48 Notable alumni of Eastern Kentucky University
Updated: June 16, 2026 EliteDegrees
Eastern Kentucky University is ranked #1,550 in the world and #378 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 48 notable alumni from Eastern Kentucky University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Eastern Kentucky University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. W. H. Lyon
1872-1957 (aged 85)
head coach
William Hillyer Lyon was an American football coach. He served as the head football coach at the University of Mississippi (Ole Miss) in 1899. During his one-season tenure at Ole Miss, Lyon compiled an overall record of three wins and four losses (3–4). Lyon was born in 1872 in Boonton, New Jersey. He was a member of the Phi Delta...
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2. Dwight Butler
1963-. (aged 63)
politician
Dwight D. Butler is an American politician and was a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives representing District 18 until January 2015.
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3. Win Ballou
1897-1963 (aged 66)
baseball player
Noble Winfred Ballou was an American professional baseball pitcher who appeared in 99 games, 71 of them as a reliever, in Major League Baseball between 1925 and 1929 for the Washington Senators, St. Louis Browns and Brooklyn Robins. The native of Mount Morgan, Kentucky, stood 5 feet 10 inches (1.78 m) tall, weighed 170 pounds (77 kg), and threw and...
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4. Frank Kremblas
1966-. (aged 60)
baseball player
Francis Michael Kremblas Jr. is an American minor league baseball manager. He previously managed the Indianapolis Indians Triple-A team from 2009–10, and was a former minor league player in the Cincinnati Reds farm system from 1989 to 1996.
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5. Eric Stutz
1992-. (aged 34)
basketball player
Frederic George Stutz, is an American professional basketball player for AB Castelló of the LEB Oro.
6. Garfield Smith
1945-. (aged 81)
basketball player
Garfield Smith is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and American Basketball Association (ABA). He was drafted with the tenth pick in the third round of the 1968 NBA draft by the Boston Celtics. In two seasons in the NBA, Smith averaged 2.7 points per game and 2.1 rebounds per game. Smith...
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7. Kyle McGrath
1992-. (aged 34)
baseball player
Kyle Daniel McGrath is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres.
8. Marcus Adams
1979-. (aged 47)
American football player
Marcus "Chunky" Adams is an American former professional football player. A defensive tackle, he played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL) for eight seasons. He also was on the rosters of the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL, the Colorado Crush and Spokane Shock of the Arena Football League, and the Peoria Rough Riders of af2 throughout...
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9. Gregory N. Stivers
1960-. (aged 66)
lawyer
judge
Gregory Neil Stivers is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Kentucky.
10. Michael Evanoff
1961-. (aged 65)
Michael Turner Evanoff is an American security expert and government official who served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Diplomatic Security. Prior to assuming that role, he served as Vice President for Asset Protection & Security for Walmart from 2014 to 2017. Evanoff previously served as Chief Security Officer at Coca-Cola and as Global Director of Security at Och-Ziff...
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11. Eula Bingham
1929-2020 (aged 91)
toxicologist
Eula Bingham was an American scientist, best known as an Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health (OSHA) during the Presidency of Jimmy Carter. During her tenure as the head of OSHA, she eliminated more than 1,000 pedantic regulations and shifted the agency's focus to health and safety risks, establishing strict standards for workers' rights to know about...
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12. Josh Anderson
1982-. (aged 44)
baseball player
Joshua Aaron Anderson is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2007 to 2009 for the Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, Detroit Tigers, and Kansas City Royals.
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13. Bob Babbage
1951-. (aged 75)
politician
Bob Babbage is an American public leader, business and civic entrepreneur. Babbage is the leading lobbyist of Babbage Cofounder, a firm specializing in government relations and business strategies for public decisions. He was elected as Kentucky State Auditor and Kentucky Secretary of State.
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14. Antwaun Molden
1985-. (aged 41)
American football player
Antwaun Molden is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Houston Texans in the third round of the 2008 NFL draft. He played college football for the Eastern Kentucky Colonels.
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15. Danny C. Reeves
1957-. (aged 69)
lawyer
judge
Danny Clyde Reeves is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky.
16. Larry Kirksey
head coach
American football player
Larry Kirksey is an American former football coach. He has 17 years' experience coaching in the NFL and an additional 22 years of coaching experience in the college ranks.
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17. Christian Friedrich
1987-. (aged 39)
baseball player
Christian Louis Patrick Friedrich is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with the Colorado Rockies in 2012 and also played with the San Diego Padres. Friedrich also pitched in the KBO League for the NC Dinos.
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18. Ken Keen
Purl Kenneth Keen is a retired United States Army officer. He last served as the commander of the Office of the Defense Representative, U.S. Embassy Pakistan and before that served as Military Deputy Commander of United States Southern Command.
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19. Mike Harmon
1966-. (aged 60)
politician
Mike Harmon is an American politician who served as the Kentucky auditor of public accounts from 2016 to 2024. He was previously a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives for the 54th district. He was a 2011 candidate for Lieutenant Governor of Kentucky, but lost in the primary.
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20. Yeremiah Bell
1978-. (aged 48)
American football player
Yeremiah Neavius Bell is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and was selected by the Miami Dolphins in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL draft.
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21. Roy Kidd
1931-2023 (aged 92)
head coach
Roy Lee Kidd was an American collegiate football league player and coach. He served as the head coach at Eastern Kentucky University from 1964 to 2002, compiling a record of 314–124–8. Kidd's Eastern Kentucky Colonels won NCAA Division I-AA Football Championships in 1979 and 1982 and were runners-up in 1980 and 1981. His 314 career victories are second-most in NCAA...
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22. Nick Mayo
1997-. (aged 29)
basketball player
Nicholas William Mayo is an American professional basketball player for Hiroshima Dragonflies of the B.League. He played college basketball for the Eastern Kentucky Colonels and left as the program's all-time leading scorer.
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23. Sam Holbrook
1965-. (aged 61)
baseball umpire
Samuel Woodford Holbrook is an American retired Major League Baseball umpire. He made his MLB debut in 1996 and was promoted to crew chief in 2017. Holbrook worked the World Series in 2010, 2016, and 2019. He retired following the 2022 season.
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24. Greg Gibson
1968-. (aged 58)
baseball umpire
Gregory Allan Gibson is an American former Major League Baseball umpire who worked in the National League from 1997 to 1999 and throughout both major leagues from 2000 to 2022. He was promoted to crew chief for the 2022 season.
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25. Vermont Garrison
1915-1994 (aged 79)
military officer
Vermont Garrison was a career officer in the United States Air Force, and a flying ace credited with 17.33 victories in aerial combat. He was one of only seven Americans to achieve ace status during World War II, then again against jet fighter opposition during the Korean War. In 1966, Garrison participated in his third war, as vice commander of...
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26. James Rainey
James E. Rainey is a former United States Army general who last served as the commanding general of United States Army Futures Command from 2022 to 2025. He previously served as Deputy Chief of Staff of the Army for Operations, Plans, and Training from 2021 to 2022. Before that, he served concurrently as commanding general of the United States Army...
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27. J. C. W. Beckham
1869-1940 (aged 71)
lawyer
politician
John Crepps Wickliffe Beckham was an American attorney and politician who served as the 35th governor of Kentucky and a United States senator from Kentucky. He was the state's first popularly-elected senator after the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment.
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28. Corey Walden
1992-. (aged 34)
basketball player
Torrian Corey Walden is an American professional basketball player for Força Lleida of the Spanish Liga ACB. He played college basketball for Stetson and Eastern Kentucky before playing professionally in the NBA G League, Belgium and Israel. Standing at 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m), he plays at the point guard position. Playing for Hapoel Holon, he was named the...
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29. Art Lund
1915-1990 (aged 75)
television actor
stage actor
singer
film actor
Arthur Lund was an American baritone singer, initially with bandleaders Benny Goodman and Harry James, and was also a television and stage actor.
30. Teddy Taylor
1937-2017 (aged 80)
business executive
journalist
consultant
politician
Sir Edward MacMillan Taylor, known as Teddy Taylor, was a British Conservative Party politician who was a Member of Parliament (MP) for forty years, from 1964 to 1979 for Glasgow Cathcart and from 1980 to 2005 for Southend East.
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31. Potjaman Na Pombejra
1956-. (aged 70)
businessperson
politician
Khun Ying Potjaman Damapong, formerly Potjaman Shinawatra (Thai: พจมาน ชินวัตร; RTGS: Photchaman Chinnawat), née Soypetpotjaman Damapong (Thai: สร้อยเพชรพจมาน ดามาพงศ์; RTGS: Soiphetphotchaman Damaphong) (born 22 November 1956) is the ex-wife of former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra and mother of the former prime minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra.
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32. Earle Combs
1899-1976 (aged 77)
baseball player
Earle Bryan Combs was an American professional baseball player who played his entire career for the New York Yankees (1924–1935). Combs batted leadoff and played center field on the Yankees' fabled 1927 team (often referred to as Murderers' Row). He is one of six players on that team who have been inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame; the other...
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33. Sam Champion
1961-. (aged 65)
weather presenter
Samuel James Champion is an American weather anchor with WABC-TV and Good Morning America. He formerly co-anchored AMHQ: America's Morning Headquarters and 23.5 Degrees With Sam Champion on The Weather Channel.
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34. Jessamyn Duke
1986-. (aged 40)
Thai boxer
professional wrestler
mixed martial arts fighter
Jessamyn Laurel Duke is an American professional wrestler and former mixed martial artist. As a wrestler, she worked with WWE as part of their NXT brand. She formerly competed for Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) and Invicta Fighting Championships in the women's bantamweight division.
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35. George Floyd
1960-. (aged 66)
American football player
George Floyd Jr. is an American former professional football player who was a defensive back for two seasons with the New York Jets in the National Football League. Growing up in Brooksville, Florida, Floyd attended Hernando High School, where he was selected for The Tampa Tribune's all-area football team in all three of his varsity years. Floyd played college football...
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36. Lee Majors
1939-. (aged 87)
actor
television actor
film actor
voice actor
film producer
Harvey Lee Yeary, known professionally as Lee Majors, is an American actor. He portrayed the characters of Heath Barkley on the American television Western series The Big Valley (1965–1969), Colonel Steve Austin on the American television science-fiction action series The Six Million Dollar Man (1973–1978), and Colt Seavers on the American television action series The Fall Guy (1981–1986).
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37. Crystal Wilkinson
1962-. (aged 64)
author
Crystal E. Wilkinson is an African-American feminist writer from Kentucky, and proponent of the Affrilachian Poet movement. She is winner of a 2022 NAACP Image Award and a 2021 O. Henry Prize winner; she is a 2020 USA Fellow of Creative Writing. She teaches at the University of Kentucky. Her work has primarily involved the stories of Black women and...
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38. Silas House
1971-. (aged 55)
writer
novelist
climate activist
opinion journalist
journalist
Silas Dwane House is an American writer best known for his novels. He is also a music journalist, environmental activist, and columnist. His fiction is known for its attention to the natural world, working-class characters, and the plight of the rural place and rural people. House is also known as a representative for LGBTQ Appalachians and Southerners, and is among...
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39. Dallas Robinson
1982-. (aged 44)
bobsledder
athletics competitor
Dallas Robinson is an American soldier and bobsledder.
40. Dan Patrick
1956-. (aged 70)
film actor
actor
sports commentator
Dan Goeb Patrick is an American radio talk show host, television broadcaster, and politician serving since 2015 as the 42nd lieutenant governor of Texas under Governor Greg Abbott.
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41. Don McNay
1959-2016 (aged 57)
journalist
Donald Joseph McNay was a chartered financial consultant and specialist and analyst of lottery, living in Lexington, Kentucky. He was also a financial author and The Huffington Post contributor.
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42. Jabs Newby
1991-. (aged 35)
basketball player
Jabulani Jabari Newby is a Jamaican-Canadian professional basketball player for the Brampton Honey Badgers of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL). Newby played college basketball for Eastern Kentucky University and Gannon.
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43. Gary Odom
politician
Gary Odom is an American politician from Nashville, Tennessee, and the former Democratic Minority Leader of the Tennessee House of Representatives. He was elected to represent the 55th district, which is part of Davidson County.
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44. Mallory Ervin
1985-. (aged 41)
television producer
YouTuber
beauty pageant contestant
Mallory Christina Ervin is an American YouTube personality, former entertainer and former beauty pageant titleholder from Morganfield, Kentucky. She held the title of Miss Kentucky 2009 and was the fourth runner-up to Miss America 2010. In September 2010, it was announced that she would be competing on The Amazing Race 17 with her father Gary. The Amazing Race was filmed...
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45. Chuckie Campbell
1981-. (aged 45)
songwriter
Charles Edward Campbell, known by his stage and pen name, Chuckie Campbell, is an American musician, poet, fiction writer, editor, publisher, and educator. He holds a B.A. in communications with an emphasis in Public Relations and a minor in Religion from Lee University, an M.A. in English and Creative Writing from Eastern Kentucky University, and a PhD in English Literature...
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46. Thaksin Shinawatra
1949-. (aged 77)
businessperson
entrepreneur
lecturer
writer
refugee
Thaksin Shinawatra is a Thai former politician, businessman, and police officer who served as the 23rd prime minister of Thailand from 2001 until his overthrow in 2006. Since 2009 he has also been a citizen of Montenegro.
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47. Papa Oppong
1987-. (aged 39)
basketball player
Papa Kwaku Oppong is a Canadian former professional basketball player in the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL). Oppong competed with three different college basketball teams from 2006 to 2010. He played with Coffeyville Community College as a freshman, Panola Junior College as a sophomore, and Eastern Kentucky of the NCAA Division I as a junior and senior.
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48. Soufiane Bouchikhi
1990-. (aged 36)
athletics competitor
Soufiane Bouchikhi is a retired Belgian long-distance runner. He represented his country in the 5000 metres at the 2017 World Championships. At the 2019 World Championships in Doha he made the 10,000m final and finished 13th. In addition, he won the silver medal in the U23 category at the 2012 European Cross Country Championships.
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