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

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 six medals (four gold, and two bronze) in 11 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
 * 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

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