50 Notable alumni of Murray State University
Updated: June 16, 2026 EliteDegrees
Murray State University is ranked #1,877 in the world and #464 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 50 notable alumni from Murray 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 Murray State University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Myron Dossett
1961-. (aged 65)
politician
Myron Blane Dossett is an American politician who has served as a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives since January 2007. He represents Kentucky's 9th House district, which includes part of Christian County.
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2. William F. Paxton
1946-. (aged 80)
politician
William F. Paxton III, better known to his friends as Bill, is a conservative politician who served as Mayor of Paducah, KY from 2000 to 2012. Before his tenure as the Mayor of Paducah, Paxton served a portion of an elected term from 1998 as a City Commissioner.
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3. Bryant Wallizer
1987-. (aged 39)
sport shooter
Bryant Wallizer is an American rifle shooter. He won a bronze medal in the 10 m air rifle at the 2015 Pan American Games.
4. Kerry B. Harvey
1957-. (aged 69)
Kerry B. Harvey is an American attorney who served as the United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Kentucky from 2010 to 2017. He was secretary of the Kentucky Justice and Public Safety Cabinet from 2021 to 2024.
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5. Isaac Spencer
1977-. (aged 49)
basketball player
Isaac Spencer, is an American professional basketball player. At 6'6", he played as a forward.
6. Kenneth W. Winters
1934-. (aged 92)
politician
Kenneth W. Winters is Kentucky politician who served in the Kentucky State Senate and as president of Campbellsville University.
7. Richard Heath
1955-. (aged 71)
politician
Richard Heath is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from 2012 to 2025. He represented Kentucky's 2nd House district, which included Graves County and part of McCracken County.
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8. Mark Evitts
songwriter
mandolinist
fiddler
Mark Steven Evitts is an Emmy award-winning American composer, producer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. His work spans television, film, and music working on shows for Apple TV+, Netflix, and artists like Nas, Hit-Boy, G Herbo, Train, Blues Traveler, Rodney Atkins, The Band Perry, Drew Seeley, Jaida Dreyer, We the Kings, among many others.
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9. Stanley H. Humphries
1969-. (aged 57)
politician
Stanley Harold "Stan" Humphries is an American teacher, farmer, and politician. He represented District 1 in the Kentucky Senate. He was elected in 2012 to succeed fellow Republican Senator Kenneth W. Winters of Murray serving until January 1, 2021. He did not seek a third term in the senate in 2020.
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10. De'Teri Mayes
1974-. (aged 52)
basketball player
De'Teri Mayes is a former Austrian-American professional basketball player.
11. William T. Redmond
1955-. (aged 71)
politician
teacher
instructor
writer
priest
William Thomas Redmond is an American politician and minister who served as a Republican member of the United States House of Representatives from New Mexico. He is the only Republican to have ever represented New Mexico's 3rd congressional district.
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12. Mark Riggins
1957-. (aged 69)
baseball player
Mark Alan Riggins is an American former professional baseball coach.
13. Brent Yonts
1949-2021 (aged 72)
lawyer
politician
Brent Yonts was an American politician and a Democratic member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from District 15. He took office in 1997 and was defeated for re-election in 2016 by Republican Melinda Gibbons Prunty.
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14. Harry Lee Waterfield
1911-1988 (aged 77)
politician
publisher
Harry Lee Waterfield, an American Democratic politician, he served as the 42nd and 44th lieutenant governor of Kentucky and unsuccessfully sought election as governor of Kentucky.
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15. Fats Everett
1915-1969 (aged 54)
politician
Robert Ashton "Fats" Everett was an American Democratic congressman from Tennessee from February 1, 1958, until his death in 1969.
16. Pat Spurgin
1965-. (aged 61)
sport shooter
Karen Patricia "Pat" Pitney is an American university administrator, former Alaska state government official, and Olympic gold medalist. She is the president of the University of Alaska system.
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17. Steven H. David
1957-. (aged 69)
judge
Steven H. David is a former justice of the Indiana Supreme Court. He previously served as a lawyer and military officer. He retired from the United States Army Reserve in September 2010 with the rank of colonel.
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18. Steven Rudy
1978-. (aged 48)
teacher
politician
Steven Jack Rudy is an American politician and agribusiness owner who has served as a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives since January 2005. He represents Kentucky's 1st House district, which includes Ballard, Carlisle, Fulton, and Hickman counties as well as part of McCracken County.
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19. Forrest Pogue
1912-1996 (aged 84)
military historian
historian of Modern Age
Forrest Carlisle Pogue Jr. was an official United States Army historian during World War II. He was a proponent of oral history techniques, and collected many oral histories from the war under the direction of chief Army historian S. L. A. Marshall. Forrest Pogue was for many years the Executive Director of the George C. Marshall Foundation as well as...
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20. Vicki Ann Funk
1947-2019 (aged 72)
botanical collector
scientific collector
botanist
curator
Vicki Ann Funk was an American botanist and curator at the Smithsonian's National Museum of Natural History, known for her work on members of the composite family (Asteraceae) including collecting plants in many parts of the world, as well as her synthetic work on phylogenetics and biogeography.
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21. Dominique Rhymes
1993-. (aged 33)
athlete
Dominique Rhymes is an American professional football wide receiver for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
22. Stew Johnson
1944-. (aged 82)
basketball player
Stewart "Stew" Johnson is an American former professional basketball player. A 6-foot-8-inch (2.03 m) tall forward/center from Murray State University, who was born in New York City, Johnson was selected by the New York Knicks in the third round of the 1966 NBA draft. However, Johnson never played in the NBA, joining the rival American Basketball Association instead.
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23. Bryce Jones
1994-. (aged 32)
basketball player
Bryce Tyler Jones Jr., is an American professional basketball player for Aris of the Greek Basketball League. He played college basketball for Murray State Racers.
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24. John Powless
1932-2021 (aged 89)
tennis player
basketball player
basketball coach
John Dale Powless was an American basketball and tennis player and coach at the University of Wisconsin–Madison and a player on the international senior tennis circuit.
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25. Ivan Aska
1990-. (aged 36)
basketball player
Ivan Aska is a U.S. Virgin Islander-Puerto Rican professional basketball player who last played for the New Taipei CTBC DEA of the Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL). He has also represented the senior men's U.S. Virgin Islands national basketball team. He played college basketball for Murray State's Racers. He is a 2.03 m (6 ft 8 in) tall power forward-center.
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26. Jarvis Williams
1993-. (aged 33)
basketball player
Reigarvius Jacquez "Jarvis" Williams is an American professional basketball player for Gruppo Mascio Bergamo of Serie A2. Standing at 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), he plays at the power forward and center positions.
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27. J. D. Wilkes
1972-. (aged 54)
singer
Joshua "J. D." Wilkes is an American visual artist, musician, amateur filmmaker and author. He is best known as the singer for the rock band Legendary Shack Shakers, and is also an accomplished harmonica player, having recorded for such artists as Merle Haggard, Sturgill Simpson, John Carter Cash, Mike Patton, and Hank Williams III in the American Masters film "Hank...
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28. Erik McCree
1993-. (aged 33)
basketball player
Erik Deshawn McCree Robinson is an American professional basketball player for Minas of the Novo Basquete Brasil (NBB). He played college basketball for Murray State and Louisiana Tech.
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29. Ed Daniel
1990-. (aged 36)
basketball player
Edward Daniel is an American professional basketball player for Scafati Basket of the Serie A2 Basket. He played college basketball at Murray State University.
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30. Tripp Gibson
1981-. (aged 45)
athlete
Hal Harrison “Tripp” Gibson III, is an American Major League Baseball umpire who wears uniform number 73. Gibson's first Major League game was July 8, 2013, at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona. He was promoted to a full-time position in January 2015. Prior to his hiring, he worked as a substitute teacher during the offseason.
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31. Jeff Easley
1954-. (aged 72)
illustrator
painter
Jeff Easley is an oil painter who creates fantasy artwork for role-playing games, comics, and magazines, as well as non-fantasy commercial art.
32. Joe Staton
1948-. (aged 78)
writer
comics artist
illustrator
draftsperson
Joe Staton is an American comics artist and writer. He co-created the Bronze Age Huntress (Helena Wayne), as well as the third Huntress (Helena Bertinelli), Kilowog and the Omega Men for DC Comics. He was the artist of the Dick Tracy comic strip from 2011 to October 2021.
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33. Larry J. Hopkins
1933-2021 (aged 88)
politician
stockbroker
Larry Jones Hopkins was an American businessman and politician who represented Kentucky's 6th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1979 to 1993. He was the Republican nominee for governor of Kentucky in 1991 and lost to Brereton C. Jones.
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34. Wesley Korir
1982-. (aged 44)
marathon runner
politician
Wesley Kipchumba Korir is a Kenyan athlete who specializes in long distance running competitions, as well as a politician who served as an elected member of Parliament for Cherangany Constituency. On 16 April 2012, he won the Boston Marathon with a time of 2 hours 12 minutes 40 seconds. He had previously won the Los Angeles Marathon in 2009 and...
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35. Bill Cunningham
1944-. (aged 82)
lawyer
judge
William Harold Cunningham is an American former prosecutor and former Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court. He was elected to the court in November 2006 to represent the first Appellate District. He announced he would retire in early 2019.
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36. James Singleton
1981-. (aged 45)
basketball player
basketball coach
James Alexander Singleton is an American former professional basketball player and former assistant coach of the Austin Spurs of the NBA G League. The 6'8" forward played two years of college basketball for Murray State.
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37. Kirk Rueter
1970-. (aged 56)
baseball player
Kirk Wesley Rueter, nicknamed "Woody", is an American former professional baseball pitcher who played 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB), primarily for the San Francisco Giants. He also played for the Montreal Expos who had drafted him in 1991.
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38. Joe Fulks
1921-1976 (aged 55)
basketball player
Joseph Franklin "Jumping Joe" Fulks was an American professional basketball player. The NBA's first scoring champion, he was sometimes called "the first of the high-scoring forwards". He was posthumously enshrined in the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978.
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39. Bud Foster
1959-. (aged 67)
head coach
American football player
Robert Eugene "Bud" Foster Jr. is an American retired college football coach and former player. He currently serves as a defensive advisor/analyst for the Virginia Tech Hokies. Following the 2006 season, he received the Frank Broyles Award, which is annually given to the top assistant coach in college football. Foster's 2005 and 2006 Hokie defenses led the nation in total...
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40. Marcus Brown
1974-. (aged 52)
basketball player
basketball coach
Marcus Brown is an American former professional basketball player. At 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) tall, he played as a shooting guard. A three time All-EuroLeague selection, Brown has been mentioned as being one of the top U.S. players ever to play abroad. Brown ended his career as a player-coach with Žalgiris Kaunas in 2011. Brown was the EuroLeague's...
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41. Isaiah Canaan
1991-. (aged 35)
basketball player
Isaiah Andre Canaan is an American professional basketball player for Crvena zvezda Meridianbet of the ABA League and the EuroLeague. He was an All-American college player for the Murray State Racers.
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42. Justin Fuente
1976-. (aged 50)
American football player
Justin James Fuente is an American college football coach. He was the head football coach at Virginia Tech from 2016 to 2021 and was the 2016 ACC Coach of the Year. Fuente was also the head football coach at the University of Memphis from 2012 to 2015. Prior, he was an assistant at Texas Christian University from 2007 to 2011...
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43. W. Earl Brown
1963-. (aged 63)
actor
television actor
screenwriter
film actor
television producer
William Earl Brown is an American actor, screenwriter, producer, musician, and songwriter. He is perhaps best known for his roles as Kenny, the cameraman in the film Scream (1996), Warren in the film There's Something About Mary (1998), Dan Dority on the HBO series Deadwood (2004–2006), and the voice and motion capture of Bill in the video game The Last...
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44. Chris Thile
1981-. (aged 45)
singer-songwriter
guitarist
radio personality
musician
Christopher Scott Thile is an American singer-songwriter, musician, composer, and radio personality, best known for his work in the progressive acoustic trio Nickel Creek and the acoustic folk and progressive bluegrass quintet Punch Brothers. He is a 2012 MacArthur Fellow. From 2016 to its cancellation in 2020, he hosted the radio variety show Live from Here.
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45. Cameron Payne
1994-. (aged 32)
basketball player
Cameron Payne is an American professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Murray State and was selected 14th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder in the 2015 NBA draft. After playing two seasons for the Thunder, he was traded to the Chicago Bulls in 2017, where he played for...
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46. Leva Bates
1983-. (aged 43)
professional wrestler
television producer
Leva Bates is an American professional wrestler. She is best known for her time with All Elite Wrestling. She also had a successful tenure on the independent circuit, most notably for Shimmer Women Athletes. She has also appeared in WWE on their developmental territory NXT under the ring name Blue Pants.
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47. Ja Morant
1999-. (aged 27)
basketball player
Temetrius Jamel Morant is an American professional basketball player for the Memphis Grizzlies of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Murray State Racers, where he was a consensus first-team All-American as a sophomore in 2019.
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48. Chrishell Stause
1981-. (aged 45)
actor
television actor
real-estate agent
Terrina Chrishell Stause is an American actress, television personality, and real estate agent. She began her career playing the role of Amanda Dillon in the ABC daytime soap opera All My Children (2005–2011). From 2013 to 2015, she starred as Jordan Ridgeway in the NBC soap opera, Days of Our Lives and later returned to the soap on a recurring...
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49. Lee-Anne Pace
1981-. (aged 45)
golfer
Lee-Anne Pace is a South African professional golfer.
50. Taghreed El-Khodary
journalist
Taghreed El-Khodary is a Palestinian journalist who is a visiting scholar in the Middle East Program at the Carnegie Endowment, where her research focuses on the future of Gaza. She is also a 2010 Heinrich Boell Fellow. She is editor at fanack.com,
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