100 Notable alumni of
University of Missouri - Columbia
Updated:
The University of Missouri - Columbia is 117th in the world, 52nd in North America, and 50th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 100 notable alumni from the University of Missouri - Columbia sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. 1 individual affiliated with the University of Missouri - Columbia won Nobel Prizes in Chemistry.
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Brad Pitt
- Occupations
- voice actormodeltelevision actordirectorfilm actor
- Biography
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William Bradley Pitt is an American actor and film producer. In a film career spanning more than thirty years, Pitt has received numerous accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, two Primetime Emmy Awards and one Volpi Cup. His films as a leading actor have grossed over $7.5 billion worldwide.
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Jon Hamm
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts in English
- Occupations
- voice actoractortelevision actordirectorwaiter
- Biography
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Jonathan Daniel Hamm is an American actor. He is best known for his role as Don Draper in the period drama series Mad Men (2007–2015), for which he won numerous accolades, including a Primetime Emmy Award and two Golden Globe Awards.
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Sheryl Crow
- Occupations
- composersinger-songwriterpianistactortelevision actor
- Biography
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Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American singer-songwriter, producer, actress, and guitarist. She is noted for her idealistic and optimistic subject matter, and incorporation of various genres into her rock-oriented sound, including blues, country, folk, and pop.
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Lindsey Vonn
- Occupations
- film directortelevision presenterwriterskieralpine skier
- Biography
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Lindsey Caroline Vonn is an American alpine ski racer. She won four World Cup overall championships with titles in 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2012. Vonn won the gold medal in downhill at the 2010 Winter Olympics, the first one for an American woman. She also won a record eight World Cup season titles in the downhill discipline (2008–2013, 2015, 2016), five titles in super-G (2009–2012, 2015), and three consecutive titles in the combined (2010–2012). In 2016, she won her 20th World Cup crystal globe title, the overall record for men or women, surpassing Ingemar Stenmark of Sweden, who won 19 globes from 1975 to 1984. She has the third highest super ranking of all skiers, men or women.
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Tyron Woodley
- Occupations
- collegiate wrestleractormixed martial arts fighter
- Biography
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Tyron Lakent Woodley is an American professional mixed martial artist and professional boxer. He is a former UFC Welterweight Champion who defended his title four times. A professional since 2009, Woodley also competed at Strikeforce and was an NCAA Division I collegiate wrestler for the Missouri Tigers, becoming a two-time All-American and Big 12 Conference champion.
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Kate Capshaw
- Occupations
- actortelevision actormodelfilm actorteacher
- Biography
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Kathleen Sue Spielberg, known professionally as Kate Capshaw, is an American retired actress, producer and painter. She is best known for her portrayal of Willie Scott in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), directed by her eventual husband, Steven Spielberg. Since then, she had starred in Dreamscape (1984), Power (1986), SpaceCamp (1986), Black Rain (1989), Love Affair (1994), Just Cause (1995), The Locusts (1997), and The Love Letter (1999). Her portraiture work has been shown in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery and the Pérez Art Museum Miami.
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Ben Askren
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- 2002-2007 studied geography
- Occupations
- authorsports commentatoramateur wrestlermixed martial arts fighter
- Biography
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Benjamin Michael Askren is an American former professional mixed martial artist, professional boxer and Olympic wrestler. He formerly competed in the Welterweight divisions of Bellator Fighting Championships and ONE FC, where he was the longest reigning Bellator Welterweight Champion and longest reigning ONE Welterweight World Champion. He also competed in the welterweight division of the UFC.
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Tim Kaine
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- In 1979 graduated with Bachelor of Arts in economics
- Occupations
- politicianuniversity teacherlawyerwritermissionary
- Biography
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Timothy Michael Kaine is an American lawyer and politician serving as the junior United States senator from Virginia since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 70th governor of Virginia from 2006 to 2010, and as the 38th lieutenant governor of Virginia from 2002 to 2006. Kaine was the Democratic nominee for Vice President of the United States in the 2016 election, as presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's running mate.
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Tennessee Williams
- Occupations
- screenwriternovelistwriterplaywrightpoet
- Biography
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Thomas Lanier Williams III, known by his pen name Tennessee Williams, was an American playwright and screenwriter. Along with contemporaries Eugene O'Neill and Arthur Miller, he is considered among the three foremost playwrights of 20th-century American drama.
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Tom Berenger
- Occupations
- actortelevision actorscreenwriterfilm actorflight attendant
- Biography
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Thomas Michael Moore, known professionally as Tom Berenger, is an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor and won a Golden Globe Award for his portrayal of the Staff Sergeant Bob Barnes in Platoon (1986). He is also known for playing Jake Taylor in the Major League films and Thomas Beckett in the Sniper films.
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Stan Kroenke
- Occupations
- entrepreneurdirector
- Biography
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Enos Stanley Kroenke is an American billionaire real estate magnate and sports team owner. He is the owner of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which is the holding company of Arsenal of the Premier League and Arsenal Women of the Women's Super League, the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL, Denver Nuggets of the NBA, Colorado Avalanche of the NHL, Colorado Rapids of MLS, and the Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League.
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Michael Chandler
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- 2004-2009 graduated with bachelor's degree in financial literacy
- Occupations
- mixed martial arts fighteramateur wrestler
- Biography
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Michael Chandler Jr. is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). Chandler previously competed for Bellator MMA from 2010 through 2020 where he became a three-time Bellator Lightweight Champion and won the Bellator Season Four Lightweight Tournament. As of February 3, 2026, he is #13 in the UFC lightweight rankings.
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George C. Scott
- Occupations
- actordirectorfilm actorstage actorfilm director
- Biography
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George Campbell Scott was an American actor. He had a celebrated career on both stage and screen. With a gruff demeanor and commanding presence, Scott became known for his portrayal of stern but complex authority figures.
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Chris Cooper
- Occupations
- film actoractortelevision actor
- Biography
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Christopher Walton Cooper is an American actor. Having made his debut as a stage actor, he made his breakthrough on television as Sheriff July Johnson in the acclaimed Western television miniseries Lonesome Dove (1989). He has appeared in several major Hollywood films including A Time to Kill (1996), October Sky (1999), American Beauty (1999), The Bourne Identity (2002), Seabiscuit (2003), Capote (2005), Syriana (2005), The Kingdom (2007), Where the Wild Things Are (2009), The Town (2010), The Muppets (2011), Live by Night (2016), Cars 3 (2017), A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood (2019), and Little Women (2019). He won both the Academy Award and Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor for Adaptation.
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Max Scherzer
- Occupations
- professional baseball player
- Biography
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Maxwell Martin Scherzer, nicknamed "Mad Max", is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers, New York Mets, Texas Rangers and Toronto Blue Jays. A right-handed starting pitcher, Scherzer is an eight-time MLB All-Star, has won three Cy Young Awards, has pitched two no-hitters, and is a two-time World Series champion, winning with the Nationals in 2019 and the Rangers in 2023. He is regarded as one of the best pitchers in baseball history.
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Sam Walton
- Occupations
- economistbusinesspersonentrepreneur
- Biography
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Samuel Moore Walton was an American business magnate best known for co-founding the retailers Walmart and Sam's Club, which he started in Rogers, Arkansas, and Midwest City, Oklahoma, in 1962 and 1983 respectively. Wal-Mart Stores Inc. grew to be the world's largest corporation by revenue as well as the biggest private employer in the world. For a period of time, Walton was the richest person in the United States. His family has remained the richest family in the U.S. for several consecutive years, with a net worth of around $440,62,billion US as of January 2026. In 1992 at the age of 74, Walton died of blood cancer and was buried at the Bentonville Cemetery in his longtime home of Bentonville, Arkansas.
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Robert Loggia
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- In 1951 studied journalism
- Occupations
- program hosttelevision directordirectoractor
- Biography
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Salvatore "Robert" Loggia was an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Jagged Edge (1985) and won the Saturn Award for Best Supporting Actor for Big (1988).
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Jordan Clarkson
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Jordan Taylor Clarkson is an American and Filipino professional basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for two seasons with the Tulsa Golden Hurricane before transferring to Missouri, where he earned second-team all-conference honors in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). After forgoing his senior year in college to enter the 2014 NBA draft, Clarkson was selected by the Washington Wizards in the second round with the 46th overall pick and was immediately traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. He was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Clarkson was traded to the Cavaliers in 2018. In December 2019 he was traded to the Jazz. On March 24, 2015, Clarkson along with Jeremy Lin, became the first Asian-American starting back court in NBA history. In 2021, Clarkson was named the NBA Sixth Man of the Year.
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Phyllis Smith
- Occupations
- casting directortelevision actorvoice actoractorfilm actor
- Biography
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Phyllis Smith is an American actress and casting director. She is best known for playing Phyllis Vance in the television series The Office and her voice role as Sadness in Pixar's animated franchise Inside Out.
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Michael Porter Jr
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Michael Lamar Porter Jr., also known as "MPJ", is an American professional basketball player for the Brooklyn Nets of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Missouri Tigers. Porter was ranked as one of the top prospects in the class of 2017. He was selected 14th overall by the Denver Nuggets in the 2018 NBA draft, winning his first NBA championship with them in 2023. After six seasons with Denver, Porter was traded to the Nets in 2025.
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David Koechner
- Occupations
- comediantelevision actorscreenwriterfilm actorvoice actor
- Biography
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David Michael Koechner is an American actor and comedian. His prominent roles include Champ Kind in the Anchorman film series (2004–2013) and Todd Packer in The Office (2005–2013).
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Kenneth Lay
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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Kenneth Lee Lay was an American businessman and political donor who was the founder, chief executive officer and chairman of Enron. He was heavily involved in Enron's accounting scandal that unraveled in 2001 into the largest bankruptcy ever to that date. Lay was indicted by a grand jury and was found guilty of 10 counts of securities fraud at trial. Lay died in July 2006 while vacationing in his house near Aspen, Colorado, three months before his scheduled sentencing. A preliminary autopsy reported Lay died of a heart attack caused by coronary artery disease. His death resulted in a vacated judgment. Conspiracy theories regarding Lay's death surfaced, alleging that it was faked.
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Michael Sam
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Michael Alan Sam Jr. is an American former professional football defensive lineman who is a coach for the Panthers Wrocław in the European League of Football (ELF). Sam played college football for the Missouri Tigers and was selected by the St. Louis Rams of the National Football League (NFL) in the seventh round of the 2014 NFL draft. He played one game for the Montreal Alouettes in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
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Richard Matheson
- Occupations
- writerscience fiction writernovelistscreenwriter
- Biography
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Richard Burton Matheson was an American author and screenwriter, who worked primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres.
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Claire McCaskill
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- In 1975 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- In 1978 graduated with Juris Doctor
- Occupations
- prosecutorlawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Claire Conner McCaskill is an American politician and attorney who served as a United States senator from Missouri from 2007 to 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as state auditor of Missouri from 1999 to 2007. As of 2025, McCaskill is the last Democrat to have represented Missouri in the U.S. Senate.
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Kathleen Zellner
- Occupations
- lawyer
- Biography
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Kathleen Zellner is an American attorney who has worked extensively in wrongful conviction advocacy. Notable clients Zellner has represented include Steven Avery, Kevin Fox (who was falsely accused of murdering his daughter), Ryan W. Ferguson, Larry Eyler, and 19 exonerees who are listed in the National Registry of Exonerations.
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Elizabeth Vargas
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
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Elizabeth Anne Vargas is an American television journalist who is the lead investigative reporter/documentary anchor for A&E Networks, and was the host for Fox's revival of America's Most Wanted (2021). She began her new position on May 28, 2018, after being an anchor of ABC's television newsmagazine 20/20 and ABC News specials for the previous 14 years. She is also a news anchor for NewsNation, where she hosts Elizabeth Vargas Reports, currently based in New York City.
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Jeffery Deaver
- Occupations
- screenwriternovelistlawyerwriterjournalist
- Biography
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Jeffery Deaver is an American mystery and crime writer. He has a bachelor of journalism degree from the University of Missouri and a J.D. degree from Fordham University and originally started working as a journalist. He later practiced law before embarking on a career as a novelist. He has been awarded the Steel Dagger and Short Story Dagger from the British Crime Writers' Association and the Nero Award from The Wolfe Pack. He is also a three-time recipient of the Ellery Queen Reader's Award for Best Short Story of the Year and a winner of the British Thumping Good Read Award. His novels have appeared on bestseller lists around the world, including The New York Times, The Times, Italy's Corriere della Sera, The Sydney Morning Herald, and the Los Angeles Times.
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James Rollins
- Occupations
- novelistveterinarianchildren's writerscience fiction writerjournalist
- Biography
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James Paul Czajkowski, better known by his pen name of James Rollins, is an American veterinarian and writer of action-adventure/thriller, mystery, and techno-thriller novels who gave up his veterinary practice in Sacramento, California to be a full-time author. Rollins' experiences and expertise as an amateur spelunker and a certified scuba diver have provided content for some of his novels, which are often set in underground or underwater locations. Under the pen name James Clemens, he has also published fantasy novels, such as Wit'ch Fire, Wit'ch Storm, Wit'ch War, Wit'ch Gate, Wit'ch Star, Shadowfall (2005), and Hinterland (2006).
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Lee Strobel
- Occupations
- writerjournalisttelevision presenterapologist
- Biography
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Lee Patrick Strobel is an American Christian author and a former investigative journalist. He has written several books, including four that received ECPA Christian Book Awards (1994, 1999, 2001, 2005) and a series which addresses challenges to the veracity of Christianity. He also hosted a television program called Faith Under Fire on PAX TV and runs a video apologetics web site.
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Hayley McFarland
- Occupations
- singerdancertelevision actoractorfilm actor
- Biography
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Hayley McFarland is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Emily Lightman in the Fox crime drama series Lie to Me. In the supernatural horror film The Conjuring, McFarland portrayed Nancy Perron.
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Barbara McClintock
- Occupations
- cytogeneticist
- Biography
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Barbara McClintock was an American scientist and cytogeneticist who was awarded the 1983 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. McClintock received her PhD in botany from Cornell University in 1927. There she started her career as the leader of the development of maize cytogenetics, the focus of her research for the rest of her life. From the late 1920s, McClintock studied chromosomes and how they change during reproduction in maize. She developed the technique for visualizing maize chromosomes and used microscopic analysis to demonstrate many fundamental genetic ideas. One of those ideas was the notion of genetic recombination by crossing-over during meiosis—a mechanism by which chromosomes exchange information. She is often erroneously credited with producing the first genetic map for maize, linking regions of the chromosome to physical traits. She demonstrated the role of the telomere and centromere, regions of the chromosome that are important in the conservation of genetic information. She was recognized as among the best in the field, awarded prestigious fellowships, and elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 1944.
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Evan Bourne
- Occupations
- professional wrestler
- Biography
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Matthew Joseph Korklan, better known by the ring name Matt Sydal, is an American professional wrestler. He is signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW). He is also known for his tenure with WWE from 2008 to 2014 under the ring name Evan Bourne.
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Carl Edwards
- Occupations
- racing automobile driver
- Biography
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Carl Michael Edwards Jr. is an American former professional stock car racing driver and a current analyst for NASCAR on Prime Video.
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Ian Kinsler
- Occupations
- baseball managerbaseball player
- Biography
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Ian Michael Kinsler is an American-Israeli former professional baseball second baseman. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for 14 seasons for the Texas Rangers, Detroit Tigers, Los Angeles Angels, Boston Red Sox, and San Diego Padres. Kinsler was a four-time All Star, two-time Gold Glove winner, and a member of the 2018 World Series champion Boston Red Sox.
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Duke Cunningham
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- In 1964 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- In 1965 graduated with Master of Arts
- Occupations
- teachermilitary officeruniversity teacherpolitician
- Biography
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Randall Harold "Duke" Cunningham was an American politician, Vietnam War veteran and fighter ace. A member of the Republican Party, Cunningham represented three California districts in the United States House of Representatives from 1991 to 2005, and later served prison time for accepting bribes from defense contractors.
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Bill Snyder
- Occupations
- head coachAmerican football player
- Biography
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William D. Snyder is an American retired college football coach and former player. He served as the head football coach at Kansas State University from 1989 to 2005 and again from 2009 to 2018. Snyder initially retired from the position from 2006 to 2008 before being rehired. Snyder retired for the second time on December 2, 2018, and is serving as a special ambassador for the athletics department.
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DeMarre Carroll
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
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DeMarre LaEdrick Carroll is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was selected as the 27th overall pick by the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2009 NBA draft. Carroll played in the NBA for 11 seasons with the Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz, Atlanta Hawks, Toronto Raptors, Brooklyn Nets and San Antonio Spurs. He played college basketball for the Vanderbilt Commodores and Missouri Tigers.
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James Lee Burke
- Occupations
- novelistwriterjournalist
- Biography
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James Lee Burke is an American author, best known for his Dave Robicheaux series. He has won Edgar Awards for his novels Black Cherry Blues (1990), Cimarron Rose (1998), and Flags on the Bayou (2024). He has also been presented with the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. The Robicheaux character has been portrayed twice on screen, first by Alec Baldwin (Heaven's Prisoners) and then Tommy Lee Jones (In the Electric Mist). His 1986 novel The Lost Get-back Boogie was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize.
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David Freese
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
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David Richard Freese is an American former professional baseball third baseman. He began his Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the St. Louis Cardinals in 2009, where, two seasons later, he was a key player during the 2011 postseason, batting.545 with 12 hits in the 2011 National League Championship Series (NLCS). At the time, he also set an MLB postseason record of 21 runs batted in (RBIs), which earned him the NLCS MVP Award and World Series MVP Award. In addition, Freese won the Babe Ruth Award, naming him the MVP of the 2011 MLB postseason. He also played for the Los Angeles Angels, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Los Angeles Dodgers.
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Martin Heinrich
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- 1989-1995 graduated with Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering
- Occupations
- business executiveengineerpolitician
- Biography
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Martin Trevor Heinrich is an American politician serving as the senior United States senator from New Mexico, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, Heinrich served as the U.S. representative from New Mexico's 1st congressional district from 2009 to 2013. He and fellow senator Ben Ray Luján are the co-deans of New Mexico's congressional delegation.
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Thomas Eagleton
- Occupations
- military officerlawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Thomas Francis Eagleton was an American lawyer who served as a United States senator from Missouri from 1968 to 1987. He was briefly the Democratic vice presidential nominee under George McGovern in 1972. He suffered from bouts of depression throughout his life, resulting in several hospitalizations, which were kept secret from the public. When they were revealed, the McGovern campaign was humiliated, and Eagleton was forced to quit the race. He later became adjunct professor of public affairs at Washington University in St. Louis.
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Jeremy Maclin
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Jeremy Maclin is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons. He played college football for the Missouri Tigers, twice earning consensus All-American honors. Maclin was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 2009 NFL draft and earned a Pro Bowl selection in 2014. He also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens.
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Gene Snitsky
- Occupations
- professional wrestlerAmerican football player
- Biography
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Eugene Alan Snisky is an American professional wrestler and actor, better known by his ring name Gene Snitsky, who is best known for his time with World Wrestling Entertainment. He played college football at the University of Missouri.
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Dorial Green-Beckham
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Dorial Isaiah Green-Beckham is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the 2015 NFL draft and played college football for the Missouri Tigers until he was dismissed from the team in 2014.
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Cleo King
- Occupations
- film actoractortelevision actor
- Biography
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Cleo King is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on television, particularly Mike & Molly (2010–2016).
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Melanie Paxson
- Occupations
- television actorstage actoractorfilm actor
- Biography
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Melanie Paxson is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Jaclyn in Cupid, Sara Brennan in Happy Family, and Julie in Notes from the Underbelly. She also played Fairy Godmother in the Descendants film series, being the only cast member present in all five installments. Paxson also appeared in a number of Gladware television commercials in the early 2000s.
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David McClelland
- Occupations
- university teacherpsychologistsociologist
- Biography
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David Clarence McClelland was an American psychologist, noted for his work on motivation need theory. He published a number of works between the 1950s and the 1990s and developed new scoring systems for the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and its descendants. McClelland is credited with developing Achievement Motivation Theory, commonly referred to as "need for achievement" or n-achievement theory. A Review of General Psychology survey published in 2002, ranked McClelland as the 15th most cited psychologist of the 20th century.
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Barry Odom
- Occupations
- defensive coordinatorAmerican football playerAmerican football coach
- Biography
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Barry Stephen Odom is an American college football coach and former linebacker who is the head football coach at Purdue University. He previously served as the head coach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas from 2023 to 2024, and the University of Missouri from 2016 to 2019. Odom played college football at Missouri from 1996 to 1999 and became a coach there in 2005.
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Andrew Cherng
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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Andrew Cherng is a Chinese-born Taiwanese-American billionaire restaurateur. He is the founder and chairman of Panda Restaurant Group, based in Rosemead, California. He is the co-founder and co-chief executive officer (co-CEO) of Panda Express. The Cherngs invest out of their family office, the Cherng Family Trust. As of February 2025, Forbes estimates his net worth to be US$4 billion, making him one of the wealthiest individuals in the world.
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Loïk Le Floch-Prigent
- Occupations
- essayistengineerbusinessperson
- Biography
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Loïk Gérard Henri Marie Joseph Le Floch-Prigent was a French engineer and businessman. He was CEO of Elf Aquitaine between July 1989 and 1993, then president of SNCF from December 1995 to July 1996, when he was indicted in connection with the Elf affair. He is particularly known in the "Françafrique" circles.
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Jim Lehrer
- Occupations
- journalist
- Biography
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James Charles Lehrer was an American journalist, novelist, screenwriter, and playwright. He was the executive editor and a news anchor for the PBS News Hour on PBS and was known for his role as a debate moderator during U.S. presidential election campaigns, moderating 12 presidential debates between 1988 and 2012. Lehrer also wrote numerous fiction and non-fiction books that drew upon his experience as a newsman, along with his interests in history and politics.
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J'den Cox
- Occupations
- amateur wrestler
- Biography
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J'den Michael Tbory Cox is an American retired freestyle wrestler and folkstyle wrestler who competed at 92 kilograms. In freestyle, Cox was a two-time World Champion (bronze medalist in 2021) at 92 kilos, and while competing at 86 kilos, he claimed a bronze medal from the 2016 Summer Olympics and a 2017 World Championship bronze medal. During college, Cox wrestled for the Missouri Tigers, and was a three-time NCAA Division I national champion and four-time Mid-American Conference champion, becoming one of the most accomplished Tigers in the program's history.
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Edgar Snow
- Occupations
- journalistwriter
- Biography
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Edgar Parks Snow was an American journalist known for his books and articles on communism in China and the Chinese Communist Revolution. He was the first Western journalist to give an account of the history of the Chinese Communist Party following the Long March, and he was also the first Western journalist to interview many of its leaders, including Mao Zedong. He is best known for his book Red Star Over China (1937), an account of the Chinese Communist movement from its foundation until the late 1930s.
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Nischelle Turner
- Born in
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United States - Occupations
- news presenter
- Biography
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Nischelle Turner is the co-host of Entertainment Tonight (2014–present) alongside Kevin Frazier. Previously, she was former entertainment correspondent for HLN's Showbiz Tonight and CNN and an entertainment correspondent for KNBC in Los Angeles. She is a native of Columbia, Missouri.
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Major Garrett
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- Graduated with Bachelor of Journalism
- Occupations
- journalistcorrespondent
- Biography
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Major Elliott Garrett is an American journalist who is chief Washington correspondent for CBS News and the host of The Takeout on CBS News 24/7. He was previously a correspondent for National Journal. Prior to joining National Journal, he was the senior White House correspondent for Fox News. He covered the 2004 presidential election, the war on terror, and the 2008 presidential election, and he is also a fill-in and substitute anchor for the CBS Evening News, and Face the Nation.
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Margaret Weis
- Occupations
- writerscience fiction writernovelistrole-playing game designer
- Biography
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Margaret Edith Weis is an American fantasy and science fiction author of dozens of novels and short stories. At TSR, Inc., she teamed with Tracy Hickman to create the Dragonlance role-playing game (RPG) world. She is founding CEO and owner of Sovereign Press, Inc and Margaret Weis Productions, licensing several popular television and movie franchises to make RPG series in addition to their own.
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Skip Caray
- Occupations
- sports commentator
- Biography
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Harry Christopher "Skip" Caray Jr. was an American sportscaster, best known for his long career as a radio and television play-by-play announcer for the Atlanta Braves of Major League Baseball. He was the son of baseball announcer Harry Caray, and the father of St. Louis Cardinals play-by-play announcer and former fellow Braves broadcaster Chip Caray; another son, Josh Caray, is the play-by-play announcer for the minor league Rocket City Trash Pandas.
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Tim Hawkins
- Years
- 1968-.. (age 58)
- Occupations
- comedianbaseball playersinger-songwriter
- Biography
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Timothy Aaron Hawkins is an American comedian, songwriter, and musician. His parodies and other comedy clips have gained hundreds of millions of views on YouTube and he tours the United States performing over 100 live concerts per year.
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Linas Kleiza
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Linas Kleiza is a Lithuanian professional basketball executive and former player. Standing at 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m), he played at the small forward and power forward positions. In 2010, he was the Alphonso Ford EuroLeague Top Scorer Trophy winner and a member of the All-EuroLeague First Team.
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Jay Nixon
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 55th governor of Missouri from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 40th Missouri Attorney General from 1993 to 2009 and as a Missouri state senator from 1987 to 1993.
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Larry Drew
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
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Larry Donnell Drew is an American professional basketball coach and former player who serves as assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA).
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Billy Long
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- Studied in 1973-1976
- Occupations
- business executiveauctioneerpunditpolitician
- Biography
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William Hollis Long II is an American politician and auctioneer who served as the 51st commissioner of internal revenue from June to August 2025. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the U.S. representative for Missouri's 7th congressional district from 2011 to 2023.
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Tom Kennedy
- Occupations
- game show hostactortelevision presenter
- Biography
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James Edward Narz, known professionally as Tom Kennedy, was an American television host best known for his work in game shows. Game shows Kennedy hosted included Password Plus, Split Second, Name That Tune, and You Don't Say!
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William F. Baker
- Occupations
- civil engineerarchitectengineer
- Biography
-
William Frazier Baker is an American structural engineer known for engineering the Burj Khalifa, the world's tallest building/man-made structure and a number of other well known buildings. He is currently a structural engineering partner in the Chicago office of Skidmore, Owings & Merrill, LLP (SOM).
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Neal E. Boyd
- Occupations
- opera singer
- Biography
-
Neal Evans Boyd was an American singer who developed an interest in opera after listening to the performances of the Three Tenors. Despite being raised in conditions of poverty within the U.S. state of Missouri, he achieved a degree in music and eventually entered the third season of America's Got Talent, winning that year's competition. In addition to music, he also became involved in politics and conducted performances at many state-wide events across Missouri.
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Harlow Shapley
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- Studied in 1907-1911
- Occupations
- university teachermeteorologistastronomer
- Biography
-
Harlow Shapley was an American astronomer, who served as head of the Harvard College Observatory from 1921–1952, and political activist during the latter New Deal and Fair Deal.
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Nick Bolton
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
-
Nicholas Bolton is an American professional football linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Missouri Tigers, and was selected by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2021 NFL draft. Bolton has won two Super Bowl titles, LVII and LVIII, having been a starter in the 2022 and 2023 Chiefs teams. He also scored a defensive touchdown from a fumble recovery in the first win.
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Travis Ford
- Occupations
- actorbasketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
-
Travis Ford is an American former college basketball coach. He was head coach at Saint Louis University, Oklahoma State, Massachusetts, Eastern Kentucky and Campbellsville University. Prior to that, he played at the University of Missouri and the University of Kentucky.
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Ann Wagner
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- In 1984 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- diplomatbusinesspersonpolitician
- Biography
-
Ann Louise Wagner is an American politician and former diplomat serving as the U.S. representative for Missouri's 2nd congressional district since 2013. A member of the Republican Party, she was the United States ambassador to Luxembourg from 2005 to 2009.
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Beatriz Sheridan
- Occupations
- stage actorfilm directortelevision actoractorfilm actor
- Biography
-
Elizabeth Ann Sheridan Scarbrough, better known as Beatriz Sheridan, was a Mexican actress and director. A pioneer of the Mexican telenovelas and prominent figure of the Mexican theater of the 20th century, she was also a teacher of dramatic technique for television.
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Mort Walker
- Occupations
- comics artistcartoonistcomics writer
- Biography
-
Addison Morton Walker was an American comic strip writer, best known for creating the newspaper comic strips Beetle Bailey in 1950 and Hi and Lois in 1954. He signed Addison to some of his strips.
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Ricardo Ratliffe
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
-
Ricardo Preston Ratliffe, later known as Ra Gun-ah, is an American-born South Korean professional basketball player for the Daegu KOGAS Pegasus of the Korean Basketball League (KBL). He played collegiately at the University of Missouri and was naturalized in January 2018.
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Reginald Ballard
- Occupations
- actortelevision actor
- Biography
-
Reginald Ballard is an American character actor and comedian from Galveston, Texas, who is best known for his recurring roles as Brother Man in the sitcom Martin and W.B. on The Bernie Mac Show, which both aired on Fox. After graduation from Ball High School, where he was an all district linebacker, Ballard earned a full football scholarship to Southern Methodist University, where he was also a theatre major. Just before his senior year, Ballard transferred to the University of Missouri, where he continued to play football, while continuing to act, appearing in a university production of A Soldier's Story in the role of C.J. Memphis.
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Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann
- Occupations
- university teacherwriterjournalistpolitical scientistsociologist
- Biography
-
Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann was a German political scientist. Her most famous contribution is the model of the spiral of silence, detailed in The Spiral of Silence: Public Opinion – Our Social Skin. The model is an explanation of how perceived public opinion can influence individual opinions or actions.
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John Anderson
- Occupations
- news presenter
- Biography
-
John Anderson is an American sports commentator who served as host of the ESPN TV program SportsCenter from June 1999 until his retirement in June 2024.
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Kony Ealy
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
-
Kony Montoy Ealy is an American professional football defensive end. He played college football for the Missouri Tigers and was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft.
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David Limbaugh
- Occupations
- journalistlawyer
- Biography
-
David Scott Limbaugh is a conservative American political commentator and author who has also worked as a professor and as a lawyer. He is the younger brother of talk radio host Rush Limbaugh.
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Kim English
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
-
Kim David English Jr. is an American men's college basketball coach and former player who is the head coach of the Providence Friars. He was previously he was the head coach of the George Mason Patriots. English played for the University of Missouri before a three-year professional career.
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Vicky Hartzler
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- In 1983 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- Occupations
- business executiveteacherfarmerpolitician
- Biography
-
Vicky Jo Hartzler is an American politician and businesswoman who served as the U.S. representative for Missouri's 4th congressional district from 2011 to 2023. A member of the Republican Party, she served as the Missouri state representative for the 124th district from 1995 to 2001.
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Kelly Bryant
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
-
Kelly Bryant is an American former professional football quarterback. He played college football for the Missouri Tigers after previously playing for the Clemson Tigers.
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William Manchester
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- In 1947 graduated with Master of Arts
- Occupations
- biographerwriterhistorianprofessorauthor
- Biography
-
William Raymond Manchester was an American author, biographer, and historian. He was the author of 18 books which have been translated into over 20 languages. He was awarded the National Humanities Medal and the Abraham Lincoln Literary Award.
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Michael Wallis
- Occupations
- historianvoice actorjournalistwriter
- Biography
-
Michael Wallis is an American journalist, popular historian, author and speaker. He has written seventeen books, including Route 66: The Mother Road, about the historic highway U.S. Route 66. His work has also been published extensively in magazines and newspapers, including Time, Life, People, Smithsonian, The New Yorker, and The New York Times. Wallis is also the voice of Sheriff in the Disney/Pixar franchise Cars.
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Kareem Rush
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
-
Kareem Lamar Rush is an American former professional basketball player, who played for five National Basketball Association (NBA) franchises between 2002 and 2010, as well as other leagues in the U.S. and abroad. Rush's younger brother, Brandon, last played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, while older brother JaRon played college basketball for UCLA.
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Kent Conrad
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- Studied in 1967
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Gaylord Kent Conrad is a former American politician who was a United States senator from North Dakota. He is a member of the Democratic Party. First elected to the Senate in 1986, he served as chairman or ranking member of the Senate Budget Committee for 12 years.
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Peggy Cherng
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
-
Peggy Tsiang Cherng is an American billionaire businesswoman and computer scientist who co-founded Panda Express in 1983 and is the co-chief executive officer of Panda Restaurant Group. With an estimated net worth of US$3.7 billion as of October 2024, Forbes reported that she is America's second richest self-made woman born outside the US and one of the 400 wealthiest individuals in the world. The Cherngs invest their wealth out of their family office, the Cherng Family Trust.
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Ed Sanders
- Occupations
- poetwriteractivistsongwriterpublisher
- Biography
-
Edward Sanders is an American poet, singer, activist, author, publisher and longtime member of the rock band the Fugs. He has been called a bridge between the Beat and hippie generations. Sanders is considered to have been active and "present at the counterculture's creation."
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Keyon Dooling
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
-
Keyon Latwae Dooling is an American former basketball player and coach who played 13 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA).
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Nicole Galloway
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Nicole Marie Galloway is an American politician and accountant who served as the state auditor of Missouri from 2015 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she was the party's nominee for Governor of Missouri in the 2020 election, losing to incumbent Republican Mike Parson. As of 2025, Galloway is the most recent Democrat to have won or held statewide office in Missouri.
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Phil Pressey
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
-
Phillip Michael Pressey is an American professional basketball coach and former player who played at the point guard position. He is currently the head coach for the Maine Celtics of the NBA G League.
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Justin Britt
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
-
Justin Britt is an American former professional football player who was a center in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Missouri Tigers. He was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2014 NFL draft, and also played in the NFL for the Houston Texans.
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Al Lowe
- Years
- 1946-.. (age 80)
- Occupations
- casting directorcomposervideo game developeractorengineer
- Biography
-
Albert William Lowe is an American video game designer who developed several adventure games, mostly for Sierra On-Line. He created the Leisure Suit Larry series. He has also worked as a casting director, voice director, writer, director, producer, background photographer, actor and executive producer.
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Brent Huff
- Occupations
- screenwriterfilm directormodelvoice actoractor
- Biography
-
Brent Huff is an American actor, writer and film director. Huff is best known for his recurring role of Quigley Smitty in the ABC dramas The Rookie and The Rookie: Feds. He has also had recurring roles in Shameless, Pensacola: Wings of Gold and Black Scorpion. Some of Huff's other television appearances include Mad Men, The West Wing, NCIS, Jag, and Cold Case.
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Jonathan Murray
- Occupations
- television producer
- Biography
-
Jonathan Murray is an American television producer and co-creator of MTV's The Real World, Road Rules and The Challenge, and the Oxygen Network's Bad Girls Club.
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Jayce Tingler
- Occupations
- baseball player
- Biography
-
Jayce Michael Tingler is an American professional baseball coach and manager. He is the bench coach for the San Francisco Giants of Major League Baseball (MLB). He previously served as manager of MLB's San Diego Padres from 2020 to 2021. He previously served as the major league player development field coordinator and assistant general manager for the Texas Rangers. He was also the bench coach for the Minnesota Twins. He played college baseball for the Missouri Tigers.
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Jason T. Smith
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- In 2001 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- Occupations
- farmerlawyerpolitician
- Biography
-
Jason Thomas Smith is an American businessman and politician who has been the U.S. representative for Missouri's 8th congressional district since 2013. The district comprises 30 counties, covering just under 20,000 square miles of southeastern and southern Missouri.
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Johnathan Williams
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- Studied in 2013-2015
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
-
Johnathan Lee Williams III is an American professional basketball player for the London Lions of the Super League Basketball (SLB). He played college basketball for the Gonzaga Bulldogs. He spent two seasons with the University of Missouri Tigers men's basketball team before deciding to transfer before the 2015–16 season.
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Jackson Scholz
- Occupations
- athletics competitorsprinter
- Biography
-
Jackson Volney Scholz was an American sprint runner. In the 1920s, he became the first person to appear in an Olympic sprint final in three different Olympic Games. After his athletic career, he also gained fame as a writer.
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Jim Johnson
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
-
Jim Johnson was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). He was a defensive coordinator for nine seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles. Widely regarded as one of the best defensive coordinators in NFL history, he was especially known for being a master architect of blitzes, disguising them skillfully and keeping offenses off balance.
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Sam Graves
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- In 1986 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Samuel Bruce Graves Jr. is an American politician best known for serving in the U.S. House of Representatives for Missouri's 6th congressional district, with him being the dean of Missouri's congressional delegation upon the retirement of Senator Roy Blunt in 2023, and having held office since 2001. The aforementioned district stretches across most of the northern third of the state, with it including territory from the Kansas border to the Illinois border. The bulk of its population lives in the northern part of the Kansas City metropolitan area.
