From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This is a list of notable
alumni and faculty of
Drake University .
Notable alumni
Politics and military
Brenna Bird ,
Iowa Attorney General (2023–)
Robert D. Blue ,
Governor of
Iowa (1945–1949)
Terry Branstad , former Governor of Iowa (1983–1999, 2011–2017) and
United States ambassador to
China (2017–2020), longest-serving state governor in U.S. history
Bonnie Campbell , lawyer, former Iowa Attorney General (1991–1995) and gubernatorial candidate
Johnnie Carson , career diplomat
Merwin Coad , Iowa
Congressman (1957–1963)
Joe Crail , California Congressman (1927–1933)
Chet Culver , former Governor of Iowa (2007–2011)
Cassius Clay Dowell , Iowa Congressman (1915–1935, 1937–1940)
Abby Finkenauer , former Iowa
Congresswoman (2019–2021)
Guy Gillette , Iowa Congressman (1933–1936) and
Senator (1936–1945, 1949–1955)
Robert K. Goodwin , Iowa Congressman (1940–1941)
Adam Gregg ,
lieutenant governor of Iowa (2019–present)
Carl W. Hoffman , U.S. Marine Corps Major general
Ron Kouchi , President of the
Hawaii State Senate
Darrell R. Lindsey ,
Medal of Honor recipient
Zach Nunn , U.S. Representative-elect from Iowa’s 3rd district (2023–)
Jim Nussle , former Iowa
Congressman (1991–2007) and director of the
Office of Management and Budget
Stephen Rapp , former
United States Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues in the
Office of Global Criminal Justice
Robert D. Ray , Governor of Iowa (1969–1983)
David N. Senty , retired
U.S. Air Force Major General
Neal Smith , former Iowa
Congressman (1959–1995)
Sara Taylor , former Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of Political Affairs in the
George W. Bush administration
Hubert Utterback , Iowa Congressman (1935–1937)
Frederick T. Weber ,
Naval aviator who died at the
Battle of Midway
David Young , former Iowa Congressman (2015–2019)
Law
Mark Cady , lawyer, Chief Justice Supreme Court of Iowa (2011–2019)
Roxanne Conlin , lawyer, former
United States Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa (1977–1981), and Iowa senate and gubernatorial candidate
Robert Cowen , senior judge on the
United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit
George Gardner Fagg ,
United States federal judge on the
United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit
[1]
Cleon H. Foust ,
Indiana Attorney General (1947–1949)
[2]
Joseph C. Howard Sr. ,
Judge ,
United States District Court for the District of Maryland (1979–2000)
Louis A. Lavorato , lawyer, Chief Justice Supreme Court of Iowa (2000–2006)
Ronald Olson , partner in the Los Angeles office of the law firm of
Munger Tolles & Olson LLP
Wendy J. Olson ,
United States Attorney for the
District of Idaho (2010–2017)
Marsha Ternus , lawyer, Chief Justice Supreme Court of Iowa (2006–2010)
Terry Trieweiler , Montana Supreme Court Justice, Montana Lawyer of the Year
Arts and literature
Ethan “Whelp Dogg” Whelpley , Rapper
Joanne Aono , artist
Rose Bampton , principal singer at Metropolitan Opera during 1930s and 1940s
Bruce Brubaker , musician
Bill Bryson , author
Marsha Wilson Chall , children's author
Gwen M. Davidson , artist
Mark Doty , poet
Susan Glaspell , author
Joseph Hermann , conductor, clarinetist and music educator; president of
American Bandmasters Association
Stanley Hess , artist, instrument maker, educator
Syleena Johnson , R&B singer, actress, and reality television personality
Ira Levin , author of
Rosemary's Baby ,
The Boys from Brazil ,
The Stepford Wives ,
Deathtrap
Sherrill Milnes , operatic baritone
Carol Morris , actress and
Miss Universe 1956
Dick Oatts , jazz saxophonist
Phil Stong , author of
State Fair , novel filmed three times
Matthew Stover , author of fantasy and science fiction, including novelization of Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith
Roger Williams , musician and composer
Bart Yates , author
Entertainment and media
Steve Allen , comedian, actor and first host of The Tonight Show (attended, did not graduate)
Lew Anderson , musician and voice of Clarabell the Clown
John August , screenwriter
Steve Bannos , film actor and writer
Mary Bock , journalist
Joseph Chaikin , founder of the Open Theater, theater director, actor, author
Lee Ann Colacioppo , nee Fleet, editor of The Denver Post
[3]
Julee Cruise , singer and actress
Mark DeCarlo , actor, comedian, host of Taste of America television show, cartoon voice actor
Jerry Douglas , writer and director, notably of gay pornographic films
Michael Emerson , two-time
Emmy Award -winning actor
Bridget Flanery , actress
Lambert Hillyer , silent film director
Dave Mallow , voice-over artist for television, film, animation, commercials, video games
Al McCoy , sports broadcaster, voice of the
Phoenix Suns
Clark R. Mollenhoff ,
Pulitzer Prize -winning journalist
Jeremy Piven , three-time
Emmy Award -winning actor (attended, did not graduate)
Ray Rizzo , three-time Pokémon Video Game World Champion
Wynn Speece , "Neighbor Lady", WNAX radio station
Kazuki Takahashi , creator of
Yu-Gi-Oh! (attended, did not graduate)
Jim Uhls , screenwriter, including the script for
Fight Club
Sam Wanamaker , actor and director
Larry Whiteside , award-winning sportswriter
Rex Wockner , journalist
David L. Wolper , television and film producer
Business
Science and academia
Jon Bowermaster , oceans expert, journalist, filmmaker and adventurer
W. Dean Eastman , award-winning educator
Cuthbert Hurd , computer pioneer
[4]
Rachelle Keck , academic administrator
Thomas Kunz , researcher notable for insights into bat ecology
Timothy Ley , hematologist, oncologist and cancer biologist
William A. Staples , president of the
University of Houston–Clear Lake
Brian Wansink , Cornell University professor and author of
Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think
Harley A. Wilhelm , Manhattan Project scientist and co-inventor of the Ames Process for purifying uranium, co-founder of the Ames Laboratory for the U.S. Dept. of Energy
Athletics
Chris Ash , football coach, former head coach at
Rutgers University
Tom Bienemann , former
NFL
defensive end for the
Chicago Cardinals
Johnny Bright , member of the
College and
Canadian Football Hall of Fame
Waldo Don Carlos , retired
NFL
center for the
Green Bay Packers
Billy Cundiff ,
NFL
placekicker
Keno Davis , basketball coach, 2008
Associated Press College Basketball Coach of the Year
Versil Deskin , former
NFL player
Dave Doeren , head football coach at
North Carolina State University
Pat Dunsmore , former
NFL player
Ezra Hendrickson , professional soccer player and coach
York Hentschel ,
CFL player and 3 time
Grey Cup champion
Maury John , Hall of Fame basketball coach: Final Four (1969), and Elite 8 (1970 and 1971)
Zach Johnson , professional golfer, winner of the
2007 Masters and
2015 Open Championship
Karl Kassulke , former
NFL player
Wayne Kreklow , retired professional basketball player
Kevin Little , 1997 world indoor champion, 200-meter dash
Lewis Lloyd , retired professional basketball player
John Lynch , former
NFL player
Pug Manders , former
NFL player
Willie McCarter , former
NBA player
Dennis McKnight , former
NFL player
McCoy McLemore , former
NBA player
Jerry Mertens , former
NFL player
Duane Miller , former
NFL player, Drake Football record holder
Dick Nesbitt , former
NFL player
Bob Netolicky , professional basketball player
Charlie Partridge , football coach, former head coach at
Florida Atlantic University
Mike Samples , former
Canadian Football League player
Eric Saubert , professional American football player
Boris Shlapak , professional football and soccer player for the
Baltimore Colts and
Chicago Sting respectively
Lee Stange , former
MLB pitcher and MLB pitching coach
Bill Stevenson ,
CFL all-star and record 7 time
Grey Cup champion
Ann Swisshelm , two-time Olympic curler
Dan Turk , former
NFL player; transferred after his sophomore season
Dani Tyler , softball player and
1996 Olympic gold medalist
Rick Wanamaker , winner of the
1971 Pan American Games
decathlon
Willie Wise , professional basketball player
Felix Wright , former
CFL and
NFL
safety
Notable faculty
Chester C. Cole ,
Drake University Law School founder and professor,
University of Iowa College of Law co-founder and professor, Chief Justice of the
Iowa Supreme Court
George Gallup , Head of Journalism Department (1928-1931)
Frank Irving Herriott (1868-1941), professor of economics (1903-1919), political science and sociology (1903-1941)
Jacqui Kalin (born 1989), American-Israeli professional basketball player
Robert Kibbee (died 1982), Chancellor of the
City University of New York
Edward Mansfield ,
Iowa Supreme Court justice and adjunct law professor
Milman Parry , professor of Greek and Latin, 1928-29
Lewis Worthington Smith , Professor of English
Terri Vaughan , Visiting professor in the College of Business and Public Administration
Francis Wilhoit , Political Science Professor
George G. Wright ,
Iowa Supreme Court justice,
Drake University Law School professor,
University of Iowa College of Law co-founder,
United States Senator from Iowa
Oleg Zatsarinny , Senior Research Scholar and Lecturer (Atomic Physics)
References