40 Notable alumni of Idaho State University
Updated: June 14, 2026 EliteDegrees
Idaho State University is 1134st in the world, 1st in North America, and 290st in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 40 notable alumni from Idaho State 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 Idaho State University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Charley Parks
1946-. (aged 80)
basketball player
Charles Parks is an American retired professional basketball player who spent one season in the American Basketball Association (ABA) as a member of the Denver Rockets (1968–69). He went to high school at St. Ignatius College Preparatory in San Francisco, where he was named the city's prep player of the year. Parks attended San Francisco City College before playing college...
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2. Fred Parkinson
1929-2023 (aged 94)
politician
Fred Raymond Parkinson was an American politician from Oregon.
3. James A. McClure
1924-2011 (aged 87)
lawyer
military officer
lobbyist
politician
James Albertus McClure was an American lawyer and politician from the state of Idaho, most notably serving as a Republican in the U.S. Senate for three terms from 1973 to 1991. He also served three terms in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1967 to 1973.
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4. Annette Markham
2013-2018 (aged 5)
academic
Annette Markham is an American academic, Chair Professor of Media Literacy and Public Engagement at Utrecht University, honorary adjunct professor at RMIT University in Melbourne, and current Director of Utrecht University's Futures+ Literacies Lab. Former Director of RMIT's Digital Ethnography Research Centre. She served on the executive committee of the Association of Internet Researchers from 2013-2018. She publishes research in...
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5. Eddie Johnson
1981-. (aged 45)
Canadian football player
American football player
Edward Lynn Johnson is an American former professional football punter. He was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the sixth round of the 2003 NFL draft. He played college football at Idaho State.
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6. Bobby Dye
1937-. (aged 89)
basketball coach
basketball player
Robert Lloyd Dye is an American former basketball coach.
7. William D. Hansen
businessperson
William D. Hansen is an American businessman and a former Deputy Secretary of Education who served in the George W. Bush administration from 2001 to 2003.
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8. Lawrence Butler
1957-2018 (aged 61)
basketball player
Lawrence Eugene Butler was an American basketball player. He led NCAA Division I in scoring while playing for the Idaho State Bengals during the 1978–79 season. Butler was selected by the Chicago Bulls in the 1979 NBA draft although he never played professionally.
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9. Dick Randolph
1936-. (aged 90)
teacher
businessperson
politician
Richard L. Randolph is a longtime insurance agency owner in Fairbanks, Alaska who is best known as the first person to be elected to partisan office under the banner of the Libertarian Party with his election to the Alaska House of Representatives in 1978. He was re-elected in 1980. After Alaska greatly increased its revenue from the development of oil,...
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10. Mark C. Schwartz
army officer
Mark C. Schwartz is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who last served as the United States Security Coordinator of the Israel-Palestinian Authority. Previously, he commanded the Combined Security Transition Command – Afghanistan. In November 2020, he was announced to replace Lieutenant General Eric Wendt as commander of the NATO Special Operations Headquarters, but the Senate did not take...
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11. Frederick Hammersley
1919-2009 (aged 90)
painter
Frederick Hammersley was an American abstract painter. His participation in the 1959 Four Abstract Classicists exhibit secured his place in art history.
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12. Beulah Ream Allen
1897-1989 (aged 92)
nurse
physician
Beulah Ream Allen was an American nurse, physician, and civilian physician during World War II. After graduating with a nursing degree in 1922, she worked as a supervising nurse and headed the educational department for the LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City. She worked as a hospital inspector for the state of Utah until 1928, when she moved to San...
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13. Keith Reemtsma
1925-2000 (aged 75)
surgeon
Keith Reemtsma was an American transplant surgeon, best known for the cross-species kidney transplantation operation from chimpanzee to human in 1964. With only the early immunosuppressants and no long-term dialysis, the female recipient survived nine months, long enough to return to work.
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14. Don Aslett
1935-2024 (aged 89)
motivational speaker
Donald Andrew Aslett was an American businessman, author, and expert in cleaning and housekeeping. He co-founded Varsity House Cleaning Company in 1957, which later evolved into Varsity Facility Services, a major building service contractor. Aslett authored numerous books on cleaning and organization, advocating for efficient, clutter-free living. He also founded the Museum of Clean in Pocatello, Idaho, which showcases a...
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15. B. Lynn Winmill
1952-. (aged 74)
lawyer
judge
Barry Lynn Winmill is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the District of Idaho.
16. Evan Dietrich-Smith
1986-. (aged 40)
American football player
Evan Blake Smith is an American former professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Idaho State Bengals. Smith played in the NFL with the Green Bay Packers, Seattle Seahawks, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. As a member of the Packers, he won Super Bowl XLV against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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17. Josh Hill
1990-. (aged 36)
American football player
Joshua James Hill is an American former professional football player who was a tight end in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Idaho State Bengals and was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2013. He played with the team through the 2020 season.
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18. Matt Gutierrez
1984-. (aged 42)
American football player
Matthew Paul Gutierrez is an American former professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) and Arena Football League (AFL). He was signed by the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He played college football for the Idaho State Bengals.
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19. Wally Buono
1950-. (aged 76)
head coach
Canadian football player
Pasquale "Wally" Buono CM is a Canadian ex-football coach currently working as the vice president of football operations, alternate governor and the former head coach of the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and one of the most successful head coaches in league history. He spent 22 years as head coach of the Calgary Stampeders and the Lions,...
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20. Maria Sánchez
1996-. (aged 30)
association football player
María Guadalupe Sánchez Morales is a professional footballer who plays as a forward for Liga MX Femenil club Tigres UANL. Born in the United States, she plays for the Mexico national team.
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21. Ron Boone
1946-. (aged 80)
basketball player
Ronald Bruce Boone is an American former professional basketball player. He had a 13-year career in the American Basketball Association (ABA) and National Basketball Association (NBA). Boone set a record for most consecutive games played in professional basketball history with 1,041 and claims to have never missed a game from when he started playing basketball in the fourth grade until...
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22. Dirk Koetter
1959-. (aged 67)
American football coach
American football player
Dirk Jeffrey Koetter is an American former college and professional football coach. He recently served as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Boise State. Koetter was the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) from 2016 to 2018 and was the head coach at Boise State from 1998 to 2000 and at Arizona...
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23. Kevin Gilbride
1951-. (aged 75)
coach
American football player
American football coach
Kevin Bernard Gilbride is an American former football coach and player. He coached in the NFL for twenty years, spending seven of them as the offensive coordinator for the New York Giants, with whom he earned two Super Bowl rings. From 1997 to 1998, he was the head coach for the San Diego Chargers. Most recently, Gilbride served as the...
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24. Stacy Dragila
1971-. (aged 55)
pole vaulter
athletics competitor
Stacy Renée Mikaelson, married Stacy Renée Dragila, is a former American pole vaulter. She is an Olympic gold medalist and a multiple-time world champion.
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25. Marvin Lewis
1960-. (aged 66)
American football coach
American football player
Marvin Roland Lewis Jr. is an American professional football coach who served as the head coach for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. He came to prominence as the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens from 1996 to 2001, whose defense in 2000 set the record for the fewest points allowed in a 16-game...
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26. Shay Carl
1980-. (aged 46)
actor
television producer
Shay Carl Butler is an American YouTuber. He has three YouTube channels, two of which ("shaycarl" and "SHAYTARDS") have over three million subscribers. Butler and Corey Vidal developed a documentary called Vlogumentary on a $200,000+ budget that was funded with an Indiegogo campaign and raised by mostly from his viewers. Vlogumentary was released on April 20, 2016. Forbes called Butler...
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27. William Petersen
1953-. (aged 73)
actor
television actor
film actor
television producer
stage actor
William Louis Petersen is an American retired actor. He is best known for his role as Gil Grissom in the CBS drama thriller series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (2000–2015), for which he won a Screen Actors Guild Award and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award; he was further nominated for three Primetime Emmy Awards as a producer of the...
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28. Jared Allen
1982-. (aged 44)
American football player
curler
Jared Scot Allen is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. A five-time Pro Bowler and four-time All-Pro selection, he recorded 136 career sacks. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2025.
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29. Fred S. Martin
1950-. (aged 76)
politician
Fred S. Martin is an American politician and a Republican former member of the Idaho State Senate, representing District 15 from 2012 until 2022.
30. George V. Hansen
1930-2014 (aged 84)
politician
George Vernon Hansen was a Republican politician from the U.S. state of Idaho. He served in the U.S. House of Representatives for 14 years, representing Idaho's 2nd district from 1965 to 1969 and again from 1975 to 1985.
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31. Diane Anderson-Minshall
1968-. (aged 58)
print journalist
LGBTQ rights activist
Diane Anderson-Minshall is an American journalist and author best known for writing about lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender subjects. She was the first female CEO of Pride Media, publisher of The Advocate, Out, HIV Plus and other LGBTQ-focused magazines and websites. She also co-authored the award-winning 2014 memoir Queerly Beloved: A Love Story Across Genders, documenting her relationship with her...
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32. Jeff Cook
1956-. (aged 70)
basketball player
Jeff Cook is an American soccer coach. He was most recently the head men's soccer coach at Pennsylvania State University. Cook resigned from Penn State in November 2025 to take a position within Major League Soccer.
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33. Ed Sanders
1930-1954 (aged 24)
boxer
Edward Sanders is an American poet, singer, activist, author, publisher and longtime member of the rock band the Fugs. He has been called a bridge between the Beat and hippie generations. Sanders is considered to have been active and "present at the counterculture's creation."
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34. Verne Duncan
1934-. (aged 92)
politician
Verne Allen Duncan is an American politician from the state of Oregon. As an educator and moderate Republican, he has become outspoken in protest of policies of his own party he views as extreme.
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35. Antonio Taguba
1950-. (aged 76)
executive officer
Antonio Mario Taguba is a retired major general in the United States Army. He was the second American citizen of Philippine birth to be promoted to general officer rank in the United States Army.
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36. Sue Ane Langdon
1936-. (aged 90)
film actor
actor
television actor
Sue Ane Langdon is an American actress. She has appeared in dozens of television series and had featured roles in films such as A Guide for the Married Man and The Cheyenne Social Club, both directed by Gene Kelly, as well as The Rounders opposite Henry Fonda and Glenn Ford and two films starring Elvis Presley, Roustabout and Frankie and...
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37. Roger Williams
1924-2011 (aged 87)
musician
pianist
John Roger Williams is an American businessman and politician who has been the U.S. representative for Texas's 25th congressional district since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, he served under Governor Rick Perry as Secretary of State of Texas from 2004 to 2007.
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38. Arthur Cronquist
1919-1992 (aged 73)
botanist
botanical collector
scientific collector
Arthur John Cronquist was an American biologist, botanist and a specialist on Compositae. He is considered one of the most influential botanists of the 20th century, largely due to his formulation of the Cronquist system as well as being the primary co-author to the Flora of the Pacific Northwest, still the most up to date flora for three northwest U.S....
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39. Mike Burns
1962-. (aged 64)
basketball coach
basketball player
Michael Edward Burns is an American assistant men's college basketball coach at Boise State.
40. Rafi Ahmed
1948-. (aged 78)
university teacher
microbiologist
immunologist
Rafi Ahmed is an Indian-American virologist and immunologist. He is the Charles Howard Candler Professor of Microbiology and Immunology at Emory University, where he is also the director of the Emory Vaccine Center and a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Vaccine Research. In 2009, he was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
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