List of University of Southern Mississippi people

The following is a list of notable people associated with the University of Southern Mississippi, located in the American city of Hattiesburg, Mississippi.

Notable alumni

Politics and Government

• Phil Bryant '77 - Governor of Mississippi
• Thomas G. Clausen Ph.D. in education - Last elected state school superintendent in Louisiana, 1984-1988^[1]
• Evelyn Gandy - first woman to serve in several Mississippi state governmental positions, including lieutenant governor, a Democrat
• Oseola McCarty '98 (honorary degree) - The university's most humble and famous benefactor
• Mark D. McElroy - Democratic member of the Arkansas House of Representatives for Desha County since 2013^[2]
• Steven Palazzo - U.S. Representative for Mississippi's 4th congressional district
• Martha Dunagin Saunders '69 - former president, The University of Southern Mississippi
• Clifford Ronald "Ronnie" Shows - former Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives from Mississippi.
• James W. Smith, Jr. '65 - Chief Justice, Supreme Court of Mississippi
• Gene Taylor '80 (Graduate Studies) - former U.S. Representative, Mississippi's 4th Congressional District
• Tony Yarber, Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi.^[3]
• Major General Walter H. Yates, Jr.
• Major General Jeffery Hammond ’78, ’86 - led one of the initial battalions into Bosnia in enforcement of the Dayton Peace Accords, served as the commander of U.S. forces in Baghdad, where he proudly served 33,000 troops of the U.S. Army 4th Infantry Division and Multi-National Division Baghdad in their effort to protect the people of Iraq's capital city.
• Major General Walter H. Yates, Jr. - military decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medal, Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, Distinguished Flying Cross, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, numerous Air Medals, Army Commendation Medal, and the Purple Heart.
• Colonel Ronald J. Rabin - commissioned as a second lieutenant of infantry from the ROTC program at Mississippi Southern College (now the University of Southern Mississippi) and entered active duty in August of that year

Media and Arts

• Sally-Ann Roberts - Anchorwoman for WWL-TV in New Orleans, Louisiana
• Ed Hinton '70 - Sportswriter for ESPN.com
• Chuck Scarborough - Emmy award-winning anchor at WNBC-TV in New York City and author
• Clymer Wright - Editor of Fort Bend Reporter in Fort Bend County, Texas; later conservative political activist in Houston^[4]
• Whitney Miller '11 - winner of the first MasterChef title from season one of the Fox television show and author of her cookbook “Modern Hospitality: Simple Recipes with Southern Charm”
• David Sheffield ’72 - Comedy writer and Hollywood screenwriter for “Saturday Night Live,” writing mostly for cast members Eddie Murphy and Joe Piscopo. Later, he wrote screenplays for Hollywood movies, including “Police Academy II,” and “Coming to America.”
• Jimmy Buffett ’69 - Singer, Songwriter, and author
• Cat Cora - Celebrity Chef, Iron Chef America on Food Network
• Gary Grubbs ’72 – actor, JFK, The Astronaut's Wife, the O. C., Will & Grace
• Cooper Huckabee - actor
• Tom Smith '79 – musician, Jazz Education Hall of Fame.
• Clifton Hyde, musician, Blue Man Group, various others
• Nan Kelley - host of Grand Ole Opry Live, GAC Network, Miss Mississippi
• Tom Malone - Musician, CBS Orchestra - Late Show with David Letterman, Blues Brothers Band
• Nanette Workman - singer
• John Holman (writer) '83 - an American short story writer, novelist, and academic.
• Steve Wiest '80 – musician, jazz trombonist with Maynard Ferguson; Grammy-nominated composer, arranger; director of the One O'Clock Lab Band
• Eddie Hodges B.S. (Psychology) '73; M.S. (Counseling) '75 - former child actor: The Music Man on Broadway; numerous movie and TV roles; pop singer and songwriter; and future mental health counselor

Science and Technology

• Robert Hyatt '83 - Author of Cray Blitz a World Chess Champion Computer Program
• Robert L. Stewart '64 - Former NASA Astronaut and retired Army brigadier general

Athletes and Coaches

• Tom Johnson - NFL Defensive Tackle, New Orleans Saints
• Major General Jeffery Hammond ’78, ’86 - Athletics Director at the University of Southern Mississippi
• John Bale - MLB pitcher, Kansas City Royals
• Michael Boley - NFL Linebacker, New York Giants
• Jeff Bower - Former head football coach, The University of Southern Mississippi
• Chad Bradford -Former MLB pitcher, Tampa Bay Rays
• Jeremy Bridges - NFL Lineman, Arizona Cardinals
• Steve Broussard - Former NFL Punter, Green Bay Packers
• Mack Brown - (Grad Degree '76) Head Football Coach - University of Texas Longhorns
• Kyle Burkhart - NFL Offensive Lineman - Seattle Seahawks
• Matt Carpenter '87 - trail runner
• Reggie Collier - First NCAA quarterback to rush for 1,000 yards, and pass for 1,000 yards in the same season
• Rod Davis - Former NFL Linebacker, Minnesota Vikings
• Jim Davenport - Former MLB infielder and manager
• Demar Dotson - NFL Offensive Lineman - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Brian Dozier - Current MLB infielder - Minnesota Twins - Ridiculously cheering for the USM over the UofM in an NIT Quarterfinals game
• Brett Favre '91 - Former 11-time Pro Bowl and 3-time MVP NFL quarterback for the Atlanta Falcons, Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, and Minnesota Vikings
• Ray Guy '73 - Former 7-time Pro Bowl NFL punter, Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders
• Bobby Hamilton - Former NFL defensive end, Cleveland Browns
• Harold Hays '61 - NFL linebacker, Dallas Cowboys, San Francisco 49ers
• Don Hultz '62 - NFL defensive player, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears
• Maxie Lambright - Former head football coach, Louisiana Tech
• Cliff Lewis - Former NFL Linebacker, Green Bay Packers
• Louis Lipps - Former NFL Pro-Bowl Wide Receiver and 1984 AFC Rookie of the Year, Pittsburgh Steelers
• Chris Long - Former women's basketball coach, Louisiana Tech
• Don Maestri - Head Basketball Coach, Troy University
• Larry Mason - Former NFL Running Back, Cleveland Browns and Green Bay Packers
• Kelly McCarty - American professional basketball player in Europe, former NBA player for the Denver Nuggets
• Ryan McKee - NFL Offensive Lineman - St. Louis Rams
• Gerald McRath - NFL Linebacker - Tennessee Titans
• Shawn Nelson - NFL tight end - New York Jets
• Tyrone Nix - Assistant Head Coach, University of Mississippi
• Doyle Orange - CFL All-Star Running Back, Toronto Argonauts
• Todd Pinkston - Former NFL Wide Receiver, Philadelphia Eagles
• Jeff Posey - Former NFL Linebacker, Washington Redskins
• Pat Rapp- Former MLB Pitcher, Florida Marlins
• Patrick Surtain '98 - Former Pro-Bowl NFL Defensive Back, Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs
• Adalius Thomas - Former NFL Pro-Bowl Linebacker, New England Patriots
• Clarence Weatherspoon '93 - Former NBA Basketball player (Retired)
• Terry Wells - Former NFL Running Back, Houston Oilers and Green Bay Packers
• Chad Williams - Former NFL Defensive Back, Kansas City Chiefs
• Jerrel Wilson - NFL punter for 15 seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs
• Sammy Winder - Former NFL Pro-Bowl Running Back, Denver Broncos

References