List of University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign people

This is an incomplete list of notable people associated with the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in the United States of America. Bill Gates noted in a February 2004 speech that Microsoft hires more alumni of the university than from any other university in the world [1]. Notable people associated with the U of I have founded Oracle Corporation, Playboy, Netscape, PayPal, YouTube, AMD, and Siebel Systems. Notable people have invented the LED, integrated circuit, transistor, MRI, and the plasma screen.

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

• Barry Bearak, M.S. 1974 — International Reporting, 2002
• Michael Colgrass, B.A. 1956 — Music, 1978
• George Crumb, M.A. 1952 — Music, 1968
• Carl Van Doren, B.A. 1907 — Biography, 1939
• Mark Van Doren, B.A. 1914 — Poetry, 1940
• Roger Ebert, B.S. 1964 — Criticism, 1975
• David Herbert Donald, M.A. 1942, Ph.D. 1946 — Biography, 1961 and 1988
• Paul Ingrassia, B.S. 1972 — Beat Reporting, 1993
• Allan Nevins, B.A. 1912, M.A. 1913 — Biography, 1933 and 1937
• James Reston, B.S. 1932 — National Reporting, 1945 and 1957
• Robert Lewis Taylor, B.A. 1933 — Fiction, 1959

Academia

College presidents and vice-presidents

• Dr. 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.— Current President of American Association of Universities, Former Chancellor of UC Berkeley, Former President of University of Texas at Austin
• 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
• Lewis Collens B.S., M.A. — Seventh President, Illinois Institute of Technology
• Ralph J. Cicerone M.S. 1967, Ph.D. 1970 — President, National Academy of Sciences, Former Chancellor UC Irvine
• John E. Cribbet J.D. — accomplished 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 University of Missouri
• Candace Goodwin M.B.A. – President, DeVry University, Chicago, Former President South University Savannah
• Robert C. Graham M.S., Ph.D. — Former Vice-President, Hanover College
• Tori Haring-Smith Ph.D – President, Washington & Jefferson College
• Freeman A. Hrabowski III M.A., Ph.D. – President, University of Maryland, Baltimore County
• Philip Handler Ph.D. 1939 — President, National Academy of Sciences
• Albert K. Karnig M.A., Ph.D. — Third President (1997–Present), California State University, San Bernardino
• Robert W. Kustra Ph.D. – President, Boise State University
• Isaac E. Lagaris Ph.D. 1981 – Vice-Rector, University of Ioannina
• John Niland Ph.D. 1970 – Fourth President, University of New South Wales, Australia
• J. Wayne Reitz M.S. 1935 — President, University of Florida
• Steven B. Sample B.S. 1962, M.S. 1963, Ph.D. 1965 — Tenth President, University of Southern California
• 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
• David J. Schmidly Ph.D., – Twentieth President University of New Mexico
• William D. Underwood J.D. – Eighteen President, Mercer University
• Marvin Wachman Ph.D. – President, Temple University, Former President Lincoln University
• Herman B Wells – President, Indiana University

College provosts and vice provosts

• Joseph A. Alutto M.A. – Provost, Ohio State University
• W. Kent Fuchs M.S. 1982, Ph.D. 1985 – Fifteenth Provost, Cornell University
• Richard C. Lee Ph.D. – Vice Provost, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Distinguished professors and scholars

• Warren Ambrose B.S. 1935, M.S. 1936, Ph.D. 1939 – Professor Emeritus of Mathematics at MIT.
• Arnold O. Beckman B.S. 1922, M.S. 1923 – Former Professor of Chemistry at Caltech.
• Gerald R. Ferris Ph.D, Francis Eppes Professor of Management and professor of psychology at Florida State University
• Nick Holonyak B.S., Ph.D. – Professor of Engineering, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
• Douglas A. Melton B.S. – Biologist, Xander University Professor at Harvard University
• Nora C. Quebral Ph.D, Proponent of the development communication discipline; Professor Emeritus of development communication at University of the Philippines Los Baños
• Bernard Rosenthal, Ph.D. 1968 – Professor Emeritus of English at Binghamton University.
• Roy Vernon Scott M.A. 1953, Ph.D. 1957 – Professor Emeritus of History at Mississippi State University
• James Thomson B.S. 1981, – Professor of Microbiology, University of Wisconsin - Madison
• Paul S. Dunkin M.A. 1931, B.S. 1935, Ph.D. 1937 - Professor Emeritus of Library Services at Rutgers University
• Martin Gruebele

Performing arts

• Barbara Bain, B.S. — Winner of three consecutive Emmy Awards for the role of Cinnamon Carter in Mission: Impossible
• Timothy Carhart - TV and movie actor (Pink Cadillac, The Hunt for Red October)
• Andrew Davis — Movie director (The Fugitive)
• Nancy Lee Grahn, briefly attended - Daytime Emmy-winning actress
• Gene Hackman, attended - Five-time Academy Award-nominated actor
• Shanola Hampton - Actor (Shameless (USA))
• Arte Johnson, 1949 — Laugh-In television personality
• Ang Lee, 1980 — Academy Award-winning movie director (Best Director, 2005, Brokeback Mountain)
• Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, 1980 — Actress (Scarface, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves)
• John McNaughton - Movie and TV director (Henry: Portrait of a Serial Killer, Wild Things)
• Ryan McPartlin – Actor (Chuck (TV series))
• Donna Mills — Movie and TV actress (Knots Landing)
• Ben Murphy - TV actor (Alias Smith and Jones)
• Lucas Neff - Actor (Raising Hope)
• Nick Offerman, 1993 — Actor (Parks and Recreation)
• Jerry Orbach, B.A. — Broadway, movie and TV 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)
• Lynne Thigpen, B.A. 1970 — 1997 Tony Award-winning actress (Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?)
• Jonathan Sadowski – Actor ($#*! My Dad Says (TV series))
• Allan Sherman — Comedian (best known for the Grammy Award-winning novelty song "Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah"; television writer and producer (co-creator of I've Got a Secret)
• Sushanth, B.E. – Telugu actor
• Grant Williams - Movie Actor (The Incredible Shrinking Man (1957)) and operatic tenor
• Roger Young, M.S. - Emmy Award-winning TV and movie director

Architecture

• Max Abramovitz, B.S. 1929 — Architect on many campus and prominent international buildings including the United Nations Building, Assembly Hall (Champaign) and the Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center in New York City
• Temple Hoyne Buell — Architect for the first American central mall
• Henry Bacon — Architect of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington D.C.
• Jeanne Gang, B.S. – Architect
• Ralph Johnson, B.Arch 1971 — Principal architect of the Perkins+Will
• David Miller, M.Arch 1972 — Principal architect of the Miller/Hull partnership, FAIA
• César Pelli, M.Arch. 1954 — Architect for the Petronas Twin Towers
• Nathan Clifford Ricker, D.Arch. 1871 — First architect to receive a degree in Architecture from an American institution
• William L. Steele – Architect of the Prairie School during the early twentieth century
• John Hanna — Architect, Chicago, Illinois

Art

• Mark Staff Brandl, B.F.A. 1978 — artist, art historian and critic
• Leslie Erganian – artist and writer
• Deb Sokolow, B.A. 1996 — artist
• Lorado Taft – sculptor, writer and educator

Astronauts

Steven R. Nagel

• Scott Altman, B.S. 1981
• Lee J. Archambault, B.S. 1982, M.S. 1984
• Dale A. Gardner, B.S. 1970
• Steven R. Nagel, B.S. 1969
• Joseph R. Tanner, B.S. 1973
• Michael S. Hopkins, B.S. 1992

Business

Ambassador Nancy G. Brinker

• Irving Azoff, attended — CEO of Ticketmaster (2008-present); Executive Chairman Live Nation Entertainment
• Nancy Brinker, 1968 — Founder of Susan G. Komen for the Cure; Chief of Protocol of the United States, United States ambassador to Hungary 2001-09-06 to 2003-06-19; sister of Susan G. Komen received the 1995 University of Illinois Alumni Achievement Award [2]
• Jim Cantalupo, 1966 — Chairman and CEO of McDonald's (1991–2004)
• Jerry Colangelo, B.S. 1962 — President & CEO of Phoenix Suns and managing general partner of Arizona Diamondbacks
• Jon Corzine, A.B. 1969 — Chairman and CEO of Goldman Sachs (1994–1999), cross listed in Politics section
• Stephen Carley, A.B. circa 1973 – CEO of El Pollo Loco, former president and chief operating officer of Universal City Hollywood
• Bob Dudley, B.S. – Managing Director and CEO-designate of BP
• Martin Eberhard, 1960 — CEO and co-founder of Tesla Motors
• George M.C. Fisher, 1962 — CEO of Eastman Kodak (1993-2000)
• Brenda J. Gaines, B.A. — CEO of Diners Club North America (2002-2004)
• John Georges, 1951 — CEO of International Paper (1985-1996)
• Harry Gray, 1941 — CEO of United Technologies (1974-1986)
• James T. Hackett, B.S. 1975 - CEO of Anadarko Petroleum Corporation (2003-present)
• E.B. Harris, 1935 — President of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange
• Raymond W. LeBoeuf, M.B.A. — CEO of PPG Industries (1997-2005)
• Robert L. Johnson — Founder of Black Entertainment Television; principal owner of the Charlotte Bobcats
• Michael P. Krasny, B.S. 1975 — Chairman Emeritus and founder of CDW
• Tom Murphy, B.S. 1938 — Chairman of General Motors
• Jim Oberweis — Chairman of Oberweis Dairy
• Ron Popeil, attended — Inventor of the Infomercial (left after one year)
• Abe Saperstein — Creator of the Harlem Globetrotters
• Russ M. Strobel, J.D. 1977 - CEO of Nicor (2005-present)
• Jack Welch, M.S. 1959, Ph.D. 1961 — CEO of General Electric (1981–2001)
• C. E. Woolman, 1912 — Founder of Delta Air Lines
• John D. Zeglis, B.S. 1969 — Former President of AT&T; Former Chairman and CEO of AT&T Wireless

Engineering and technology

Panorama of the Bardeen Quad

• Shoaib Abbasi, B.S. 1980, M.S. 1980 — President and CEO of Informatica
• Richard Blahut
• Marc Andreessen, B.S. 1993 — Co-creator of Mosaic, and later co-founder of Netscape
• Bruce Artwick, M.S. 1976 — Creator of Microsoft Flight Simulator
• Ken Batcher, Ph.D. 1969 – ACM/IEEE Eckert-Mauchly Award winner for work on parallel computers
• Arnold O. Beckman, B.S. 1922, MS 1923 — Inventor of pH meter, founder of Beckman Instruments; major donor to U of I, the Beckman Institute and Beckman Quadrangle are named after him
• Eric Bina, B.S. 1986, M.S. 1988 — Co-creator of the Mosaic and among the first employees of Netscape
• Donald L. 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
• Steve Chen — Co-founder of YouTube
• Ven Te Chow, Ph.D. notable professor of hydrology
• John Cioffi B.S. 1978, father of DSL (broad band internet connection), Marconi Prize winner, founder of Amati Communications (sold to Texas Instruments), IEEE Fellow
• Daniel W. Dobberpuhl, B.S. 1967 – Creator of Alpha and StrongARM microprocessors at DEC
• Steve Dorner, B.S. 1983 — Creator of Eudora
• Alan M. Davis, M.S. 1973, Ph.D. 1975 — IEEE Fellow for contributions to software engineering, author, entrepreneur
• James DeLaurier, B.S. – designed the first microwave-powered aircraft, the first engine-powered ornithopter, and the first human-carrying ornithopter
• Russell Dupuis B.S. 1970, M.S. 1971, Ph.D. 1972 – professor at Georgia Tech, 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. 2006 - Creator of JavaScript and current CTO of Mozilla Corporation.
• Lawrence Ellison — founder of Oracle Corporation (left after sophomore year)
• 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
• Jawed Karim, B.S. 2004 — Co-founder of YouTube
• Fazlur Khan, Ph.D. 1955 — Designer and builder of the Sears Tower, tallest building in the world when it was built in 1973
• Shahid Khan, B.S. 1971, Flex-N-Gate Corp. owner who purchased Jacksonville Jaguars
• Ed Krol – author of Whole Internet User's Guide and Catalog
• Max Levchin, B.S. 1997 — Co-founder of PayPal
• Robert McCool, B.S. 1995 – author of the original NCSA HTTPd web server, later known as the Apache HTTP Server.
• 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
• Cecil Peabody, writer, graduate of MIT (1877) and professor at MIT
• Jerry Sanders, B.S. 1958 — Co-founder and former CEO of Advanced Micro Devices
• Michael Schrage, 1980, Computer Science and Economics — columnist
• Thomas Siebel, B.A. 1975, M.B.A. 1983, M.S. 1985 — Founder of Siebel Systems
• H. Gene Slottow, Ph.D. 1964 — 2003 Emmy Award in Technical Achievement for the invention of the plasma display
• Bill Stumpf — Designer of the Aeron and Ergon ergonomic chairs
• Kevin Warwick, Senior Beckman Fellow, 2004 – Cyborg Scientist, University of Reading.

Literature

• Nelson Algren, B.S. 1931 — Author of 1950 National Book Award-winning The Man With the Golden Arm
• Ann Bannon, B.A. 1955 – Pulp fiction author of "The Beebo Brinker Chronicles"
• 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
• Dave Eggers, attended 1980s and 90s, B.S. 2002 — Author of A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, What Is the What, and Zeitoun (book)
• 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 and translator of the Illiad and the Odyssey
• William Keepers Maxwell, Jr., B.A. 1930 - Novelist and fiction editor of The New Yorker (1936-1976)
• 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)
• Larry Woiwode, 1964 - Poet and novelist

Journalism and non-fiction broadcasting

• Dan Balz, B.A. 1968, M.A. 1972 – Washington Post national political reporter and editor; author
• John Chancellor, — Political analyst and newscaster for NBC Nightly News
• Roger Ebert, B.S. 1964 — Film critic
• Bill Geist, 1968 — CBS News correspondent
• Robert Goralski, 1949 – NBC News correspondent
• Bob Grant — Radio talk show personality.
• Herb Keinon – Columnist and journalist for The Jerusalem Post
• Frederick C Klein, B.A. 1959 — sportswriter Wall Street Journal' and author
• Will Leitch, writer and founding editor of Deadspin
• Carol Marin, A.B. 1970 — Former news anchor, 60 Minutes correspondent, and Illinois Journalist of the Year (1988)
• Tom Merritt, B.S. Journalism — Technology journalist and broadcaster on TWiT.tv
• Robert Novak, B.A. 1952 — Political commentator and columnist
• Suze Orman, B.A. 1973 — 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. — Popular radio personality in Los Angeles and New York
• Dan Savage, advice columnist (Savage Love) and theater director
• Gene Shalit, 1949 — Film critic
• Patricia Thompson, TV and Film Producer, 1969
• Douglas Wilson — Television personality/designer (Trading Spaces)

Media

• Robert "Buck" Brown – Playboy cartoonist, creator of the libinous "Granny" character, and whose drawings also regularly addressed racial equality issues
• Dianne Chandler — Playboy Playmate of the Month, 1966
• 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
• Ken Paulson, J.D. —Editor-in-Chief of The USA Today (2004-2008)
• Henry Petroski, Ph.D. 1968 — Civil engineer and writer
• Irna Phillips, 1923 — Creator of the soap opera
• Brant Hansen, — American radio personality for Air 1 radio network.

Military

• Lew Allen, Jr., M.S. 1952, Ph.D. 1954 — Chief of Staff, United States Air Force
• 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
• Eugene L. Tattini, U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General

Music

• Curtis Jones, influential house music producer
• Marty Casey, B.A. — Lead vocalist of the band Lovehammers
• Neal Doughty, attended late 1960s — Keyboard player and founding member of REO Speedwagon
• Nathan Gunn - baritone, opera singer
• Jerry Hadley — opera singer
• Chan Hing-yan — composer and music educator
• Bob Nanna — indie rock musician, founder of the bands Friction, Braid (band), Hey Mercedes, and The City on Film
• Psalm One— hip hop artist
• Alexander Djordjevic — Pianist, 2010 winner of the Hungarian Liszt Society's 35th Annual Franz Liszt International Grand Prix du Disque.
• Jay Bennett - former Wilco keyboardist and guitarist
• Dan Fogelberg
• Matt Wertz, studied Industrial Design - Singer/songwriter

Politics

• John Anderson — U.S. Representative from Illinois (1961-1981); 1980 presidential candidate
• Berhane Abrehe, M.S. 1972 — Third Minister of Finance of Eritrea
• Larry Bucshon — U.S. Representative from Indian (2011–present)
• James Brady, 1962 — White House Press Secretary under Ronald Reagan, hand gun control advocate
• Carol Moseley Braun, 1989 - First African-American female United States Senator (Illinois, 1993-199); United States Ambassador to New Zealand and Samoa (1999-2001)
• Henry M. Britt, 1941 and 1947 (Law) — Arkansas Republican pioneer and circuit judge in Hot Springs
• Prentiss M. Brown — United States Senator from Michigan (1936-1943); U.S. Representative from Michigan (1933-1936)
• Edwin V. Champion — U.S. Representative from Illinois (1937-1939)
• Rafael Correa, Ph.D. 2001 — President and Former Secretary (Minister) of Finances of Ecuador.
• Jon Corzine, A.B. 1969 — Governor of New Jersey (2006–2010) and U.S. Senator from New Jersey (2001–2006), cross listed in Business section
• Dorothy Day, 1918 — founder of the Catholic Worker Movement
• Alan J. Dixon, B.S. — United States Senator from Illinois (1981-1993); 34th Illinois Secretary of State
• John Porter East, Law, 1959 - United States Senator from North Carolina (1981-1986)
• Atef Ebeid, Ph.D. 1962 — Former prime minister of Egypt (1999–2004)
• Tom Fink, J.D. 1952 — Speaker of the Alaska House of Representatives (1973), Mayor of Anchorage (1987–1994)
• 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)
• Allen J. Flannigan — Wisconsin State Assemblyman (1957–1966)
• Rita B. Garman, B.S. 1965 — Illinois Supreme Court (2001-present)
• Chuck Graham, B.S. 1987 — Missouri House of Representatives (1996–2002), Missouri State Senate 2004
• Jesse Jackson — Civil rights leader, presidential candidate and founder of the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition -Expelled before graduation.
• Jesse Jackson Jr., J.D. 1993 — U.S. Representative from Illinois (1995–present)
• Tim Johnson, B.A. 1969, J.D. 1972 — U.S. Representative from Illinois (2001–present)
• Lloyd A. Karmeier, B.A. 1962, J.D. 1964 — Illinois Supreme Court (2004-present)
• Victor Kamber, B.S. 1965 – formed The Kamber Group, working for Democratic Party candidates and labor unions
• Annette Lu — Former vice-president of Taiwan (2000–2008)
• 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)
• Oran McPherson — Former Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, and 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 (2004-present)
• Dick Murphy, B.A. 1965 - Mayor of San Diego (2000-2005)
• Ramon Ocasio III – 6th Judicial Subcircuit Judge, Cook County, Illinois (2006-present)
• Russell Olson, attended - 39th Lieutenant Governor of Wisconsin (1979-1983)
• Fidel V. Ramos, 1951 — Former President of the Philippines (1992–1998)
• 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
• Peter Roskam B.A. 1983 - U.S. Representative from Illinois (2007-present)
• Kurt Schrader B.S. 1975, D.V.M. 1977 - U.S. Representative from Oregon (2009-present)
• Albert Shanker - President of the United Federation of Teachers (1964-1984); President of the American Federation of Teachers (1974-1997)
• Jan Schakowsky, B.S. 1965 - U.S. Representative from Illinois (1999-present)
• Steve Schiff, B.A. 1968 - U.S. Representative from New Mexico (1989-1998)
• Samuel H. Shapiro, 34th Governor of Illinois (1968-1968)
• Samuel K. Skinner, 1960 — Secretary of Transportation (1989–1991); White House Chief of Staff during the George H. W. Bush Administration (1992)
• Phillips Talbot – United States diplomat, United States Ambassador to Greece (1965-69)
• Jerry Weller, B.S. 1979 - U.S. Representative from Illinois (1995-2009)

Science and mathematics

• Murray S. Blum — Entomologist, authority on chemical ecology and pheromones
• John Carbon, B.S. 1952 – Biochemist, United States National Academy of Sciences member
• Stephen S. Chang, Ph.D. 1952 – Food scientist, IFT Stephen S. Chang Award for Lipid or Flavor Science
• 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
• 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
• Gene H. Golub, B.S. 1953, M.A. 1954, Ph.D. 1959 – B. Bolzano Gold Medal for Merits in the Field of Mathematical
• Joseph Leo Doob – mathematician
• Richard Hamming, Ph.D. 1942 — mathematician, who developed Hamming code and Hamming distance, winner of 1968 ACM Turing Award. IEEE's Richard W. Hamming Medal is named after him.
• Donald G. Higman, Ph.D. 1952 – mathematician, discovered the Higman–Sims group
• Donald Johanson, B.S. 1966 — Anthropologist, discoverer of oldest known hominid, "Lucy"
• Michael Lacey, Ph.D. 1987 – Awarded the Salem Prize for solving conjectures about the Bilinear Hilbert Transform
• Sandra Leiblum, Ph. D. – sexologist
• Temple Grandin, Ph. D 1989 Animal Science, bestselling author, and consultant to the livestock industry in animal behavior. Her biopic won 5 Emmy Awards in 2010 about her life as a woman diagnosed with Autism at the age of 2.
• Francine Patterson, B.S. 1970 — Researcher who taught a modified version of American Sign Language to a mountain gorilla named Koko
• Idun Reiten, Ph. D. 1971 – Professor of Mathematics. She is considered to be one of Norway's greatest living mathematicians.
• Allan Sandage, B.S., 1948 — Influential astronomer and cosmologist; winner of 1991 Crafoord Prize
• 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
• David Blackwell, Ph.D. 1941 — Rao–Blackwell theorem. In 1965 he was the first African American to be inducted into the National Academy of Sciences.

Sports

Administration

• Ron Guenther, B.S. 1967, M.S. 1968 – Former Director of Athletics, hired coaches Ron Zook and Bruce Weber for football and basketball
• Chester Pittser, B.S. 1924 – Miami University football and basketball coach (1924–1931), Montclair State College football, basketball and baseball coach (1934–1943)

Basketball

See also: Category:Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball players

• Nick Anderson, former National Basketball Association player, Orlando Magic's career scoring leader
• James Augustine, former National Basketball Association player
• Steve Bardo, former National Basketball Association player, current ESPN basketball analyst
• Tal Brody, former Euroleague basketball player
• Dee Brown, former National Basketball Association player
• Brian Cook, National Basketball Association player
• Kendall Gill, former National Basketball Association player
• Derek Harper, former National Basketball Association player
• Luther Head, National Basketball Association player
• Stan Patrick, former National Basketball Association player
• Roger Powell, former National Basketball Association player
• Deron Williams, National Basketball Association player
• Frank Williams, former National Basketball Association player

Baseball

• Jason Anderson, Major League Baseball player
• Fred Beebe, late Major League Baseball player
• Lou Boudreau, late Major League Baseball player; member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
• Mark Dalesandro, former Major League Baseball catcher and third baseman
• Darrin Fletcher, former Major League Baseball catcher
• Tom Haller, former Major League Baseball catcher
• Ken Holtzman, former Major League Baseball 2-time All-Star pitcher and Israel Baseball League manager
• Scott Spiezio, Major League Baseball infielder and former World Series Champion (2002-Anaheim Angels; 2006-St. Louis Cardinals)

Football

See also: Category:Illinois Fighting Illini football players

• 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
• 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
• 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, National Football League player, fullback for the Houston Texans
• Vontae Davis, National Football League player, cornerback for the Miami Dolphins
• David Diehl, National Football League player, offensive guard for the New York Giants
• Moe Gardner, former National Football League player, former defensive line for the Atlanta Falcons
• Red Grange, charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
• George Halas, former National Football League coach for the Chicago Bears; charter member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
• Kelvin Hayden, National Football League player, cornerback for the Indianapolis Colts
• William G. Kline, head coach for the University of Florida and University of Nebraska football and basketball teams
• Greg Lewis, National Football League player, wide receiver for the Philadelphia Eagles
• Mikel Leshoure, National Football League player, running back for the Detroit Lions
• Brandon Lloyd, National Football League player, wide receiver for the St. Louis Rams
• Rashard Mendenhall, National Football League player, running back for the Pittsburgh Steelers
• Aaron Moorehead, National Football League player, wide receiver for the Indianapolis Colts
• Ray Nitschke, National Football League player, former linebacker for the Green Bay Packers
• Tony Pashos, National Football League player, offensive tackle for the Baltimore Ravens
• Neil Rackers, National Football League player, kicker for the Houston Texans
• Simeon Rice, National Football League player, defensive end
• Marques Sullivan, former National Football League player, offensive line for the New England Patriots
• Steve Weatherford, National Football League player, punter for the New Orleans Saints
• Eugene Wilson, National Football League player, defensive back for the New England Patriots
• Fred Wakefield National Football League player, offensive guard for the Arizona Cardinals
• Pierre Thomas National Football League player, running back for the New Orleans Saints

Golf

• Bob Goalby - Professional golfer; won 1968 Masters Tournament
• Steve Stricker, 1990 - Professional golfer

Wrestling

• Lindsey Durlacher, two-time All-American Greco-Roman wrestler

Olympics

• Kevin Anderson (tennis), Olympian in men's tennis 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing.
• Avery Brundage, B.S. 1909; Olympian, International Olympic Committee (IOC) President (1952–1972)
• Abie Grossfeld, Olympic, Pan Am, and Maccabiah Games gymnast and coach
• Daniel Kinsey, gold medal 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. Laz became an architect in Champaign, IL however his design career was cut short by a stroke.
• Herb McKenley, silver medal 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, gold medals in High Jump and decathlon [1924 Summer Olympics, Paris France]
• Bob Richards, Gold Medalist in Pole Vault in the 1952 Helsinki, Finland Games
• Craig Virgin, three-time Olympian in men's 10,000 meters, two-time World Cross Country Champion
• Michael Velazquez, bronze medal in men's two man luge, 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City.
• Buel R. (Pat) Patterson, Olympic Manager of wrestling, 1952 Helsinki Finland Olympics Coached at UI from 1950-1972.

Notable faculty

Presidents

• Selim Peabody (1880–91)

Nobel laureates

John Bardeen

• John Bardeen, 1951–1991 — Awarded Nobel prizes for Physics in 1953 for co-inventing the transistor and again in 1972 for work on superconductivity (one of the 4 people in the world to win multiple Nobel Prizes and the only one who won twice in Physics.)
• Elias James (E.J.) Corey, 1951–59 — Nobel laureate (Chemistry, 1990)
• Paul Lauterbur, 1985–2007 — Nobel laureate (Physiology or Medicine, 2003)
• Anthony James Leggett, 1983– — Nobel laureate (Physics, 2003)
• Salvador Luria, 1950–59 — Nobel laureate (Physiology or Medicine, 1969)
• Rudolph Marcus, 1964–68 — Nobel laureate (Chemistry, 1992)
• Franco Modigliani, 1948–1952 — Nobel laureate (Economics, 1985)
• Leonid Hurwicz, 1950–1951, 2001 — Nobel laureate (Economics, 2007)

Pulitzer Prize winners

• Leon Dash, Faculty – Explanatory Journalism, 1995
• Bill Gaines, Faculty – Investigative Reporting, 1976 and 1988

Other

• William Bagley, Faculty 1908-1917 -- An original proponent of educational essentialism.
• Max Beberman, Faculty 1950-71 Noted educator credited with inventing "New Math"
• Jean Bourgain, Faculty — Fields Medal in Mathematics of International Mathematical Union, 1994
• Ira Carmen, 1968–2009 — First political scientist elected to the Human Genome Organization and co-founder of the social science subdiscipline of genetics and politics.
• Wallace Hume Carothers – organic chemist, inventor of nylon and first synthetic rubber (Neoprene)
• Ron Dewar – Music educator, noted jazz saxophonist, leader of influential Memphis Nighthawks
• Jan Erkert, chair of the Department of Dance, is a Fulbright scholar.
• David Gottlieb, 1946–1982 – discovered chloramphenicol, Guggenheim Fellow, Biology-Plant Science, 1963;
• Nick Holonyak Jr. — Lemelson-MIT Prize (2004), National Medal of Technology (2002), National Medal of Science (1990); credited for the invention of the LED and the first semiconductor laser to operate in the visible spectrum
• Sri Mulyani Indrawati, M.A., Ph.D. 1992 — Managing Director of the World Bank Group (2010–present), former Finance Minister of Indonesia (2005–2010).
• Francis Wheeler Loomis, Head of Physics Department 1929–57 – former Guggenheim Fellow that established schools Physics Department.
• Lisa Nakamura, Director of the Asian American Studies Program; Author of "Digitizing Race: Visual Cultures of the Internet" (2008), "Cybertypes: Race, Ethnicity and Identity on the Internet" (2002), and co-editor of "Race in Cyberspace" (2002)
• Abram L. Sachar, 1923–1948 — Founding President of Brandeis University
• Paul Saylor, 1967–2002, Emeritus Professor of Computer Science.
• Fred W. Tanner, 1923–56 – Food microbiologist, charter member of the Institute of Food Technologists, and founder of scientific journal Food Research (now the Journal of Food Science).
• Brian Wansink, 1997–2005 — Julian Simon professor and author of Mindless Eating: Why We Eat More Than We Think
• Elmo Scott Watson, 1916–1924 – Journalism professor who specialized in the American West
• Carl Woese — Crafoord Prize recipient (Bioscience, 2003); professor of microbiology, foreign member of the Royal Society, defined the Archaea