List of Youngstown State University people

The following is a list of notable people associated with Youngstown State University, located in the American city of Youngstown, Ohio.

Actors, musicians, and artists

 * Harry L. Alford, arranger and composer of band marches
 * Pat DiCesare, entrepreneur and rock and roll promoter
 * Harold Danko, jazz pianist
 * Bob DiPiero, country music songwriter who has written 15 #1 hits
 * Khaledzou, music producer and member of noise pop duo MUNNYCAT
 * Sean Jones, jazz recording artist, lead trumpeter for Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra
 * Emanuel Kiriakou, songwriter, producer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist, based in Los Angeles
 * Edward Leffingwell, art critic and curator
 * Ben Neill, composer, performer, inventor of the mutantrumpet
 * Ed O'Neill, actor, known as Al Bundy on Married... with Children and Jay Pritchett on Modern Family
 * Roland F. Seitz, composer, bandmaster, and music publisher
 * Michael S. Smith, jazz drummer and percussionist

Activism

 * Jerry Lee, President of the Jerry Lee Foundation
 * Evelyn G. Lowery, American Civil Rights Movement activist and leader; marched in the historic Selma to Montgomery March

Athletes

 * Tony Aiello, former NFL player, Brooklyn Tigers and Detroit Lions
 * Hank Allen, former MLB outfielder, pinch hitter and third baseman for the Washington Senators, Milwaukee Brewers and Chicago White Sox
 * Ron Allen, former MLB first baseman for the St. Louis Cardinals
 * Al Campana, former NFL running back, Chicago Bears
 * George Cappuzzello, former MLB pitcher for the Detroit Tigers and Houston Astros
 * Billy Clapper, basketball coach, IMG Academy
 * Craig Cotton, former NFL tight end, Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions
 * Caylen Croft, former WWE wrestler
 * Bob Davie, former Notre Dame football coach; former ESPN commentator; head coach of the University of New Mexico
 * Dave Dravecky, former MLB pitcher, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants
 * Sloko Gill, former NFL center, Detroit Lions
 * Ralph Goldston, former NFL running back, Philadelphia Eagles
 * Brad Hennessey, former MLB pitcher, Baltimore Orioles and Houston Astros
 * Ron Jaworski, former NFL quarterback, Philadelphia Eagles, color commentator for ESPN Monday Night Football
 * Tim Johnson, former NFL linebacker, Baltimore Ravens and Oakland Raiders
 * Donald Jones, NFL wide receiver for the New England Patriots
 * Larry Jordan, NFL linebacker and defensive back for the Denver Broncos
 * Andy Kosco, former MLB outfielder and first baseman
 * Don Leshnock, former MLB pitcher for the Detroit Tigers
 * Quentin Lowry, former NFL linebacker, Washington Redskins
 * Lamar Mady, former NFL offensive lineman, Oakland Raiders
 * Ray Mancini, former boxer
 * Mark Mangino, college football coach; former head coach at Kansas
 * Vince Marrow, former NFL tight end, Buffalo Bills
 * Marcus Mason, professional football player, NFL running back, Washington Redskins
 * Paul McFadden, 1984 NFL Rookie of the Year, President of the YSU Foundation
 * Ed McGlasson, former NFL center, New York Jets, Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants
 * Leo Mogus, former NBA player
 * Pat Narduzzi, head coach of the University of Pittsburgh
 * Kelly Pavlik, former boxer
 * Kendrick Perry, professional basketball player, Sydney Kings of the NBL
 * Carmen Policy, NFL executive, San Francisco 49ers and Cleveland Browns
 * Brandian Ross, professional football player, NFL cornerback, Green Bay Packers
 * Rick Shepas, head football coach at Waynesburg University
 * Ken Smith, former MLB first baseman and left fielder for the Atlanta Braves
 * Cliff Stoudt, former NFL quarterback, Pittsburgh Steelers, St. Louis Cardinals, Arizona Cardinals and Miami Dolphins
 * Russell Stuvaints, former National Football League defensive back, Pittsburgh Steelers
 * Vytautas Šulskis, professional Lithuanian basketball player, BC Šiauliai of Lithuania
 * Justin Thomas, MLB relief pitcher
 * Jeff Wilkins, professional football player, NFL kicker for the St. Louis Rams

Business

 * Sam Bahour, Palestinian American businessman and entrepreneur
 * Joseph G. Brimmeier, former Chief Executive Officer of the Pennsylvania Turnpike Commission
 * Thom Brodeur-Kazanjian, CEO of Yandy.com
 * Mary Ann Campana, founder of Pollyanna Clothes and a record breaking aviator.
 * Nanette Lepore, fashion designer
 * Milan Puskar, founder of Fortune 500 company Mylan Laboratories
 * Sonny Vaccaro, founder of ABCD Basketball Camp; marketing executive for Nike, Reebok and Adidas
 * Ryan Wood, co-founder of the Under Armour company

Crime

 * Donna Roberts, convicted of the murder of her ex-husband

Government and politics

 * Amy Acton, director of Ohio Department of Health during the COVID-19 pandemic
 * Vincent A. Biancucci, former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
 * Charles J. Carney, former US Congressman
 * Peter C. Economus, United States federal judge on the United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio
 * Ron Gerberry, former member of the Ohio House of Representatives
 * Nathaniel R. Jones, former judge U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit
 * Rich Kasunic, Pennsylvania State Senator
 * Jim Lynch, former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives
 * Riyad Mansour, Permanent Representative to the United Nations from Palestine
 * Harry Meshel, former president of the Ohio State Senate; chairman of the Ohio Democratic Party
 * Sylvester Patton, former member of the Washington State Senate
 * Margarita Prentice, former member of the Ohio House of Representatives
 * Leslie H. Sabo, Jr., Vietnam War Medal of Honor recipient (did not graduate)
 * Chris Sainato, Pennsylvania state representative
 * Amy Salerno, former member of the Ohio House of Representatives
 * Patricia Haynes Smith (graduate study), Democratic member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Baton Rouge, Louisiana
 * A. William Sweeney, former Ohio Supreme Court Justice
 * James Traficant, former U.S. Congressman
 * Jay Williams, appointed by President Obama to cabinet position in the Office of Recovery for Auto Communities and Workers; former mayor of Youngstown

Journalism and media

 * Christopher Barzak, author whose first novel, One for Sorrow, was made into the Sundance Feature Film Jamie Marks is Dead
 * Simeon Booker, first black reporter for The Washington Post
 * Elfreda Chatman, known for her ethnographic approaches in researching information seeking behaviors among understudied or minority groups
 * Noah Cicero, novelist, short story writer, and poet
 * Mark Dailey, Canadian newscaster for Citytv
 * Frank Marzullo, meteorologist for WXIX-TV, the Fox network affiliate in Cincinnati, Ohio
 * David Lee Morgan, Jr., sportswriter; author; motivational speaker; literacy facilitator; author of LeBron James: The Rise of A Star (2003)
 * Jerry Nachman, former vice president of MSNBC cable news network
 * Ed Rosenthal, author; criminal defendant (did not graduate)

Religion

 * Robert M. Nemkovich, sixth Prime Bishop of the Polish National Catholic Church
 * Nicholas (Smisko), former metropolitan bishop of the American Carpatho-Russian Orthodox Diocese

Science and technology

 * John Blangero, human geneticist; highly cited scientist in the field of complex disease genetics
 * Steven R. Little, chemical engineer, pharmaceutical scientist, and department chair of Chemical Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh
 * John McGinness, physicist and physician; contributed to the modern field of organic electronics
 * Amit Patel, cardiothoracic surgeon and world pioneer of stem cell therapy for heart failure
 * Alverna Babbs Williams, first American pilot with disabilities to earn a pilot's license

Space exploration

 * Thomas Bopp, astronomer; co-discoverer of Comet Hale-Bopp
 * Ron Parise, NASA astronaut, STS-35 and STS-37

Notable scholars and administrators

 * Christopher Barzak, author
 * Adam Earnheardt, academic and author
 * Paul Sracic, political scientist and author
 * Jim Tressel, college football coach and university administrator
 * Bruce Waller, philosopher
 * Bill Johnson, businessman and former U.S. Congressman