List of Ohio State University people
Notable alumni
- Please note that the names listed may have only attended the University at one point and not have necessarily graduated.
National and international award winners
Nobel Laureates
- Paul Flory, 1974 Nobel laureate in Chemistry (Ph.D. 1934)
- William A. Fowler, 1983 Nobel laureate in Physics (B.S. 1933)
Pulitzer Prize winners
- Paul H. Buck, History 1938
- Mary Oliver, Poetry 1984
- Walter Bogdanich, Specialized Reporting 1988
- Stephen Ohlemacher, Breaking News Reporting 1999
- Judith Miller, Explanatory Reporting 2002
- Diana K. Sugg, Beat Reporting 2003
- Nick Anderson, Editorial Cartooning 2005
- Walter Bogdanich, National Reporting 2005
- Julia Keller, Feature Writing 2005
- Walter Bogdanich, Investigative Reporting 2008
Academia
- Michael F. Adams, President, University of Georgia (M.A. 1971, Ph.D. 1973)
- Omer Clyde Aderhold, former President, University of Georgia (Ph.D. 1938)
- Stanley Baiman, Chairperson of the Accounting Department in the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (B.S. 1968)
- Steve Ballard, Chancellor East Carolina University (Ph.D. 1976)
- Mahzarin Banaji, Richard Clarke Cabot Professor of Social Ethics at Harvard University (Ph.D)
- Douglas Brinkley, Director of the Theodore Roosevelt Center for American Civilization at Tulane University (B.A. 1982)
- Molly Corbett Broad, President of the University of North Carolina System (M.S. 1964)
- John R. Brockhead President, SUNY-Brockport (Ph.D. 1980)
- Paul H. Buck Historian Former Provost of Harvard University, Awarded 1938 Pulitzer Prize in History (B.A. 1921)
- David G. Carter, chancellor of Connecticut State University system and former president of Eastern Connecticut State University (Ph.D.)
- Samuel D. Cook, former President of Dillard University (1975–1997) first African-American professor at Duke University (M.A./Ph.D. 1954)
- Michael Devine, Director of the Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum (Ph. D 1974)
- John W. Garland, President Central State University (J.D. 1974)
- Judy Hample, Chancellor Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (B.A.; M.A; Ph. D)
- Harlan H. Hatcher, former President (1951–1968) of the University of Michigan (B.A.; M.A; Ph. D)
- Sam Higginbottom, missionary and founder of Allahabad Agricultural Institute
- Charles F. Hockett, Linguist, professor at Cornell University (B.A./M.A. 1936)
- Donald Kagan, Scholar Sterling Professor of Classics and History at Yale (Ph.D., 1958)
- Raymond Mikesell Economist Participant in the Bretton Woods Conference (B.S. Ph.D)
- Harold Nestor, former President (1978–1995) of Columbus State Community College (B.S. 1960; M.A. 1966; Ph.D. 1970)
- Calie Pistorius, Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Pretoria in South Africa. (M.S. 1984; Ph.D. 1986)
- Arthur M. Schlesinger, Sr., Historian namesake of Schlesinger Library at Harvard University (B.A. 1910)
- W. Ann Reynolds, former President of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (1997-2003), a former Chancellor of the City University of New York, in New York, New York (1990-1997), a former Chancellor of the California State University system (1982-1990) and former Provost at the Ohio State University (1979-1982), currently a director of Abbott Laboratories, Invitrogen Corporation, Humana Inc., and Owens Corning
- Barbara R. Snyder, President Case Western Reserve University (B.A.)
- Sharon J. Washington Executive Director of the National Writing Project (B.A.; M.A. Ph.D)
- John A. White, Chancellor of the University of Arkansas (Ph.D)
- Nancy L. Zimpher, President, University of Cincinnati (BA 1968; M.A. 1971; Ph.D. 1976)
Arts and literature
- Berenice Abbott, photographer (briefly)
- John Backderf a.k.a Derf, political and satirical writer/cartoonist
- George Wesley Bellows, painter (1905) (attended but did not graduate)
- Lois McMaster Bujold, Science Fiction Novelist (B.A. 1972
- Milton Caniff, cartoonist (1930)
- Charles Csuri, Artist influential artist and scholar; father of digital art and computer animation (BFA; MFA)
- Tom Doyle, Sculptor 1994 lifetime achievement award from American Academy of Arts and Letters (BFA 1952; MFA 1953)
- Harlan Ellison, Science fiction writer (attended but did not graduate; expelled)
- Dorothy Canfield Fisher Novelist and education activist (B.A. 1899)
- Brian Gage American author of satire, fairy tales, and fiction. (B.S. 1996)
- Jan Groover, photographer noted for her use of emerging color technologies (M.A. 1970)[1]
- Chester Himes, writer
- Velina Hasu Houston, playwright
- Kermit Hunter, Playwright (B.A. 1931)
- Adrienne Kennedy, Playwright, multiple Obie Award recipient, Guggenheim Fellow (B.A. 1953)
- Betina Krahn, author (B.S.)
- Jerome Lawrence, playwright (B.A. 1937)
- Samella Lewis, artist, noted printmaker, art historian and scholar of African-American art, first African American woman to receive a doctorate in fine arts and art history. (M.A. 1948 Ph. D 1951)
- Roy Lichtenstein, artist (BFA, 1946; MFA, 1949; honorary doctorate, 1988)
- Stephen Montague, composer and worldwide touring musician (2000 distinguished alumnus) (Ph.D. 1972)
- Aimee Nezhukumatathil, poet (B.A and M.F.A. 1996/2000)
- Mary Oliver, 1984 Pulitzer Prize winner for poetry (attended but did not graduate)
- Cynthia Ozick, author (M.A., 1950)
- Paul Palnik, cartoon artist and writer. (BFA, 1968; MA 1969) Numerous original drawings in the collection of The Ohio State University Libraries
- Clayton Rawson, Mystery Writer (B.A. 1929)
- Christopher Ries, glass sculptor (BFA, 1975)
- Frank Schmalleger, professor and author (Ph.D., 1974)
- Clarence Shields, artist, BFA 1946
- Jeff Smith, Eisner Award winning cartoonist, creator of the comic book series Bone (B.A.)
- Samuel Steward, professor and author (see also Phil Andros (Ph.D., 1934)
- R. L. Stine, children's author of Goosebumps series (B.A., 1965)
- Julia Suits, cartoonist for The New Yorker
- James Thurber, author and humorist (attended but did not graduate)
- Jon Whitcomb American illustrator whose style became highly influential in mid century American magazines (B.A.)
- Kevin Stewart-Magee Fine art muralist and painter
Business
- Dan Amstutz, influential expert on agriculture trade with Goldman Sachs, as Ambassador and Chief Negotiator for Agriculture during the Uruguay Round General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade and later Executive Director of the International Wheat Council in London, England. (B.S. 1954)
- William “Mil” Batten, former CEO of J.C. Penney(1958–1974), former President of The New York Stock Exchange(1976–1984) (B.S. 1932)
- Ray Boshara, Director, Asset Building Program for the New America Foundation, selected in 2002 by Esquire as one of "America's Best and Brightest" (B.A.)
- Charles J. Bramlage President Valeant Pharmaceutical Europe (B.S.)
- Christopher M. Connor, Chairman and CEO of Sherwin-Williams Company (B.S. 1978)
- James C. Cotting, former Chairman and CEO of Navistar current Governor of the Chicago Stock Exchange (B.A. 1955)
- Ralph S. Cunningham, former President and CEO of Citgo (B.S. 1964; M.S. 1966)
- Harry R. Drackett, inventor of Windex (B.S. 1907)
- Max M. Fisher, Philanthropist noted businessman and philanthropist; significant doner to and the namesake of the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State (B.S. 1930)
- Mark R. Goldston, Chairman and CEO of Netzero parent company United Online In 1986, at the age of 31, he became youngest President of a Fortune 500 company when he took over Faberge. (B.S. 1977)
- Daniel Gressel, Economic advisor to Indonesia, Costa Rica, and Chile, President Teleos Asset Management an international hedge fund (B.S. 1976)
- Ray J. Groves long-time Chairman and CEO of Ernst & Young (B.S. 1957)
- Paul F. Iams, founder of The Iams Company (B.S. 1937)
- Robert David Irwin, President and CEO of Sterling Commerce (B.S. 1982)
- John C. Jay, Creative Director of Wieden + Kennedy (B.A.)
- Vyomesh Joshi, Senior Vice President at Hewlett-Packard in charge of printer division (M.S. 1980)
- Charles H. Kellstadt, former Chairman and CEO of Sears, Roebuck and Co., namesake of business school at Depaul University (B.S. 1920)
- Dana T. Kuhn, C.F.A., Chief Credit Officer, National City Bank (B.A. 1982 M.B.A. 1988)
- Fred Lazarus, Jr., the founder of Federated Department Stores
- Tami Longaberger, CEO of The Longaberger Company, (B.S. 1984)
- Michael LaRocco, president and CEO of Fireman's Fund Insurance Company (B.S.)
- William G. Lowrie, former President Amoco (BSCheE, 1966)
- George McKerrow Jr, Founder and CEO of LongHorn Steakhouse, CEO and co-founder of Ted's Montana Grill restaurant chains (B.S.)
- Manu Mehta, Founder, Chairman and CEO of Metabyte Networks, Inc (B.S. 1980 M.S. 1982)
- Sean Menke, CEO and President of Frontier Airlines (B.S.)
- Susan Mernit, Netscape and America Online executive (M.A.)
- Richard Morrow, former Chairman and CEO of Amoco (B.S.)
- Phuthuma Nhleko, CEO of MTN Group, South Africa's largest telecommunications company (B.S. 1983)
- Lionel L. Nowell, Senior Vice President and Treasurer of PepsiCo and Director of Reynolds American (B.S. 1977)
- Edward E. Nusbaum, CEO and Executive Partner of Grant Thornton LLP (B.S.)
- James G. Oates, former President Leo Burnett Worldwide advertising agency (B.S. 1966)
- James J. O'Brien, Chairman and CEO of Ashland Inc. (B.S. M.B.A.)
- Walden O'Dell, CEO of Diebold
- John D. Ong, former CEO of BF Goodrich, current United States Ambassador to Norway (B.A. 1952, M.A. 1954)
- Edward J. Orton, Jr., Columbus philanthropist, founded the "Standard Pyrometric Cone Company".
- Alan Patricof, noted venture capitalist and founder of Apax Partners, (B.S.)
- James E. Rohr, Chairman and CEO of The PNC Financial Services Group (B.S. M.B.A)
- Robert R. Ruffolo, Jr, Senior Vice President of Wyeth and President of Wyeth Research (B.S. 1973; Ph. D 1976)
- Mark Schmitz, Executive Vice President and CFO of Goodyear (B.A. M.B.A.)
- Alex Schoenbaum founder of Shoney's Restaurants (B.S. 1939)
- Michael D. Scott, Managing Director and Head of U.S. Government Entities, Banc of America Securities LLC (B.S. 1987)
- Deven Sharma, President Standard & Poor's (Ph. D)
- Charlie Shin, Founder and CEO of Charley's Grilled Subs (B.A. 1986)
- Link Starbureiy, Founder of Egglepple
- Leslie Wexner, CEO, chairman and founder of Limited Brands corporation (B.S. 1959)
- Kenneth P. Wilcox, President and CEO of SVB Financial and Silicon Valley Bank (B.A. M.A. Ph. D)
- Gwen C. Wisler, President and CEO of The Coleman Company (B.S. 1981)
- Yang Huiyan, Real Estate Developer, China's wealthiest person with a 16.2 billion dollar net worth in 2007 (B.A.)
Entertainment
- Lee Adams, Songwriter Tony Award winner and inductee into the Songwriters Hall of Fame (B.A.)
- Carole Black, President and CEO of Lifetime Entertainment Services (B.A. 1965)
- Budd Boetticher, Film Director of Western
- David J. Brock, Film Director
- Marc Butan, Movie Producer, as President of 2929 Productions, productions include Good Night and Good Luck and Akeelah and the Bee (B.A.)
- Barbara Daniels, Opera Soprano
- Dan Darling, Executive Vice-President, Turner Broadcasting System (B.S.)
- John Donkin, Producer of 2007 Academy Award nominated Animated short No Time for Nuts (M.S. 1986)
- Vince Doria, VP of ESPN and director of SportsCenter (1970)
- Tim Easton, Musician alt-country singer
- Ruby Elzy, African American operatic soprano who created the role of Serena in George Gershwin's folk opera Porgy and Bess
- Dan Grueter Comedian B.A. 1987
- Charles W. Fries, Film producer and former Vice-President of Columbia Pictures, originated the Movie of The Week format (B.A.)
- Patricia Heaton, Emmy Award-winning actress on Everybody Loves Raymond (B.A., 1980)
- Eileen Heckart, Academy Award, Emmy Award, and Golden Globe Award-winning actress (B.A., 1942)
- Jim Jinkins, animator and creator of the animated Doug television series
- Melina Kanakaredes, actress, star of Providence and CSI: NY (attended but did not graduate)
- James C. Katz, Film Restoration Expert responsible for restoring the original prints of, among others, Rear Window, Lawrence of Arabia and My Fair Lady (B.A. 1960)
- Diane Kesling, Opera Soprano, Soloist with the Metropolitan Opera (B.A. 1978)
- Scott Kirby, Musician, New Orleans musician and noted interpreter of classic American particularly ragtime (B.A. 1988)
- George Monnett Kling (aka Saxon Kling) Broadway actor, playwright and member of the Washington Square Players.
- Fred Laderman, Producer, considered an industry trailblazer and the first to transform Japanese anime into an American commodity. (B.S. 1949)
- Richard Lewis, comedian, actor, writer (B.S. (1969)
- Gary LeVox, Lead singer of the Hit Country music group, Rascal Flatts
- Patrick Markey Producer of films including A River Runs Through It and White Oleander (B.A.; M.A.)
- Steve Martino, Director of the feature film version of Horton Hears a Who! (B.A.; M.A.)
- Vince Mendoza, Musician and Composer of Jazz (B.A. 1983)
- Carman Moore, Composer of Operatic and Classical Music (B.A.)
- Phil Ochs, 1960s and '70s folk and protest singer and progressive activist (attended journalism school but did not graduate)
- Ron O'Neal, actor of Superfly fame
- Jack Renner, Founder and CEO of TELARC Classical Records, nominated for 20 Grammy Awards winning nine (B.S.)
- Gigi Rice, actress (B.A. 1987)
- Fred Silverman, trendsetting 1970's television executive as President of ABC
- J. K. Simmons, actor
- Richard Stoltzman, Musician, Avery Fisher Prize winning clarinetist, Sony Classical recording artist (B.A-Music/B.S.-Mathematics)
- Bruce Vilanch, comedy writer (BFA, 1970)
- Chris Wedge, Director of computer animation films including Ice Age and Robots (M.A.Computer Graphics)
- Norma Jean Wright Lead singer of the late 70s disco band Chic
- Dwight Yoakam, Country musician, actor
Journalism
- Nick Anderson, Editorial cartoonist Louisville Courier-Journal, 2005 Pulitzer Prize recipient (B.A. 1990)
- Walter Bogdanich, Investigative Reporter, New York Times, Three times (1988, 2005 and 2008) a recipient of the Pulitzer Prize
- Ned Brooks, moderator, Meet the Press
- Jack Buck, Hall of Fame announcer for the St. Louis Cardinals, NFL football announcer journalist
- Jennie Buckner, former managing editor of the Charlotte Observer, currently Batten Professor of Public Policy at Davidson University (B.A. 1969)
- Christine Chubbuck, television reporter who committed suicide on live television in 1974
- Paul Delaney, long-time correspondent, bureau chief and editor with the New York Times currently Professor at Syracuse University (B.A. 1956)
- Len Downie Jr., Journalist Executive Editor, Washington Post (B.A. 1964, M.A. 1965)
- Hugh Fullerton - influential sportswriter, uncovered "Black Sox Scandal"
- Lou Heldman, Publisher of the Wichita Eagle (B.A. 1972)
- Julia Keller, Columnist Chicago Tribune, 2005 Pulitzer Prize recipient (Ph.D. 1995)
- W.M. Kiplinger, among first two journalism graduates and founder of Kiplinger's
- Brian Lehrer, Radio Host of The Brian Lehrer Show on New York's WNYC (M.A.)
- Judith Miller, former New York Times reporter, 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Explanatory Reporting
- Jerry Mitchell, Investigative Reporter for the The Clarion-Ledger whose reporting helped lead to the conviction of Byron De La Beckwith, youngest recipient of John Chancellor Award for Excellence in Journalism (M.A.)
- Erin Moriarty, CBS news correspondent and nine time Emmy Award recipient (B.S. 1973; J.D. 1977)
- Rand Morrison, Executive Producer of CBS News Sunday Morning, Peabody Award winner and six time Emmy Award recipient (B.A. 1972)
- Stephen Ohlemacher Reporter for the Cleveland Plain Dealer shared the 1999 Pulitzer Prize for Breaking News while at the Hartford Courant (B.A. 1989)
- Wesley M. "Pat" Pattillo, communications director, National Council of Churches {M.A. 1965)
- Mark Prendergast, editor The New York Times (B.A.)
- Barbara Reynolds, Nationally syndicated columnist, Professor of Journalism at Howard University (B.A. 1967)
- Frank Stanton, Longtime President of CBS; considered the father of television news
- Bill Stewart, Reporter, Foreign Correspondent for ABC summarily executed by Nicaraguan government forces (B.A. 1963)
- Diana K. Sugg, Reporter, Baltimore Sun, 2003 Pulitzer Prize Recipient (M.A.)
- Michael Vivio, Publisher of the Austin American-Statesman (B.A.)
Law
- Brent Benjamin Justice of the West Virginia Supreme Court (B.A.; J.D.)
- Claude M. Hilton, United States District Court judge for the Eastern District of Virginia, judge on the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court. (B.S. 1963)
- John M. Matthias, Former (1954-1970) Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court (B.A. 1928)
- Colleen McMahon, United States Judge for the Southern District of New York (B.A. 1973)
- Thomas J. Moyer, Current Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court (B.A. 1961 J.D. 1964)
- Paul Pfeifer, Current Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court (B.A. 1963 J.D. 1966)
- C. William O'Neill, One-term governor of Ohio, Chief Justice of Ohio Supreme Court (JD 1942)
- Carter G. Phillips, Managing Partner of the Washington DC office of Sidley Austin LLP, named by The National Law Journal as on of America's 100 Most Influential Lawyers, has argued over forty cases before the United States Supreme Court (B.S. 1973)
- Brian Sandoval, Former Nevada Attorney General, Current United States District Court Judge (J.D. 1989)
- Evelyn L. Stratton, Current Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court (J.D. 1978)
- Jeffrey Sutton, federal appeals court judge on the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit (J.D. 1990)
Politics, Diplomacy & Military
Current United States Senators
- Sherrod Brown, United States Senator from Ohio (M.A., 1981)
- Thomas R. Carper, United States Senator from Delaware (B.A., 1968)
- George Voinovich, United States Senator from Ohio (J.D.)
Current United States Congressmen
- Dave Hobson, 7th Congressional District of Ohio, (J.D. 1963)
- James Jordan, 4th Congressional District of Ohio, (B.A.; M.A.)
- Ron Klein, 22nd Congressional District of Florida (B.A. 1979)
- Deborah Pryce, 15th Congressional District of Ohio, Chair of House Republican Conference (B.A. 1973)
- Zack Space, 18th Congressional District of Ohio. (J.D., 1986)
- Pat Tiberi, 12th Congressional District of Ohio (B.A., 1985)
Diplomats and international politicians
- Ljubica Z. Acevska, Diplomat Ambassador of the Republic of Macedonia to the United States. (B.A. 1980)
- Kofi Konadu Apraku, Economist, Ghanaian Parliamentarian, Leading Contender in upcoming Ghana presidential elections (Ph. D 1983)
- Amadou Lamine Ba, Diplomat Senegal Ambassador to the United States (B.S. M.S. Ph. D)
- Chester Crocker, Diplomat Former Undersecretary of State for African Affairs; author of United Nations' Namibian Peace Plan; Nobel Peace Prize nominee (B.A. 1963)
- Grant Devine, former Progressive Conservative Premier of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan (Ph. D 1976)
- Alan Fiers, Key figure in the Iran-Contra Affair as head of the Central Intelligence Agency's Central American Task Force from 1984-1988 (B.A.)
- Cheikh Tidiane Gadio Senegal Minister of Foreign Affairs (Ph. D)
- Stephen Kappes, Current Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency.
- Foy D. Kohler, Diplomat, Former United States Ambassador to the Soviet Union (B.A.)
- Armin Meyer, Diplomat, former Ambassador to Lebanon, Iran and Japan (M.S.)
- Andrew McIntosh, British Labour Party Politician, Whip and culture spokesman of the House of Lords
- Jayaprakash Narayan, Indian freedom fighter, social reformer, politician
- Ken Nnamani, Senate President, Nigeria (B.A. M.B.A.)
- Roberto Sánchez Vilella, Second elected Governor of Puerto Rico (B.S. 1934)
- Makarim Wibisono, Diplomat Permanent Envoy of Indonesia to the United Nations, Chairperson of the 61st Commission on Human Rights (Ph. D)
- Milton A. Wolf, Diplomat former United States Ambassador to Austria (B.A. 1948)
- Joseph Wu, Former Chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council and current Representative to the United States of the Republic of China (Ph.D. 1989)
State politicians
- Robert S. Kiss, Speaker, West Virginia Legislature (B.A. J.D.)
- Ron Klein, Minority Leader, Florida Senate (B.A. 1979)
Former politicians
- Chester Hardy Aldrich, One-term Governor of Nebraska and former Justice of the Nebraska Supreme Court (B.A. 1888)
- John W. Bricker, Three-term Governor of Ohio, Republican Vice-Presidential nominee in 1944, Two-term United States Senator from Ohio, Co-founder of Bricker & Eckler law firm (B.A. 1916; J.D. 1920), known for the Bricker Amendment, which limits U.S. presidents to two consecutive terms of office
- Dan Crippen, former Director of the Congressional Budget Office (M.A. 1976 Ph.D. 1981)
- John Kasich, former United States Congressman and anchor of 'The Heartland with John Kasich' (B.A., 1974)
- William M. McCulloch, twelve term former Congressman from Ohio (J.D. 1925)
- James H. McGee, longest serving mayor of Dayton, Ohio (J.D.)
- Howard Metzenbaum, former United States Senator (B.A., 1939; J.D., 1941)
- William H. Natcher fifteen term former Congressman from Kentucky, noted for never taking political contributions (J.D. 1933)
- Mike Oxley, Former U.S. Representative from Ohio's 4th district (J.D. 1969)
- James A. Rhodes, former four term (non-consecutive) Governor of Ohio; former Mayor, Columbus, Ohio; former Auditor of State of Ohio (attended but did not graduate)
- William B. Saxbe, United States Senator from Ohio, United States Attorney General, United States Ambassador to India (BA 1940; JD 1948)
- Michael D. Scott, former Senior Advisor, U.S. Department of the Treasury and former Member of the Board of Directors, National Cooperative Bank (B.S. 1987)
- John M. Vorys, nine term former Congressman from Ohio, 1951 delegate to the United Nations (J.D. 1923)
- Michael R. White, longest serving Mayor of Cleveland (B.A. 1973; MPA 1974)
- Chalmers P. Wylie, thirteen term former Congressman from Ohio (B.A.)
Military
- Harold Brown, Squadron Commander with the Tuskegee Airmen (B.S.; M.S.; Ph.D)
- Curtis LeMay, United States Air Force general (World War II and Cold War) (B.S. 1928)
- Geoffrey Miller, United States Army Major General (B.A.)
- Robert R. Scott, Awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in World War II, In 1943, the destroyer escort USS Scott (DE-214) was named in his honor, also the namesake for Ohio State's Scott House dormitory.
- Jesse L. Brown, First African American Navy pilot, received Navy Distinguished Flying Cross
Science, Engineering & Architecture
- Homer Burton Adkins, organic chemist who developed the Adkins catalyst (Ph.D. 1918)
- P. Chungmoo Auh, president of the Korean Institute of Energy Research (B.S. 1967; M.S. 1970; Ph. D 1975)
- Arthur Avril, Founder and Chairman of Sakrete (B.S. 1926)
- Mahzarin Rustum Banaji, Psychologist and Professor of Psychology at Harvard University (M.A. 1982, Ph.D. 1986)
- Charles Bassett, astronaut
- Sidney van den Bergh, Noted Canadian Astronomer who served as President of the Canadian Astronomical Society and as Vice-President of the International Astronomical Union. The asteroid, 4230 van den Bergh, is named in his honour (M.S.)
- Hendrik Wade Bode, noted scientist and engineer with numerous civilian and military contributions (B.S. 1924, M.S. 1926)
- Friedrich Bohm, Chairman of NBBJ (M.S. 1969)
- Robert S. Chau Intel Senior Fellow; Director, Transistor Research and Nanotechnology Intel Corporation (BS 1984; MS 1986, PhD 1989 )
- Nancy J. Currie, astronaut on STS-57, STS-70, STS-88, STS-109 (B.A. 1980)
- Melvin De Groote, prolific chemist, with 2nd most patents in the US next to Edison
- Agnes Meyer Driscoll, Cryptanalyst deciphered Japanese Naval Codes before and during World War II (B.A. 1911)
- Judah Folkman, Scientist Harvard medical researcher; noted cancer researcher (B.S. 1953)
- Matthew Ganz, President of Phantom Works Boeing's advanced research and development unit (B.S.; M.S.; Ph.D)
- Henry J. Hatch, Engineer, Lt. General former Army Chief of Engineers (M.S.)
- David A. Huffman, computer scientist (B.S. 1944, M.S. 1949).
- Charles Kettering, Electrical Engineer, Founder of Delphi Auto Parts, Vice -President of Research for General Motors, invented electric starter for automobiles, Co-founder (along with Alfred Sloan) of Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in 1945 (B.S. 1904)
- Benjamin G. Lamme, Engineer long time head of engineering at Westinghouse, pioneered the design of rotary converters, developed direct current railway motors and produced the first commercially successful induction motor. (B.S. 1888)
- Robert Henry Lawrence, Jr. (Ph.D. in Chemistry, 1965) First African-American Astronaut named by NASA
- Richard M. Linnehan Astronaut (DVM 1985)
- John L. Moll, Engineer, Pioneer in the use of silicon transistors at Bell Labs, Stanford University and Hewlett-Packard (B.S. 1943, Ph. D 1952)
- Ruth Ella Moore, Scientist, first African American woman to receive a doctorate degree in bacteriology (B.S. 1926, M.A. 1927, Ph.D. 1933)
- Roy Plunkett, inventor of teflon (Ph.D. 1936)
- Wallace Clement Sabine Architect, Harvard Professor, Founder of the field of modern architectural acoustics Acoustical Architect of Boston's Symphony Hall (B.S. 1886)
- Larry Sanger, co-founder of Wikipedia (Ph.D., 2000)
- Ronald M. Sega, Astronaut (M.S. 1975)
- Link Starbureiy, Mathematician
- Claude Steele, Psychologist and Professor of Psychology at Stanford University (Ph.D. 1971)
- Jeff Swanagen, Executive Director of The Georgia Aquarium
- Howard Dwight Smith, Architecture Ohio Stadium architect, (B.S 1907)
- Esther S. Takeuchi, Bioengineering Chief Scientist at Greatbatch, Inventor of the microbatteries that made implantable defibrillators possible. (Ph.D.)
Others
- Ted A. Beattie, President and CEO of Chicago's Shedd Aquarium (B.S. 1971; M.S. 1973)
- Jeffrey Dahmer, serial killer
- Paul Ebert, noted pediatric heart surgeon, former director of the American College of Surgeons, he had been Chairman of the Departments of Surgery at both Cornell University Medical College and the University of California San Francisco Medical Center. (B.S. M.D)
- Ammon Hennacy, social critic and reformer
- Daniel Katz, founder and Executive Director of the Rainforest Alliance (B.A. 1984)
- Maurice Koblentz, former State Commissioner of Prisons (Ohio) and expert in Penal Reform Issues.
- Bill Kraus, Activist, gay rights and AIDS activist. Former Congressional Aide who served as a liaison between the San Francisco gay community and congress in the 1980s
- Keo Nakama, athlete first person to verifiably swim an open water Hawaiian channel, OSU swimming record holder,1943, 1944
- John Niederhuber, Director of the National Cancer Institute (M.D. 1964)
- Jim Reeder, coach; California State University Hall of Fame -Charter Member; Namesake for the baseball field at California State University, Los Angeles
- Mike Sexton, Professional Poker Player and Main Host of the World Poker Tour
- Faye Wattleton, Activist, Former President Planned Parenthood of America, Co-founder Center for the Advancement of Women (BS 1964)
Athletics
Olympic Medalists
Ohio State has produced over 100 Olympic athletes including the following medalists
- David Albritton, Track and Field 1936 Berlin Olympic Games Silver Medal
- Miller Anderson, Diving 1948 London Olympic Games Silver Medal; 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games Silver Medal
- Greg Baker, Tae Kwon Do 1988 Seoul Olympic Games Bronze Medal
- Aldis Imants Berzins, Volleyball 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games Gold Medal
- Juan Botella, Mexico Diving 1960 Rome Olympic Games Bronze Medal
- Nathan Brooks, Boxing 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games Gold Medal
- Jennifer Kay Chandler, Diving 1976 Montreal Olympic Games Gold Medal
- Mary Ellen Clark, Diving 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games Bronze Medal; 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games Bronze Medal
- Bob Clotworthy, Diving 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games Bronze Medal; 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games Gold Medal
- Gerald Cole, Track and Field 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games Silver Medal
- Glenn Ashby Davis, Track and Field 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games Gold Medal; 1960 Rome Olympic Games Two Gold Medals
- Diane Dixon, Track and Field 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games Silver Medal; 1988 Seoul Olympic Games Silver Medal
- Jack George, Swimming 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games Bronze Medal
- James D. George Weightlifting 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games Bronze Medal; 1960 Rome Olympic Games Silver Medal
- Peter T. George, Weightlifting 1948 London Olympic Games Silver Medal; 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games Gold Medal; 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games Silver Medal
- Thomas Eugene Gompf, Diving 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games Bronze Medal
- Joe Greene, Track and Field 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games Bronze Medal; 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games Bronze Medal
- Sam Wesley Hall, Diving 1960 Rome Olympic Games Silver Medal
- Paul Hamm, Gymnastics 2004 Athens Olympic Games Gold Medal, Two Silver Medals
- Morgan Hamm, Gymnastics 2004 Athens Olympic Games Silver Medal
- Bruce Harlan, Diving 1948 London Olympic Games Gold Medal; Silver Medal
- Donald Harper, Diving 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games Silver Medal
- John W. Higgins, Swimming 1936 Berlin Olympic Games Bronze Medal
- Bill Hoskett, Basketball 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games Gold Medal
- Karen Josephson, Synchronized Swimming, 1988 Seoul Olympic Games Silver Medal 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games Gold Medal
- Sara Josephson, Synchronized Swimming 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games Silver Medal; 1988 Seoul Olympic Games Silver Medal 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games Gold Medal
- Becky Jasontek, Synchronized Swimming 2004 Athens Olympic Games Bronze Medal
- Ford Hiroshi Konno, Swimming 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games Two Gold Medals, Silver Medal; 1956 Melbourne Olympic Games Silver Medal
- Emma Laaksonen, Finland Women's Hockey, 1998 Nagano Winter Olympic Games Bronze Medal
- Jerry Lucas, Basketball 1960 Rome Olympic Games Gold Medal
- Kelly McCormick Diving 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games Bronze Medal; 1988 Seoul Olympic Games Silver Medal
- Jesse Owens, Track and Field 1936 Berlin Olympic Games Four Gold Medals
- Yoshinobu Oyakawa, Swimming 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games Gold Medal
- Jerry Page, Boxing 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games Gold Medal
- Lea Ann Parsley, Skeleton, 2002 Salt Lake City Olympic Games Silver Medal
- Butch Reynolds, Track and Field 1988 Seoul Olympic Games Gold Medal, Silver Medal
- Gordy Sheer, Luge, 1998 Nagano Winter Olympic Games Silver Medal
- George Simpson, Track and Field, 1932 Los Angeles Olympic Games Silver Medal
- William Smith, Swimming 1948 London Olympic Games Two Gold Medals
- Katie Smith, Basketball 2000 Sydney Olympic Games Gold Medal; 2004 Athens Olympic Games Gold Medal
- Harry Dwight Steele, Wrestling 1924 Paris Olympic Games Gold Medal
- Jack Taylor, Swimming 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games Bronze Medal
- Bryan Volpenhein, Rowing 2004 Athens Olympic Games Gold Medal
- Mark Robert Waldie, Volleyball 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games Gold Medal
- Malden Whitfield, Track and Field 1948 London Olympic Games Two Gold Medals, Bronze Medal; 1952 Helsinki Olympic Games Gold Medal; Silver Medal
- Blaine Wilson, Gymnastics, 2004 Athens Olympic Games Silver Medal
- Debbie Wilson, Diving 1976 Montreal Olympic Games Silver Medal
Basketball
As of the 2006 season, 16 Ohio State basketball players have been named first-team All American on 23 occasions, including 5 two-time All Americans and 1 three-time All American.[2]
- Mike Conley Jr., 4th overall selection in the 2007 NBA Draft
- John Havlicek, NBA star, Basketball Hall of Fame
- Jim Jackson, NBA player
- Neil Johnston, NBA player and coach, Basketball Hall of Fame
- Clark Kellogg, former NBA star, TV sports analyst
- Bobby Knight, coach at Texas Tech University Basketball Hall of Fame (B.A., 1962)
- Jerry Lucas, NBA star, Basketball Hall of Fame
- Greg Oden, 1st Team All-American, 2007, Selected with the number one pick of the 2007 NBA Draft by the Portland Trailblazers
- Scoonie Penn, Euroleague Top player
- Michael Redd, NBA player for the Milwaukee Bucks
- Arnie Risen, four time NBA all-star Basketball Hall of Fame
- Katie Smith, WNBA player
- Fred R. Taylor, long time former OSU head basketball coach, Basketball Hall of Fame
- Bob Weltlich, former University of Texas coach, author of the novel Crooked Zebra
- Herb Williams
Baseball
- Steve Arlin, MLB pitcher (1969-1974)
- Barry Bonnell, MLB outfielder (1977-1986)
- Chuck Brinkman, MLB catcher (1969-1974)
- Dave Burba, MLB pitcher (1990-2004)
- Galen Cisco, MLB pitcher (1961-1969)
- Rollin Cook, MLB pitcher (1915)
- John Dagenhard, MLB pitcher (1943)
- Mark Dempsey, MLB pitcher (1982)
- Johnny Edwards, MLB catcher
- Frank Howard, MLB outfielder
- Jim Reeder (lettered in 3 varsity sports at OSU; B.S. 1948), the outbreak of WWII prevented him from playing major league baseball; upon his death in January 1972, Califonia State University at Los Angeles renamed their baseball field the James B. Reeder Memorial Field to honor their long-time head coach who helped design the field. He never had a losing season as Cal State's head coach.
- George Steinbrenner, N.Y. Yankees owner
- Nick Swisher, MLB outfielder
Football
As of the 2003 season, 121 Ohio State football players have been named first-team All American on 163 occasions, including 28 two-time All Americans and 7 three-time All Americans.[3]
- Paul Brown, famous coach, member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame, and namesake of Paul Brown Stadium (M.A. 1940)
- Earle Bruce, College Football Hall of Fame coach
- Cris Carter, former NFL wide receiver
- Howard "Hopalong" Cassady, Heisman Trophy Winner 1955
- Frank Clair, Canadian Football Hall of Fame coach
- Tom Cousineau, former linebacker Montreal Alouettes, Cleveland Browns First pick of the 1979 NFL Draft
- Neal Colzie, former NFL defensive back
- Mike Doss, NFL Safety for the Minnesota Vikings Three Time All American
- Wes Fesler, three-time All American end and noted coach
- John Frank, NFL tight end, Retired, Doctor
- Eddie George, Heisman Trophy winner 1995, former NFL football player
- Sid Gillman, NFL coach and Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Terry Glenn, NFL wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys 1995 Biletnikoff Award Winner
- Randy Gradishar, NFL linebacker, College Football Hall of Fame member
- Archie Griffin, only two-time (1974 & 1975) Heisman Trophy winner, current president of The Ohio State University Alumni Association
- Lou Groza, famous football kicker and Pro Football Hall of Famer, Lou Groza Award namesake
- Chic Harley, three-time All American running back.
- A.J. Hawk, NFL linebacker for the Green Bay Packers 2005 Lombardi Award Recipient
- Woody Hayes, Ohio State football coach and educator, M.A.
- Kirk Herbstreit, ESPN sports analyst and former OSU quarterback
- John Hicks, 1973 winner of Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award
- Les Horvath, Heisman Trophy winner 1943.
- Vic Janowicz, Heisman Trophy winner 1950.
- Pete Johnson, NFL running back
- Dante Lavelli, Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee (1945)
- Dick LeBeau, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive coordinator
- Tom Matte, NFL Running back
- Urban Meyer, head coach of the Florida Gators (M.A. 1988)
- Orlando Pace, NFL offensive lineman St. Louis Rams, winner of 1995 Outland Trophy and the 1994 and 1995 Lombardi Award, First pick of the 1996 NFL Draft
- Jim Parker, Offensive tackle for the Baltimore Colts and Pro Football Hall of Fame
- Glenn E. "Bo" Schembechler, Former football coach of the Michigan Wolverines (Master's 1952)
- Troy Smith, 2006 Heisman Trophy winner, Baltimore Ravens
- Matt Snell, AFL/NFL running back
- Chris Spielman, former NFL linebacker with the Detroit Lions, Buffalo Bills and Cleveland Browns 1987 Lombardi Award Recipient
- Shawn Springs, NFL cornerback for the Washington Redskins
- Jim Stillwagon, noted Canadian Football League player, 1970 winner of Outland Trophy and Lombardi Award
- Don Sutherin, Canadian Football Hall of Fame defensive back
- Jack Tatum, football player for the Oakland Raiders, author
- Paul Warfield, Pro Football Hall of Fame wide receiver
- Dan Wilkinson, NFL Defensive Lineman, First pick of the 1994 NFL draft
- Bill Willis, Pro Football Hall of Famer and first African-American pro football player
- Antoine Winfield, NFL cornerback for the Minnesota Vikings 1998 Jim Thorpe Award winner
For a more complete list of Ohio State University alumni in the NFL see: Buckeyes in the NFL
Golf
Hockey
- Mike Bales, NHL ice hockey goalie
- Ryan Kesler, current NHL hockey player
- Jamie Macoun, longtime veteran ice hockey defenceman in the NHL
- Rod Pelley, currently playing for the New Jersey Devils in the NHL
- R.J. Umberger, current ice hockey player in the NHL for the Philadelphia Flyers
- Dave Steckel, current ice hockey player in the NHL for the Washington Capitals
Soccer
- Ray Burse, Goaltender FC Dallas
- Dustin Kirby, Real Salt Lake
Notable Current Faculty
National Academy of Sciences Members
- Malcolm Chisolm, Chemistry
- Carlo Croce, Medicine Genetics Researcher
- Albert de la Chapelle, Medicine Genetics Researcher
- David Denlinger, Biology
- Avner Friedman, Mathematics
- Bernadine Healy Cardiologist, a former head of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the American Red Cross
- Leo Paquette, Chemistry
- Linda Saif, Biology
- Lonnie G. Thompson, Geology Tyler Prize winning glaciologist (M.S. 1971 Ph.D. 1976)
- Kenneth G. Wilson, Physics 1982 Nobel Laureate
National Academy of Engineering Members
- Meyer J. Benzakein, Aerospace Engineering
- Jose B. Cruz Jr., Electrical Engineering
- Liang-Shih Fan, Chemical Engineering
- Robert E. Fenton, Electrical Engineering
- W. S. Winston Ho, Chemical Engineering
- Robert G. Kouyoumjian, Electrical Engineering
- Robert A. Rapp, Materials Engineering
- Paul G. Shewmon, Materials Engineering
- Robert H. Wagoner, Materials Engineering
- James C. Williams, Materials Engineering
Institute of Medicine of The National Academies Members
Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences
- Kevin Boyle, History, 2004 National Book Award winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist for Arc of Justice: A Saga of Race, Civil Rights and Murder in the Jazz Age.
- Charles Csuri, Art Computer Graphics influential artist and scholar; father of digital art and computer animation (BFA 1946; MFA 1948)
- Lee Martin, English, 2006 Pulitzer Prize finalist for the novel The Bright Forever.
- Bebe Miller, Dance, Guggenheim Fellow, Founder Bebe Miller Dance Company (M.A. 1975)
- John Mueller, Political Science,Guggenheim Fellow, holds the Wayne Woodrow Hayes Chair in National Security Studies, winner of Georgetown University's Lepgold Prize for the best book on international relations for The Remnants of War
- Thomas Postlewait, Theatre, the only scholar in his field to be invited to contribute both to the Cambridge History of American Theatre and the Cambridge History of British History
- Alexander Wendt, Political Science, Ralph D. Mershon Professor of International Security Recently named the third most influential scholar of international relations by Foreign Policy Magazine
Others
- Frank De Luca, Physics and 1992 winner of Max-Planck Prize
- Harvey Friedman, Mathematics, noted logician
- Eric Herbst, Physics and 1993 winner of Max-Planck Prize
- William J. Mitsch, Environmental Science awarded 2004 Stockholm Water Prize for wetlands research