61 Notable alumni of
Butler University
Updated:
Butler University is 863rd in the world, 317th in North America, and 296th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 61 notable alumni from Butler University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
-
Gordon Hayward
- Occupations
- professional athletebasketball player
- Biography
-
Gordon Daniel Hayward is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Hayward has previously played for the Utah Jazz, the Boston Celtics and the Charlotte Hornets.
-
Karen Pence
- Enrolled in Butler University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Science in primary education
- Occupations
- painterpoliticianprimary school teacher
- Biography
-
Karen Sue Pence is an American schoolteacher and painter who was the second lady of the United States from 2017 to 2021. She is married to the 48th vice president of the United States, Mike Pence. Karen Pence was also the first lady of Indiana from 2013 to 2017.
-
Peter Lupus
- Occupations
- television actorbodybuilderplayer of American footballactor
- Biography
-
Peter Nash Lupus Jr. is an American bodybuilder and actor. He is best known for his role as Willy Armitage on the television series Mission: Impossible (1966–1973).
-
Freddie Hubbard
- Occupations
- recording artistcomposertrumpeterjazz musician
- Biography
-
Frederick Dewayne Hubbard was an American jazz trumpeter. He played bebop, hard bop, and post-bop styles from the early 1960s onwards. His unmistakable and influential tone contributed to new perspectives for modern jazz and bebop.
-
Thad Matta
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
-
Thad Michael Matta is an American college basketball coach who is currently in his second stint as head coach of the Butler Bulldogs men's basketball team, having been head coach of the Bulldogs for the 2000–01 season. From 2004 to 2017, Matta led the Ohio State Buckeyes to five Big Ten Conference regular season championships (2006, 2007, 2010, 2011 and 2012), four Big Ten tournament titles (2007, 2010, 2011 and 2013), two Final Four appearances (2007 and 2012), and the 2008 NIT Championship. He is the winningest coach in Ohio State history.
-
Scott Drew
- Occupations
- basketball coach
- Biography
-
Scott Homer Drew is an American college basketball coach who is the head coach of the Baylor Bears, a position he has held since 2003.
-
Madge Oberholtzer
- Occupations
- teacher
- Biography
-
Madge Augustine Oberholtzer was a white American woman whose rape and murder played a critical role in the demise of the second incarnation of the Ku Klux Klan. In March 1925, while working for the state of Indiana on an adult literacy campaign, Oberholtzer was abducted by D. C. Stephenson, Grand Dragon of the Indiana Klan. Holding her captive in his private train car, Stephenson raped and tortured her. Oberholtzer died from a combination of a staphylococcal infection from her injuries and kidney failure from mercury chloride poisoning, which she took while held captive in an attempt to commit suicide.
-
Shelvin Mack
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
-
Shelvin Bernard Mack Jr. is an American former professional basketball player who is an analyst for CBS Sports. He played eight seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for seven different teams. Mack played college basketball for the Butler Bulldogs, where he was a starter on consecutive Final Four teams in 2010 and 2011.
-
David Starr Jordan
- Occupations
- peace activistwriterautobiographerpedagogueichthyologist
- Biography
-
David Starr Jordan was the founding president of Stanford University, serving from 1891 to 1913. He was an ichthyologist during his research career. Prior to serving as president of Stanford University, he had served as president of Indiana University from 1884 to 1891.
-
Sarah Fisher
- Occupations
- racing automobile driver
- Biography
-
Sarah Marie Fisher is an American retired professional race car driver who competed in the Indy Racing League (IRL, now IndyCar Series) and the Indianapolis 500 intermittently from 1999 to 2010. She also raced in the NASCAR West Series in 2004 and 2005. Fisher took part in 81 IndyCar Series events, achieving a career-best finish of second at the 2001 Infiniti Grand Prix of Miami—the highest placing for a woman in the IRL until Danica Patrick's victory in the 2008 Indy Japan 300. In 2002, Fisher was the first female driver to win a pole position in a major American open-wheel race and competed in the Indianapolis 500 nine times, more than any other woman.
-
Pat Neshek
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
-
Patrick John Neshek is an American former professional baseball pitcher. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Minnesota Twins, San Diego Padres, Oakland Athletics, St. Louis Cardinals, Houston Astros, Colorado Rockies and Philadelphia Phillies. The Twins selected him in the sixth round of the 2002 MLB draft, out of Butler University. Neshek made his MLB debut for the Twins in 2006, and played for them until 2010 (except for 2009, which he missed due to Tommy John surgery). He was selected to his first All-Star Game in 2014, and his second in 2017.
-
Bobby Plump
- Occupations
- baseball playerbasketball player
- Biography
-
Bobby Gene Plump is a member of the Milan High School basketball team, who won the Indiana High School Athletic Association (IHSAA) state tournament in 1954. Plump was selected Indiana's coveted "Mr. Basketball" in 1954, the award bestowed upon Indiana's most outstanding senior basketball player as voted on by the press. Plump was also named one of the most noteworthy Hoosiers of the 20th century by Indianapolis Monthly Magazine. He was also one of the 50 greatest sports figures from Indiana in the 20th century, according to Sports Illustrated.
-
Janet Langhart
- Occupations
- modeljournalist
- Biography
-
Janet Leola Langhart Cohen is an American television journalist and anchor, and author. Beginning her career as a model, she started in television reporting the weather.
-
Ed Carpenter
- Occupations
- racing automobile driver
- Biography
-
Everette Edward Carpenter, Jr. is an American auto racing driver, currently competing in the IndyCar Series for his team, Ed Carpenter Racing. He is the stepson of Indy Racing League founder Tony George.
-
Garo Yepremian
- Occupations
- player of American footballassociation football player
- Biography
-
Garabed Sarkis "Garo" Yepremian was an Armenian-Cypriot football placekicker who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the Miami Dolphins. During his nine seasons in Miami, Yepremian led the league in scoring in 1971, received two Pro Bowl and two first-team All-Pro honors, and helped the Dolphins win two Super Bowl titles. Yepremian's first championship victory in Super Bowl VII occurred as a member of the 1972 Dolphins, the only team to complete a perfect season in NFL history. He also played for the Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers before retiring in 1981.
-
LaVall Jordan
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
-
LaVall Jurrant Jordan is an American college basketball coach, most recently the head coach for the Butler Bulldogs. He is a former head coach of Milwaukee, as well as assistant coach at Michigan, Iowa, and Butler. In six seasons as an assistant coach under Michigan head coach John Beilein, Michigan advanced to the NCAA tournament each year except 2015, won Big Ten Conference regular season championships in 2012 and 2014 and appeared in the Elite 8 in 2014 and the National Championship in 2013.
-
Brandon Gaudin
- Years
- 1984-.. (age 40)
- Occupations
- sports commentator
- Biography
-
Brandon Gaudin is an American television broadcaster for Bally Sports South and Bally Sports Southeast's coverage of the Atlanta Braves baseball. He also does play-by-play for college football and college basketball for Fox Sports and the Big Ten Network.
-
Matt Howard
- Enrolled in Butler University
- 2007-2011 graduated with Bachelor of Science in computer engineering
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
-
Matt Howard is an American former professional basketball player who last played for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Premier League. Previously, he played college basketball with the Butler Bulldogs. He helped lead the 2009–10 and 2010–11 Butler Bulldogs men's basketball teams to the championship game of the NCAA tournament.
-
Mark Kurlansky
- Occupations
- historianjournalistchildren's writer
- Biography
-
Mark Kurlansky is an American journalist and author who has written a number of books of fiction and nonfiction. His 1997 book, Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed the World (1997), was an international bestseller and was translated into more than fifteen languages. His book Nonviolence: Twenty-five Lessons From the History of a Dangerous Idea (2006) was the nonfiction winner of the 2007 Dayton Literary Peace Prize.
-
Dan Johnson
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
-
Daniel Ryan Johnson is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for six teams, over ten seasons, as well as one season in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB), but never held a Major League starting job for an entire season. He is perhaps best known for hitting a dramatic two-out, two-strike home run for the Tampa Bay Rays in the bottom of the ninth inning of the last game of the 2011 season, also known as Wild Card Wednesday. That home run tied the game, which the Rays eventually won, sending them to the playoffs. His clutch hitting for the Rays, along with his red hair and beard, earned him the nickname "The Great Pumpkin".
-
Kelan Martin
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
-
Kelan Martin is an American professional basketball player for Pınar Karşıyaka of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL) and the Basketball Champions League (BCL). He attended Ballard High School in Louisville, Kentucky, and played college basketball for the Butler Bulldogs, where he scored 2,047 points during his career, the second highest in the school's history. Martin was selected for the All-Big East second team on two occasions, the All-District 5 second team by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, and as a senior, he was named to the All-Big East first team.
-
Todd Duncan
- Occupations
- actoropera singer
- Biography
-
Robert Todd Duncan was an American baritone opera singer and actor. One of the first African-Americans to sing with a major opera company, Duncan is also noted for appearing as Porgy in the premier production of Porgy and Bess (1935).
-
Andrew Smith
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
-
Andrew Smith was an American basketball player. He played in two NCAA Final Fours during his career at Butler, as well as professionally for Neptūnas.
-
Bill Lynch
- Occupations
- player of American footballbasketball player
- Biography
-
Bill Lynch is a former American football coach. He was most recently the head football coach at DePauw University, a position he held in 2004 and re-assumed in December 2012 until his retirement after the 2019 season. Lynch also served as the head football coach at Butler University (1985–1989), Ball State University (1995–2002), and Indiana University Bloomington (2007–2010). He was inducted into the Indiana Football Hall of Fame in 2005.
-
Brandon Fricke
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
-
Brandon Fricke is an American soccer player who plays for Greenville Triumph SC in USL League One. He is the 2020 USL League One defender of the year.
-
Ronald Nored
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
-
Ronald Nored is an American basketball coach, currently an assistant coach for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Previously he served as the head coach of the Long Island Nets of the NBA G League, and an assistant coach for the Maine Red Claws of the Boston Celtics organization. He is a former point guard for Butler University's basketball team.
-
Michael Leckrone
- Years
- 1936-.. (age 88)
- Occupations
- musicologistcomposerconductor
- Biography
-
Michael “Mike” Leckrone was the director of the University of Wisconsin Marching Band from 1969 to 2019. He is noted for his extraordinary ability to remember the names of all the past and present members of the band, as well as where they were from, and what instrument they played.
-
James Brainard
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
James Brainard is a retired American politician of the Republican Party who served as the fifth mayor of Carmel, Indiana, a principal city in the Indianapolis metropolitan area from 1996 to 2024. At the time he left office on January 4, 2024, he was one of Indiana's longest serving mayors. During his tenure as mayor, Carmel's population grew from 25,000 in 1996 to 102,000 in 2021 and saw the creation of a new downtown called City Center, where a new 1,600-seat concert hall, The Palladium at the Center for the Performing Arts, opened in 2011. Two smaller theaters opened as well, in addition to the redevelopment of the oldest part of town into a new Arts & Design District. Brainard announced in September 2022 that he would not run for re-election in 2023, and his term expired on January 4, 2024, after which point he was succeeded by fellow Republican Sue Finkam.
-
Kellen Dunham
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
-
Kellen Dunham is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana All-Americans of The Basketball League (TBL). He played college basketball for the Butler Bulldogs. At Pendleton Heights High School in Pendleton, Indiana, Dunham led the state of Indiana in scoring as a senior with 29.5 points per game and was named Herald Bulletin Player of the Year. Dunham committed to Butler on July 7, 2010 and was highly regarded by recruiting services. As a freshman, he was a 2012–13 Atlantic 10 All-Rookie Team selection. He scored 16.4 points per game as a sophomore and was named to the 2013–14 All-Big East Second-team. He was a 2014–15 All-Big East First-team selection as a junior.
-
Kamar Baldwin
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
-
Kamar Baldwin is an American professional basketball player for Dolomiti Energia Trento of the Italian Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). He played college basketball for the Butler Bulldogs.
-
Scott Overall
- Occupations
- athletics competitormarathon runner
- Biography
-
Scott Overall is a British athlete who runs for the Blackheath & Bromley running club. Scott was officially named part of the 2012 GB Olympic team on 5 December 2011 after achieving "A-Standard" at the Berlin marathon. He finished 61st in the London Olympic Marathon of 2012 in a time of 2:22:37
-
Matthew Shiltz
- Occupations
- player of American footballCanadian football player
- Biography
-
Matthew Shiltz is a gridiron football quarterback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He played NCAA football for the Butler Bulldogs. Shiltz made his professional debut for the Montreal Alouettes in 2017.
-
Eric Dick
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
-
Eric Dick is an American professional soccer player who plays as a goalkeeper for USL Championship club Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
-
A. J. Graves
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
-
A. J. Graves is an American basketball player who played college basketball with the Butler University Bulldogs. He played one year professionally with PBG Basket Poznań in the Polish Basketball League.
-
Shawn Vanzant
- Years
- 1988-.. (age 36)
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
-
Shawn Vincent Vanzant is an American college basketball coach and former professional basketball player who last played for the Moncton Miracles of the National Basketball League of Canada (NBL). He played college basketball for Butler University before playing professionally in Finland, Canada, Ireland, and the NBA Development League.
-
Jane Magnus-Stinson
- Occupations
- judgelawyer
- Biography
-
Jane Elizabeth Magnus-Stinson is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of Indiana.
-
Roosevelt Jones
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
-
Roosevelt Jones is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player. He played college basketball for Butler. At O'Fallon Township High School, he led the team to the semifinals of Illinois' 2010 Class 4A state tournament. He was a three-star recruit ranked in the 2011 Rivals.com 150 and committed to playing for Butler. As a sophomore at Butler, Jones made a buzzer beating shot to defeat Gonzaga and averaged 10.1. points per game. He missed the following season after tearing ligaments in his left wrist during a preseason trip to Australia. As a redshirt junior, Jones averaged 12.7 points per game and was named to the Second-team All-Big East. He repeated as second-team All-Big East as a senior, averaged 13.8 points per game, and had a rare triple double in a February 6, 2016 win over St. John's. After his senior season, Jones was drafted by the Canton Charge of the NBA G League and had 20 rebounds in a game, the fifth most in D-League history. He announced his retirement from competitive basketball in August 2017 but returned to the game in January 2018.
-
Luke Flynn
- Occupations
- composer
- Biography
-
Luke Flynn is an American composer of film, television, and concert music. He is most widely known for his compositions Rift, for orchestra, and Beneath the Wave, for SATB chorus.
-
Richard L. Roudebush
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Richard Lowell Roudebush was an American World War II veteran who served five terms as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1961 to 1971.
-
Johann Sebastian Paetsch
- Occupations
- cellistmusician
- Biography
-
Johann Sebastian Paetsch is an American cellist and musician.
-
David W. Evans
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
David Walter Evans is an American educator who served four terms as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1975 to 1983.
-
Leroy Edgar Burney
- Occupations
- physicianwriter
- Biography
-
Leroy Edgar Burney was an American physician and public health official. He was appointed the eighth Surgeon General of the United States from 1956 to 1961.
-
Becky Lyne
- Occupations
- athletics competitor
- Biography
-
Becky Lyne is a former international middle-distance runner from Great Britain, who won a bronze medal in the 800 metres at the 2006 European Athletics Championships.
-
Harry Stewart New
- Occupations
- journalistwriterpolitician
- Biography
-
Harry Stewart New was a U.S. politician, journalist, and Spanish–American War veteran. He served as Chairman of the Republican National Committee, a United States senator from Indiana, and United States Postmaster General.
-
William E. English
- Occupations
- politicianwriterlawyer
- Biography
-
William Eastin English was an American attorney and politician, a U.S. Representative from Indiana. He was the son of vice-presidential candidate and businessman, William Hayden English, and his wife Emma Mardulia Jackson.
-
Oral Hildebrand
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
-
Oral Clyde Hildebrand was a pitcher in Major League Baseball from 1931 to 1940. He played for the Cleveland Indians, St. Louis Browns, and New York Yankees.
-
Jack Hendricks
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
-
John Charles Hendricks was an American professional baseball player and manager. He played parts of two seasons in Major League Baseball as an outfielder, but is best known as the manager of the Cincinnati Reds from 1924 to 1929.
-
Elaine C. Wagner
- Born in
-
United States - Occupations
- dentist
- Biography
-
Elaine C. Wagner is a retired United States Navy rear admiral. She was the first female pediatric dentist to achieve flag rank in the United States Navy, and served as the 36th Chief of the United States Navy Dental Corps. Her retirement ceremony was held on January 9, 2017, and she was transferred to the retired list the following April, after 33 years of service in the United States Navy. She is a member of the International College of Dentists.
-
Edward H. Kruse
- Occupations
- politicianjudgelawyer
- Biography
-
Edward Herman Kruse was an American lawyer, World War II veteran, and politician who served one term as a U.S. Representative from Indiana from 1949 to 1951.
-
Ryan Ward
- Occupations
- lacrosse player
- Biography
-
Ryan Ward is a former lacrosse player in the National Lacrosse League. Ward played 11 seasons in the NLL with the Philadelphia Wings, Minnesota Swarm, and Edmonton Rush. He retired after the 2014 season.
-
Jerry Steiner
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
-
Jerome C. Steiner was an American professional basketball player. He played two seasons in the National Basketball League (NBL), one of the two leagues that merged to form the National Basketball Association.
-
Michael A. Martone
- Occupations
- novelistuniversity teacherphotographer
- Biography
-
Michael Martone is an American author. Since 1977, he has written nearly 30 books and chapbooks. He was a professor at the Program in Creative Writing at the University of Alabama, where he taught from 1996 until his retirement in 2020.
-
Raymond Smiley Springer
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
-
Raymond Smiley Springer was an American attorney and jurist who served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Indiana from 1939 to 1947.
-
Grace Julian Clarke
- Occupations
- suffragettewriter
- Biography
-
Grace Julian Clarke was a clubwoman, women's suffrage activist, newspaper journalist, and author from Indiana. As the daughter of George Washington Julian and the granddaughter of Joshua Reed Giddings, both of whom were abolitionists and members of the U.S. Congress, Clarke's family exposed her to social reform issues at an early age. She is credited with reviving the women's suffrage movement in Indiana, where she was especially active in the national campaign for women's suffrage in the early twentieth century. She is best known for founding and leading the Indiana State Federation of Women's Clubs, the Legislative Council, and the Women's Franchise League of Indiana (an affiliate of the National American Woman Suffrage Association and the predecessor to the League of Women Voters of Indiana). Clarke was the author of three books related to her father's life, and was a columnist for the Indianapolis Star from 1911 to 1929.
-
Ernie Utah Stevens
- Occupations
- figure skater
- Biography
-
Ernest Utah "Ernie" Stevens is an American former pair skater. With his skating partner, Caitlin Fields, he is the 2015 U.S. national junior champion and placed fifth at the 2015 World Junior Championships.
-
S. U. Hastings
- Biography
-
Selvin Uriah Hastings CD was the first Jamaican national consecrated as a bishop of the Moravian Church and the first Jamaican to be elected head of the Moravian Church Unity Board.
-
Frank Felice
- Years
- 1961-.. (age 63)
- Occupations
- composer
- Biography
-
Frank Felice is an American composer of contemporary classical music and associate professor of composition, theory, and electronic music in the Jordan College of Arts at Butler University.
-
Alberto Díaz, Jr
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
-
Rear Admiral Alberto Díaz Jr. is the first Hispanic to become the Director of the San Diego Naval District and Balboa Naval Hospital.
-
Addison Clay Harris
- Occupations
- lawyerwriterpoliticiandiplomat
- Biography
-
Addison Clay Harris was a lawyer and civic leader in Indianapolis, Indiana, who served as a Republican member of the Indiana Senate (1876 to 1880) and a U.S. Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary (ambassador) to Austria-Hungary (1899 to 1901). The Wayne County, Indiana, native graduated from Northwestern Christian University (present-day Butler University) in 1862 and was admitted to the bar in 1865, the same year he established a law partnership with John T. Dye in Indianapolis. Harris was a founding member (1878) and president (1883 and 1890) of the Indianapolis Bar Association; a founder and president (1899 to 1904) of the Indiana Law School, which was a forerunner to the Indiana University Robert H. McKinney School of Law in Indianapolis; a presidential elector in 1896; president of the Indiana State Bar Association (1904); a member (1905–1916) and president (1909 to 1916) of Purdue University's board of trustees; and a member of the Indiana Historical Society and the Columbia Club.
-
J. Gordon Edwards
- Occupations
- entomologistpark ranger
- Biography
-
J. Gordon Edwards was an American entomologist and proponent of the use and safety of the pesticide DDT. He was professor of entomology at San Jose State University for 40 years, and namesake to the university's entomology museum. He was an outspoken critic of Rachel Carson and efforts to ban DDT, famously eating the substance to demonstrate its safety to humans. He was also a noted mountain climber, spending nine seasons as a ranger-naturalist in Glacier National Park during the 1940s and '50s, and returning often to collect insects and map routes. His 1961 book A Climber's Guide to Glacier National Park, republished several times since, made him known as the "patron saint of climbing" in the park, where he died while hiking, aged 84.
-
Katharine Merrill Graydon
- Occupations
- university teacherwriter
- Biography
-
Katharine Merrill Graydon was an American classical scholar who specialised in teaching Greek and Latin literature, as well as a professor of English Literature.
