List of Bowling Green State University alumni

This is a list of notable people associated with Bowling Green State University, located in the American city of Bowling Green, Ohio.

Authors and writers

 * Fernando Alegría, Chilean poet
 * Tony Ardizzone, novelist
 * James Baldwin, author, poet (writer in residence)
 * Matt Bell, Author
 * Mary Biddinger, poet
 * Philana Marie Boles, author of Glitz, Little Divas, In the Paint, and Blame It on Eve
 * James Carlos Blake, author
 * Craig Brass, author, writer
 * Scott Cairns, poet
 * Gary Cohn, Comic book writer
 * Jennifer Crusie, writer
 * Jim Daniels, poet and writer
 * Tom De Haven, writer
 * Anthony Doerr, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer
 * Frank Dungan, television producer and writer
 * Edmundo Farolan, author and actor
 * David Feldman, author of Imponderables
 * Robert Ferrigno, writer
 * Carolyn Forche, writer
 * Charles Fort, poet
 * Sally Miller Gearhart, Science fiction writer, women's studies pioneer, and early gay rights activist.
 * Diana Pavlac Glyer, Author and expert on J. R. R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and the Inklings.
 * Darrell Hamamoto, writer
 * Joseph D. Haske, author
 * Alan Heathcock, fiction writer
 * Steve Heller, fiction author
 * Brad Hurtado, Television producer


 * Jack LoGiudice, Television writer and producer
 * Sandra Markle, Children's book author* Susan Neville, short story writer
 * Charles Nicol, Writer, expert on Vladimir Nabokov
 * Ty Pak, Korean American author
 * William Patrick Patterson, author and fourth way teacher
 * Barbara Paul, author
 * James Purdy, author
 * Arnold Rampersad, Pulitzer Prize-nominated author
 * Terry Ryan, writer
 * Marc Sumerak, Freelance writer, often works on Marvel Comics series.
 * Jean Thompson, fiction writer
 * Anne Valente, author
 * Allen Wier, author
 * Dara Wier, poet
 * Kayla Williams, linguist and author
 * Theresa Williams, writer

Actors

 * Lexi Allen, singer, actress, television personality
 * Bernie Casey, former professional football player, actor, and visual artist
 * Tim Conway, Emmy Award-winning actor
 * Robert Patrick, actor
 * James Pickens, Jr., actor
 * Eva Marie Saint, Academy Award-winning actress
 * Quinton Flynn, voice actor
 * Ron Sweed, television actor
 * Frank Dungan, television producer and Primetime Emmy Award winner
 * Kathia Rodriguez, actress
 * Matt Zimmerman, actor
 * Ric Reitz, actors
 * Ransford Asante

Musicians and composers

 * Ray Davis, Bass singer and founding member of The Parliaments
 * Bob Hartman, Christian rock artist and founder of the band Petra
 * Jennifer Higdon, Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning classical music composer
 * Ric Ocasek, rhythm guitarist and songwriter for The Cars
 * James Swearingen concert band literature composer
 * John Douglas, conductor
 * Chris Castle, folk musician
 * Hildward Croes, Aruban musician
 * Tim Hagans, jazz musician
 * Marian McPartland, jazz musician
 * Uzee Brown Jr, composer
 * David Conte, composer
 * Joseph Dangerfield, composer
 * Minnita Daniel-Cox, Soprano
 * Griffen Palmer, country singer-songwriter
 * Rich Perry, jazz musician
 * William Takacs, musician
 * Mildred Miller, Mezzo-soprano, received an honorary degree
 * Bill Randle, DJ, received an honorary doctorate
 * Eglė Janulevičiūtė, Lithuanian classical pianist
 * Michael Holmes, saxophonist

Artists

 * Jason Nelson, pioneering net artist, digital poet
 * Barbara Bosworth, large format photographer
 * Tim McCreight, metal smith
 * Douglas Steakley, metal smith and photographer. Winner of the 2003 Ansel Adams Award for Conservation Photography.
 * William Silvers, Wildlife artist, painter for Walt Disney, Industrial Light and Magic, Sony Pictures, DreamWorks, and Warner Brothers.
 * Robert Archambeau, ceramic artist. Worked in the studio of Jun Kaneko. Colleague of painter Don Reichert
 * Tony Kern, film director, directed A Month of Hungry Ghosts
 * Rick Valicenti, graphic designer
 * Kathrine Baumann, handbag designer, model, and actress
 * Ed Sayles, Theater director
 * Dominick Labino, glass artist, scientist, honorary doctorate
 * George O. Hughes, painter, poet, performance artist

Dancers

 * Mary Jo Freshley, Korean dance instructor at University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
 * Judson Laipply, creator of the "Evolution of Dance"

Olympians

 * Rob Blake, Hall of Fame ice hockey player, won Stanley Cup in 2001; three-time member of the Canadian Olympic hockey team, winning a gold medal in 2002
 * Scott Hamilton, professional figure skater and Olympic gold medalist
 * Ken Morrow, former professional ice hockey player and member of the 1980 USA Olympic Hockey team
 * Mark Wells, former professional ice hockey player and member of the 1980 USA Olympic Hockey team
 * Dave Wottle, Won an Olympic gold medal for the 800 meter run at the 1972 Summer Olympics
 * Margarita Kalmikova, two time Olympian swimmer from Latvia

Soccer

 * Dennis Mepham, former professional soccer player for the Cleveland Force (1978–1988)
 * Dana Veth, former professional soccer player
 * Bud Lewis, former professional soccer player and head coach at Wilmington College between 1975 and 2017

Basketball

 * Harold Anderson, former college basketball coach; Basketball Hall of Fame member
 * Antonio Daniels, professional basketball player currently with the Texas Legends
 * Richaun Holmes, professional basketball player for the Sacramento Kings
 * Keith McLeod, professional basketball player currently with BC Kalev/Cramo
 * Jay Larranaga, professional basketball player, member of Ireland basketball team
 * Howard Komives, former professional basketball player, New York Knicks, Detroit Pistons, Buffalo Braves, Kansas City Kings
 * Isaac Rosefelt (born 1985), American-Israeli basketball player for Hapoel Jerusalem in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
 * Nate Thurmond, former professional basketball player; seven-time NBA All-Star; member of the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame; named one of the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History
 * Bob Hill, professional basketball coach
 * Tom Collen, collegiate basketball coach
 * Tom Hancock, basketball coach
 * Steve Merfeld, basketball coach
 * Charlie Parker, basketball coach
 * Richard Skeel, basketball coach

Baseball

 * Larry Arndt, infielder for the Oakland Athletics; BGSU Baseball Hall of Fame member
 * Burke Badenhop, former MLB pitcher
 * Doug Bair, former professional baseball player
 * Jim Joyce, former MLB umpire
 * Nolan Reimold, former MLB baseball player
 * Andy Tracy, former professional baseball player; current manager for the Williamsport Crosscutters of the New York–Penn League
 * Orel Hershiser, former professional baseball player, currently an analyst for the Los Angeles Dodgers,
 * Roger McDowell, former professional baseball player and coach
 * Chet Trail, former professional baseball player
 * Jon Berti, professional baseball player currently with the Miami Marlins

Football

 * Martin Bayless, former professional football player
 * Khary Campbell, former professional football player
 * Jeff Groth, former professional football player
 * Jeff Genyk, current tight ends coach and special teams coordinator for the University of Wisconsin football team
 * Vince Villanucci, former professional football player
 * Phil Villapiano, former professional football player; four-time Pro Bowler
 * Mike Weger, former professional football player
 * Charlie Williams, former professional football player
 * Doug Smith, former professional football player
 * Fred Sturt, former professional football player
 * Shaun Suisham, professional football player currently with the Pittsburgh Steelers
 * Scott Mruczkowski, professional football player
 * Don Nehlen, former player who became a highly successful coach at West Virginia University and college football hall of fame member
 * Doyt Perry, former college football coach and college football hall of fame member
 * Dave Preston, former professional football player
 * Bob Schnelker, former professional football player
 * Bob Reynolds, former professional football player
 * Jamie Rivers, former professional football player
 * Kory Lichtensteiger, professional football player currently with the Washington Redskins
 * Chris Jones, professional football player with the New England Patriots
 * Josh Harris, professional football player, last with the New York Giants
 * Omar Jacobs, professional football player currently with the Jacksonville Sharks of the Arena Football League
 * Dean Pees, NFL Defensive Coordinator
 * Bob Seaman, football coach
 * Bob Wolfe, football coach
 * Joe Green, former professional player for the New York Giants
 * Robert Redd, professional football player
 * Kevin O'Brien, former professional football player
 * Kamar Jorden, professional football player currently with the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League
 * Scotty Miller, professional football player, Super Bowl LV champion
 * Quintin Morris, professional football player currently with the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League
 * Karl Brooks, professional football player currently with the Green Bay Packers of the National Football League

Hockey

 * Kevin Bieksa, professional ice hockey player currently with the Anaheim Ducks
 * Aris Brimanis, professional ice hockey player currently with the Hannover Scorpions
 * Dan Bylsma, former professional ice hockey player and current head coach of the Buffalo Sabres
 * Gino Cavallini, former professional hockey player, scorer for the Falcons NCAA National Championship, winning overtime goal
 * Greg de Vries, former professional ice hockey player, won Stanley Cup in 2001
 * Dave Ellett, former professional ice hockey player
 * Nelson Emerson, former professional ice hockey player
 * Alex Foster, professional ice hockey player
 * Mark Friedman (born 1995), NHL player
 * Garry Galley, former professional ice hockey player
 * Dan Kane, former professional ice hockey player
 * Ken Klee, former professional ice hockey player
 * Wayne Wilson, current Head Coach of the RIT Tigers men's hockey team
 * Paul Ysebaert, former professional ice hockey player
 * Mike Liut, former professional ice hockey player
 * Brian MacLellan, professional ice hockey player, won Stanley Cup in 1989; current General Manager of the Washington Capitals
 * Jon Matsumoto, professional hockey player currently with the San Jose Sharks
 * Dan Sexton, professional ice hockey player currently with the Tampa Bay Lightning
 * Jordan Sigalet, former professional ice hockey player; currently the goaltending coach for the Calgary Flames of the National Hockey League
 * Jonathan Sigalet, professional ice hockey player playing for Brynäs IF in the Swedish Hockey League
 * George McPhee, former professional ice hockey player, Hobey Baker Award winner, General Manager of NHL's Vegas Golden Knights and former GM of Washington Capitals
 * Todd Reirden, former professional ice hockey player and current head coach for the Washington Capitals; won Stanley Cup in 2018
 * Brian Holzinger, former professional ice hockey player and Hobey Baker Award winner
 * Mike Johnson, former professional ice hockey player, currently an analyst for the NHL Network, and TSN and color commentator for the Winnipeg Jets
 * Andrew Hammond, professional ice hockey player
 * Brian Hills, former professional ice hockey player, current associate head coach of the RIT Tigers men's hockey team

Other

 * Alissa Czisny, figure skater and 2009 US Figure Skating National Champion
 * Mike McCullough, professional golfer
 * Nick Mileti, former owner of Cleveland Cavaliers, Cleveland Indians, Cleveland Crusaders, and writer of Closet Italians
 * Kurt Weaver, Rugby match official

Royalty

 * Benson Akinruntan, son of Fredrick Obateru Akinruntan, a Nigerian Monarch

Ambassadors

 * Daniel Ayalon, former Israeli ambassador to the U.S.
 * Leonardo Neher, US Ambassador to Upper Volta

Judicial

 * James Henry Gorbey, United States federal judge
 * John R. Adams, federal judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
 * Brenda Hollis, Chief persecutor in the Special Court for Sierra Leone
 * Sara Elizabeth Lioi, United States District Judge
 * James H. Wakatsuki, Justice of the Supreme Court of Hawaii
 * James R. Knepp II, United States District Judge

Activists

 * Baldemar Velasquez, labor activist, received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters
 * Sam Pollock, labor activist, did not graduate
 * Dominick Evans, activist, transferred to Wright State
 * Hiroko Nakamoto, Hiroshima survivor, Interior Designer, Author and Peace Activist.

Politicians

 * Pierre-Célestin Rwigema, 7th Prime Minister of Rwanda
 * Edmond Spaho, Democratic Party of Albania MP
 * Elizabeth M. Boyer, lawyer, writer, publisher, and feminist founder of WEAL
 * Dan Greenberg, former politician, Heritage Foundation analyst, and writer for Cato Institute. Leader of the Advance Arkansas Institute
 * Nick Licata, Seattle politician and activist
 * Robin Weirauch, politician
 * Mike Reichenbach, South Carolina politician

United States Congress

 * Tom Luken, former Mayor of Cincinnati, Ohio and U.S. Congressional Representative (D-OH)
 * Gene Krebs, former Ohio State Representative (R-OH, 1993–2000)
 * Bob Latta, U.S. Congressional Representative (R-OH)
 * Tim Ryan, U.S. Congressional Representative (D-OH)
 * Robert P. Hanrahan, former U.S. Congressional Representative (R-IL)

City government

 * Hou Chong-wen, Deputy Mayor of Chiayi City, Taiwan
 * Kathy Sheehan, Mayor of Albany, New York (D)
 * Don Plusquellic, 59th mayor of Akron, Ohio
 * Paul Muenzer, former Mayor of Naples, Florida (1992–1996)
 * Janeé Ayers, labor organizer, member of the Detroit city council.
 * Sandi Jackson, Chicago Alderman

State of Ohio government

 * Betty Montgomery, former Ohio Attorney General and State Auditor (R)
 * Scott Nein, former Republican member of the Ohio General Assembly.
 * Bruce Johnson, 63rd Lieutenant governor of Ohio.

Ohio House of Representatives

 * Tim Brown, former Republican member of the Ohio House of Representative
 * Chris Redfern, former Ohio state Representative and former chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party (D)
 * Charles Kurfess, former member of the Ohio House of Representatives and judge.
 * Douglas Swearingen, Jr., Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives and former baseball player.
 * Derek Merrin, Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives.
 * Rex Damschroder, former Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives.
 * Bruce Goodwin, former Republican member of the Ohio House of Representatives.
 * Terry Boose, former Republican Member of the Ohio House of Representatives.
 * Robin Belcher, former Democrat member of the Ohio House of Representatives
 * Charlie Earl, former Ohio state representative, Libertarian candidate in the 2014 Ohio gubernatorial election

Ohio Senate

 * Randy Gardner, Ohio state senator (R) and Chancellor of the Ohio Department of Higher Education
 * Theresa Gavarone, Republican member of the Ohio Senate.
 * M. Ben Gaeth, former member of the Ohio Senate.
 * Steve Buehrer, former member of the Ohio Senate and former director of the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation
 * Kevin Coughlin, former Republican member of the Ohio Senate.

Other state governments

 * Arnold E. Brown, first African American elected to represent Bergen County in the New Jersey Legislature.
 * John Villapiano, former Democrat member of the New Jersey General Assembly and former professional football player
 * Sue Rocca, former republican member of the Michigan House of Representatives.
 * Tal Hutchins, Democrat member of the West Virginia House of Delegates
 * Tim Berry, Indiana State Auditor (R)
 * Dan Carter, State Representative, Connecticut 2nd Assembly District

News

 * Beth Macy, journalist and non-fiction writer. Author of Truevine
 * Karen T. Borchers, former photojournalist for The Mercury News. Shared a Pulitzer Prize for covering the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake
 * Ken W. Clawson, journalist and spokesman for President Richard Nixon
 * Jason Schmitt, journalist, director of Paywall: The Business of Scholarship
 * David Dietz, science journalist, 1937 Pulitzer Prize winner, honorary degree

Broadcast journalism

 * Leon Bibb, WEWS news anchor
 * Wilma Smith, former television anchor. Lower Great Lakes Emmy Awards winner.
 * Herb Clarke, Weatherman
 * Steve Hartman, CBS News correspondent
 * Allison Payne, journalist and anchorwoman

Sports journalism

 * Jim Day, sportscaster
 * Steve Mason, sports journalist with ESPN
 * Grant Napear, sports journalist and former lacrosse player
 * Jason Jackson, ESPN sportscaster
 * Steve Mears, NHL Network sportscaster
 * Jay Crawford, ESPN sportscaster
 * Mike Emrick, NHL on NBC play-by-play announcer

Geology

 * Barbara Bedette, Paleontologist, cataloged 30,860 Cenozoic molluscs
 * Conrad Allen, geologist and inventor

Mathematics and statistics

 * Andrew Ogg, Mathematician, creator of Ogg's formula, and involved in the creation of the Grothendieck–Ogg–Shafarevich formula, and the Néron–Ogg–Shafarevich criterion.
 * Jie Chen, statistician with interdisciplinary biology research

Sociology

 * Howard E. Aldrich, Sociologist and business theorist
 * William Julius Wilson, University professor at Harvard, sociologist, and author. 80th president of the American Sociological Association. Advisor to Sudhir Venkatesh
 * Anthony Walsh, criminologist and author

Psychology

 * Russell Barkley, clinical psychologist
 * Ralph Blair, Psychotherapist and LGBT advocate
 * Charlie Reeve, Professor of psychology
 * J. Bruce Overmier, experimental psychologist

Biology

 * John E. Dohms, biologist specializing in avian disease Pathology. Was a member of the BGSU Lacrosse team.
 * William Eugene Evans, Marine biologist and 5th National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration president
 * Sally Rockey, Entomologist and former deputy director of the National Institutes of Health
 * Seymour Van Gundy, Nematologist
 * Dan O'Brien, Wildlife biologist and author

Technology

 * James G. Nell, electrical engineer involved in the development of GERAM.
 * George Sweigert, first inventor to patent the cordless telephone, radio engineer.
 * Jeremy Zawodny, computer technologist, MySQL promoter, Linux Magazine columnist.

Chemistry

 * John Michael Ramsey, analytical chemist specializing in Microfluidics and Nanofluidics.
 * Gary Keck, organic chemist specialized in synthesis of natural products. Developer of Keck asymmetric allylation.

Communications

 * Bradley S. Greenberg, communications theorist
 * Arthur P. Bochner, communications scholar
 * Joan Kaderavek, speech language pathologist
 * Suresh Canagarajah, Sri Lankan linguist specializing in Translanguaging and Linguistic imperialism

Economics

 * William Easterly, development economist, author of The Elusive Quest for Growth and The Tyranny of Experts.
 * Paul Chongkun Hong, professor of Operations Management

Political science

 * David J. Jackson, political scientist
 * W. Wesley McDonald, political scientist, author of Russell Kirk and the Age of Ideology

Business and philanthropy

 * Shantanu Narayen, CEO of Adobe Systems
 * Carole Kariuki, CEO of the Kenyan Private Sector Alliance
 * Otara Gunewardene, Sri Lankan and founder of Odel
 * Michael C. Heim, CIO of Eli Lilly and Company
 * Judith Craven, leadership roles in Luby's and Sysco
 * Deborah Thigpen, Entrepreneur and publicist.
 * Jeffrey Boutelle, CEO of Pharmavite

Historians

 * Robert Hugh Ferrell, historian focusing on World War I and American foreign policy.
 * Stanley Kutler, historian who sued for the release of tapes relating to Watergate
 * Robert L. Paquette, historian, cofounder of the Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Civilization
 * William J. Reese, Education historian
 * H. Micheal Tarver, Latin American historian; Commissioner on the Arkansas History Commission and the Arkansas Historical Records Advisory Board
 * Mary Beckinsale, Art historian, President Emeritus of Studio Arts College International, honorary degree

Military

 * John N. Abrams, four star general and commander of the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command
 * Niles Fulwyler, former US Army Major general and former commanding general of the White Sands Missile Range

Academic administrators

 * Victor Boschini, Chancellor of Texas Christian University
 * Adena Williams Loston, President of St. Philip's College, San Antonio, Texas. Former Chief Education Officer at NASA.
 * Dean L. Bresciani, President of North Dakota State University
 * Rosa Roberto Carter, former president of the University of Guam
 * Erma Johnson Hadley, first African American chancellor of Tarrant County College
 * Sarah Harder, feminist and former president of the American Association of University Women
 * Charles "Chuck" Johnson, President of Vincennes University
 * William N. Johnston, 16th president of Wesley College (Delaware)
 * Kathleen M. Murray, 14th president of Whitman College, 21st president of Hamline University, acting president of Macalester College
 * Jack Ohle, President of Gustavus Adolphus College
 * Everett Piper, former president of Oklahoma Wesleyan University and political columnist.

Other

 * Karen Sparka, Miss Ohio America 1972
 * Katherine Baumann, Miss Ohio America 1969
 * Peter Manto, bishop of the Reformed Episcopal Church's Diocese of the Central States
 * Robert Balling, climate change denier