36 Notable alumni of
McNeese State University
Updated:
McNeese State University is 1725th in the world, 597th in North America, and 561st in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 36 notable alumni from McNeese 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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Bobby Kimball
- Occupations
- singersongwriter
- Biography
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Robert Troy Kimball is an American retired singer and musician, best known as original frontman of the rock band Toto from 1977 to 1984 and again from 1998 to 2008. He has also performed as a solo artist and session singer.
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Joe Dumars
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Joe Dumars III is an American professional basketball executive and former player who is the head of basketball operations for the New Orleans Pelicans. He could play either shooting guard or point guard on offense and was a highly effective defender. He played his entire 14-year career with the Detroit Pistons. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, Dumars and Isiah Thomas combined to form one of the best backcourts in NBA history, winning two championships together. Dumars was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006.
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Doug Kershaw
- Occupations
- songwriterfiddlersingermusician
- Biography
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Douglas James Kershaw is an American fiddle player, singer, and songwriter from Louisiana. Active since 1948, he began his career as part of the duo Rusty and Doug, along with his brother, Rusty Kershaw. He had an extensive solo career that included 15 albums and singles that charted on the Hot Country Songs charts. He is also a member of the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame, being inducted in 2009.
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Andre Dubus
- Occupations
- novelistteacherwriter
- Biography
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Andre Jules Dubus II was an American writer of short stories, novels, and essays.
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R. C. Slocum
- Occupations
- head coachAmerican football player
- Biography
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Richard Copeland Slocum is an American former football player and coach who is currently a special assistant to the president at Texas A&M University. He has also served as interim athletic director at the university from January through June 2019 and again from January through March 2024, and previously served as the head football coach there from 1989 to 2002. He has won more games as coach (123) than anyone else in Texas A&M Aggies football history. Slocum was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach in 2012.
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Adam Johnson
- Occupations
- writeracademicnovelistuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Adam Johnson is an American novelist and short story writer. He won the Pulitzer Prize for his 2012 novel, The Orphan Master's Son, and the National Book Award for his 2015 story collection Fortune Smiles. He is also a professor of English at Stanford University with a focus on creative writing.
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Kerry Joseph
- Occupations
- Canadian football playerAmerican football player
- Biography
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Kerry Tremaine Joseph is an American football coach and former player. He is the special assistant to the head coach for the Texas Longhorns. He played college football for the McNeese Cowboys as a quarterback and was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 1996.
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Fabulous Flournoy
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
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Fabulous Flournoy MBE is a former professional basketball player who is currently an assistant coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was previously the player-coach for the Newcastle Eagles, who compete in the British Basketball League.
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Donald W. Washington
- Enrolled in McNeese State University
- In 1984 studied engineering
- Occupations
- military officerlawyerengineer
- Biography
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Donald Wayne Washington is an American attorney who served as the 11th director of the United States Marshals Service from March 2019 to September 2021. He previously served as United States Attorney for the Western District of Louisiana, from to 2001 to 2010.
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Matt Viator
- Years
- 1963-.. (age 63)
- Occupations
- head coachAmerican football coach
- Biography
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Matt Viator is an American football coach. He is currently in his second stint as the head football coach at McNeese State University, having previously served there from 2006 to 2015 and then the University of Louisiana at Monroe from 2016 to 2020. Viator began his coaching career in 1986 as a high school assistant coach, before leading several high schools in southwestern Louisiana as a head coach. He moved to the college ranks at McNeese State in 1999 and was elevated to head coach four games into the 2006 season after the firing of Tommy Tate.
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Ben Broussard
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Benjamin Isaac Broussard is an American former professional baseball first baseman. He is currently a musician and Leadership Development Coordinator for the Chicago White Sox of Major League Baseball. Broussard was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the second round of the 1999 Major League Baseball draft. During a 7-year baseball career, he played from 2002 to 2008 for the Cleveland Indians, Seattle Mariners, and the Texas Rangers.
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Patrick Richard
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Patrick Neal Richard II is an American-born naturalised Romanian professional basketball player for U-BT Cluj-Napoca of the Romanian Liga Națională. He played collegiately with the McNeese State Cowboys for four seasons before playing professionally in Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Israel, Spain and New Zealand.
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Erin Entrada Kelly
- Occupations
- university teacherwriterchildren's writerliterary theoristnovelist
- Biography
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Erin Entrada Kelly is an American writer of children's literature. She was awarded the 2018 John Newbery Medal by the Association for Library Service to Children for her third novel Hello, Universe. She won the award a second time in 2025 for her novel The First State of Being.
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Demond Mallet
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Dayon Demond Mallet is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at McNeese State University. Mallet spent 17 seasons as a professional player, in multiple European leagues afterwards, and won multiple championships and was named the Most Valuable Player of several competitions.
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Keith Frank
- Occupations
- musician
- Biography
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Keith Frank is an American singer, accordion player, and producer. Dubbed the "Zydeco Boss," Frank is one of the most well-known figures in zydeco music, especially in the nouveau zydeco sound, which was influenced by other genres such as R&B and hip-hop. He is most known for his work with the Soileau Zydeco Band, which was established in 1990.
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Bob Howry
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Bobby Dean Howry is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher.
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B. J. Sams
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Bradley Jamar Sams is an American former professional football player who was a running back, wide receiver, cornerback and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons. He played college football at McNeese State University. He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2004, and also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and California Redwoods.
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James D. Cain Jr
- Occupations
- lawyerjudge
- Biography
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James David Cain Jr. is a United States District Judge for the United States District Court for the Western District of Louisiana.
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Erika Piancastelli
- Occupations
- softball player
- Biography
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Erika Piancastelli is an Italian-American professional softball player for the El Águila de Veracruz of the Mexican Softball League. She plays international softball for Italy and competed in the 2020 Summer Olympics. Born in Italy, Piancastelli eventually went to play college softball at McNeese State, where she holds multiple career records.
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Luke Lawton
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Richard Luke Lawton is an American former professional football player who was a fullback in the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football for the McNeese Cowboys.
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Stephen Starring
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Stephen Dale Starring was an American professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the McNeese State Cowboys.
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Christopher Catrambone
- Occupations
- entrepreneur
- Biography
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Christopher Paul Catrambone is an Italian American entrepreneur and humanitarian, best known for founding the Migrant Offshore Aid Station, a global humanitarian organization dedicated to responding quickly and efficiently to emerging crises.
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Clay Condrey
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Clayton Lee Condrey is an American former professional baseball relief pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Diego Padres and Philadelphia Phillies. Condrey featured five pitches: a sinker, cutter, curveball, changeup, and a four-seam fastball.
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Danny Ardoin
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Daniel Wayne Ardoin is an American former professional baseball catcher. He played five seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) from 2000 to 2008 for the Minnesota Twins, Texas Rangers, Colorado Rockies, Baltimore Orioles, and Los Angeles Dodgers.
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John Thomson
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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John Carl Thomson is an American former starting pitcher who last played for the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball. He is a 1991 graduate of Sulphur High School in Sulphur, Louisiana. He went undrafted out of high school and pitched for McNeese State University (Lake Charles, Louisiana) in 1992 and Blinn Junior College (Brenham, Texas) in 1993. The Colorado Rockies selected him in the seventh round of the June 1993 amateur draft and he made his major league debut for the Rockies on May 11, 1997. 2007 is his eleventh major league season. In addition to the Rockies, he has played for the New York Mets, Texas Rangers, Atlanta Braves and Kansas City Royals and also pitched in the Toronto Blue Jays organization from April through June 2007. He currently resides in his hometown of Sulphur, LA.
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Douglas B. Fournet
- Occupations
- military personnel
- Biography
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Douglas Bernard Fournet was a United States Army officer and a recipient of the United States military's highest decoration—the Medal of Honor—for his actions in the Vietnam War.
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Willie Mount
- Occupations
- businesspersonpolitician
- Biography
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Willie Landry Mount is an American politician from Louisiana who served as a Democratic member of the Louisiana State Senate from 2000 to 2012. She represented District 27, which includes parts of her native Lake Charles and the surrounding cities of Sulphur and Westlake. From 1993 to 1999, Mount was the first woman to serve as the mayor of Lake Charles.
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Ray Fontenot
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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Silton Ray Fontenot is an American former Major League Baseball pitcher who played for four seasons between 1983 and 1986. He played for three teams in those four years – the New York Yankees, Chicago Cubs and Minnesota Twins.
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Paul Rainwater
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Paul W. Rainwater is an American former local and state government official from Louisiana who served as an aide to Governor Bobby Jindal and played a prominent role in Louisiana during its recovery from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita, Gustav, and Ike and the recovery of the state from the 2010 British Petroleum Oil Spill.
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Sha'markus Kennedy
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Sha'markus Kennedy is an American basketball player for Gurjaani Delta. During the 2024/2025 season he played for Bora in the Kosovo Superleague.
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Adrien Mörk
- Occupations
- golfer
- Biography
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Adrien Mörk is a French professional golfer. In 2006 he recorded the first ever sub 60 round on any tour run by the PGA European Tour.
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Vic Stelly
- Occupations
- teacherpolitician
- Biography
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Victor Theodore Stelly was an American politician who was a member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, best known for the since repealed Stelly Plan tax-shifting amendment. He was also a member of the Louisiana Board of Regents for Higher Education from 2007 through 2013, resigning before his term ended because he was dismayed at cuts to higher education.
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James W. Bryan
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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James Wesley Bryan was a U.S. Representative from Washington state.
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Sara Blackwell
- Years
- 20th Century
- Occupations
- attorney at law
- Biography
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Sara Blackwell is an American attorney and is the founder of Protect US Workers, a non-profit organization. Blackwell gained national media attention when she represented hundreds of United States citizens and permanent residents who were replaced by recipients of H-1B temporary work visas. In 2018, she represented New Orleans Saints cheerleader, Bailey Davis, who was fired for an Instagram post and allegedly attending a party where NFL players were present.
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Damond L. Williams
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Damond L. Williams is an American former professional basketball player, author, and sports executive. Standing 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m), he played primarily as a combo guard, alternating between the point guard and shooting guard positions. Williams played collegiate basketball in the United States before beginning an international professional career that included competition in the Middle East and Asia. During the 2009 season, he led his team to a 42–0 record in the Syrian Premier League and Syrian League Cup. That same year, he was named Best Shooting Guard at the 20th Dubai International Basketball Tournament. Following his playing career, Williams transitioned into sports business and education. He is the founder of the Chicago Basketball Academy, an organization focused on athlete development and sports business education. Williams is the author of The Basketball Economy (2026), a book examining the global business infrastructure of basketball, including revenue systems, international market expansion, athlete monetization models, and the role of technology and investment in the sport.
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Dick Harris
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Dick Harris is an American former professional football cornerback who played six seasons in the American Football League (AFL) with the Los Angeles / San Diego Chargers from 1960 to 1965. He was selected to the 1960 and 1961 AFL All-League teams. Harris had a total of 25 interceptions in the Chargers' first four seasons.
