19 Notable alumni of
Fort Hays State University
Updated:
Fort Hays State University is 2175th in the world, 749th in North America, and 705th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 19 notable alumni from Fort Hays State University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Mike McCarthy
- Occupations
- American football coachAmerican football player
- Biography
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Michael John McCarthy is an American professional football coach who most recently was the head coach of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL) from 2020 to 2024. From 2006 to 2018, he was the head coach of the Green Bay Packers. In 2011, McCarthy led the team to a win in Super Bowl XLV over his hometown team, the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was also the offensive coordinator for the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints.
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Mickey Spillane
- Occupations
- children's writernovelistprose writertelevision actorwriter
- Biography
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Frank Morrison Spillane, better known as Mickey Spillane, was an American crime novelist, called the "king of pulp fiction". His stories often feature his signature detective character, Mike Hammer. More than 225 million copies of his books have sold internationally. Spillane was also an occasional actor, once even playing Hammer himself in the 1965 film The Girl Hunters.
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Jerry Moran
- Occupations
- politicianbank officeruniversity teacherlawyercelebrity
- Biography
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Gerald Wesley Moran is an American lawyer and politician who is the senior United States senator from Kansas, a seat he has held since 2011. A member of the Republican Party, he was chair of the National Republican Senatorial Committee for the 113th U.S. Congress, during which he led successful Republican efforts in the 2014 election, producing the first Republican Senate majority since 2006. Previously, he was a member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Kansas's 1st congressional district.
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Scott Schwab
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Scott Joseph Schwab is an American politician serving as the 32nd Secretary of State of Kansas. He served as a member of the Kansas House of Representatives, representing the 49th district, from 2009 to 2019. He also served as Speaker pro tempore of the Kansas House of Representatives from 2017 to 2019. He received national attention when his son, Caleb, was killed in an accident on the Schlitterbahn Kansas City, Kansas water park's Verrückt water slide. In November 2018, he was elected Kansas Secretary of State.
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Brent Barrett
- Occupations
- stage actorsingertelevision actor
- Biography
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Brent Barrett is an American actor and tenor who is mostly known for his work within American theatre. Barrett has performed in musicals and in concerts with theatres, symphony orchestras, opera houses, and concert halls internationally. He starred in the original production of Maltby and Shire's hit Off-Broadway musical Closer Than Ever in 1989 and the 2001 West End revival of Cole Porter's Kiss Me, Kate. He has also appeared sporadically on television and in films.
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Sheila Frahm
- Enrolled in Fort Hays State University
- In 1967 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Sheila Frahm is an American politician who served in the United States Senate as a Republican from Kansas for a brief period in 1996.
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John L. Allen Jr
- Occupations
- journalistwriter
- Biography
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John L. Allen Jr. is an American journalist and author who serves as editor of the Catholic news website Crux, formerly hosted by The Boston Globe and now independently funded.
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Keith Sebelius
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Keith George Sebelius was an American politician who served in the United States House of Representatives as a Republican.
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Michelle De La Isla
- Enrolled in Fort Hays State University
- 2015-2018 graduated with Master of Business Administration
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Michelle De La Isla is an American politician who served as the mayor of Topeka, Kansas from 2018 to 2022. She previously served on the Topeka City Council from 2013 to 2018. De La Isla was the city's first Latina and single mother to serve as mayor. She was the Democratic nominee for Kansas's 2nd congressional district in the 2020 election, but lost.
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Nathan Shepherd
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Nathan Daniel Shepherd is a Canadian professional American football defensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Simon Fraser Clan and Fort Hays State Tigers.
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M. T. Liggett
- Occupations
- sculptor
- Biography
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Myron Thomas Liggett was an American folk sculptor.
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Lynn Lashbrook
- Years
- 1948-.. (age 77)
- Biography
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Lynn Lashbrook is an American sports agent and educator. He is currently an NFL certified contract advisor who has represented over 150 NFL football players throughout his career. A former college athletic director and sports agent, Lashbrook is founder and president of Sports Management Worldwide, a sports agency and an international, online sports career training school with over 20,000 graduates from more than 162 countries.
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Jonathan Blake
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Jonathan Blake is an American professional basketball player. Blake played high school basketball at Cypress Springs High School, where he was named to the First-Team in District 17-5A and earned a McDonald's All-American Honorable Mention. Rated amongst the top-50 guards in the country, he led his team to third place in the district with records of 23–9 overall and 10–5 in district games. Blake went on to play two seasons at Coffeyville Community College, helping them to a conference championship and a top-5 national ranking in both seasons while graduating as the college's winningest class with 72 wins during that time. After lettering one season at Fort Hays State University. Blake played his last year of college basketball at Texas Wesleyan University, leading the team to a 30–4 season; matching the highest win total in the 74-year history of Texas Wesleyan basketball as they went on to win the program's fourth consecutive NAIA Red River Athletic Conference regular season championship. Blake earned an Honorable Mention All-American selection after averaging 13.8 points on.506 shooting and 7.8 rebounds per game in his first season with the Rams. He reached double-figures in scoring 24 times in 33 games played, posting eight double-doubles including a win over Texas College in which he scored a career-high 29 points while pulling down 13 rebounds.
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Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Kathryn Ellen O'Loughlin was a U.S. Representative from Kansas. After her election, she was married to Daniel M. McCarthy, who served in the Kansas State Senate, and thereupon served under the name of Kathryn O'Loughlin McCarthy. She was the first woman elected to Congress from Kansas.
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Jim Smallwood
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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James Smallwood Jr. is an American business consultant and politician first elected to the Colorado Senate in 2016. From 2023 to 2025, he represented State Senate District 2, which includes the communities of Castle Rock, Parker, The Pinery, Stonegate, and Grand View Estates in Douglas County. Prior to the 2020 reapportionment process that was implemented in 2023, Smallwood represented the former State Senate District 4 in Douglas County which encompassed the communities of Castle Rock, Larkspur, Parker, Franktown, and Castle Pines.
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Tory Marie Arnberger
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Tory Marie Arnberger-Blew is an American politician, who has served in the Kansas House of Representatives since January 2017. A member of the Republican Party, she represents the 112th district in Barton County, Kansas. Arnberger announced her candidacy while a senior at Fort Hays State University, and was the youngest member of the Kansas Legislature from 2017 to 2021.
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James Dean Pruner
- Occupations
- poetpainter
- Biography
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James Dean Pruner was an American painter, printmaker, draftsman, zinemaker, sculptor, and poet. Born in Lyons, Kansas, he also lived in Hays, Ellinwood, St. John, and in rural Stafford County, Kansas, where he farmed and maintained a studio. His works include a diverse range of subjects and styles, but with several consistent themes, including human relationships, animals and the land, and problems he associated with modern life, nuclear warfare, and technology. He produced more than 300 paintings, thousands of ink drawings, prints and etchings, silk-screened cards and posters, and more than 50 sculpture and assemblage pieces during his lifetime. Pruner's works can be found in the collection of the Spencer Museum of Art at The University of Kansas, at The Stone Gallery in Hays, KS, and in numerous private collections.
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Michael J Hannafin
- Occupations
- professor
- Biography
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Michael J. Hannafin was an American professor and academic known for his work in educational technology. He was a professor at the University of Georgia in the educational psychology department and director of the Learning and Performance Support Lab. He was once editor-in-chief of the journal Educational Technology Research and Development.
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Curtis Hammeke
- Born in
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United States - Occupations
- basketball coach
- Biography
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Curtis J. Hammeke is an American university sports administrator and former college baseball player and coach. Hammeke is currently the director of athletics at Fort Hays State University. Prior to his current position, Hammeke served as an athletic director at a high school and two colleges, as well as the baseball coach for Fort Hays State prior to that.
