List of New Mexico State University people

This is a list of notable people affiliated with New Mexico State University.

Faculty and staff

• Voyager mission
• David Boje - author; current NMSU endowed Bank of America professor of management^[1]
• Garrey Carruthers - former NMSU President and Dean of College of Business; former governor of New Mexico
• David Clements - conspiracy theorist
• James Cuffey - former professor in astronomy, known for photoelectric photometry^[2]
• Frank Harary - mathematician, specialized in graph theory
• Delano Lewis - founding director of New Mexico State University's International Relations Institute
• Mark Medoff - playwright, screenwriter, film and theatre director, actor, and professor
• Antonya Nelson - English professor at NMSU; author
• Burl Noggle - professor, American historian
• Cyrus Nowrasteh - screenwriter and director
• Fred T. Plog, III-archaeologist, anthropologist, author
• Gerald W. Thomas - NMSU President Emeritus, 1970–1984
• Edward O. Thorp - mathematician best known for writing the book Beat the Dealer^[3] and co-inventing the first wearable computer; Associate Professor of Mathematics 1961–65^[4]
• Clyde Tombaugh - astronomer best known for his discovery of Pluto; former professor of astronomy^[5]
• Lou Henson - former NMSU Basketball Head Coach
• Jerry Kill - NMSU Football Head Coach

Alumni

Science, medicine, and technology

• Arlan Andrews - mechanical engineer and science fiction author
• John A. D. Cooper - physician and educator
• Stuart Pimm - theoretical ecologist and conservation biologist.
• Hale-Bopp Comet
• Bill Inmon - computer scientist, recognized as the father of data warehouse
• Paul W. Klipsch - audio pioneer; founder of Klipsch and Associates; namesake of the Klipsch School of Electrical and Computer Engineering at NMSU^[6]
• Jaron Lanier - writer, computer scientist, composer, and virtual reality pioneer^[7]
• Kathy Lueders - engineer, NASA Associate Administrator of Human Exploration and Operations (HEO)^[8]
• Rose Marie Pangborn - scientist, pioneer in the sensory analysis of food^{[citation needed]}
• Harold Reitsema - astronomer, part of the teams that discovered Larissa and Telesto^{[citation needed]}
• Mark W. Spong - roboticist; Dean of Erik Jonsson School of Engineering & Computer Science at the University of Texas at Dallas^{[citation needed]}
• Paul Carpenter Standley - botanist
• polyomavirus^[9]

• Norma Bixby - member of the Montana House of Representatives
• Donald Bratton - politician
• William Burt - Republican member of the New Mexico Senate
• Michael L. Connor - United States Deputy Secretary of the Interior
• David Coss - US politician and former mayor of Santa Fe, New Mexico
• Lee Cotter - Republican member of the New Mexico Senate
• Candy Ezzell - Republican member of the New Mexico House of Representatives
• Edgar Franklin Foreman, Jr. - motivational speaker in Dallas who served one term in the United States House of Representatives
• Gregory J. Fouratt - former United States Attorney for the District of New Mexico
• Chuck Franco - game warden, police officer, undersheriff, current First Gentleman of New Mexico
• Mary Helen Garcia - Democratic member of the New Mexico House of Representatives
• Mary Jane Garcia - former member of the New Mexico Senate
• Ron Griggs - politician
• United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Texas
• Gary King - Attorney General of New Mexico
• Lester Lyles - former Air Force general, currently Chairman of the Board for USAA
• Patrick H. Lyons - politician from New Mexico
• John McEneny - politician
• Ken Miyagishima - mayor of Las Cruces, New Mexico^{[citation needed]}
• Howie Morales - Democratic member of the New Mexico Senate
• Steven Neville - Republican member of the New Mexico Senate
• Steve Pearce - US Representative for New Mexico^{[citation needed]}
• Renee Schulte - Iowa State Representative^[10]
• William Sharer - Republican member of the New Mexico Senate
• Roosevelt Skerrit - Prime Minister of Dominica Attended but graduated from Mississippi ^[11]
• William Soules - Democratic member of the New Mexico Senate
• Brigadier General, killed in action during World War II^[12]
• Pat Woods - Republican member of the New Mexico Senate
• Bob Wooley - Republican member of the New Mexico House of Representatives

Business

• Starbucks Corporation
• Dave Lopez - telecommunications executive

Academia, arts, and literature

• Lee K. Abbott - writer; professor emeritus of English at Ohio State University
• Subhankar Banerjee - photographer, author and activist
• Denise Chavez
  - author, playwright and stage director
• Upile Chisala - poet^[13]
• Leroy Quintana - poet, Vietnam veteran
• Larry Torres - linguist and lecturer on Southwestern culture
• Martin Guevara Urbina - writer, professor, and researcher; as a sociologist and criminologist, works on Latina and Latino issues in the United States

Athletics

• NFL
  defensive end
• Andre Anderson - former CFL defensive tackle for the BC Lions
• Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders
• Leo Barker - NFL linebacker, played for the Cincinnati Bengals^{[citation needed]}
• Greg Bearman - CFL defensive back^{[citation needed]}
• Rich Beem - professional golfer with a three PGA Tour wins including 2002 PGA Championship^{[citation needed]}
• forward^{[citation needed}
  ]
• guard^{[citation needed}
  ]
• Bart Bryant - professional golfer with three PGA Tour wins^{[citation needed]}
• Tom Byrum - professional golfer with one PGA Tour win^{[citation needed]}
• Joe Campbell - NFL defensive end, played for the New Orleans Saints, Oakland Raiders and Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• Steve Colter - NBA guard
• Charlie Criss - NBA guard
• Andy Dorris - NFL defensive end, played for the St. Louis Cardinals, New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks and Houston Oilers
• Andre Francis - former FL defensive back
• NY Giants, San Francisco 49ers and Denver Broncos
• Roy Gerela - NFL placekicker, played for the Houston Oilers, Pittsburgh Steelers and San Diego Chargers
• Edmonton Eskimos, was an All-Star and part of 5 Grey Cup
  championship teams
• Jonte Green - NFL cornerback for the Detroit Lions^{[citation needed]}
• Duriel Harris - NFL wide receiver, played for the Miami Dolphins^{[citation needed]}
• Web.com Tour wins^{[citation needed}
  ]
• University of Illinois
  men's basketball
• Davon House - NFL defensive back for the Green Bay Packers
• NY Jets and Denver Broncos
• Martin Iti - basketball player^{[citation needed]}
• Bob Jackson - former NFL running back^{[citation needed]}
• Charley Johnson - NFL quarterback, played for the St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Oilers and Denver Broncos ; full professor of Chemical Engineering at NMSU; member of the Denver Broncos Ring of Honor
• defensive lineman, played for the Cleveland Browns and Cincinnati Bengals; three-time Pro Bowl (1967, 1968, 1969); member of the College Football Hall of Fame
• LaTraia Jones - football coach; former player at University of Wyoming
• Reggie Jordan - NBA guard
• Sam Lacey - NBA center
• Billy Ray Locklin - former CFL defensive lineman
• Kerry Locklin - college football coach
• Denvis Manns - football running back, famous for rushing for 1,000 yards in four consecutive seasons in college
• Anita Maxwell - former WNBA forward for the Cleveland Rockers, only basketball player (male or female) in school history to have her uniform number (40) retired^[14]
• Kyle Nelson - NFL long snapper
• Milton Keynes Lions
• Jerry Nuzum - NFL running back, played for the Pittsburgh Steelers
• Cliff Olander - gridiron football quarterback
• J. R. Patton - stock car racing driver
• Buck Pierce - CFL quarterback, played for the BC Lions and Winnipeg Blue Bombers
• The Miracle at the Meadowlands" by Philadelphia Eagles
  fans
• Ron Porterfield - Major League Baseball athletic trainer
• UNLV
• defensive lineman, played for the St. Louis Cardinals
• Siddeeq Shabazz - Canadian Football League linebacker
• LPGA Tour
• Pascal Siakam - NBA forward, NBA championship in 2019 with Toronto Raptors
• Danny Villanueva - NFL placekicker, played for the Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys. Media entertainment entrepreneur
• Oklahoma State University and New Mexico State University
• Walt Williams - NFL cornerback, played for the Detroit Lions, Minnesota Vikings and Chicago Bears
• John Williamson - NBA guard
• Tony Wragge - former NFL offensive lineman for various teams
• Jahmar Young (born 1986) - basketball player in the Israeli National League
• Fredd Young - NFL linebacker; played for the Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts; four-time Pro Bowler (1984, 1985, 1986, 1987); two-time All-Pro (1984, 1987); member of the Seattle Seahawks 35th Anniversary Team
• Jahmar Young - NBA guard
• Jannah Sonnenschein (born 1996) - Dutch–Mozambican swimmer

Entertainment, film, news and television

• Scott Bailey - actor
• David James Baker - filmmaker
• Baxter Black - cowboy poet; radio and television commentator
• Kira Davis - film producer
• William Frankfather - actor
• Barbara Funkhouser - journalist, first woman to serve as editor of the El Paso Times (1980–1986)^[15]
• Alvy Ray Smith - co-founder of Pixar
• Brittany Toll
  - Miss New Mexico 2011
• Franc Luz - Movie and Television Actor

Other

• Jorge A. Rojas - general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church)
• African-American
  graduate of the university (English, 1937)

References