16 Notable alumni of Gardner-Webb University
Updated: June 13, 2026 EliteDegrees
Gardner-Webb University is ranked #4,107 in the world and #1,071 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 16 notable alumni from Gardner-Webb 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 Gardner-Webb University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Donald J. Harlin
1935-2015 (aged 80)
military officer
Donald J. Harlin was an American Air Force major general who served as Chief of Chaplains of the United States Air Force.
2. Jim Blanks
1952-. (aged 74)
basketball player
Jim Blanks is an American former basketball player. He began his collegiate career with the Moberly Greyhounds before he transferred to play for the Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs for his final three seasons of eligibility. Blanks was an NAIA All-American selection during his senior season in 1974–75. He ranks in the top 10 of total points and rebounds for the Runnin'...
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3. Jeffrey David Cox
1951-. (aged 75)
trade unionist
Jeffrey David Cox is the former National President of the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), AFL-CIO who resigned in February of 2020, amid allegations of misusing union funds and sexual harassment.
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4. Orlando Early
1967-. (aged 59)
basketball coach
Orlando Early is an American men's college basketball coach. He was most recently an assistant coach at North Carolina State University under head coach Mark Gottfried until Gottfried was let go at the end of the 2016–17 season.
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5. Linda Combs
1946-2023 (aged 77)
politician
Linda Morrison Combs was a former U.S. federal government official. She was the Controller of the Office of Management and Budget in the Executive Office of the President at the White House. She had five Presidential Appointments confirmed by the United States Senate and served under three Presidents: Presidents Ronald Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush.
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6. George Adams
1949-. (aged 77)
basketball player
George Adams is an American former professional basketball player.
7. John Drew
1954-2022 (aged 68)
basketball player
John Edward Drew was an American professional basketball player. A small forward from Gardner–Webb University, he played eleven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Drew was a two-time NBA All-Star, and was the first player banned under the substance abuse policy instituted by league commissioner David Stern.
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8. Blake Lalli
1983-. (aged 43)
baseball player
Blake Thomas Lalli is an American former professional baseball first baseman and catcher and current third base coach for the Miami Marlins of Major League Baseball (MLB). He played in MLB for the Chicago Cubs, Milwaukee Brewers, and Atlanta Braves.
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9. Kevin DeYoung
1977-. (aged 49)
priest
theologian
Kevin Lee DeYoung is an American Reformed theologian, historian, and pastor. He is currently the senior pastor at Christ Covenant Church in Matthews, North Carolina. The church he previously pastored, University Reformed Church (East Lansing, Michigan), moved to the Presbyterian Church in America in March 2015 after having been a member of the Reformed Church in America.
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10. Artis Gilmore
1949-. (aged 77)
basketball player
Artis Gilmore Sr. is an American former professional basketball player who played in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). Gilmore was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.
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11. Robert M. Price
1954-. (aged 72)
literary critic
essayist
theologian
podcaster
illustrator
Robert McNair Price is an American New Testament scholar who argues in favor of the Christ myth theory – the claim that a historical Jesus did not exist. Price is the author of a number of books on biblical studies and the historicity of Jesus.
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12. Emilio Pagán
1991-. (aged 35)
professional baseball player
Emilio Enrique Pagán is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays, Seattle Mariners, Oakland Athletics, San Diego Padres, and Minnesota Twins. He also plays for the Puerto Rico national baseball team.
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13. Gil Dodds
1918-1977 (aged 59)
middle-distance runner
Gilbert Lothair Dodds, called "The Flying Parson", was an American middle-distance runner. In the 1940s, he held the American and world records for the mile run. He was awarded the James E. Sullivan Award as the top amateur athlete in the United States in 1943.
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14. Sara McMann
1980-. (aged 46)
mixed martial arts fighter
amateur wrestler
Sara McMann is an American mixed martial artist currently signed to Bellator MMA, competing in the Women's Featherweight division. She is a former Olympic wrestler and received a silver medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and was a World Silver Medalist and two-time Bronze Medalist. She would then transition to MMA, most notably competing in the bantamweight division...
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15. Scott Hahn
1957-. (aged 69)
writer
theologian
university teacher
apologist
Scott Walker Hahn is an American author, theologian and Catholic apologist.
16. Ben Witherington III
1951-. (aged 75)
university teacher
theologian
Ben Witherington III is an American Wesleyan-Arminian New Testament scholar. Witherington is Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary, a Wesleyan-Holiness seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky, and an ordained pastor in the United Methodist Church.
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