This is a list of notable people affiliated with the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign , a public research university in Illinois .
Notable alumni
Not all listed alumni graduated from the university, and are so noted if the information is known.
Nobel Prize winners
Phillip Allen Sharp with President George W. Bush Edward Doisy , B.S. 1914, M.S. 1916 – Physiology or Medicine , 1943
Vincent Du Vigneaud , B.S. 1923, M.S. 1924 – Chemistry , 1955; also served as faculty member
Robert W. Holley , B.A. 1942 – Physiology or Medicine, 1968
Jack Kilby , B.S. 1947 – Physics , 2000; inventor of the integrated circuit
Edwin G. Krebs , B.A. 1940 – Physiology or Medicine , 1992
Polykarp Kusch , M.S. 1933, Ph.D. 1936 – Physics, 1955
John Schrieffer , M.S. 1954, Ph.D. 1957 – Physics, 1972; also served as faculty member
Phillip Sharp , Ph.D. 1969 – Chemistry, 1993
Wendell Stanley , M.S. 1927, PhD. 1929 – Chemistry 1946
Rosalyn Yalow , M.S. 1942, Ph.D. 1945 – Physiology or Medicine, 1977
Pulitzer Prize winners
Leonora LaPeter Anton , B.S. 1986 – Investigative Journalism , 2016
Barry Bearak , M.S. 1974 – International Reporting , 2002
Michael Colgrass , B.A. 1956 – Music , 1978
George Crumb , M.A. 1952 – Music , 1968
David Herbert Donald , M.A. 1942, Ph.D. 1946 – Biography , 1961 and 1988
Roger Ebert , B.S. 1964 – Criticism , 1975
Roy J. Harris , B.A. 1925 – Public Service , 1950
Beth Henley , Drama , 1981
Paul Ingrassia , B.S. 1972 – Beat Reporting , 1993
Allan Nevins , B.A. 1912, M.A. 1913 – Biography , 1933 and 1937
Richard Powers , B.A. 1978, M.A. 1980 – Fiction , 2019
James Reston , B.S. 1932 – National Reporting , 1945 and 1957
Robert Lewis Taylor , B.A. 1933 – Fiction , 1959
Carl Van Doren , B.A. 1907 – Biography , 1939
Mark Van Doren , B.A. 1914 – Poetry , 1940
Academia
Notable professors and scholars
Warren Ambrose , B.S. 1935, M.S. 1936, Ph.D. 1939 – Mathematics, Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at MIT ; he is often considered one of the fathers of modern geometry.[1]
Icek Ajzen , M.A. 1967, Ph.D. 1969. – Social Psychology, Professor Emeritus at University of Massachusetts Amherst ; Considered the most influential social psychologist. Known by his work on the theory of planned behavior . By 2021 has over 350,000 citations (google scholar).
Steven Bachrach , B.S., Ph.D. (University of California, Berkeley ) – Dean of Science at Monmouth University , previously the Dr D. R. Semmes Distinguished Professor of Chemistry at Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas
George C. Baldwin , Ph.D. 1943 – theoretical and experimental physicist and Professor of Nuclear Engineering, at General Electric Company, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute , and Los Alamos National Laboratory
Nancy Baym , M.A. 1988, Ph.D. 1994 – Professor of Communication Studies at the University of Kansas
Arnold O. Beckman , B.S. 1922, M.S. 1923 – former Professor of Chemistry at Caltech
Saint Elmo Brady , Ph.D. 1916 – notable HBCU educator, first African American to obtain a Ph.D. degree in chemistry in the United States
Roger Crossgrove , M.F.A. 1951 – Professor of Art Emeritus at the University of Connecticut
Paul S. Dunkin , M.A. 1931, B.S. 1935, Ph.D. 1937 – Professor Emeritus of Library Services at Rutgers University
Daniel Farber , B.A. 1971, M.A. 1972, J.D. 1975 – Sho Sato Professor of Law at the UC Berkeley School of Law
Abdul Haque Faridi , Bangladeshi academic
Gerald R. Ferris , Ph.D. – Francis Eppes Professor of Management and professor of psychology at Florida State University
Jessica Greenberg – assistant professor of Anthropology and Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies
Marva Griffin Carter , Ph.D. – musicologist, author, and professor of music at Georgia State University
Allan Hay , Ph.D. 1955 – Tomlinson Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at McGill University
Nick Holonyak , Jr.,[2] B.S. 1950, M.S. 1951, Ph.D. 1954 –
John Bardeen Endowed Chair Emeritus in Electrical and Computer Engineering and Physics at UIUC , member of National Academy of Engineering in Electronics, Communication & Information Systems Engineering and Materials Engineering for contributions to development of semiconductor controlled rectifiers , light emitting diodes , and diode laser , two time Nobel Prize Winner in Physics for work on the transistor and then for the BCS Theory of Superconductivity
John Honnold , William A. Schnader Professor of Commercial Law at University of Pennsylvania Law School
A.C. Littleton , B.S. 1912, M.S. 1918, Ph.D. 1931 – Professor and accounting historian University of Illinois, editor-in-chief The Accounting Review , Accounting Hall of Fame inductee
Douglas A. Melton , B.S. – biologist, Xander University Professor at Harvard University
Jennifer Mercieca , Ph.D.— American rhetorical scholar and Professor at Texas A&M University , author of Demagogue for President: The Rhetorical Genius of Donald Trump [3]
Michael Moore – professor of theoretical physics at the University of Manchester
James Purdy , scholar of digital rhetoric
Nora C. Quebral , Ph.D. – proponent of the development communication discipline; Professor Emeritus of development communication at University of the Philippines Los Baños
Mark Reckase , University Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Michigan State University
Maurice H. Rees , Medical educator and Dean of University of Colorado School of Medicine from 1925 to 1945
Bernard Rosenthal , Ph.D. 1968 – Professor Emeritus of English at Binghamton University
Clifford E. Singer , professor emeritus and director of the Program in Arms Control, Disarmament, and International Security
Jessie Carney Smith , Ph.D. 1964 – Librarian Emeritus of Fisk University ; first African-American to earn a Ph.D. in library science at UI
Guy Standing , M.A. 1972 – Professor of Development Studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London
Gilbert Y. Steiner , Ph.D. 1950 – fourth president of the Brookings Institution
Dewey Stuit , American educational psychologist; dean of the College of Arts at the University of Iowa from 1948 to 1977[4]
Clyde Summers , B.S. 1939, J.D. 1942, labor lawyer and law professor at the Yale Law School and University of Pennsylvania Law School , subject of In re Summers
Maurice Cole Tanquary , A.B. 1907, M.A. 1908, Ph.D. 1912 – Professor of Entomology at several universities and member of the Crocker Land Expedition
James Thomson , B.S. 1981 – Professor of Microbiology, University of Wisconsin – Madison
Janis Driver Treworgy , M.A. 1983, Ph.D. 1985 – American academic and sedimentary geologist
Clark R. Landis , B.A. 1980 – American academic and professor of Chemistry at University of Wisconsin–Madison
Juyang Weng , M.Sc. 1985, Ph.D. 1989 – Chinese-American computer engineer, neuroscientist, author, and academic.
Morris M. Kleiner, A.M. 1972, Ph.D. 1974, economics – American academic, AFL-CIO Professor of Labor Policy
College presidents and vice-presidents
Benjamin Allen – President, University of Northern Iowa
John L. Anderson , M.S., Ph.D. – eighth president, Illinois Institute of Technology ; former Provost, Case Western Reserve University
Robert M. Berdahl , M.A. – President of American Association of Universities , former Chancellor of UC Berkeley , former President of University of Texas at Austin
Warren E. Bow , M.A. – President of Wayne State University
Alvin Bowman , Ph.D. – President, Illinois State University
Tom Buchanan , Ph.D. – twenty-third president, University of Wyoming
David L. Chicoine , Ph.D. – President, South Dakota State University
Coching Chu , B.S. 1913 – sixteenth president, Zhejiang University (National Chekiang University period); former vice president, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Ralph J. Cicerone , M.S. 1967, Ph.D. 1970 – President, National Academy of Sciences , former Chancellor of UC Irvine
Lewis Collens , B.S., M.A. – seventh president, Illinois Institute of Technology
John E. Cribbet , J.D. – legal scholar, Dean of the University of Illinois College of Law , and Chancellor of the University of Illinois
Lois B. DeFleur , Ph.D. – President, Binghamton University , former Provost of University of Missouri
W. Kent Fuchs , M.S. 1982, Ph.D. 1985 – twelfth president, University of Florida
Philip Handler , Ph.D. 1939 – President, National Academy of Sciences
Tori Haring-Smith , Ph.D. – President, Washington & Jefferson College
Freeman A. Hrabowski III , M.A., Ph.D. – President, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
Emil Q. Javier , B.S. 1964 – seventeenth president, University of the Philippines
Alain E. Kaloyeros , Ph.D. 1987 – first president, State University of New York Polytechnic Institute
Robert W. Kustra , Ph.D. – President, Boise State University
Judy Jolley Mohraz . Ph.D. 1974 – ninth president, Goucher College
John Niland , Ph.D. 1970 – fourth president, University of New South Wales , Australia
J. Wayne Reitz , M.S. 1935 – fifth president, University of Florida
Steven B. Sample , B.S. 1962, M.S. 1963, Ph.D. 1965 – tenth president, University of Southern California
David J. Schmidly , Ph.D., – twentieth president, University of New Mexico
Michael Schwartz , B.S. 1958, M.A. 1959, Ph.D. 1962 – President Cleveland State University
James J. Stukel , M.S. 1963, Ph.D. 1968 – fifteenth president, University of Illinois
Dianne Boardley Suber , M.Ed. – tenth president of Saint Augustine's University
William D. Underwood , J.D. – eighteenth president, Mercer University
Marvin Wachman , Ph.D. – President, Temple University , former President of Lincoln University
Herman B Wells – President, Indiana University
Chen Xujing – Vice President, Nankai University and Zhongsan University; President, Lingnan University and Jinan University
College provosts and vice provosts
Architecture
Max Abramovitz , B.S. 1929 – architect on many campus and prominent international buildings including the United Nations Building , Assembly Hall (since renamed to State Farm Center ) and the Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City
Henry Bacon – architect of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Temple Hoyne Buell – architect for the first American central mall
Jeanne Gang , B.S. 1986 – architect
Walter Burley Griffin , B. Arch. 1899 – architect and designer of Canberra
Ralph Johnson , B. Arch 1971 – principal architect of the Perkins+Will
Ron Labinski – founder of HOK Sport [5]
David Miller , M. Arch 1972 – principal architect of the Miller/Hull partnership, FAIA
César Pelli , M. Arch. 1954 – architect for the Petronas Twin Towers
William Pereira , M. Arch. 1930 – notable mid-20th century American architect in Los Angeles, known for Transamerica Pyramid and Geisel Library
Nathan Clifford Ricker , D. Arch. 1871 – first architect to receive a degree in architecture from an American institution
Patricia Saldaña Natke , B. Arch. 1986 – architect
William L. Steele – architect of the Prairie School during the early-twentieth century
Ralph A. Vaughn (1907–2000) – academic, architect and film set designer; founded the Pi Psi chapter of Omega Psi Phi
Art
Ivan Albright – painter
Mark Staff Brandl , B.F.A. 1978 – artist, art historian and critic
Christopher Brown , B.F.A. 1973 – painter, printmaker, and professor[6]
Annie Crawley – underwater photographer
Greg Drasler , B.F.A. 1980; M.F.A. 1983 – artist and educator
Leslie Erganian – artist and writer
Hart D. Fisher , B.A. 1992 – comics book creator, comics publisher
Tom Goldenberg , B.F.A. 1970 – artist and educator
David Klamen , B.F.A. 1983 – artist and academic
Chitra Ramanathan , B.F.A Painting, 1993, M.B.A 1997 – contemporary abstract painter and art educator
Susan Rankaitis , B.F.A. 1971 – artist[7]
Angela M. Rivers , B.F.A. 1975 – Artist, Art Curator
Leo Segedin , B.F.A. 1948; M.F.A. 1950 – artist and educator
Deb Sokolow , B.A. 1996 – artist
Lorado Taft – sculptor, writer and educator
Charles H. Traub , B.A. – photographer and educator
Don Weeke , B.S. 1969 – fiber and gourd artist
William Wegman , M. F. A. 1967 – painter and photographer
Vivian Zapata – Painter, Official artist of the 2005 Latin Grammys[8]
Barbara Zeigler – artist
Astronauts
Steven R. Nagel
Business
Irving Azoff , attended – CEO of Ticketmaster (2008–present); Executive Chairman Live Nation Entertainment
Sunil Benimadhu , M.B.A 1992 – chief executive officer of the Stock Exchange of Mauritius (2002–present)
Jim Cantalupo , 1966 – chairman and chief executive officer of McDonald's (1991–2004)
Stephen Carley , A.B. circa 1973 – chief executive officer of El Pollo Loco ,[9] former president and chief operating officer of Universal City Hollywood[9]
Jerry Colangelo , B.S. 1962 – president and chief executive officer of Phoenix Suns ; managing general partner of Arizona Diamondbacks
Jon Corzine , A.B. 1969 – chairman and chief executive officer of Goldman Sachs (1994–1999), cross listed in Politics section
Bob Dudley , B.S. – managing director and chief executive officer-designate of BP
Martin Eberhard , 1960 – co-founder and chief executive officer of Tesla Motors
George T. Felbeck , B.S.M.E. 1919, M.S.M.E. 1921 – president of Union Carbide (1944–1962)
George M.C. Fisher , 1962 – chief executive officer of Eastman Kodak (1993–2000)
Ravin Gandhi – founder of GMM Nonstick Coatings
John Georges , 1951 – chief executive officer of International Paper (1985–1996)
Harry Gray , 1941 – chief executive officer of United Technologies (1974–1986)
E.B. Harris , 1935 – president of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange
Robert L. Johnson – founder of Black Entertainment Television ; principal owner of the Charlotte Bobcats
Pete Koomen , M.S. 2006 – co-founder of Optimizely
Bruce Krasberg , 1930 – business executive and horticulturist
Michael P. Krasny , B.S. 1975 – founder and chairman emeritus of CDW
Arvind Krishna , M.S. 1987, Ph.D. 1990 – Chief executive officer of IBM
Stephen McLin , B.S. 1968 – former Bank of America executive
Christopher Michel , B.A. 1990 – founder and chief executive officer of Military.com (1999–2007); founder and chief executive officer of Affinity Labs
Steven L. Miller , B.S. 1967 – chief executive officer of Shell Oil (1999–2002)
Tom Murphy , B.S. 1938 – chairman of General Motors
Jim Oberweis – chairman of Oberweis Dairy
Ron Popeil – attended (left after one year) – inventor of the infomercial
C. W. Post – attended (left after two years) – breakfast cereal magnate
Jasper Sanfilippo, Sr. – businessman and industrialist who led and substantially grew his family's nut business, John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc., into one of the largest in the world
Abe Saperstein – creator of the Harlem Globetrotters
Steve Sarowitz (born 1965/1966) – billionaire founder of Paylocity
Reshma Saujani – founder and CEO of Girls Who Code
Therese Tucker – CEO and Founder of BlackLine
Barbara Turf – CEO of Crate & Barrel (2008–2012)
Jack Welch , M.S. 1959, Ph.D. 1961 – chief executive officer of General Electric (1981–2001)
C. E. Woolman , 1912 – founder of Delta Air Lines
Yi Gang , Ph.D. 1986 – director of State Administration of Foreign Exchange
John D. Zeglis , B.S. 1969 – former president of AT&T ; former chairman and chief executive officer of AT&T Wireless
Marcin Kleczynski , B.S. 2012 – founder and CEO of Malwarebytes
Engineering and technology
Panorama of the Bardeen Quad Steve Chen, co-founder of YouTube Shoaib Abbasi , B.S. 1980, M.S. 1980 – president and chief executive officer of Informatica
Harlan Anderson , B.S., M.S. – computer pioneer and founder of Digital Equipment Corporation
Marc Andreessen , B.S. 1993 – co-creator of Mosaic , co-founder of Netscape , currently co-founder of venture-capital firm Andreessen Horowitz
Bruce Artwick , M.S. 1976 – creator of Microsoft Flight Simulator
William F. Baker , M.S. 1980 – best known for being the structural engineer of Burj Khalifa , the world's tallest man-made structure
Ken Batcher , Ph.D. 1969 – ACM/IEEE Eckert-Mauchly Award winner for work on parallel computers
Arnold O. Beckman , B.S. 1922, M.S. 1923 – inventor of the pH meter , founder of Beckman Instruments ; major donor to the university which included a gift to found the Beckman Institute ; namesake of the Beckman Quadrangle
Eric Bina , B.S. 1986, M.S. 1988 –- co-creator of the Mosaic and among the first employees of Netscape
Donald Bitzer , B.S. 1955, M.S. 1956, Ph.D. 1960–2003 Emmy Award in Technical Achievement for the invention of the plasma display
Ed Boon , B.S. 1986 – creator of the Mortal Kombat video game series
Paul Bragiel , B.S. 1999 – co-founder Meetro & Bragiel Brothers, Colombian National Team cross-country skier
Keith Brendley , B.S., 1980—leading authority on active protection systems and president of Artis , a research and development company
Mike Byster , 1981 – mental calculator , mathematician
Steve Chen – co-founder of YouTube
Yixin Chen – professor of Computer Science and Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis.
Ven Te Chow , Ph.D. – professor of hydrology
John Cioffi , B.S. 1978 – father of DSL (broadband internet connection), Marconi Prize winner,[10] founder of Amati Communications (sold to Texas Instruments ), IEEE Fellow
Jason David Danielson , B.S. – comedian in Japan
Alan M. Davis , M.S. 1973, Ph.D. 1975 – IEEE Fellow for contributions to software engineering, author, entrepreneur
Lemuel Davis , M.S. – software engineer in the field of computer animation; winner of a 1992 Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Scientific and Engineering Award
James DeLaurier , B.S. – designed the first microwave -powered aircraft, the first engine-powered ornithopter, and the first human-carrying ornithopter
Daniel W. Dobberpuhl , B.S. 1967 – creator of Alpha and StrongARM microprocessors at DEC
Steve Dorner , B.S. 1983 – creator of Eudora
Russell Dupuis , B.S. 1970, M.S. 1971, Ph.D. 1972 – professor at the Georgia Institute of Technology ; co-recipient of the 2002 National Medal of Technology ; awarded the 2007 IEEE Edison Medal ; pioneer in metalorganic chemical vapor deposition and the commercialization of LEDs
Brendan Eich , M.S. 1986 – creator of JavaScript ; chief technology officer of Mozilla Corporation
Larry Ellison , attended (left after sophomore year) – founder of Oracle Corporation
Michael Hart , B.A. 1973 – founder of Project Gutenberg
Tomlinson Holman , B.S. 1968 – creator of THX , professor at the USC School of Cinematic Arts
John C. Houbolt , B.S. 1940, M.S. 1942 – retired NASA engineer who successfully promoted lunar orbit rendezvous for Apollo Space Program
Jawed Karim , B.S. 2004 – co-founder of YouTube
Fazlur Khan , Ph.D. 1955 – designer and builder of the Sears Tower , the tallest building in the world when it was built in 1973
Shahid Khan , B.S. 1971 – owner of Flex-N-Gate Corp.; owner of Jacksonville Jaguars
Ed Krol – author of Whole Internet User's Guide and Catalog
Chris Lattner – author of LLVM and related projects, such as the compiler Clang and the programming language Swift . At the start of 2017 he started working at Tesla Motors as vice president of Autopilot Software .[11]
Max Levchin , B.S. 1997 – co-founder of PayPal
Jenny Levine , M.L.I.S. 1992 – evangelist for library technology and American Library Association Internet strategist
Russel Simmons – co-founder and chief technical officer of Yelp!
Bob Miner , B.A. (mathematics) 1963 – co-founder of Oracle Corporation
Ray Ozzie , B.S. 1979 – creator of Lotus Notes cofounder of Lotus, co-president of Microsoft
Anna Patterson , Ph.D. 1988 – Vice President of Engineering, Artificial Intelligence at Google and co-founder of Cuil
Emily S. Patterson , M.S., 1996, Ph.D., 1999 – Professor at Ohio State University College of Medicine
Cecil Peabody – writer, graduate of MIT (1877) and professor at MIT
Jerry Sanders , B.S. 1958 – co-founder and former chief executive officer of Advanced Micro Devices
Peter Shirley , Ph.D. 1991 – Distinguished Scientist at NVIDIA recognized for contributions to real time ray tracing
Thomas Siebel , B.A. 1975, M.B.A. 1983, M.S. 1985 – founder of Siebel Systems
H. Gene Slottow , Ph.D. 1964[12] – 2003 Emmy Award in Technical Achievement for the invention of the plasma display
Nadine Barrie Smith , B.S. 1985, M.S. 1989, Ph.D. 1996 – biomedical researcher in therapeutic ultrasound
Jeremy Stoppelman – co-founder and chief executive officer of Yelp!
Bill Stumpf – designer of the Aeron and Ergon ergonomic chairs
Parisa Tabriz – head of security at Google Chrome
Mark Tebbe – B.S. 1983 – co-founder of Lante Corporation and Answers.com
Craig Vetter – BFA Industrial Design c. 1966 – founder of Vetter Fairing Company and Motorcycle Hall of Fame inductee
Kevin Warwick – Senior Beckman Fellow, 2004 – cyborg scientist, University of Reading
Vinay Hiremath – co-founder of Loom, Inc.
Journalism and non-fiction broadcasting
Jabari Asim , scholar-in-residence 2008–2010 – former editor-in-chief of The Crisis , The Washington Post Book World deputy editor, columnist; author
Dan Balz , B.A. 1968, M.A. 1972 – Washington Post national political reporter and editor; author
Claudia Cassidy , 1921 – Chicago Tribune music and drama critic
John Chancellor – political analyst and newscaster for NBC Nightly News
Roger Ebert , B.S. 1964 – film critic
Sean Evans , B.A. 2008 – host of YouTube series Hot Ones
Bill Geist , 1968 – CBS News correspondent
Robert Goralski , 1949 – NBC News correspondent
Bob Grant – radio talk show personality
Steven Hager – editor of High Times and founder of the Cannabis Cup
Herb Keinon – columnist and journalist for The Jerusalem Post
Frederick C Klein , B.A. 1959 – sportswriter for The Wall Street Journal and author
Will Leitch – writer and founding editor of Deadspin [13]
Jane Marie , B.A. 2002 – journalist and podcaster, former producer of This American Life and founder of Little Everywhere [14]
Carol Marin , A.B. 1970 – former news anchor; 60 Minutes correspondent; Illinois Journalist of the Year (1988)
Tom Merritt , B.S. journalism – technology journalist and broadcaster on TWiT.tv
Charles (Charlie) Meyerson , B.S., 1977; M.S., 1978, journalism — radio, newspaper and internet reporter
Robert Novak , B.A. 1952 – political commentator and columnist
Suze Orman , B.A. 1976 – financial adviser and author
Ian Punnett – radio talk-show personality, and Saturday-night host of Coast to Coast AM
B. Mitchel Reed , B.S., M.A. – radio personality in Los Angeles and New York City
Taylor Rooks , B.S. broadcast journalism – Big Ten Network television personality and sideline reporter
Dan Savage – advice columnist (Savage Love ) and theater director
Gene Shalit , 1949 – film critic
Patricia Thompson , 1969 – film and television producer
Terry Teachout , M.A. music—theater critic and writer
Douglas Wilson – television personality and designer (Trading Spaces )
Gregor Ziemer – author and journalist, provided expert testimony during the Nuremberg Trials
Steve Osunsami , B.S. 1993 – senior national correspondent, ABC News
Literature
Nelson Algren , B.S. 1931 – author of 1950 National Book Award -winning The Man With the Golden Arm
William Attaway , B.A. 1935 – author of Blood on the Forge
Ann Bannon , B.A. 1955 – pulp-fiction writer, author of The Beebo Brinker Chronicles
Marianne Boruch , B.A. 1972 – poet
Dee Brown , M.S. 1951 – author of Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee
John F. Callahan , M.A., Ph.D. – literary executor for Ralph Ellison
Iris Chang , B.A. 1989 – author of The Rape of Nanking
Mary Tracy Earle (1864–1955), American author
Dave Eggers , attended 1980s and 90s, B.S. 2002 – author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius , What Is the What , and Zeitoun
Stanley Elkin , B.A. 1952, Ph.D. 1961 – National Book Critics Circle Award winner for George Mills in 1982 and for Mrs. Ted Bliss in 1995
Lee Falk , 1932 – creator of The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician
Rolando Hinojosa , Ph.D. 1969 – author of Klail City Death Trip Series
Irene Hunt , B.A. 1939 – Newbery Medal -winning author of Up a Road Slowly
Richmond Lattimore , Ph.D. 1935 – poet; translator of the Iliad and the Odyssey
William Keepers Maxwell, Jr. , B.A. 1930 – novelist and fiction editor of The New Yorker (1936–1976)
Tulika Mehrotra , B.A 2002 – Author of Delhi Stopover and Crashing B-Town. Writer for magazines such as Harper's Bazaar , Vogue , India Today and Men's Health
Nnedi Okorafor , B.A. 1996 – author of Binti , Who Fears Death , and Akata Witch
Porsha Olayiwola , B.A. 2010 – Afrofuturist writer and poet laureate of Boston
Harry Mark Petrakis , attended – novelist
Richard Powers , M.A. 1979 – novelist and writer
Shel Silverstein , attended (expelled) – poet, singer-songwriter, musician, composer, cartoonist, screenwriter and author of children's books (Where the Sidewalk Ends )
Anne Valente , M.S. 2007 – novelist, author of Our Hearts Will Burn Us Down and By Light We Knew Our Name
Larry Woiwode , 1964 – poet and novelist
Media
Robert "Buck" Brown – Playboy cartoonist, creator of the libidinous "Granny" character, whose drawings also regularly addressed racial equality issues
Dianne Chandler – Playboy Playmate of the Month , 1966
Brant Hansen – radio personality for Air 1 network
Erika Harold – Miss America 2003
Judith Ford (Judi Nash), B.S. — Miss America 1969
Hugh Hefner , B.A. 1949 – founder of Playboy magazine
Nicole Hollander , B.A. 1960 – syndicated cartoonist of Sylvia
James Holzhauer , B.S. 2005 – Jeopardy record-breaker and professional gambler
Ken Paulson , J.D. – editor-in-chief of USA Today (2004–2008)
Henry Petroski , Ph.D. 1968 – civil engineer and writer
Irna Phillips , 1923 – creator of the soap opera
Military
Lew Allen, Jr. , M.S. 1952, Ph.D. 1954 – Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
Kenneth D. Bailey 1935 – Medal of Honor recipient
Casper H. Conrad Jr. , B.S. 1922 – U.S. Army brigadier general[15]
Reginald C. Harmon , LLB 1927 – first United States Air Force Judge Advocate General
Thomas R. Lamont , J.D. 1972 – United States Assistant Secretary of the Army (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)
Jerald D. Slack – U.S. Air National Guard Major General, Adjutant General of Wisconsin
Herbert Sobel – U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel, commander of Easy Company, 506th Infantry Regiment during World War II , featured in Band of Brothers
Eugene L. Tattini – U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General
David M. Van Buren , B.S. 1971 – Assistant Secretary of the Air Force (Acquisition)
Music
Anton Armstrong – choral director
Jay Bennett – musician for band Wilco
Charles L. Bestor – composer and music educator
Marty Casey , B.A. – lead vocalist of the band Lovehammers
Rene Clausen – composer, conductor
Ron Dewar – jazz saxophonist
Alexander Djordjevic – pianist
Neal Doughty , attended late 1960s – keyboard player and founding member of REO Speedwagon
Dan Fogelberg – singer-songwriter
GAWNE – rapper, singer, and songwriter
Nathan Gunn – baritone , opera singer
John B. Haberlen – director of Georgia State University school of music
Jerry Hadley – opera singer
Chan Hing-yan – composer and music educator
Kenneth Jennings – composer and music educator
Craig Hella Johnson – choir conductor
Curtis Jones – house music producer
Mike Kinsella , 1999 – indie-rock musician; frontman of American Football [16]
Brian Krock – multi-instrumentalist, composer, arranger and bandleader of Big Heart Machine and liddle
Jeffrey Kurtzman – musicologist and music editor
Jim McNeely – jazz pianist, composer, and arranger
Donald Nally – choral director
Bob Nanna – indie-rock musician; founder of the bands Friction, Braid , Hey Mercedes , and The City on Film
Psalm One – hip-hop artist
John Pierce (born 1959), operatic tenor and academic voice teacher
Mary McCarty Snow – composer
Matt Wertz – singer-songwriter
Carolyn Kuan – conductor, pianist, music director for Hartford Symphony Orchestra
Brian Courtney Wilson – Grammy Nominated Gospel artist
Noam Pikelny – Banjo player; recipient of Steve Martin Award for Excellence in Banjo and Bluegrass
Performing arts
Ruth Attaway – Broadway and film actress (You Can't Take It With You , Raintree County , Porgy and Bess , and Being There )
Barbara Bain , B.S. – winner of three consecutive Emmy Awards for the role of Cinnamon Carter in Mission: Impossible
Betsy Brandt , B.F.A. 1996 – television actress (Marie Schrader in Breaking Bad )[17]
Timothy Carhart – film and television actor (Pink Cadillac , The Hunt for Red October )
Terrence Connor Carson – singer and stage, voice, and television actor
Arden Cho – actress
Andrew Davis – film director (The Fugitive )
Janice Ferri Esser , B.F.A. 1981, M.S. 1982 – Daytime Emmy -winning writer (The Young & the Restless )
Dominic Fumusa , M.F.A. 1994 – actor (Nurse Jackie )
Grant Gee – film director (Meeting People Is Easy )
Nancy Lee Grahn , briefly attended – Daytime Emmy -winning actress
Gene Hackman , attended – five-time Academy Award -nominated actor
Jonathan Hammond – film director (We All Die Alone )
Shanola Hampton – actor (Shameless )
Arte Johnson , 1949 – Laugh-In television personality
Margaret Judson – television actress (The Newsroom )
Chris Landreth , B.S. 1984, M.S. 1986 – Academy Award -winning animator (Best Animated Short Film, 2004, '"Ryan ")
Ang Lee , B.F.A. 1980 – Academy Award -winning movie director (Best Director, 2005, Brokeback Mountain ; 2012, Life of Pi )
Ned Luke , 1979 – actor (Grand Theft Auto V )
John Franklin , 1983– Isaac (Children of the Corn (1984 film))
Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio , 1980 – actress (Scarface , Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves , The Color of Money )
John McNaughton – film and television director (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer , Wild Things )
Ryan McPartlin – actor (Chuck )
Donna Mills – film and television actress (Knots Landing )
Ben Murphy – television actor (Alias Smith and Jones )
Lucas Neff – actor (Raising Hope )
Nick Offerman , 1993 – actor (Parks and Recreation )
Jerry Orbach , B.A. – Broadway, film and television actor (Dirty Dancing , Detective Lennie Briscoe in Law & Order )
Peter Palmer – actor and singer; played "Li'l Abner " on Broadway and film
Larry Parks – Academy Award -nominated actor; blacklisted in Hollywood after testifying before the House Un-American Activities Committee
Andy Richter , briefly attended – actor and Conan O'Brien sidekick
Alan Ruck – actor (Ferris Bueller's Day Off , Star Trek Generations , Spin City , Succession )
Jonathan Sadowski – actor ($#*! My Dad Says )
Allan Sherman – comedian (known for the Grammy Award -winning novelty song "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah "; television writer and producer (co-creator of I've Got a Secret )
Jessica Steinrock – intimacy coordinator and TikToker
Sushanth , B.E. – Telugu actor
Lynne Thigpen , B.A. 1970–1997 Tony Award -winning actress (Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego? )
Prashanth Venkataramanujam , B.S. 2009 – Television comedy writer and producer
Grant Williams – film actor (The Incredible Shrinking Man ) and operatic tenor
Roger Young , M.S. – Emmy Award -winning TV and movie director
Politics and government
U.S. Senate
U.S. House of Representatives
Rep. John Anderson in 1980 John Anderson – U.S. Representative from Illinois (1961–1981); 1980 presidential candidate[24]
Willis J. Bailey , 1879 – United States Representative and the 16th Governor of Kansas [25]
Terry L. Bruce – U.S. Representative from Illinois's 19th congressional district (1985–1993). He earned his B.A. in 1966 and his J.D. in 1969.[26]
Larry Bucshon – U.S. Representative from Indiana (since 2011)[27]
Nikki Budzinski – U.S. Representative from Illinois (Since 2023)
Edwin V. Champion – U.S. Representative from Illinois (1937–1939)[28]
Donald C. Dobbins – U.S. Representative from Illinois (1933–1937)
William J. Graham , B.L. 1893 – U.S. Representative from Illinois (1917–1924)
George Evan Howell , B.S. 1927, LL.B. 1930 – U.S. Representative from Illinois (1941–1947)
Jesse Jackson, Jr. , J.D. 1993 – U.S. Representative from Illinois (1995–2012)[29]
Tim Johnson , B.A. 1969, J.D. 1972 – U.S. Representative from Illinois (2001–2013)[30]
Lynn Morley Martin , B.A. 1960 – U.S. Representative from Illinois (1981–1991) and Secretary of Labor in the cabinet of George H. W. Bush (1991–1993)[31]
Peter Roskam , B.A. 1983 – U.S. Representative from Illinois (since 2007),[32] House Republican Chief Deputy Whip (2011–2014)
Kurt Schrader , B.S. 1975, D.V.M. 1977 – U.S. Representative from Oregon (since 2009)[33]
Jan Schakowsky , B.S. 1965 – U.S. Representative from Illinois (since 1999)[34]
Steve Schiff , B.A. 1968 – U.S. Representative from New Mexico (1989–1998)[35]
Harold H. Velde , J.D. 1937 – U.S. Representative from Illinois (1949–1957)[36]
Jerry Weller , B.S. 1979 – U.S. Representative from Illinois (1995–2009)[37]
Executive branch officials
Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker Nancy Brinker , 1968 – founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure ; Chief of Protocol of the United States , United States Ambassador to Hungary (2001–2003)[38]
Mark Filip , B.A. 1988 – acting Attorney General of the United States (2009); Deputy Attorney General of the United States (2008–2009); Judge for the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois (2004–2008)[39]
William Marion Jardine – served as the United States Secretary of Agriculture and the U.S. Ambassador to Egypt [40]
Neel Kashkari , B.S. 1995, M.S. 1997 – Interim Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Financial Stability in the United States Department of the Treasury
Julius B. Richmond , B.S., M.S. 1939 – 12th United States Surgeon General and the United States Assistant Secretary for Health (1977–1981); vice admiral in the United States Public Health Service Commissioned Corps ; first national director for Project Head Start
Samuel K. Skinner , 1960 – Secretary of Transportation (1989–1991); White House Chief of Staff during the George H. W. Bush Administration (1992)
Louis E. Sola , M.S. 1998 – Commissioner, Federal Maritime Commission .[41]
Phillips Talbot – United States diplomat, United States Ambassador to Greece (1965–1969)
Statewide offices
State legislators
Aaron Ortiz , B.A. 2013 – Illinois House of Representatives & Chicago 14th Ward Committeeman (since 2018)
David S. Olsen , B.S. 2011 – Illinois House of Representatives (since 2016–2019)
Kiah Morris , B.S. 2006 – Vermont House of Representatives (since 2014)
Tom Fink , J.D. 1952 – Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives (1973), Mayor of Anchorage (1987–1994)
Allen J. Flannigan – Wisconsin State Assemblyman (1957–1966)
Jehan Gordon-Booth – Illinois House of Representatives (since 2009)
Chuck Graham , B.S. 1987 – Missouri House of Representatives (1996–2002), Missouri State Senate 2004
Robert W. Pritchard – Illinois House of Representatives (since 2003), former Chairman of the DeKalb County Board (1998–2003)
Thomas P. Sinnett , 1909 – Illinois House of Representatives (1924–1940), Democratic Party Floor Leader (1932–1934)
Judiciary
Wayne Andersen , J.D. 1970 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Harold Baker , J.D. 1956 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois
Charles Guy Briggle , LL.B. 1904 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
Colin S. Bruce , B.A. 1986, J.D. 1989 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Central District of Illinois
Owen McIntosh Burns , B.A. 1916, LL.B. 1921 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania
Thomas R. Chiola , J.D. 1977 – Judge of the Illinois Circuit Court of Cook County , first openly gay elected official in Illinois
Brian Cogan , B.A. 1975 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York
Bernard Martin Decker , B.A. 1926 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Arno H. Denecke , LL.B. 1939 – Chief Justice of the Oregon Supreme Court
Richard Everett Dorr , B.S. 1965 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Missouri
Thomas M. Durkin , B.S. 1975 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Mark Filip , B.A. 1988 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
James L. Foreman , B.S. 1950, J.D. 1952 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
Rita B. Garman , B.S. 1965 – Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court (since 2001)
John Phil Gilbert , B.S. 1971 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
William J. Graham , B.L. 1893 – Judge of the United States Court of Customs and Patent Appeals
James F. Holderman , B.S. 1968, J.D. 1971 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
George Evan Howell , B.S. 1927, LL.B. 1930 – Judge of the United States Court of Claims
William F. Jung , J.D. 1983 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida
Frederick J. Kapala , J.D. 1976 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Lloyd A. Karmeier , B.A. 1962, J.D. 1964 – Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court (since 2004)
Alfred Younges Kirkland Sr. , B.A. 1941, J.D. 1943 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Ray Klingbiel , LL.B. 1924 – Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court
Walter C. Lindley , LL.B. 1904, J.D. 1910 – Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
J. Warren Madden , B.A. 1911 – Judge of the United States Court of Claims
George M. Marovich , B.S. 1952, J.D. 1954 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Prentice Marshall , B.S. 1949, J.D. 1951 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
William J. Martinez , B.A. 1977, B.S. 1977 – Judge of the United States District Court for the District of Colorado
Frederick Olen Mercer , LL.B. 1924 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
Patricia Millett , B.A. 1985 – Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit
Ramon Ocasio III – 6th Judicial Subcircuit Judge , Cook County, Illinois (since 2006)
George True Page – Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Casper Platt , B.A. 1914 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Illinois
Philip Godfrey Reinhard , B.A. 1962, J.D. 1964 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Scovel Richardson , B.A. 1934, M.A. 1936 – Judge of the United States Court of International Trade
Nancy J. Rosenstengel , B.A. 1990 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
Stanley Julian Roszkowski , B.S. 1949, J.D. 1954 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois
Howard C. Ryan – Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court
Roy Solfisburg , J.D. 1940 – Chief Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court
Robert C. Underwood , LL.B. 1939 – Justice of the Illinois Supreme Court (1962–1984)
Fred Louis Wham , LL.B. 1909 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Illinois
Harlington Wood Jr. , B.A. 1942, J.D. 1948 – Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit
Staci Michelle Yandle , B.S. 1983 – Judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Illinois
Local offices
Activists
International figures
Giorgi Kvirikashvili , M.S. 1998 – Prime Minister of Georgia
Berhane Abrehe , M.S. 1972 – Third Minister of Finance of Eritrea
Rafael Correa , Ph.D. 2001 — President and former Secretary (Minister) of Finances of Ecuador
Cüneyd Düzyol , M.S. 1996 – Turkish Minister of Development
Mustafa Khalil , M.S. 1948, Ph.D., 1951 – former Prime Minister of Egypt (1978–1980)
Atef Ebeid , Ph.D. 1962 – former Prime Minister of Egypt (1999–2004)
Annette Lu – former vice-president of Taiwan (2000–2008)
Oran McPherson – former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta ; Minister of Public Works for the United Farmers of Alberta government
Maxwell Mkwezalamba , Ph.D. 1995 – Commissioner for Economic Affairs for the African Union Commission (since 2004)
Fidel V. Ramos M.S, 1951 – former President of the Philippines (1992–1998)
Kandeh Yumkella , Ph.D. 1991 – Director-General of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization
Lin Chuan , Ph.D. – Current Premier of Taiwan and former Minister of Finance .
Sri Mulyani Indrawati , M.Sc., Ph.D. – 26th Finance Minister of Indonesia (2016-now) & Managing Director of the World Bank Group (1 June 2010 – 27 July 2016)
Bambang Brodjonegoro , Prof., S.E., M.U.P., Ph.D. – 13th Minister of National Development Planning of Indonesia (2016-now) & 29th Finance Minister of Indonesia (27 October 2014 – 27 July 2016)
Rajai Muasher , M.Sc., Ph.D. – Jordan's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Prime Ministry Affairs
Sixtus Lanner – Austrian member of Parliament
Other
Jill Wine-Banks , B.S. – Watergate prosecutor; General Counsel of the Army (1977–1980); Executive Director of the American Bar Association
Science and mathematics
MiMi Aung , BSEE 1988, MS 1990 – lead engineer on the Mars Helicopter Ingenuity
Rudolf Bayer , Ph.D. 1966 – Mathematician and Computer Scientist known for b-tree and red–black tree
Ahmet Nihat Berker , Ph.D. 1977 – condensed matter physicist ; president of Sabancı University , Istanbul –Turkey
David Blackwell , Ph.D. 1941 – mathematician; 2010 Rao–Blackwell theorem ; first African American to be inducted into the National Academy of Sciences (1965); first black tenured faculty member at the University of California, Berkeley
Murray S. Blum – entomologist , authority on chemical ecology and pheromones
Harold E. Brooks , Ph.D. 1990 – atmospheric scientist; tornado climatology expert
John Carbon , B.S. 1952 – biochemist ; National Academy of Sciences member
Stephen S. Chang , Ph.D. 1952 – food scientist; recipient, IFT Stephen S. Chang Award for Lipid or Flavor Science
Alfred Y. Cho , B.S. 1960, M.S. 1961, Ph.D. 1968 – father of molecular beam epitaxy ; received the National Medal of Science in 1993
Karl Clark , Ph.D. – discovered the hot water oil separation process
Cutler J. Cleveland , Ph.D. – editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of Energy and the Encyclopedia of Earth
Ronald Cohn , B.S. 1965, M.S. 1967, Ph.D. 1971 – researcher and cameraman who helped document Koko , the mountain gorilla
Ronald Fuchs , M.S. 1955, PhD in 1957 – physicist
Donald Geman , B.A. 1965 – applied mathematician, who discovered the Gibbs sampler method in computer vision, Random forests in machine learning, and the Top Scoring Pairs (TSP) classifier in bioinformatics; professor at Johns Hopkins University
Josephine Burns Glasgow , A.B., 1909, Master's degree, Ph.D. in mathematics, 1913 – the second woman to receive a Ph.D. from Illinois University
Gene H. Golub , B.S. 1953, M.A. 1954, Ph.D. 1959 – B. Bolzano Gold Medal for Merits in the Field of Mathematical
T. R. Govindachari , Post-doc 1946–49, Natural product chemist, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar laureate
Temple Grandin , Ph.D. 1989 – animal scientist; bestselling author; consultant to the livestock industry in animal behavior; her biopic (about her life as a woman diagnosed with autism at age two) won five Emmy Awards in 2010
Paul Halmos , B.S. 1935, Ph.D. 1938 – mathematician
Richard Hamming , Ph.D. 1942 – mathematician; developed Hamming code and Hamming distance ; winner of 1968 ACM Turing Award ; namesake of the IEEE 's Richard W. Hamming Medal
Leslie M. Hicks , Ph.D. 2005 – analytical chemist
Donald G. Higman , Ph.D. 1952 – mathematician, discovered the Higman–Sims group
Deborah M. Hinton , M.S. 1976, Ph.D. 1980, microbiologist, chief of the gene expression and regulation section in the laboratory of cell and molecular biology at the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases .
Donald Johanson , B.S. 1966 – anthropologist, discoverer of oldest known hominid, "Lucy "
W. Dudley Johnson , B.S. 1951 – cardiac surgeon known as the father of coronary artery bypass surgery
David A. Johnston , B.S. 1971 – USGS volcanologist killed in the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens
Charles David Keeling , B.S. 1948 – chemist, alerted the world about the possible connection between climate change and human activity
Michael Lacey , Ph.D. 1987 – awarded the Salem Prize for solving conjectures about the Bilinear Hilbert Transform
Richard Leibler , Ph.D. 1939 – mathematician and cryptanalyst; formulated the Kullback–Leibler divergence , a measure of similarity between probability distributions; directed the Princeton center of the Institute for Defense Analysis
Sandra Leiblum , Ph.D. – sexologist
Stephanie A. Majewski , B.S. 2002; Ph.D. Stanford University 2007 – physicist
Eloisa Biasotto Mano (1924–2019), Brazilian chemist, professor
Jeffrey S. Moore , Ph.D. 1989 – chemist
Catherine J. Murphy , B.S. 1986 – chemist
P. T. Narasimhan , Post-doc 1957–59 – theoretical chemist, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar laureate
Rahul Pandit , MS and PhD 1977–82 – condensed matter physicist, Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar laureate
Francine Patterson , B.S. 1970 – researcher who taught a modified version of American Sign Language to a mountain gorilla named Koko
Mary Lynn Reed , Ph.D. 1995 – Chief of Mathematics Research at the National Security Agency and president of the Crypto-Mathematics Institute
Harold Reetz , Ph.D. crop physiology and ecology, agronomist and former President of the Foundation for Agronomic Research
Idun Reiten , Ph.D. 1971 – professor of mathematics; considered to be one of Norway's greatest living mathematicians
John A. Rogers – physical chemist and a materials scientist
Allan Sandage , B.S., 1948 – astronomer and cosmologist; winner of 1991 Crafoord Prize
Pierre Sokolsky , Ph.D. 1973 – astrophysicist, Panofsky Prize Laureate, directed the HiRES Cosmic Ray Detector project and pioneer in ultra-high-energy cosmic ray physics
Leia Stirling – American Association for the Advancement of Science Leshner Leadership Fellow and Massachusetts Institute of Technology Professor in Human–computer interaction
Steven Takiff , Ph.D. 1970 – mathematician
Charles W. Woodworth , B.S. 1885, M.S. 1886 – founder of the Division of Entomology, University of California, Berkeley ; the PBESA gives the C. W. Woodworth Award
Andrew Chi-Chih Yao , Ph.D. 1975 – computer scientist, winner of 2000 ACM Turing Award
K. R. Sridhar , M.S. 1984, Ph.D. 1989 – Founder of Bloom Energy
Alessandro Piccolo , chemist and agricultural scientist Humboldt Prize in Chemistry 1999
Sports
This article's
factual accuracy may be compromised due to out-of-date information. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information. (November 2010)
Administration
Ron Guenther , B.S. 1967, M.S. 1968 – Illinois Fighting Illini Athletic Director (1992–2011)
Tony Khan , B.S. 2007 – President of All Elite Wrestling , Senior Vice President of Football Administration and Technology of Jacksonville Jaguars , Vice Chairman and Director of Football Operations of Fulham F.C. , son of Shahid Khan
Chester Pittser , B.S. 1924 – Miami University football and basketball coach (1924–1931), Montclair State College football, basketball and baseball coach (1934–1943)
Doug Mills – (1926–1930), Illinois Fighting Illini Athletic Director (1941–1966), Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball Head Coach (1936–1947)
Josh Whitman , B.S. 2001, J.D. 2008 – Illinois Fighting Illini Athletic Director (2016–present), former NFL player[49]
Baseball
Lou Boudreau Ken Holtzman
Basketball
Tal Brody Brian Randle Nick Anderson – (1987–1989), played professionally for the NBA 's Orlando Magic and Sacramento Kings
James Augustine – basketball (2002–2006), played two seasons for the NBA 's Orlando Magic , all-time leader in rebounds at Illinois
Steve Bardo – former National Basketball Association player, current ESPN & Big Ten Network basketball analyst
Kenny Battle – played in 4 NBA seasons for the Phoenix Suns , Denver Nuggets , Boston Celtics and Golden State Warriors
Tal Brody – American-Israeli former Euroleague basketball player
Dee Brown – former National Basketball Association player
Chuck Carney – (1918–1921), First Big Ten athlete to be named a football and basketball All-American, Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year (1922), twice named a Helms Foundation All-American for basketball (1920 & 1922)
Jerry Colangelo – (1958–1962), Former owner of the NBA's Phoenix Suns , the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury , the CISL's Arizona Sandsharks , the Arena Football League 's Arizona Rattlers and MLB's Arizona Diamondbacks
Brian Cook – (1999–2003), Fifth all-time scorer for the Illini, played professionally in NBA
Ayo Dosunmu professional basketball player for the National Basketball Association 's Chicago Bulls
Nnanna Egwu – professional basketball player for the National Basketball League of Australia and New Zealand
Kendall Gill – (1986–1990), 1990 consensus All-American and Big 10 Player of the Year, played professionally for 15 seasons in the NBA
Lowell Hamilton – (1985–1989), played Professional Basketball in Greece.
Derek Harper – (1980–1983), played professionally for 16 seasons in the NBA, ranked 11th all-time in steals and 17th in assists
Luther Head – (2001–2005), guard for the Sacramento Kings
Malcolm Hill – (2013–2017), professional basketball player for the Star Hotshots of the Philippine Basketball Association
Eddie Johnson – played professionally for 17 seasons in the NBA, and the league's 35th all-time leading scorer
Johnny "Red" Kerr – member of the 1952 Final Four team, played professionally for 11 seasons in the NBA, first head coach for both the Chicago Bulls and Phoenix Suns , and a former broadcaster for the Chicago Bulls.
Meyers Leonard – (2010–2012), center for the Portland Trail Blazers , eleventh overall pick in 2012 NBA draft
Demetri McCamey – Turkish Basketball League player
Ken Norman – (1984–1987), played professionally for 10 seasons in the NBA
Don Ohl – basketball (1954–1958), played 10 seasons (1960–1970) in the NBA for three teams (Detroit Pistons, Baltimore Bullets, St. Louis/Atlanta Hawks ), 5xNBA All-Star
Johnny Orr – basketball (1944–45), Named the National Coach of the Year for the 1976 season and Big Ten Coach of the Year in college basketball while coaching at Michigan
Stan Patrick – former National Basketball Association player
Andy Phillip – basketball (1941–1943, 1946–1947), Member of the "Whiz Kids" , played 11 seasons of professional basketball for the Chicago Stags , Philadelphia Warriors , Fort Wayne Pistons and Boston Celtics (1947–1958), Head Coach of the St. Louis Hawks (1958–1959), 5xNBA All-Star, 2x Consensus All-American
Roger Powell – former National Basketball Association player
Brian Randle (born 1985) – basketball player for Maccabi Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Super League
Dave Scholz – former National Basketball Association player
Cindy Stein – basketball , head women's basketball coach at the University of Missouri since 1998
Jaylon Tate – professional basketball player in the National Basketball League of Canada
Deon Thomas – American-Israeli former Euroleague basketball player
Deron Williams – National Basketball Association player
Frank Williams – has been part of the NBA's New York Knicks , Denver Nuggets , Chicago Bulls , and Los Angeles Clippers
Ray Woods – basketball (1913–1917), Names Helms Foundation College Basketball Player of the Year (1917), 3xHelms Foundation All-American (1915–1917), 3xFirst Team All-Big Ten
Dick Butkus Red Grange Paul Adams – Former Deerfield High School coach
Alex Agase – Former National Football League player, Cleveland Browns , Member of the College Football Hall of Fame
Ron Acks – former National Football League player, linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons
Jeff Allen – football (2008–2011), offensive tackle for the Kansas City Chiefs
Alan Ball – National Football League player, cornerback for the Jacksonville Jaguars
Arrelious Benn – National Football League player, wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Chuck Boerio – National Football League player, linebacker for the Green Bay Packers
Ed Brady – former National Football League player, linebacker for the Cincinnati Bengals
Josh Brent – National Football League player, defensive tackles for the Dallas Cowboys
Bill Brown – former National Football League player, running back for the Minnesota Vikings
Darrick Brownlow – former National Football League player, linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys
Lloyd Burdick – National Football League tackle
Dick Butkus – National Football League linebacker; member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Luke Butkus – National Football League coach, offensive line coach for the Chicago Bears , nephew of Dick Butkus
J. C. Caroline – former National Football League player, defensive back and halfback for the Chicago Bears
Danny Clark IV – National Football League player, linebacker for the New Orleans Saints
Steve Collier – National Football League player, offensive tackle for the Green Bay Packers
Jameel Cook – former National Football League player, fullback for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Vontae Davis – National Football League player, cornerback for the Indianapolis Colts
Mark Dennis – former National Football League player, offensive tackle for the Miami Dolphins
David Diehl – National Football League player, offensive guard for the New York Giants
Doug Dieken – former National Football League player, offensive tackle for the Cleveland Browns
Ken Dilger – (1991–1994), played professionally for the Indianapolis Colts and Tampa Bay Buccaneers ; starting Tight end in Super Bowl XXXVII
Charles Carroll "Tony" Eason – (1979–1983) played professionally for the New England Patriots ; led team to Super Bowl XX
Moe Gardner – former National Football League player, former defensive line for the Atlanta Falcons
Jeff George – first overall pick of 1990 NFL Draft by the Indianapolis Colts , also played for a variety of teams including the Atlanta Falcons , Oakland Raiders , and the Washington Redskins
Lou Gordon – former National Football League player, defensive end for the Chicago Cardinals
Red Grange – charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Howard Griffith – former National Football League player, fullback for the Denver Broncos
George Halas – former National Football League coach for the Chicago Bears; charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Don Hansen – former National Football League player, linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons
Kevin Hardy – played professionally for the NFL's Jacksonville Jaguars , Dallas Cowboys , and Cincinnati Bengals
Kelvin Hayden – National Football League player, cornerback for the Chicago Bears
Brad Hopkins – first round pick in the 1993 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans and future all-pro.
Michael Hoomanawanui – (2007–2009), tight end for the New England Patriots
A.J. Jenkins – (2008–2011)), wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs , thirtieth overall pick in 2012 NFL Draft
Henry Jones – former National Football League player, safety for the Buffalo Bills
Brandon Jordan – Canadian Football League player, defensive tackle for the BC Lions
William G. Kline – head coach for the University of Florida and University of Nebraska football and basketball teams
Mikel Leshoure – National Football League player, running back for the Detroit Lions
Greg Lewis – National Football League player, wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles
Brandon Lloyd – (1999–2002), wide receiver for the San Francisco 49ers , 2010 Pro Bowler and 2010 NFL receiving yards leader
Corey Liuget – (2008–2010), defensive end for the San Diego Chargers , eighteenth overall pick in 2011 NFL Draft
Rashard Mendenhall – National Football League player, running back for the Arizona Cardinals and Pittsburgh Steelers .
Whitney Mercilus – (2009–2011), linebacker for the Houston Texans , twenty-sixth overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft
Brandon Moore – former National Football League player, former offensive guard for the New York Jets
Aaron Moorehead – National Football League player, wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts
Ray Nitschke – played professionally for the NFL's Green Bay Packers , and an enshrined member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Tony Pashos – National Football League player, offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens
Preston Pearson – (1963–1967), Played 13 seasons in the NFL for the Colts, Steelers and Cowboys despite not playing college football
Frosty Peters – former National Football League player
Neil Rackers – National Football League player, kicker for the Houston Texans
Simeon Rice – former National Football League player, defensive end
Scott Studwell – football (1972–1976), Played 14 seasons (1977–1990) for the Minnesota Vikings , 2-time Pro-Bowler
Marques Sullivan – Playboy All-American Tackle that played 4 season with NFL's Buffalo Bills , New York Giants , and New England Patriots
Pierre Thomas – National Football League player, running back for the New Orleans Saints
Bruce Thornton – former National Football League player, defensive tackle for the Dallas Cowboys
Fred Wakefield – National Football League player, offensive guard for the Arizona Cardinals
Steve Weatherford – National Football League player, punter for the New York Giants
Eugene Wilson – National Football League player, defensive back for the New England Patriots
Isiah John "Juice" Williams – football (2006–2009), NFL Free Agent
Golf
Tennis
Wrestling
Olympics
Kevin Anderson – Olympian in men's tennis 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; 2015 U.S. Open quarterfinalist
Michelle Bartsch-Hackley – gold medalist in women's volleyball 2020 (2021) Summer Olympics in Tokyo
Avery Brundage , B.S. 1909 – Olympian, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President (1952–1972)
Dike Eddleman – (1947–49), also tied for 2nd at the 1948 Summer Olympics in the high jump
Abie Grossfeld – Olympic, Pan Am, and Maccabiah Games gymnast and coach
George Kerr – (1958–1960), all-time Big Ten Olympian list, champion sprinter and 400/800 meter runner from Jamaica, 1960 Rome, Italy Summer Olympic bronze medal 800 meter winner
Don Laz – track & field , record setting American pole vaulter and silver medalist in Pole Vault in the 1952 Olympic Games in Helsinki, Finland
Daniel Kinsey – gold medalist in men's 110 m hurdles, 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris
Jonathan Kuck – silver medalist in speed skating in the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver
Don Laz – silver medalist in pole vault in the 1952 Helsinki, Finland Games; architect in Champaign, Illinois; his design career was cut short by a stroke
Tatyana McFadden – USA paralympian athlete competing mainly in category T54 sprint events, team member for the 2012 London Olympics
Herb McKenley – silver medalist in 400 m, 1948 Summer Olympics in London; silver medal in 100 m and 400 m, gold medal in 4 × 400 m relay, 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki
Harold Osborn – won two gold medals in the 1924 Summer Olympics , charter member of U.S. Track & Field Hall of Fame
Jordyn Poulter – gold medalist in women's volleyball 2020 (2021) Summer Olympics in Tokyo
Bob Richards – gold medalist in pole vault in the 1952 Helsinki and 1956 Melbourne Games
Ashley Spencer – bronze medalist in 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics , 400 meter hurdles; 2013 world champion, 4-x-400 relay
Justin Spring – (2002–2006), member of the bronze medal -winning men's gymnastics team at the 2008 Summer Olympics
Craig Virgin – long-distance runner, 1975 NCAA cross country champion, 1980 and 1981 world cross-country champion
Deron Williams – USA basketball team member for the 2012 London Olympics
Other
Fictional
Miscellaneous