32 Notable alumni of Jacksonville State University
Updated: June 15, 2026 EliteDegrees
Jacksonville State University is ranked #2,529 in the world and #654 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 32 notable alumni from Jacksonville 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 Jacksonville State University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. R.D. Alba
1978-. (aged 48)
screenwriter
television director
film director
José Simplicio Yap Alba or José Simplicio Alba III, better known as R. D. Alba after his parents' initials, is a film and television director. He was born in Cebu, Philippines on September 4, 1978 to parents Drs. Disi Yap and Rey Cadagat Alba. He is the eldest of five children.
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2. Ronald E. Adams
1943-. (aged 83)
military officer
Ronald Emerson Adams is a retired lieutenant general of the United States Army who served as commander of the Stabilisation Force in Bosnia and Herzegovina from October 1999 to September 2000. He previously served as commanding general of the United States Army Aviation Center from July 1994 to September 1996.
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3. Fred L. Blackmon
1873-1921 (aged 48)
lawyer
politician
Fred Leonard Blackmon was a U.S. representative from Alabama.
4. William B. Bowling
1870-1946 (aged 76)
lawyer
judge
politician
William Bismarck Bowling was a U.S. Representative from Alabama.
5. Monte Lewis
1988-. (aged 38)
Canadian football player
American football player
Monte Lewis is an American former professional football defensive lineman. He played college football at Jacksonville State University and attended Abbeville High School in Abbeville, Alabama. He was also a member of the Washington Redskins, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Ottawa Redblacks, San Jose SaberCats, Orlando Predators, Tampa Bay Storm, Wuhan Gators, Baltimore Brigade, and Atlantic City Blackjacks.
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6. Torrey Davis
1988-. (aged 38)
Canadian football player
American football player
Torrey Davis is an American former football defensive tackle. He played for the Calgary Stampeders, Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played college football of the Florida Gators football team for the University of Florida and the Jacksonville State Gamecocks football team of the Jacksonville State University.
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7. Virginia Bass Wetherell
1947-. (aged 79)
businessperson
politician
Virginia Bass "Ginger" Wetherell is an American businesswoman and politician. She was a member of the Florida House of Representatives for the 2nd district between 1982 and 1988, then the first Secretary of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection from 1991-1998.
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8. Donovan Hand
1986-. (aged 40)
baseball player
Donovan Jay Hand is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Milwaukee Brewers and Cincinnati Reds and in the Chinese Professional Baseball League (CPBL) for the Brother Elephants.
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9. James Joyner
1965-. (aged 61)
journalist
James Joyner is a political scientist who runs the weblog Outside the Beltway.
10. Suzanne Francis
1959-. (aged 67)
writer
Suzanne Francis is an English science fiction and fantasy author. She was born in King's Lynn, Norfolk, and now lives in Dunedin, New Zealand. She has been married twice and has four children.
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11. Jeffrey A. Parker
business executive
Jeffrey Alan Parker was an American businessman and education philanthropist.
12. Ken Kifer
1945-2003 (aged 58)
webmaster
writer
sport cyclist
Ken Kifer was an American writer, bicyclist and webmaster. Kifer was a Walden scholar and admirer of Henry David Thoreau, and wrote Analysis and Notes on Walden. His website is still a source of information on bicycling and especially bicycle touring.
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13. F. Richard Spencer
1951-. (aged 75)
Catholic priest
Catholic bishop
Frank Richard Spencer is an American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. Formerly a priest of the Archdiocese of Baltimore in Maryland and a U.S. Army chaplain, he was appointed an auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese for the Military Services by Pope Benedict XVI on May 22, 2010.
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14. James R. Bennett
1940-2016 (aged 76)
journalist
politician
James R. Bennett was an American Republican politician from Alabama. From 1978 to 1983, he served as a member of the Alabama House of Representatives and as a member of the Alabama Senate between 1982 and 1992. He went on to serve as Secretary of State of Alabama, from 1993 to 2003 as a Democrat and later a Republican and...
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15. Robert Stacy McCain
1959-. (aged 67)
journalist
Robert Stacy McCain is an American conservative journalist, writer, and blogger. McCain is a former assistant national editor and reporter for The Washington Times and co-author (with Lynn Vincent) of the 2006 book Donkey Cons: Sex, Crime, and Corruption in the Democratic Party. He is proprietor of the blog, The Other McCain.
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16. Walker Russell, Jr
1982-. (aged 44)
basketball player
Walker Dwayne Russell Jr. is an American former professional basketball point guard. A native of Pontiac, Michigan, he played college basketball for Chipola College and Jacksonville State University. He currently serves as an assistant coach for the Motor City Cruise of the NBA G League.
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17. Albert Patterson
1894-1954 (aged 60)
lawyer
politician
Albert Love Patterson was an American politician and attorney in Phenix City, Alabama. He was assassinated outside his law office shortly after he had won the Democratic nomination for Alabama Attorney General on a platform of reforming the rife corruption and vice in Phenix City.
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18. John Rheinecker
1979-2017 (aged 38)
baseball player
John Philip Rheinecker was an American professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Texas Rangers.
19. James Elisha Folsom, Jr
1949-. (aged 77)
businessperson
politician
James Elisha Folsom Jr. is an American politician who was the 50th governor of Alabama from April 22, 1993, to January 16, 1995. He has also served as the 25th and 29th lieutenant governor of Alabama. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
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20. Harlan Mathews
1927-2014 (aged 87)
jurist
lawyer
politician
Harlan Mathews was an American politician who was an appointed interim Democratic United States Senator from Tennessee from 1993 to 1994. He previously served in the executive and legislative branches of state government in Tennessee for more than 40 years beginning in 1950.
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21. Eric Davis
1968-. (aged 58)
journalist
American football player
Eric Wayne Davis is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Jacksonville State Gamecocks. Davis was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 1990 NFL draft. He played in NFL seasons from 1990 to 2002.
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22. Matt Wallace
1990-. (aged 36)
golfer
Matthew Wallace is an English professional golfer who plays on the European Tour and the PGA Tour.
23. Bill Clark
1968-. (aged 58)
head coach
American football coach
Bill Bradford Clark is a retired American football coach. He was the head football coach at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). He held the position from 2014 season until June 24, 2022, when he retired because of health issues related to his back.
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24. Mike D. Rogers
1958-. (aged 68)
lawyer
politician
Michael Dennis Rogers is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Alabama's 3rd congressional district since 2003. He is a member of the Republican Party. Rogers is the Chair of the House Armed Services Committee where he served as the Ranking Member from 2021 to 2023 and as the Ranking Member of the House Homeland Security...
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25. Tomoko Akane
1956-. (aged 70)
professor
diplomat
judge
prosecutor
Tomoko Akane is a Japanese jurist and current judge at the International Criminal Court (ICC) for Japan, as well as the president of the court.
26. Heather Whitestone
1973-. (aged 53)
ballet dancer
model
beauty pageant contestant
writer
Heather Leigh Whitestone McCallum is an American conservative activist and beauty queen who was the first deaf Miss America title holder, having lost most of her hearing at 18 months.
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27. Danny Willett
1987-. (aged 39)
golfer
Daniel John Willett is an English professional golfer who plays on the European Tour. In April 2016, he won his first major championship at the 2016 Masters Tournament, becoming only the second Englishman to achieve the feat and the first European in 17 years to win at Augusta National.
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28. Randy Owen
1949-. (aged 77)
singer
songwriter
composer
musician
radio personality
Randy Yeuell Owen is an American country musician. He is best known for his role as the lead singer of Alabama, a country music band that saw commercial success throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Alabama became the most successful band in country music, releasing over 20 gold and platinum records, dozens of number 1 singles, and selling over 75 million...
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29. Sam Jones
1947-. (aged 79)
politician
Samuel Leon Jones is an American politician who currently represents District 99 in the Alabama House of Representatives. Jones was the first African-American mayor of Mobile, Alabama, serving from September 2005 until August 2013. He ran on a platform of safety, efficient government, historic preservation and bringing new employers to the city. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
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30. Reynolds Wolf
1970-. (aged 56)
weather presenter
Reynolds Scott Wolf is an American meteorologist and journalist currently employed by The Weather Channel. He formerly worked for CNN, where his forecasts could usually be seen on CNN Saturday Morning, CNN Sunday Morning, and weekend editions of CNN Newsroom. He also served as a weather correspondent and reporter on other CNN programs.
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31. Judy Sullivan
1943-. (aged 83)
engineer
Judy Sullivan is an American retired biomedical engineer who worked for NASA during the Apollo 11, Apollo 10, Apollo 9, Apollo 8, and Gemini 12 missions. She was the lead biomedical engineer for the Apollo 9 and Apollo 11 missions. Sullivan was the only woman in her department, and one of only a relative few women working for NASA in...
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32. Norbertas Giga
1995-. (aged 31)
basketball player
Norbertas Giga is a Lithuanian professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Jacksonville State University and graduated in 2018.