86 Notable alumni of Furman

Thomas Arthur Wham was an American professional football player who was a defensive end for the Chicago Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Furman Paladins.

James Harrel "Speedy" Speer was a college football player for the Furman Paladins of Furman University and a high school football coach. He was elected to the South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame in 1974, and the Furman Athletics Hall of Fame in 1981.

Robert William Smith was an American football, basketball, and baseball coach. He served as the head football coach (1946–1947) and head men's basketball coach (1935–1942) at Furman University.

Alvah Tindal "Sub" Sublett was a college football and baseball player.

John Bloomfield, attended Furman University in Greenville, South Carolina, where he graduated magna cum laude. After he earned a master's degree in piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music, Bloomfield worked closely with both Dorothy Taubman and Edna Golandsky for many years.

Elbert DeVore Andrews was a professional baseball player whose career lasted one season, 1925, with part of it being in Major League Baseball with the Philadelphia Athletics. The other part of the season was in the minor leagues with the Double-A Baltimore Orioles of the International League. Over his career in the majors, Andrews, a pitcher, compiled no record and...

Otis Leonard "Blackie" Carter was an American professional baseball player. He played briefly in Major League Baseball for the New York Giants during 1925 and 1926, appearing in six games.

Young John Pope was a South Carolina lawyer, mayor, attorney general, and chief justice on the South Carolina Supreme Court.

Joel Bell is an American former football offensive lineman. He signed with the Buffalo Bills in 2009.

Charles H. Cleveland is a retired United States Army major general who served as the Director of Operations and Military Deputy of the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency from January 2019 to July 2022. Previously, he served as the Vice Director for Intelligence of the Joint Staff from June 2017 to December 2018.

Richard Jata is an American soccer player.

William Hayne Perry was a United States representative from South Carolina. He was born in Greenville, South Carolina, where he attended Greenville Academy, and graduated from Furman University at Greenville in 1857. He also attended South Carolina College (now the University of South Carolina) at Columbia, South Carolina and graduated from Harvard University in 1859. Later, he studied law in...

Jonathan Leathers is an American retired soccer player.

Albert Ernest Radford was an American botanist active in the Southeastern United States. He was best known for his work as senior author of Manual of the Vascular Flora of the Carolinas, the definitive flora for North Carolina and South Carolina.

David C. Garrett Jr. was an American businessman who was the CEO of Delta Air Lines from 1978 to 1987.

Willa Lybrand Fulmer was a United States representative from South Carolina. She was born in Wagener, South Carolina, where she attended the Wagener public schools. She graduated from Greenville (Baptist) Female College in Greenville, South Carolina, which eventually merged with Furman University.

Robby Bostain is an American-Israeli former professional basketball player.

Joseph Raleigh Bryson was a U.S. representative from South Carolina.

William Pierce Price was a politician who served in the United States House of Representatives. Price was born in Dahlonega, Georgia.

Hampton Lintorn-Catlin is an American computer programmer, programming language inventor, gay rights advocate, and author, best known as the creator of the Sass and Haml markup languages. Hampton was a Vice President of Engineering at Rent the Runway, and has previously held similar roles at Moovweb, Thriveworks, and at the Wikimedia Foundation.

Kevin R. Wendel is a retired officer of the United States Army. He attained the rank of major general, and his assignments included interim commander of First United States Army, commander of First Army Division East, commander of the 20th Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear and high-yield Explosives Command at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, and commander of 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry...

William Middleton is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the fifth round of the 2009 NFL draft. He played college football for the Furman Paladins. Middleton was also a member of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars and San Diego Chargers.

Joseph Haynsworth Earle was a United States senator from South Carolina.

Robert Thomas Ashmore was a U.S. representative from South Carolina, cousin of John D. Ashmore.

Wilton Earle Hall was a United States senator from South Carolina.

Neal Collins is a Republican member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, representing the 5th district. He was first elected in 2014, and re-elected in every subsequent election. In 2010, he was one of several candidates running for the open seat of 3rd congressional district of South Carolina in the House of Representatives, which was held by J. Gresham...

John Calhoun Sheppard was the 82nd governor of South Carolina from July 10, 1886, to November 30, 1886.

Kathleen Ekey is an American female professional golfer currently playing on the LPGA Tour.

George Schneiweis Wise was an American sociologist who served as the first president of Tel Aviv University in Ramat Aviv, Israel from 1963 to 1971.

Elizabeth Gasque Van Exem, named Elizabeth Hawley Gasque during her tenure in Congress, was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 6th congressional district from September 13, 1938, to January 3, 1939. She was the first woman elected to Congress from South Carolina.

Kathryn Petralia is an American entrepreneur who is the co-founder and COO of Kabbage.

Maleye N'Doye is a Senegalese professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for BBC Nyon of the Swiss Basketball League. He is a member of the Senegalese national team, where he participated at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

Thomas C. Davis is a Republican member of the South Carolina Senate since January 14, 2009. His district (the 46th) includes part of Beaufort County.

Ginny Carol Ruffner was an American glass artist based in Seattle, Washington. She is known for her use of the lampworking (or flameworking) technique and for her use of borosilicate glass in her painted glass sculptures.

Roger Craft Peace was a United States senator from South Carolina. Born in Greenville, he attended the public schools and graduated from Furman University in 1919. He was a newspaper reporter, sports editor, editor, business manager, and publisher in Greenville. During the First World War he served as an instructor in the United States Army at Camp Perry in 1918....

Kristófer Acox is an Icelandic basketball player for Valur of the Úrvalsdeild karla and a member of the Icelandic national basketball team, with whom he participated in the EuroBasket 2017. As a member of KR, he won the Icelandic championship three times in a row from 2017 to 2019. In 2022, he added his fourth championship, this time with Valur...

Jerry Lindsey Martin is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He spent 11 years in Major League Baseball, from 1974 to 1984. On November 17, 1983, Martin and Kansas City Royals teammates Willie Aikens and Willie Wilson each received three-month prison terms on misdemeanor attempted cocaine possession charges. They became the first active major leaguers to serve jail time.

Andrew Thacker is an American football coach. He is currently the nickels coach at the University of Georgia. After a standout high school career at North Forsyth High School in Cumming, Georgia and Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Georgia, Thacker attended and played college football at Furman University (2004–2007), where he was a three-year starter at safety. Thacker was the...

Deborah Ruth Malac is an American diplomat, who served as the United States Ambassador to Uganda. She was nominated by President Barack Obama and was confirmed by the Senate Nov. 19, 2015. She previously served as United States Ambassador to Liberia.

Nick Andrew Theodore is a former American politician from South Carolina. He was the first Greek-American elected to the South Carolina State Legislature. He served as a state representative from 1963 to 1966 and 1970 to 1978, a South Carolina state senator from 1967 to 1968 and from 1981 to 1986, and the 85th lieutenant governor of South Carolina from...

Robert Joel McLane was an American actor known for having starred in the early openly gay film A Very Natural Thing in 1974.

Maurice Bloomfield was an Austrian Empire–born American philologist and Sanskrit scholar.

Christina Henderson is an American politician in Washington, D.C. who was elected to the Council of the District of Columbia as an at-large member in 2020. Henderson previously worked for her predecessor, David Grosso, and served as a legislative aide in Congress. Henderson is an independent, not registered with any political party.

Thomas Tullidge Cullen is an American attorney who has served as a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Western District of Virginia since 2020. He served as a United States attorney for the same district from 2018 to 2020.

Robbie Caldwell is a retired American football coach, and previously served as the offensive line coach for Clemson University. Caldwell was formerly the head coach of the Vanderbilt Commodores football team. He has also been an assistant coach at Furman University, North Carolina State University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and Vanderbilt University. On February 2, 2011...

Warren Creavalle is a former footballer who played as a defensive midfielder, central midfielder or rightback. Born in the United States, he represented Guyana at senior international level, after representing the United States at youth international level.

Robert O'Shea "Shea" Salinas is an American former professional soccer player who played as a winger.

Harry Ingle Martin IV is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) during the late 2000s. Martin played college football for the Florida Gators and Furman Paladins, and thereafter, he was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round of the 2006 NFL draft. He was also a member...

Thomas Raymond Mastny is a former Indonesian-born American Major League Baseball right-handed relief pitcher. He stands 6 feet 6 inches (1.98 m) in height and weighs 220 pounds (100 kg). Mastny is the only Indonesian-born player in Major League history. He was raised in Zionsville, Indiana, where he played for Zionsville Community High School. He made his major league debut...

Baron Paul Hill is a retired American politician who served as a U.S. representative for Indiana's 9th congressional district from 1999 to 2005 and from 2007 to 2011.

Dakota Duran Dozier is an American former professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL draft. He played college football for the Furman Paladins, earning unanimous All-American honors.

Jennings Ligon Duncan III is an American Presbyterian scholar and pastor. He is Chancellor of Reformed Theological Seminary.

Beth Daniel is an American professional golfer. She became a member of the LPGA Tour in 1979 and won 33 LPGA Tour events, including one major championship, during her career. She is a member of the World Golf Hall of Fame.

Drew Moor is an American former professional soccer player who played as a center-back in Major League Soccer.

Madeline Anne Rogero is an American politician who served as the 68th mayor of Knoxville, Tennessee, elected in 2011. She was the first woman to hold the office. Before entering politics, Rogero worked as a community development director, non-profit executive, urban and regional planner, and community volunteer. She served on the Knox County Commission from 1990 to 1998, and first...

Jerome Jean-Marie Felton is an American former professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Furman Paladins, and was selected by the Detroit Lions in the fifth round of the 2008 NFL draft. He also played for the Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, Minnesota Vikings, and Buffalo Bills. With the...

Clement Furman Haynsworth Jr. was a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit. He was also an unsuccessful nominee for the United States Supreme Court in 1969.

William Robert Woodall III is an American attorney and politician who was the U.S. representative for Georgia's 7th congressional district from 2011 to 2021. The district included most of Gwinnett County, a suburban county northeast of Atlanta. A Republican, Woodall prior to being elected to Congress, worked for his predecessor, John Linder from 1994 to 2010, eventually becoming Linder's chief...

Franklin Delano Selvy was an American National Basketball Association (NBA) player who was best known for holding the record for the most points (100) in a Division I college basketball game. Born in Corbin, Kentucky, Selvy was an All-State basketball player at Corbin High School and was a teammate of College Football Hall of Fame inductee Roy Kidd. Selvy was...

Robert Andrew Crawford Wells is an American politician and former college football coach. He was the head football coach at Savannah State University in Savannah, Georgia for the 2008 and 2009 seasons.

Ricardo Anthony Clark is an American former soccer player who played as a midfielder. He appeared for MetroStars, San Jose Earthquakes, Houston Dynamo and Columbus Crew SC in the United States, Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany, and Stabæk in Norway. Clark also appeared for the United States national team from 2005 to 2012.

Bradford John Faxon Jr. is an American professional golfer. He has won eight times on the PGA Tour.

William Stanley "Bear" Rinehart III is an American singer, songwriter, and guitarist who is a founding member and lead singer of the rock band, Needtobreathe. In 2019, he announced the launch of a solo career under the name Wilder Woods. His debut solo album was released on Atlantic Records in August 2019. His sophomore album, FEVER / SKY was released...

Richard Wilson Riley is an American politician who served as the sixth United States secretary of education from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton and as the 111th governor of South Carolina from 1979 to 1987. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Riley is the only Democrat to serve two consecutive terms as governor in the time...

Lieutenant General John F. Mulholland Jr. is a retired senior officer who served in the United States Army and is the former Associate Director for Military Affairs (ADMA) at the Central Intelligence Agency. Mulholland previously served as Deputy Commander of the United States Special Operations Command, after having previously served in the US Army's Special Forces. He commanded special operations...

Allie Beth Stuckey is an American Christian conservative commentator whose podcast Relatable with Allie Beth Stuckey is owned and distributed by Blaze Media.

Randy "Jay" Jackson is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres, Milwaukee Brewers, San Francisco Giants, Atlanta Braves, Toronto Blue Jays, and Minnesota Twins. He also played in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp and Chiba Lotte Marines. Jackson played college baseball at Furman University. He...

Charles Hard Townes was an American physicist. Townes worked on the theory and application of the maser, for which he obtained the fundamental patent, and other work in quantum electronics associated with both maser and laser devices. He shared the 1964 Nobel Prize in Physics with Nikolay Basov and Alexander Prokhorov. Townes was an adviser to the United States Government,...

Walker Dwain Zimmerman is an American professional soccer player who plays as a center-back for Major League Soccer club Toronto FC and the United States national team.

David John Trone is an American politician and businessman who served as the U.S. representative for Maryland's 6th congressional district from 2019 to 2025. The district includes most of the western third of the state, but the bulk of its population is in the outer northern suburbs of Washington, D.C. Trone founded and co-owns Total Wine & More with his...

Jordan Kenneth Loyd is an American–born naturalised Polish professional basketball player for Anadolu Efes of the Turkish Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) and the EuroLeague, and Poland national team. 2019 NBA champion with Toronto Raptors. He played college basketball for the Furman Paladins and Indianapolis Greyhounds.

Samuel David Wyche was an American professional football quarterback and coach. He was a quarterback and head coach for the Cincinnati Bengals and a quarterbacks coach for the San Francisco 49ers. As head coach, he led the Bengals to Super Bowl XXIII, which they lost to the 49ers 20–16, relinquishing the lead on a last-minute touchdown. He was also known...

John Broadus Watson was an American psychologist who popularized the scientific theory of behaviorism, establishing it as a psychological school. Watson advanced this change in the psychological discipline through his 1913 address at Columbia University, titled Psychology as the Behaviorist Views It. Through his behaviorist approach, Watson conducted research on animal behavior, child rearing, and advertising, as well as conducting...

Austin Watson is an American professional wrestler and YouTuber. He is signed to WWE, where he performs on the Raw brand under the ring name Xavier Woods and is a member of The New Day. Watson also makes public appearances outside of wrestling under the name Austin Creed.

William Hall Napier is an American football coach who is currently the head football coach at James Madison University. He previously served as head coach at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette from 2018 to 2021 and the University of Florida from 2022 to 2025. At Louisiana, he amassed a 40–12 record in four seasons with three consecutive 10+ win...

Victoria Jackson is an American actress and comedian. She was a cast member on the series Saturday Night Live from 1986 to 1992.

Clinton Drew Dempsey is an American former professional soccer player who is a sports analyst on the television program Soccer on CBS Sports. He played as a forward and midfielder for Premier League clubs Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur and in Major League Soccer for clubs New England Revolution and Seattle Sounders FC. Often debated as the greatest American player of...

Maurice Gwinn Burnside was a professor, tobacco warehouse manager, and U.S. Representative from Huntington, West Virginia.

J. Michael "Mike" McConnell is a former vice admiral in the United States Navy. He served as Director of the National Security Agency from 1992 to 1996 and as the United States Director of National Intelligence from February 2007 to January 2009 during the Bush administration and first week of the Obama administration. As of January 2024, he is the...

Amy Lee Grant is an American singer-songwriter and musician. She began her music career in contemporary Christian music (CCM) before crossing over to pop music in the mid-1980s. Grant has been referred to as "The Queen of Christian Pop". Grant was formerly married to fellow Christian musician Gary Chapman; after their divorce in 1999, she married country music singer Vince...

Phyllis Natalie Tickle was an American author and lecturer whose work focuses on spirituality and religion issues. After serving as a teacher, professor, and academic dean, Tickle entered the publishing industry, serving as the founding editor of the religion department at Publishers Weekly, before then becoming a popular writer. She is well known as a leading voice in the emergence...

Marshall Clement "Mark" Sanford Jr. is an American politician and author who served as the U.S. representative for South Carolina's 1st congressional district from 1995 to 2001 and from 2013 to 2019, and as the 115th governor of South Carolina from 2003 to 2011. He is a member of the Republican Party.

Richard Cullen is an American attorney who served as counselor to Virginia governor Glenn Youngkin. He is a former attorney general of Virginia, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia, and partner and chairman of McGuireWoods LLP.

Kyle Nicholas Julius is a Canadian former professional basketball player and coach, He currently serves as General Manager and head coach for the Vancouver Bandits of the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL) and the Taiwanese team Formosa Taishin Dreamers of the ASEAN Basketball League and the P. League+. A former Canadian men's national team player, he has been considered one...

Robert Benedict Browder is an American actor, writer and film director. He is best known for his roles as John Crichton in Farscape and Cameron Mitchell in Stargate SG-1.