Ball State University - Notable Alumni

Notable Alumni

Many Ball State graduates have gained regional, national and international attention, including U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs and former United States Ambassador to Lebanon, Jeffrey D. Feltman. Ball State graduates have particularly left their mark in the fields of American professional sports and popular entertainment. The most recognizable alumnus of Ball State is American television host, David Letterman, of Late Show with David Letterman on CBS. He is joined by fellow television performers, Joyce DeWitt, who played Janet Wood in the 1970s sitcom Three's Company, and Anthony Montgomery, who played Travis Mayweather on Star Trek: Enterprise on UPN. Andy Devine, character actor and comic cowboy sidekick (b. Oct 7, 1905 – d. Feb 18, 1977) played football at the university. South Korean comedic actress Kim Suna (김선아) attended for several years before leaving Ball State for school in Japan. Stedman Graham, talk show host Oprah Winfrey's romantic partner, also attended Ball State when receiving his masters degree.

Brady Hoke, a former Ball State football player, alumnus, and head coach from 2003–08, was hired as the 19th head coach of the University of Michigan football team on January 12, 2011. Hoke led Ball State to a school-best 12–1 record in 2008 before leaving for San Diego State, where he went 4–8 and 9–4 in 2009–10, winning the school's first bowl game in 41 years.

Many alumni from the Miller College of Business have gone on to successful business careers like Kent C. Nelson, Retired President and CEO, United Parcel Service and John Schnatter, Founder and Chairman of Papa John's Pizza restaurants.

In the field of comics, artist Jim Davis, the cartoonist creator of Garfield also is a graduate of Ball State. Sam Smith, a retired sportswriter for the Chicago Tribune, is a graduate of Ball State.

Actor Doug Jones, was the school mascot, Charlie Cardinal, during his time at BSU and has since featured in more than 25 films (including Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, Hellboy, Pan's Labyrinth, Men in Black II, and Batman Returns), television series, and commercials (most notably the McDonald's "Mac Tonight" campaign) and music videos. Additionally, Jones acted in "My Name is Jerry", a movie produced by Ball State's Institute for Digital Education and Entertainment.

Sportswriter Jason Whitlock currently writes for The Kansas City Star and Fox Sports with previous stints at ESPN and AOL Sports and Mike Lopresti is a national sportswriter for the Gannett News Service. Brian Collins, now a report for KXXV in Waco Texas, is best known for the viral video showing him fumbling through a Ball State sportscast. Also, Notable ESPN Producer Matt Houston hails from Ball State University. Radio sportscaster Mark Champion is a Muncie native and graduate of Ball State. He is currently the voice of the Detroit Pistons as well as the narrator of the famous I'm going to Disney World! Super Bowl commercials.

Journalist Michael Konopasek works as a general assignment reporter at the CBS affiliate, KWTV, Channel 9 in Oklahoma City. While at Ball State, Konopasek and Zachary Perlinski represented the university on national television as they were honored with being named winners of the 2010 Fox News College Challenge.

Reality television star Dawn Swain, the Medical Expert from the G4 program Human Wrecking Balls is a graduate from Ball State University. She majored in nursing and still practices in an Intensive Care Unit in Los Angeles, CA when not participating on the program.

Several professional athletes participated in Ball State sports before turning pro. They include NFL players such as Reggie Hodges, a punter drafted in 2005 by the St. Louis Rams; Blaine Bishop, formerly of the Tennessee Titans; Brad Maynard, a punter with the Houston Texans; Shafer Suggs with the New York Jets; Bernie Parmalee, formerly of the Miami Dolphins and current tight ends coach at the University of Notre Dame;, Dante Ridgeway, a wide receiver for the New Orleans Saints, and Ed Konopasek, formerly of the Green Bay Packers. NBA players Theron Smith of the Charlotte Bobcats and Bonzi Wells of the New Orleans Hornets competed on the NCAA level at Ball State as did Major League Baseball players, including Larry Bigbie of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Bryan Bullington, pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates, and Thomas Howard ("Tank"), formerly of the San Diego Padres, Cincinnati Reds, and several other major league teams. Nate Davis, a former standout quarterback on the Ball State football team, was drafted in 2009 by the San Francisco 49ers.