Notable alumni
Academia
- Kay Schallenkamp, president of Emporia State University, and later Black Hills State University
- Robert Legvold, former director of the Harriman Institute, Columbia University Sovietologist
Politics and government
- James Abourezk, U.S. Senator and U.S. Representative from South Dakota, first Arab-American U.S. Senator
- Sigurd Anderson, Governor of South Dakota
- Joseph H. Bottum, 27th Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota and a member of the United States Senate
- Kevin Brady, U.S. Representative from Texas
- Dwight W. Burney, 30th Governor of Nebraska
- Dan Crippen, Director of the Congressional Budget Office
- Dennis Daugaard, 32nd Governor of South Dakota
- George E. "Bud" Day, retired Air Force colonel, ex-POW, and most highly decorated military officer since Douglas MacArthur
- Frank Farrar, 24th governor of South Dakota
- Joe Foss, Marine Corp Medal of Honor recipient, 20th Governor of South Dakota, first commissioner of the American Football League
- Carl Gunderson, Governor of South Dakota
- Charles R. Hayes, Justice of the South Dakota Supreme Court[1]
- Daryl Hecht, Justice of the Iowa Supreme Court
- Carole Hillard, Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
- Dusty Johnson, U.S. Representative and PUC Commissioner
- Marty Jackley, 30th Attorney General of South Dakota[citation needed]
- Bill Janklow, Governor of South Dakota and Representative of South Dakota
- Leslie Jensen, Governor of South Dakota
- Tim Johnson, U.S. senator from South Dakota
- Steve T. Kirby, Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
- Roberto Lange, Judge of U.S. District Court of South Dakota
- Richard Barrett Lowe, Governor of American Samoa and Governor of Guam
- Matt Michels, current Lieutenant Governor of South Dakota
- George S. Mickelson, Governor of South Dakota
- John C. Miller Jr., United States Marine Corps Brigadier General
- Byron S. Payne, South Dakota Attorney General[2]
- Larry Pressler, U.S. Representative and Senator from South Dakota
- A. J. Rosier, Wyoming state senator[3]
- Merrell Q. Sharpe, Attorney General of South Dakota from 1929 through 1933, and Governor of South Dakota from 1943 through 1947
- Harold J. Sykora, National Guard Major General, Adjutant General of South Dakota
- John Thune, U.S. senator from South Dakota
Athletics
- Dwight Anderson, cornerback and 2010 CFL All-Star
- Ordell Braase, 1957–68, drafted in 14th round by the Baltimore Colts, two-time All-Pro, NFL Players Association President
- George Burnside, former Racine Legion blocking back
- Matt Chatham, former NFL linebacker, (2000–05, New England Patriots, 2006–07, New York Jets)
- Tom Compton, offensive lineman for the Washington Redskins
- Jack Doyle, former athletic director, former men's basketball coach, former assistant men's basketball coach, inducted into the USD Athletic Hall of Fame 2002,[4] member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA) Hall of Fame[5][6]
- Filip Filipović, former NFL punter (2002–2003 Dallas Cowboys, 2003–2004 San Francisco 49ers, 2004 Minnesota Vikings, 2006 Houston Texans, 2007 Chicago Bears)
- Emily Grove, pole vaulter
- John Kohler, former offensive lineman, drafted in the 3rd Round, 1969, Denver Broncos[citation needed]
- Greg Lansing, basketball head coach, Indiana State
- Stefan Logan, return specialist for Detroit Lions
- Mark McLoughlin, former Calgary Stampeders kicker
- Derek Miles, pole vaulter for USA Track and Field and Olympian
- Ko Quaye, defensive lineman for the Orlando Predators of the Arena Football League
- Joe Robbie, original owner of the Miami Dolphins franchise
- A.J. Schable, defensive end for NFL Seattle Seahawks; 2006, Arizona Cardinals
- Josh Stamer, former NFL linebacker. (2003–07, Buffalo Bills; 2008, Tennessee Titans; 2009, Cleveland Browns, Buffalo Bills)
- Tyler Starr, Atlanta Falcons linebacker, drafted 255th overall in 7th round of 2014 NFL Draft
- Johnny Vann, former defensive back, drafted in the 10th round, Washington Redskins, 1973–74[citation needed]
- Jamel White, former running back (1999, Indianapolis Colts; 1999, Cleveland Browns; 2004, Tampa Bay Buccaneers; 2005, Detroit Lions)
Other
- Tillie Black Bear, anti-domestic violence activist
- Norman H. Boke, botanist
- Ernest Bormann, rhetorical theorist
- Tom Brokaw, longtime NBC News anchorman and retired NBC Nightly News anchor
- Pete Dexter, novelist
- Ernest O. Lawrence, inventor of the cyclotron; winner of 1939 Nobel Prize for Physics; namesake of chemical element 103, lawrencium; participated in the Manhattan Project;
- John H. Lawrence, physicist and physician recognized for pioneering work in nuclear medicine; often referred to as the father of modern nuclear medicine
- Faye Cashatt Lewis, physician and author, first women to receive an M.D. from Washington University School of Medicine[7]
- Kenneth J. Meier, Charles Gregory Professor of Political Science, Texas A&M University
- Greg Mortenson, humanitarian and founder of the Central Asia Institute
- Al Neuharth, founder of USA Today and the Freedom Forum, former CEO of Gannett
- Pat O'Brien, television presenter
- Earl Rose, Dallas County medical examiner at the time of the assassination of John F. Kennedy[8]
- Faith Spotted Eagle, Yankton Dakota counselor and activist
- Gene Vidal, athlete, aviation pioneer, New Deal official and father of Gore Vidal
- Anna Johnson Pell Wheeler, mathematician, known for her contributions to infinite dimensional linear algebra
- Abby Whiteside, piano teacher and theorist
