8 Notable alumni of Missouri Southern State University
Updated: June 13, 2026 EliteDegrees
Missouri Southern State University is ranked #4,784 in the world and #1,254 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 8 notable alumni from Missouri Southern 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 Missouri Southern State University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Sean James
1969-. (aged 57)
model
American football player
Sean James is an American activist and former football player. He signed as a rookie free agent with the Minnesota Vikings (1991–1992). Sean is the cousin of father and son Major League Baseball players Cecil Fielder and Prince Fielder. In June 2012, James created Be In The Know About Bullying to combat homophobia and bullying.
+ show more
2. Bob Beatty
1955-. (aged 71)
American football player
Robert Beatty is a football coach and the former head football coach for the Trinity Shamrocks, a high school American football team located at Trinity High School in Louisville, Kentucky. He is the most successful High School Football coach in Kentucky state history by championships won, with 15 state championship titles and one national championship during his nearly forty-year-long career.
+ show more
3. Ron Richard
1947-2023 (aged 76)
politician
Ronald Francis Richard was an American politician from the state of Missouri. A Republican, Richard served in the Missouri House of Representatives, including as Speaker of the House before being elected to the State Senate in 2010. He was the first speaker to later be elected Missouri senator in more than 100 years and became the first in Missouri's history...
+ show more
4. Janet L. Kavandi
1959-. (aged 67)
astronaut
chemist
Janet Lynn Kavandi is an American scientist and a NASA astronaut. She is a veteran of three Space Shuttle missions, served as NASA's deputy chief of the Astronaut Office, and was the center director at the NASA Glenn Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, from March 2016 until her retirement from NASA in September 2019. She was inducted into the United...
+ show more
5. Allen Barbre
1984-. (aged 42)
American football player
Allen Wade Barbre is an American former professional football player who was an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL draft. He played college football for the Missouri Southern Lions. He was also a member of the Seattle Seahawks, Miami Dolphins, Philadelphia Eagles,...
+ show more
6. Jeff Speakman
1958-. (aged 68)
film producer
actor
kenpo
Jeff Speakman is an American actor and a martial artist in the art of American Kenpo and Japanese Gōjū-ryū, earning black belts in each. Between 2008 and 2018, he was President of the International Kempo Federation. He is known for starring in the 1991 action film The Perfect Weapon.
+ show more
7. James Thrash
1975-. (aged 51)
American football player
James Ray Thrash is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 1997. He played college football for the Missouri Southern Lions.
+ show more
8. Lonny Chapman
1920-2007 (aged 87)
playwright
actor
television actor
Lon Leonard Chapman was an American actor best known for his numerous guest star appearances on television drama series.