List of University of Memphis people
The following is a list of notable University of Memphis people, including alumni, notable faculty members and administrators, and others affiliated with the University of Memphis.
Notable alumni
Government, public service, and public policy
- Rex Armistead – private detective, investigator for the defunct Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission and the Arkansas Project
- Arthur Barclay – New Jersey General Assembly member[1]
- Angie Craig – United States representative for Minnesota's 2nd Congressional District
- Bernice Donald – United States district court judge[2]
- Bob Fisher – president of Belmont University since 2000
- John Ford – Tennessee politician[3]
- Tre Hargett – secretary of state, Tennessee
- Willie Herenton – former mayor of Memphis[4]
- Ed Jackson – Tennessee state senator[5]
- James F. Kyle – state senator, Tennessee Legislature[6]
- David Lillard – Tennessee state treasurer since 2009[7]
- Viola Harris Mcferren – civil rights activist
- Curtis S. Person Jr. – former state senator, Tennessee Legislature[8]
- Van Poole – former member of both houses of the Florida Legislature[9]
- Frank Scott Jr. – current mayor of Little Rock, AR
- Jim Strickland – former mayor of Memphis
- Fred Thompson – actor and former U.S. senator[10]
Literature, arts, and media
- Barbara Anderson – actress[11]
- Dixie Carter – actress[12]
- Eric Jerome Dickey – author[13]
- John Dye – actor[14]
- Johanna Edwards – bestselling novelist
- Galen Fott – director and animator[15]
- Brian A. Hopkins – author
- Jason Isbell – recording artist and songwriter, member of The 400 Unit and Drive-By Truckers[16]
- Michael Jeter – actor
- Terry Manning – music producer,[17] photographer
- Wink Martindale – radio DJ, radio personality, singer, game show host, television personality, television producer (BS 1957)
- Gary Parrish – sports columnist, radio host and television analyst
- Edmund Warren Perry Jr. – writer[18]
- Olan Rogers – comedian, actor, filmmaker, and YouTuber[19]
- William Sanderson – actor[20]
- Stella Stevens – actress
- J. Karen Thomas – actress (Drop Dead Diva, Nashville)[21]
- Trenyce – singer, American Idol finalist[22]
Athletics
- Dave Anderson – multiple teams, MLB[23]
- Vincent Askew – multiple teams, NBA[24]
- Earl Barron – NBA[25]
- Will Barton – Denver Nuggets, NBA[26]
- William Bedford – multiple teams, NBA
- Isaac Bruce – San Francisco 49ers, St. Louis Rams, NFL[27]
- Antonio Burks – NBA[28]
- Rodney Carney – Golden St. Warriors, NBA[29]
- Joey Dorsey – Toronto Raptors, NBA[30]
- Chris Douglas-Roberts – Milwaukee Bucks, NBA[31]
- Jake Elliott – Philadelphia Eagles, [32]
- Tyreke Evans – Sacramento Kings, NBA[33]
- Larry Finch – Memphis TAMs, ABA
- T. J. Frier – football player[34]
- Hunter Goodman – Colorado Rockies, [35]
- Stephen Gostkowski – New England Patriots, NFL[36]
- Earnest Gray – NFL, New York Giants
- Sylvester Gray – Miami Heat, NBA[37]
- Penny Hardaway – NBA[38]
- Jim Hardin – Major League Baseball pitcher, Baltimore Orioles, New York Yankees, Atlanta Braves
- Chad Harville – multiple teams, MLB[39]
- Cedric Henderson – Utah Jazz, NBA[40]
- Richard Jones – New York Nets, NBA[41]
- Larry Kenon – multiple teams, NBA[42]
- Bill Laurie – 1973 NCAA Championship game starting point guard for Memphis State
- Jerry Lawler – Hall of Fame professional wrestler, WWE[43]
- Ronald Leary – Dallas Cowboys, NFL[44]
- Keith Lee – New Jersey Nets, NBA[45]
- James Logan – Houston Oilers, Seattle Seahawks, NFL
- Steve Matthews – Kansas City Chiefs, NFL[46]
- Hank McDowell – multiple teams, NBA[47]
- Mike McKenzie – New Orleans Saints, NFL[48]
- Andy Nelson – Baltimore Colts, NFL
- Lloyd Patterson – Saskatchewan Roughriders[49]
- Ryan Peniston – British tennis player
- Elliot Perry – Phoenix Suns, NBA[50]
- Derrick Rose – Chicago Bulls, NBA[51]
- Jack Smith – Philadelphia Eagles, NFL[52]
- Cliff Taylor – multiple teams, NFL[53]
- Adonis Thomas (born 1993) – basketball player in the Israeli Basketball Premier League
- Andre Turner – multiple teams, NBA[54]
- Dan Uggla – Atlanta Braves, MLB[55]
- David Vaughn – multiple teams, NBA
- Dajuan Wagner – Cleveland Cavaliers, NBA[56]
- Darius Washington – NBA[57]
- Tamika Whitmore – Indiana Fever, WNBA[58]
- Win Wilfong – Cincinnati Royals, NBA[59]
- DeAngelo Williams – Pittsburgh Steelers, NFL[60]
- Shawne Williams – New York Knicks, NBA[61]
- Jacob Wilson – multiple teams, MLB[62]
- Francis Winkler – Green Bay Packers, NFL[63]
- Jerome Woods – Kansas City Chiefs, NFL[64]
- Lorenzen Wright – multiple teams, NBA[65]
- Wayne Yates – Los Angeles Lakers, NBA[66]
Professors and scholars
- Richard Bausch – novelist and short story writer; Moss Chair of Excellence in English at the University of Memphis[67]
- Béla Bollobás – mathematician; known for his work in combinatorics; Fields Medal winner Timothy Gowers' dissertation advisor[68]
- Peter J. Brand – Egyptologist[69]
- Joyce Cobb – jazz vocalist
- Jack Cooper – jazz composer, arranger[70]
- Miriam DeCosta-Willis – first African-American faculty member at what was then Memphis State University[71]
- Ralph Faudree – mathematician with a focus on Ramsey theory; provost of the university[72]
- Robert Fisher – MBA, president of Belmont University[73]
- Stan Franklin – cognitive scientist; proponent of artificial consciousness[74]
- Arthur C. Graesser – cognitive psychologist; editor of the Journal of Educational Psychology[75]
- Jessie Mae Hemphill – electric guitarist, songwriter, and vocalist specializing in Southern music[76]
- Benjamin Hooks – civil rights leader[77]
- Xiangen Hu – professor in cognitive psychology
- John Lee – author, professor of English
- Michael Leff – scholar of rhetoric[78]
- Jennifer R. Mandel – professor of biology[79]
- Milton C. Moreland – archaeologist and president of Centre College[80]
- Cecil C. Rousseau – mathematician and author who specializes in graph theory and combinatorics[81]
- Rebecca Skloot – New York Times bestselling science writer, professor of English[82]
Coaches
- John Calipari – Kentucky basketball coach[83]
- Penny Hardaway – Memphis basketball coach[38]
- Dana Kirk – Memphis basketball coach[84]
- Josh Pastner – Memphis basketball coach[85]
- Tic Price – Memphis basketball coach[86]
Other
- Stan Bronson Jr. – Guinness World Record holder batboy for Memphis Tigers baseball[87]
References
- ↑ Assemblyman Arthur Barclay, New Jersey Legislature. Accessed August 18, 2016.
- ↑ "Bernice Donald". Federal Judicial Center. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ↑ "John Ford (Tennessee politician)" (PDF). Tennessee General Assembly Blue Book. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ↑ "Willie Herenton". City Mayors. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ↑ Whetstone, Tyler (July 27, 2014). "Ed Jackson uses business sense, endurance in Senate race". The Jackson Sun. Retrieved January 28, 2016.
- ↑ "Jim Kyle". Tennessee General Assembly. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ↑ "Company Overview of State Of Tennessee: David H. Lillard Jr". Bloomberg. Retrieved October 11, 2017.
- ↑ "Curtis S. Person, Jr". Shelby County Tennessee. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ↑ "Van B. Poole". Florida House of Representatives. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ↑ "Fred Thompson". Biographical Directory of the United States Congress. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ↑ "Barbara Anderson". IMDB.com, Inc. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ↑ "Dixie Carter". IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ↑ "Eric Jerome Dickey". The University of Memphis. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ↑ "John Dye". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2009. Archived from the original on May 26, 2009. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ↑ Donnell, Evans (August 15, 2013). "Animation in Nashville: Bigfott Studios at Belcourt This Saturday". ArtsNash. Archived from the original on December 16, 2013.
- ↑ DeYoung, Bill (March 19, 2014). "SMF review: Jason Isbell". Connect Savannah. Retrieved March 30, 2014.
- ↑ "Terry Manning". The University of Memphis. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ↑ Koeppel, Fredric, "Ex-Memphian Warren Perry Embraces Art, from Light-Hearted to Heavy-Handed," The Commercial Appeal August 30, 2009
- ↑ Paulson, Dave (February 22, 2018). "'Final Space': Can Nashville's Olan Rogers make TV's next animated hit?". The Tennessean. Retrieved May 21, 2024.
- ↑ "William Sanderson". IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ↑ Pagetta, Joe (March 26, 2015). "Nashville-based actress and singer J. Karen Thomas Dies at 50". NowPlayingNashville.com. Retrieved April 20, 2015.
- ↑ "TRENYCE". Memphis Downtowner Magazine. Retrieved January 14, 2021.
- ↑ "Dave Anderson". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Vincent Askew". databaseBasketball.com. Archived from the original on April 4, 2006. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Earl Barron". Basketball Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Will Barton". Gotigersgo.com. Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Isaac Bruce". Pro-Football Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Antonio Burks". NBA.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Rodney Carney". NBA.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Joey Dorsey". NBA.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Chris Douglas-Roberts". NBA.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ 22, 2026 https://www.philadelphiaeagles.com/team/players-roster/jake-elliott/=June 22, 2026.
{{cite web}}: Check|url=value (help); Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "Tyreke Evans". Basketball Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "T.J. Frier". StatsCrew.com. Retrieved May 9, 2015.
- ↑ https://www.mlb.com/player/hunter-goodman-696100. Retrieved June 22, 2026.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|title=(help) - ↑ "Stephen Gostkowski". New England Patriots. Archived from the original on March 12, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Sylvester Gray". basketball-reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- 1 2 "Anfernee Hardaway". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Chad Harville". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Cedric Henderson". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Richard Jones". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Larry Kenon". databaseBasketball.com. Archived from the original on October 18, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Jerry Lawler". Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame. Archived from the original on July 17, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Ronald Leary". Pro-Football Reference.com. Retrieved September 5, 2015.
- ↑ "Keith Lee". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Steve Matthews". NFL.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Hank McDowell". databaseBasketball.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Mike McKenzie". NFL.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Lloyd Patterson". StatsCrew.com. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
- ↑ "Elliot Perry". databaseBasketball.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Derrick Rose". NBA.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "JACK SMITH". profootballarchives.com. Archived from the original on September 9, 2016. Retrieved February 12, 2016.
- ↑ "Cliff Taylor". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Andre Turner". databaseBasketball.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Dan Uggla". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Dajuan Wagner". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Darius Washington". Gotigersgo.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Tamika Whitmore". WNBA.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2013. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Win Wilfong". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "DeAngelo Williams". The Carolina Panthers. Archived from the original on August 14, 2012. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Shawne Williams". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Jacob Wilson (2021) - M Club Hall of Fame". University of Memphis Athletics. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
- ↑ "Francis Winkler". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Jerome Woods". NFL.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Lorenzen Wright". NBA.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Wayne Yates". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved March 5, 2013.
- ↑ "Award-Winning Author Richard Bausch Will Lead Fall Writing Workshop at the U of M". The University of Memphis. Archived from the original on July 11, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- ↑ "3rd Annual CLION Symposium Will Meet October 13–14 at the U of M; Focus Will Be on Random Networks' Applications in Defense and Civilian Sectors". The University of Memphis. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "Peter J. Brand Associate Professor". The University of Memphis. Archived from the original on June 27, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- ↑ "Dr. Jack Cooper, Director of Jazz Studies, The University of Memphis". The University of Memphis. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
- ↑ Testino, Laura (January 7, 2021). "Memphis Civil Rights activist Miriam DeCosta-Willis dies at 86". The Commercial Appeal. Retrieved May 11, 2021.
- ↑ "Dr. Thomas Nenon, Interim Provost The University of Memphis". The University of Memphis. Archived from the original on March 8, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- ↑ "Office of the President: About Bob Fisher". Belmont University. Retrieved October 12, 2017.
- ↑ "Evans |面板层压 & 层压板台面生产机械".
- ↑ "Arthur C. Graesser (Ph.D. 1977, U. California San Diego)". The University of Memphis. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- ↑ "Jessie Mae Hemphill: Feelin' Good". Pop Matters. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- ↑ "The University of Memphis Remembers Civil Rights Leader Dr. Benjamin L. Hooks". The University of Memphis. Archived from the original on July 8, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- ↑ "Michael Leff". The University of Memphis. Archived from the original on April 29, 2012. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- ↑ "Jennifer R. Mandel, Ph.D." The University of Memphis. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 16, 2018.
- ↑ Centre News (February 5, 2020). "Centre College names Milton C. Moreland as its new president". Centre College. Retrieved August 23, 2020.
- ↑ "World's Highest Mathematics Honor Goes to Retired U of M Professor". The University of Memphis. Archived from the original on March 5, 2013. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- ↑ "Skloot's book climbing NYT's best-seller chart". The University of Memphis. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: deprecated archival service (link) - ↑ "John Calipari on Kentucky basketball: Coachable players filled with bad habits". Carrier-Journal.com. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- ↑ "Ex-Memphis State Tigers basketball coach Dana Kirk dies". Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- ↑ "Josh Pastner". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- ↑ "Basketball Coach Tic Price Resigns". CBSSports.com. Retrieved March 10, 2013.
- ↑ "University of Memphis bat boy Stan Bronson to celebrate 84th birthday at fundraising party". Scripps Interactive Newspapers Group. Retrieved March 10, 2013.