63 Notable alumni of
Marshall University
Updated:
Marshall University is 650th in the world, 245th in North America, and 226th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 63 notable alumni from Marshall 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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Billy Crystal
- Occupations
- television actortelevision presenterdirectortelevision directorscreenwriter
- Biography
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William Edward Crystal is an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He gained prominence in the 1970s and 1980s for television roles as Jodie Dallas on the ABC sitcom Soap and as a cast member and frequent host of Saturday Night Live. Crystal then became a Hollywood film star during the late 1980s and 1990s, appearing in Running Scared (1986), The Princess Bride (1987), Throw Momma from the Train (1987), Memories of Me (1988), When Harry Met Sally... (1989), City Slickers (1991), Mr. Saturday Night (1992), Hamlet (1996), Analyze This (1999), and Parental Guidance (2012). He provided the voice of Mike Wazowski in the Monsters, Inc. franchise. He also starred on the Broadway stage in 700 Sundays in 2004 and again in 2014 and in Mr. Saturday Night in 2022.
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Conchata Ferrell
- Occupations
- actorfilm actortelevision actorstage actor
- Biography
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Conchata Galen Ferrell was an American actress. Although she was a regular cast member of five sitcoms, she was best known for playing Berta the housekeeper for all 12 seasons of Two and a Half Men. For her performance as Berta, she received two nominations for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series (in 2005 and 2007). She had previously been nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in L.A. Law (in 1992).
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Jason Williams
- Occupations
- basketball playerscreenwriter
- Biography
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Jason Chandler Williams is an American former professional basketball player who was a point guard in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for twelve seasons during the late 1990s and 2000s. In 2006, Williams won an NBA championship as the starting point guard for the Miami Heat. Due to his style of play, he was given the nickname "White Chocolate."
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Robert Byrd
- Enrolled in Marshall University
- In 1994 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- lawyerpoliticianhistorianfiddler
- Biography
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Robert Carlyle Byrd was an American politician and musician who served as a United States senator from West Virginia for over 51 years, from 1959 until his death in 2010. A Democrat, Byrd also served as a U.S. representative for six years, from 1953 until 1959. He remains the longest-serving U.S. Senator in history; he was the longest-serving member in the history of the United States Congress until surpassed by Representative John Dingell of Michigan. Byrd is the only West Virginian to have served in both chambers of the state legislature and in both chambers of Congress.
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Hassan Whiteside
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Hassan Niam Whiteside is an American professional basketball player for the Piratas de Quebradillas of the Baloncesto Superior Nacional (BSN). He played college basketball for the Marshall Thundering Herd before being selected in the second round by the Sacramento Kings in the 2010 NBA draft. After joining the Miami Heat in 2014, Whiteside was named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team in 2016, when he also led the NBA in blocks. He led the league in rebounding in 2017. He was traded to Portland Trail Blazers and again led the league in blocks in his first season with Portland.
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Mike D'Antoni
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coachcoach
- Biography
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Michael Andrew "Mike" D'Antoni is an Italian-American professional basketball coach and former player who is a coaching advisor for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
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Michael W. Smith
- Occupations
- composersinger-songwriterguitaristsingerfilm actor
- Biography
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Michael Whitaker Smith is an American musician who has charted in both contemporary Christian and mainstream charts. His biggest success in mainstream music was in 1991 when "Place in This World" hit No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100. Over the course of his career, he has sold more than 18 million albums.
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Byron Leftwich
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Byron Antron Leftwich is an American football coach and former quarterback. He previously played in the National Football League (NFL) for ten seasons. After twice being named the MAC Most Valuable Player at Marshall, Leftwich was selected seventh overall by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the 2003 NFL Draft. He was a member of the Jaguars for four seasons before having one season stints with the Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons. Leftwich also played four non-consecutive seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers as the backup to Ben Roethlisberger, where he was part of the Super Bowl-winning team in Super Bowl XLIII.
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Soupy Sales
- Occupations
- stage actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Milton Supman, known professionally as Soupy Sales, was an American comedian, actor, radio-television personality, and jazz aficionado. He was best known for his local and network children's television series, Lunch with Soupy Sales (later titled The Soupy Sales Show) (1953–1966), a series of comedy sketches frequently ending with Sales receiving a pie in the face, which became his trademark. From 1968 to 1975, he was a regular panelist on the syndicated revival of What's My Line? and appeared on several other TV game shows. During the 1980s, he hosted his own show on WNBC in New York City.
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Carwood Lipton
- Occupations
- military personnelengineer
- Biography
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First Lieutenant Clifford Carwood Lipton was a commissioned officer with Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, during World War II.
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Jim Justice
- Occupations
- businesspersonpolitician
- Biography
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James Conley Justice II is an American businessman and politician who has served as the 36th governor of West Virginia since 2017. Justice had a net worth of $1.2 billion in September 2018, making him the wealthiest person in West Virginia, though it has declined to $513.3 million as of October 2021. He inherited a coal mining business from his father and built a business empire with 94 companies, including the Greenbrier, a luxury resort in White Sulphur Springs.
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John Fiedler
- Occupations
- film actordub actorvoice actorstage actoractor
- Biography
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John Donald Fiedler was an American actor. His career lasted more than 55 years in stage, film, television and radio. Fiedler's roles included the meek Juror #2 in 12 Angry Men (1957); the benign-seeming gentleman who tries to prevent the Younger family from moving into a whites-only neighbourhood in A Raisin in the Sun (1961); the voice of Piglet in Disney's Winnie the Pooh productions; Vinnie, one of Oscar's poker cronies in the film The Odd Couple (1968); and Emil Peterson, the hen-pecked milquetoast husband on The Bob Newhart Show.
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Don Blankenship
- Occupations
- business magnatepolitician
- Biography
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Donald Leon Blankenship is an American business executive and political candidate. He was chairman and CEO of the Massey Energy Company—the sixth-largest coal company (by 2008 production) in the United States—from 2000 until an explosion at one of his coal mines (Upper Big Branch Mine) in 2010, costing him his position.
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Hal Greer
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
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Harold Everett Greer was an American professional basketball player. He played for the Syracuse Nationals / Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1958 through 1973. A guard, Greer was a 10-time NBA All-Star and was named to the All-NBA Second Team seven times. He was named to the 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, the NBA 75th Anniversary Team, and his uniform number was among Philadelphia 76ers retired numbers. Greer is a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
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Ahmad Bradshaw
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Ahmad Bradshaw is a former American football running back. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the New York Giants. He played college football at Marshall. He is a two-time Super Bowl champion, winning Super Bowls XLII and XLVI as a member of the Giants, defeating the New England Patriots in both Super Bowls. He was the leading rusher in each game, becoming one of eight running backs in NFL history to be the leading rusher in two Super Bowls.
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Vinny Curry
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Vincent Curry is an American football defensive end who is a free agent. After playing college football for Marshall, he was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2012 NFL Draft, with whom he won Super Bowl LII.
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Kevin Keatts
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
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Kevin Andre Keatts is an American college basketball coach. He is the current men's head coach at North Carolina State University.
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Earl Ray Tomblin
- Occupations
- teacherpolitician
- Biography
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Earl Ray Tomblin is an American politician who served as the 35th governor of West Virginia from 2011 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served in the West Virginia Senate from 1980 to 2011 and as president of the West Virginia Senate from 1995 to 2011. Tomblin became acting governor in November 2010 following Joe Manchin's election to the U.S. Senate. He won a special election in October 2011 to fill the unexpired term ending in January 14, 2013 and was elected to a first full term as governor in November 2012.
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Brad Smith
- Occupations
- business executive
- Biography
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Brad D. Smith is an American businessman and the former chief executive officer of Intuit. He held the position from 2008 to 2018. On October 28, 2021, Smith was named president of Marshall University, his alma mater.
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Clint McElroy
- Occupations
- radio personalitypodcasterwriter
- Biography
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Clinton Emil "Clint" McElroy, Jr. is an American podcaster, comic book writer and former radio personality. He is known for his work on the podcast The Adventure Zone, as well as for hosting several FM radio shows in West Virginia. Additionally, McElroy is an adjunct professor in the Department of Theatre at Marshall University.
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Aaron Dobson
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Aaron Jameer Dobson is a current American football coach and former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the New England Patriots in the second round of the 2013 NFL Draft and played college football at Marshall. After retiring from the NFL, he was hired as an offensive analyst at Marshall.
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DeAndre Kane
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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DeAndre Kane is an American-born naturalized Hungarian professional basketball player who last played for Peristeri of the Greek Basket League and the BCL. He played college basketball at Marshall University and Iowa State University before playing professionally in Russia, Belgium, Germany, Israel, Spain and Serbia.
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Rakeem Cato
- Occupations
- Canadian football playerAmerican football player
- Biography
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Rakeem Cato is an American football quarterback for the Fayetteville Mustangs of the National Arena League (NAL). He played college football at Marshall and was the Thundering Herd's starting quarterback from 2011 to 2014. As a professional, he has played for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League (CFL), Richmond Roughriders of the American Arena League (AAL), Gulf Coast Fire of the A-League, and Orlando Predators of the National Arena League (NAL).
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Dan D'Antoni
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
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Lewis Joseph "Dan" D’Antoni II is an American former basketball player and current head coach for the Marshall Thundering Herd men's basketball team. He was previously an assistant coach under his younger brother, Mike D'Antoni, with the NBA's Phoenix Suns, New York Knicks, and Los Angeles Lakers.
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Lee Smith
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Joseph "Lee" Smith is a former American football tight end who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the New England Patriots, Buffalo Bills, Oakland Raiders and Atlanta Falcons. He played college football at Marshall University, and was drafted by the Patriots in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. In late January 2022 he announced he would retire from the NFL.
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Chris Ross
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Christopher Michael Ross is a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the San Miguel Beermen of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).
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Jim Thornton
- Occupations
- radio personality
- Biography
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Jim Thornton is an American radio and television announcer, news anchor, and voice actor. He is known for his voiceover work in video games, movies and television shows. Since 2011, he is best known for being the announcer of Wheel of Fortune following the death of longtime announcer Charlie O'Donnell.
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Darryl Roberts
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Darryl Keith Roberts is an American football cornerback who is a free agent. He played college football for Marshall and was drafted by the New England Patriots in the seventh round of the 2015 NFL Draft. He has also been a member of the New York Jets, Detroit Lions, and Washington Football Team.
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Aaron Blair
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Aaron Daniel Blair is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. Blair was selected in the 21st round of the 2010 MLB draft by the Houston Astros. He chose to attend Marshall University, where he played for the Marshall Thundering Herd baseball team. The Arizona Diamondbacks selected Blair with the 36th pick of the 2013 MLB draft. He was traded to the Atlanta Braves by the Diamondbacks as part of a five-player deal announced December 9, 2015. Blair made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut in 2016 for the Braves.
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David A. Wiley
- Years
- 20th Century
- Biography
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David A. Wiley is an American academic, writer who is the chief academic officer of Lumen Learning, education fellow at Creative Commons, and former adjunct faculty of instructional psychology and technology at Brigham Young University, where he was previously an associate professor. Wiley's work on open content, open educational resources, and informal online learning communities has been reported in many international outlets, including The New York Times, The Hindu, MIT Technology Review, and Wired.
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Beau Smith
- Occupations
- comics writercolumnist
- Biography
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Beau Smith is an American comic book writer and columnist, best known for his work for DC Comics, Image Comics, IDW Publishing and as vice president of marketing for Eclipse Comics.
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John Frederick Hartranft
- Occupations
- military officerlawyerpolitician
- Biography
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John Frederick Hartranft was an American military officer who read the death warrant to the individuals who were executed on July 7, 1865, for conspiring to assassinate American President Abraham Lincoln. Previously having achieved the rank of major general of the Union Army during the American Civil War, he had also been awarded the U.S. Medal of Honor for his actions in the First Battle of Bull Run.
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Jon Elmore
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Jonathan Elmore is an American professional basketball player for the Sioux Falls Skyforce of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for Marshall where he broke various records.
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Lonnie Thompson
- Occupations
- climatologistuniversity teachergeologist
- Biography
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Lonnie Thompson, is an American paleoclimatologist and university professor in the School of Earth Sciences at Ohio State University. He has achieved global recognition for his drilling and analysis of ice cores from ice caps and mountain glaciers in the tropical and sub-tropical regions of the world. He and his wife, Ellen Mosley-Thompson, run the ice core paleoclimatology research group at the Byrd Polar Research Center.
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Tamar Slay
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Tamar Ulysses Slay is an American basketball former college and professional player. A 6 ft 9 in (2.03 m) guard-forward, he was formerly with the National Basketball Association's New Jersey Nets and Charlotte Bobcats. He played college basketball at Marshall University.
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Joseph Duffey
- Occupations
- academic administratorpoliticiandiplomat
- Biography
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Joseph Daniel Duffey was an American academic, educator, anti-war activist and political appointee. He was the Democratic Party's candidate in the 1970 U.S. Senate election in Connecticut, losing to Republican Lowell Weicker. He later served as the Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs; the chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities; the director of the U.S. Information Agency; and the president or chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Amherst, the University of Massachusetts system and American University.
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Andy Tonkovich
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Andrew Edward Tonkovich was an American professional basketball player and coach. He was selected as the first overall pick in the 1948 BAA draft by the Providence Steamrollers. He played college basketball for the Marshall Thundering Herd.
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Chris Crocker
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Christopher Alan Crocker is an American football coach and former safety. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Marshall.
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Chris Massey
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Christopher Todd Massey is a former American football long snapper. He was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the seventh round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at Marshall University. He has also played for the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears.
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David Perno
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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David Perno is the former head baseball coach at the University of Georgia. In 11 seasons he compiled a record of 384-329-1. He led the program to five NCAA tournaments, including three College World Series. He was named the 2004 Coach of the Year by Baseball America. That same year, he won his first SEC championship. His 2006 team went 47–23, but the next year, however, they went 23–33. In 2008, his team did much better, going 45–25–1 and won his second SEC championship. That one tie was at LSU due to an SEC travel curfew. He was named the SEC coach of the year and was the national runner-up to the Fresno State Bulldogs at the College World Series. He is a former player and assistant coach at Georgia. Two players suffered paralyzing injuries — Chance Veazey in a scooter accident and Jonathan Taylor in a game — in a span of less than two years from 2009 to 2011. He was dismissed by UGA Athletic Director Greg McGarity after the 2013 season.
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Luke Gross
- Occupations
- basketball playerrugby union playerrugby union coach
- Biography
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Luke Gross is an American former rugby union player and current rugby coach and administrator. A lock who played for various club sides, he earned 62 caps for the United States between 1996 and 2003. Gross was the all-time caps leader for the United States, until Mike MacDonald broke his record in 2011.
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Greg Adkins
- Occupations
- American football coachAmerican football player
- Biography
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Greg Adkins is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the offensive line coach at the University of South Carolina. Adkins has coached at both the college level and the NFL. He has 29 years of experience working as an offensive line and tight ends coach, as well as serving as a recruiting coordinator at several schools. He has coached in multiple national championship games and conference championship games, as well as 15 bowl games.
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Chris Jackson
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Christopher D'Wayne Jackson is an American football cornerback for the Tennessee Titans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Marshall. He was drafted by the Titans in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft.
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Rob Redding
- Occupations
- writerjournalistsound artistradio personalitytelevision personality
- Biography
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Robert "Rob" Redding Jr. is an American podcaster, journalist, author and artist. From 2012 to 2013, he hosted the weekday syndicated Redding News Review on Sirius XM.
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Anthony G. Crutchfield
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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Anthony Gerard "Tony" Crutchfield is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who was the deputy commander of United States Pacific Command from 2014 to 2017, having previously served as its chief of staff from 2012 to 2014. An aviation officer by branch, Crutchfield served in several aviation commands throughout his career, culminating in command of the United States Army Aviation Center of Excellence and Fort Rucker from 2010 to 2012. As USAACE commander, he was responsible for the training, doctrine, organizational structure, and future technology development for 90,000 aviation soldiers and over 4,000 aircraft. He retired on April 7, 2017 after 34 years of distinguished service.
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Terry R. Ferrell
- Years
- 1962-.. (age 61)
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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Terry R. Ferrell is a retired lieutenant general in the United States Army, who last served as the commanding general of United States Army Central from March 8, 2019 to August 4, 2021. A native of Logan, West Virginia, Ferrell is a graduate of Marshall University and was commissioned in 1984. He is married to Robbie Woods Ferrell, a retired Army colonel.
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Roman Prezioso
- Years
- 1949-.. (age 74)
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Roman W. Prezioso, Jr. is an American politician and former West Virginia state senator representing the 13th district which comprises parts of Marion and Monongalia counties. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
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George Stone
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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George E. Stone was an American professional basketball player who spent several seasons in the American Basketball Association (ABA). He was drafted in the ninth round of the 1968 NBA draft (115th pick overall) by the Los Angeles Lakers, but never played for them or any other NBA team.
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Norm Willey
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Norman Earle "Norm" Willey was an American football defensive lineman in the National Football League for the Philadelphia Eagles. He went to two Pro Bowls during his eight-year career and was credited with an unofficial 17 sacks in one game which would be an NFL record today. Willey played college football at Marshall University and was drafted in the thirteenth round of the 1950 NFL Draft. Willey went on after his NFL career to teach physical education and coach football at Pennsville Memorial High School in Pennsville Township, New Jersey; the Norm Willey Boot trophy is awarded annually to the winner of annual football game between Pennsville and Penns Grove High School.
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John Astle
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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John Chandlee Astle is an American politician from Maryland and a member of the Democratic Party. He served four terms in the Maryland State Senate and three terms in the Maryland House of Delegates representing Maryland's district 30 in Anne Arundel County.
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Sonny Allen
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
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Sonny Allen was an American college basketball coach. He was the head coach at Old Dominion University from 1965 to 1975; leading the Monarchs to six NCAA College/Division II Tournaments, winning in 1975, finishing runner-up in 1971 and finishing fourth in 1976. He then accepted the Southern Methodist University job, spending the 1975–76 through 1979–80 seasons in Dallas, he then moved to the University of Nevada, Reno from 1980 to 1987.
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Gator Hoskins
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Harold "Gator" Hoskins is a former American football tight end who last played for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Marshall.
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Nigel Spikes
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Nigel Spikes is an American professional basketball player who plays for Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka of the Japanese B.League. He played college basketball for the Marshall Thundering Herd before playing professionally in Venezuela, Mexico, Canada, New Zealand and Japan. He has also played in the Florida Basketball Association and the NBA Development League.
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Chantelle Handy
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Chantelle Handy is a basketball player for Caledonia Gladiators of the WBBL. She has also played for the Great Britain national team and was part of the squad for the 2012 Summer Olympics. She played college basketball in the United States at Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia.
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Robert Charles Chambers
- Occupations
- lawyerjudgepolitician
- Biography
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Robert Charles Chambers is a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia.
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Jason Rader
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Jason Randolph Rader is an American football tight end who used to be a member of the Atlanta Falcons. He was signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at Marshall.
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Ed Ulinski
- Occupations
- American football playercoach
- Biography
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Edward Franklin Ulinski was a professional American football guard who played four seasons for the Cleveland Browns in the All-America Football Conference (AAFC) and went on to a career as an assistant coach for the Browns that lasted more than three decades.
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Johnnie H. Corns
- Enrolled in Marshall University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts in Civil authority
- Occupations
- military officer
- Biography
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John Herman Corns was a lieutenant general in the United States Army who served as commander of United States Army Pacific from 1991 until 1993.
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R. Jay GaBany
- Occupations
- astronomer
- Biography
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Robert Jay GaBany is an American amateur astronomer and astrophotographer who is also known for his work with an international team of astrophysicists led by Dr. David Martínez-Delgado (Max Planck Institute for Astronomy). GaBany helped pioneer the use of modest size telescopes and off the shelf CCD-cameras to produce long exposure images that revealed ancient galactic merger remnants in the form of star streams surrounding nearby galaxies that were previously undetected or suspected.
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Stevie Browning
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Steven Edward Browning is an American professional basketball player for Ovarense Basquetebol of the Liga Portuguesa de Basquetebol. He played college basketball for Fairmont State and Marshall.
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Howard B. Lee
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Howard Burton Lee, of Mercer County, served as the Republican Attorney General of West Virginia from 1925 to 1933. His efforts to eliminate government corruption during that time helped to end the West Virginia Mine Wars.
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Sterling Flunder
- Occupations
- association football player
- Biography
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Sterling Flunder is a retired American soccer player who last played for Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the USL.
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Leslie M. Hicks
- Enrolled in Marshall University
- In 2001 graduated with Bachelor of Science in chemistry
- Occupations
- professorchemistresearcher
- Biography
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Leslie Hicks is an American associate professor of analytical chemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Her work primarily focuses on the study of proteomics and protein post-translational modifications using mass spectrometry, and identifying biologically active peptides in plants.
