991 Pan American Games); analyst for Big Ten Network & Fox Sports 1
• Bill Jones – one of the first African-American players in NBL history
• Howard "Butch" Komives – NBA player
• Todd Mitchell – NBA player
• Steve Mix – NBA player
• Tony Peyton – last of the original Harlem Globetrotters; one of the first African-American players in NBL history
• Walt Piatkowski – ABA player
• Kelvin Ransey – NBA player
• Brian Roberts – NBA & international basketball player
• Paul Seymour – NBA player; All-Star Game head coach (1961)
• Jae'Sean Tate – NBA player

Football

Fred Davis played tight end for the Washington Redskins.

• Tom Amstutz - head coach for University of Toledo Rockets
• JoJuan Armour - NFL player (safety); CFL (linebacker)
• Travis Baltz - NFL player (punter for Indianapolis Colts, New York Jets)
• Myron Bell - NFL player (safety for Pittsburgh Steelers, Cincinnati Bengals)
• Gerald (Jerry) Blanton - NFL player (linebacker for Kansas City Chiefs)
• Sam Brandon - NFL player (safety for Denver Broncos)
• Bob Briggs - AFL and NFL player (lineman for San Diego Chargers, Cleveland Browns, Kansas City Chiefs)
• Khary Campbell - NFL player (linebacker for New York Jets, Washington Redskins); Bowling Green player
• Jalil Carter - NFL player (cornerback for St. Louis Rams, Minnesota Vikings); CFL player (cornerback for Toronto Argonauts)
• Bob Chappuis - AAFC quarterback; University of Michigan player; College Football Hall of Famer
• Rob Chudzinski - NFL player and coach, former Cleveland Browns head coach
• Don Coleman - NFL player for New Orleans Saints, New York Jets
• Marvin Crenshaw - NFL player (offensive tackle for Pittsburgh Steelers
• Frank Culver - NFL player for Buffalo All-Americans, Rochester Jeffersons, Canton Bulldogs
• Fred Davis - NFL player (tight end for New England Patriots, Washington Redskins); USC player
• Ray DiPierro - NFL player (guard for Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints)
• Matt Eberflus - head coach of Chicago Bears
• Brandon Fields - NFL player (punter for Miami Dolphins)
• Todd France - NFL player (kicker for Philadelphia Eagles, Tampa Bay Buccaneers); University of Toledo player
• Jon Giesler - NFL player (offensive tackle for Miami Dolphins)
• Al Hadden - NFL player for Providence Steam Roller, Chicago Bears
• Jim Harbaugh - NFL quarterback, head coach University of Michigan, Stanford, San Francisco 49ers
• John Harbaugh - head coach of Baltimore Ravens
• Willie Harper - NFL player (defensive end for San Francisco 49ers); two Super Bowls; first-team All-American for Nebraska
• Stan Heath - NFL player (quarterback for Green Bay Packers); CFL player for Calgary Stampeders
• Marty Huff - NFL player (linebacker for San Francisco 49ers); CFL player for Edmonton Eskimos; WFL player for Charlotte Hornets
• Kareem Hunt - NFL player (running back for Kansas City Chiefs); University of Toledo player
• Curtis Johnson - NFL player (defensive back for Miami Dolphins)
• Dick Kazmaier - Princeton football player, 1951 Heisman Trophy winner
• DeShone Kizer - NFL player (quarterback for Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Browns); Notre Dame player
• Jerry Krall - NFL player (halfback/defensive back for Detroit Lions)
• Roy Kurrasch - NFL player (end for Pittsburgh Steelers)
• Jeremy Lincoln - NFL player (defensive back for New York Giants, Chicago Bears)
• Mel Long - NFL player (defensive lineman for Cleveland Browns); first-team All-American for Toledo; College Football Hall of Famer
• Ron McDole - NFL player (defensive end for Buffalo Bills, Washington Redskins)
• Jack Mewhort - NFL player (offensive guard for Indianapolis Colts)
• Urban Meyer - head coach of Jacksonville Jaguars, Ohio State, Bowling Green, Utah, Florida
• Bob Momsen - NFL player (guard, linebacker for Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers)
• Tony Momsen - NFL player (center, linebacker for Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins); CFL player for Calgary Stampeders
• Roosevelt Nix - NFL player (defensive end for Cincinnati Bengals, Minnesota Vikings)
• Storm Norton - NFL player (offensive tackle for Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, Minnesota Vikings)
• Bill Orwig - head coach for University of Toledo Rockets
• Eric Page - NFL player (wide receiver/punt returner for Denver Broncos, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; University of Toledo player
• Gerry Palmer - CFL player for Winnipeg Blue Bombers, BC Lions; University of Toledo player
• Jim Parker - NFL player (offensive tackle for Baltimore Colts); College Football and Pro Football Hall of Famer
• Shea Patterson - college football player (quarterback for University of Michigan)
• Frank Pauly - NFL player (tackle for Chicago Bears)
• Boni Petcoff - NFL player (tackle for Columbus Tigers); head coach for University of Toledo Rockets
• Damond Powell - NFL football (wide receiver for Arizona Cardinals)
• Bryan Robinson - NFL player (defensive tackle for Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, Chicago Bears, St. Louis Rams)
• Ryne Robinson - NFL player for Carolina Panthers, former Miami University player
• James O. Rodgers - head coach for Yale
• Jim Root (gridiron football) - NFL player (quarterback for Chicago Cardinals); head coach for New Hampshire, William & Mary
• Dane Sanzenbacher - NFL player (wide receiver for Cincinnati Bengals), Ohio State player
• Eddie Scharer - NFL player for Detroit Panthers, Pottsville Maroons, Detroit Wolverines
• Warren Schmakel - head coach for Central Michigan, Boston University
• Bob Snyder - NFL player for Chicago Bears; three-time NFL champion; head coach for Los Angeles Rams, Toledo Rockets
• Bob Spitulski - NFL player (linebacker for Seattle Seahawks, St. Louis Rams)
• Clint Stickdorn - NFL player (offensive tackle for Detroit Lions); University of Cincinnati player
• Dick Strahm - College Football Hall of Famer; head coach for University of Findlay
• Fred Sturt - NFL player for Washington Redskins, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints; Bowling Green player
• Dick Szymanski - NFL player (center/guard for Baltimore Colts; 3-time NFL champion & Pro-Bowl player
• Chester Taylor - NFL player (running back for Minnesota Vikings); University of Toledo player
• Joe Tiller - head coach for Purdue, Wyoming
• Rick Upchurch - NFL player (wide receiver for Denver Broncos), 5-time All-Pro selection
• Doc Urich - head coach for Buffalo, Northern Illinois
• Eddie Usher - NFL player for Green Bay Packers
• Dick Vick - NFL player for Kenosha Maroons, Detroit Panthers, Canton Bulldogs
• Rick Volk - NFL player (safety for Baltimore Colts, New York Giants, Miami Dolphins; Super Bowl champion
• Nate Washington - NFL player (wide receiver for Pittsburgh Steelers, Tennessee Titans); 2-time Super Bowl champion
• Chuck Webb - NFL player (running back for Green Bay Packers)
• Ivy Williamson - head coach for Wisconsin
• Heath Wingate - NFL player (center for Washington Redskins; Bowling Green player
• Chris Wormley - NFL player (defensive end for Baltimore Ravens, Pittsburgh Steelers)
• Ernie Wright - NFL player (tackle for Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers, Cincinnati Bengals)

Ice hockey

• Cecil Dillon – NHL player
• Rick Hayward – NHL player
• Pat Jablonski – NHL goaltender
• Bryan Smolinski – NHL player

Golf

• John Cook - PGA Tour golfer
• Arthur Hills - golf course designer
• Stacy Lewis - LPGA Tour golfer, winner of 2013 Women's British Open
• Pat Lindsey - PGA Tour golfer; winner of 1983 B.C. Open
• Byron Nelson - PGA Tour golfer; World Golf Hall of Fame member; former Inverness Club pro
• Frank Stranahan - PGA Tour golfer; British Open and Masters runner-up; weightlifter
• A. W. Tillinghast - golf course designer

Wrestling and boxing

• Jared Anderson (boxer) professional boxer, heavyweight contender
• Robert Easter Jr. – professional boxer, IBF lightweight world champion
• Mark Kerr – Syracuse University Division I champion, US Senior Champion, professional mixed martial arts fighter
• Wilbert McClure – gold medalist in boxing in 1960 Summer Olympics
• Sawyer Fulton – professional Wrestler, Former WWE Wrestler, Current IMPACT Wrestling Superstar
• Devin Vargas – professional boxer, former Olympian
• Greg Wojciechowski – 1980 Olympic wrestler, unable to compete due to U.S. boycott; alternate in 1984 and 1988
• Sonny Fredrickson – professional boxer
• Trey Miguel – Current IMPACT Wrestling Superstar, current X Division Champion

Other sports

• Gretchen Bleiler – silver medalist at 2006 Turin Olympics in snowboarding; three-time X Games champion (2003, 2005, 2008)
• Paul Chamberlin – professional tennis player
• Edmund Coffin – saddle maker, equestrian Olympic gold medalist
• Terry Cook – driver in the NASCAR Camping World Truck Series
• Iggy Katona – ARCA and NASCAR driver
• Erik Kynard – silver medalist in men's high jump at 2012 London Olympics
• Brenda Morehead – 100 meter sprinter, competed in 1976 Montreal Olympics. Graduate of Toledo Scott
• Frances Schroth – swimmer, winner of one gold and two bronze medals in 1920 Olympic Games
• Angela Yeo - professional bodybuilder

Other notables

• Henry Noble MacCracken – longtime president of Vassar College, a founder of Sarah Lawrence College
• Ernest M. McSorley – captain of the ill-fated lake freighter SS Edmund Fitzgerald
• Selma Rubin – environmental activist based in Santa Barbara, California
• Rosa L. Segur – suffragist
• Ella P. Stewart – pharmacist (one of the first black female pharmacists in the United States), civic leader, and philanthropist.

See also

• List of mayors of Toledo, Ohio
• List of people from Ohio