List of South Dakota State University people

List of prominent alumni of South Dakota State University.

Academia, science, and technology

 * John Merton Aldrich (1888), zoologist, entomologist and curator of insects at the United States National Museum.
 * Stephen Foster Briggs (1907), inventor of the Briggs & Stratton engine
 * Theodore Schultz (1928), Economist, Nobel Laureate, 1979 Nobel Prize in Economics, and chair of Chicago School of Economics
 * Irwin Gunsalus, discovered lipoic acid, founder of United Nations International Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, and chair of National Academy of Sciences
 * Robert H. Burris (1936), National Academy of Sciences professor of Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin–Madison
 * Cleveland L. Abbott Professor and coach of Tuskegee University and namesake of Tuskegee's Abbott Memorial Alumni Stadium
 * Gene Amdahl (1948), Architect of the IBM 360, IBM 704, IBM 709, and Amdahl's Law
 * John Mortvedt (1953), soils scientist
 * Vern L. Schramm (1963), Professor of Biochemistry at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine
 * Roger Zwieg (1964), NASA Astronaut and flight instructor

Arts and literature

 * Harvey Dunn (1902), American Painter
 * Jeanine Basinger (1958), Film historian
 * James Pollock (1965), American abstract and landscape artist
 * Kang-i Sun Chang (1972), Chair of the East Asian Languages and Literatures at Yale University.

Business

 * Nizar Al-Adsani (1983), CEO of Kuwait Petroleum Corporation.
 * Jerry Lohr, Founder and owner of J. Lohr Vineyards and Wines
 * Dana J. Dykhouse, Chief Executive Officer of First Premier Bank

Government and law

 * Philo Hall (1886), U.S. Representative from South Dakota and 6th Attorney General of South Dakota
 * Sigurd Anderson, 19th Governor of South Dakota
 * Ben Reifel (1932), U.S. Representative from South Dakota, first Indian member of Congress
 * Francis G. Dunn (1935), Chief Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court
 * Andrew Wendell Bogue (1941), Chief Judge, United States District Court for the District of South Dakota
 * Gordon Mydland (1944), 23rd Attorney General of South Dakota
 * Richard F. Kneip (1945), 6th United States Ambassador to the Republic of Singapore and 25th Governor of South Dakota
 * William Dougherty (1954), Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
 * Frank E. Denholm (1956), U.S. Representative from South Dakota
 * Kermit A. Sande (1964), 24th Attorney General of South Dakota
 * Tom Daschle (1969), United States Majority Leader of the United States Senate and U.S. Representative from South Dakota
 * Larry Long (1969), 29th Attorney General of South Dakota
 * Randy Seiler, 41st United States Attorney for the District of South Dakota
 * Alan Lance (1971), 31st Attorney General of Idaho, Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims, and National Commander of The American Legion
 * David Gilbertson (1972), current Chief Justice, South Dakota Supreme Court
 * Mike Rounds (1976), current U.S. Senator from South Dakota and 31st Governor of South Dakota
 * Stephen Censky (1981), current United States Deputy Secretary of Agriculture
 * Carole Hillard (1982), Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
 * Kristie Fiegen (1984), Chairwoman of South Dakota Public Utilities Commission
 * Gregory J. Stoltenburg (1984), current presiding judge, Third Circuit Court of South Dakota
 * Mark Salter (1990), current Associate Justice of the South Dakota Supreme Court
 * Jason Frerichs (2007), current South Dakota Senate Minority Leader
 * Kristi Noem (2011), current U.S. Representative from South Dakota and first female Governor of South Dakota
 * Charles Abourezk, current Chief Justice, Rosebud Sioux Tribe Supreme Court
 * Pam Cole, former member of the South Dakota State Senate

Military

 * Willibald C. Bianchi (1939), World War II veteran and Medal of Honor recipient
 * William E. DePuy (1941), U.S. Army General and first commander of TRADOC
 * Leo K. Thorsness (1953), U.S. Air Force Colonel, Medal of Honor recipient, and Washington state senator
 * Jake Krull (1960), U.S. General and South Dakota state senator
 * Raymond W. Carpenter (1970), U.S. Major General of the United States Army, Director of the Army National Guard
 * Franklin J. Blaisdell (1971), U.S. Air Force General
 * Mark A. Clark (1980), U.S. Major General of United States Marine Corps
 * Gregory J. Stoltenburg (1984), U.S. Lieutenant Colonel

Sports

 * Paul Miller (1936), NFL halfback for the Green Bay Packers and 1x NFL Champion
 * Mark Barber (1937), NFL fullback for Cleveland Rams
 * Paul Ellering, Manager of the Road Warriors Hawk and Animal. Currently working in NXT managing The Authors of Pain
 * Jon Madsen, NCAA Wrestling National Champion, current mixed martial artist
 * Doug Eggers (1955), NFL linebacker for Baltimore Colts and Chicago Cardinals
 * Pete Retzlaff (1956), NFL player, 5x Pro-bowler and president of the NFL Players Association
 * Tom Black (1964), NBA center for Seattle SuperSonics
 * Wayne Rasmussen (1964), NFL safety for the Detroit Lions
 * Jim Langer (1970), NFL center, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee, and 2x Super Bowl Champion
 * Lynn Boden (1975), NFL guard for Detroit Lions and Chicago Bears
 * Brad Seely (1978), current NFL special teams coach of the Oakland Raiders
 * Steve Lingenfelter (1981), NBA forward for Washington Bullets and San Antonio Spurs
 * Rod DeHaven (1991), 2000 Olympic Marathoner and 2000 U.S. Olympic Trials Champion
 * Doug Miller (1993), NFL linebacker for San Diego Chargers
 * Adam Vinatieri (1996), NFL kicker and 4x Super Bowl Champion
 * Adam Timmerman (1995), NFL guard for Green Bay Packers and St. Louis Rams, 2x Pro-Bowler, and 2x Super Bowl Champion
 * Steve Heiden (1999), NFL tight end for the Cleveland Browns, San Diego Chargers, and current NFL special teams coach of the Arizona Cardinals
 * Josh Ranek (2002), CFL running back for the Edmonton Eskimos, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Ottawa Renegades
 * Parker Douglass (2009), NFL placekicker for Cleveland Browns and New York Jets
 * JaRon Harris (2009), NFL wide receiver for Green Bay Packers
 * Danny Batten (2010), NFL defensive end for Buffalo Bills
 * Colin Cochart (2011), NFL tight end for Cincinnati Bengals and Dallas Cowboys
 * Dale Moss (2012), NFL wide receiver for the Green Bay Packers
 * David Michaud, professional Mixed Martial Artist
 * Nate Wolters (2013), NBA guard for Utah Jazz
 * Zach Zenner (2014), NFL running back for Detroit Lions
 * Dallas Goedert (2018), NFL tight end for Philadelphia Eagles
 * Jake Wieneke (2018), NFL wide receiver for Minnesota Vikings
 * Bryan Witzmann (2014), NFL offensive lineman for Kansas City Chiefs