100 Notable alumni of
University of Missouri - Columbia
Updated:
The University of Missouri - Columbia is 117th in the world, 53rd in North America, and 51st 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 actormodelexecutive producertelevision producerfilm director
- Biography
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William Bradley Pitt is an American actor and film producer. He is the recipient of various accolades, including two Academy Awards, two British Academy Film Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award. As a public figure, Pitt has been cited as one of the most powerful and influential people in the American entertainment industry. Pitt first gained recognition as a cowboy hitchhiker in the Ridley Scott road film Thelma & Louise (1991). His first leading roles in big-budget productions came with the drama films A River Runs Through It (1992) and Legends of the Fall (1994). He also starred in the horror film Interview with the Vampire (1994), alongside Tom Cruise. He gave critically acclaimed performances in David Fincher's crime thriller Seven (1995) and the science fiction film 12 Monkeys (1995). The latter earned him a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actor and his first Academy Award nomination.
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Jon Hamm
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- Graduated with Bachelor of Arts in English
- Occupations
- waiterdirectortelevision actoractorvoice actor
- 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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Tyron Woodley
- Occupations
- collegiate wrestleractor
- Biography
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Tyron Lakent Woodley is an American former mixed martial artist. 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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Lindsey Vonn
- Occupations
- skierwriteralpine skiertelevision presenter
- Biography
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Lindsey Caroline Vonn is an American former World Cup alpine ski racer on the US Ski Team. She won four World Cup overall championships—third amongst female skiers to Annemarie Moser-Pröll and Mikaela Shiffrin—with three consecutive titles in 2008, 2009, and 2010, plus another in 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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Sheryl Crow
- Occupations
- guitaristtelevision actoractorpianistsinger-songwriter
- Biography
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Sheryl Suzanne Crow is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations, and three live albums, and contributed to several film soundtracks. Her most popular songs include "All I Wanna Do" (1994), "Strong Enough" (1994), "If It Makes You Happy" (1996), "Everyday Is a Winding Road" (1996), "My Favorite Mistake" (1998), "Picture" (2002, duet with Kid Rock), and "Soak Up the Sun" (2002).
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Kate Capshaw
- Occupations
- film actormodeltelevision actoractorfilm producer
- Biography
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Kathleen Sue Spielberg, known professionally as Kate Capshaw, is a retired American actress and painter. She is best known for her portrayal of Willie Scott, an American nightclub singer and performer in Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), directed by her eventual husband Steven Spielberg. Since then, she starred in Dreamscape (1984), Power (1986), SpaceCamp (1986), Black Rain (1989), Love Affair (1994), Just Cause (1995), and The Love Letter (1999). Her portraiture work has been shown in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery.
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Ben Askren
- Occupations
- mixed martial arts fighter
- Biography
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Ben Askren is an American former professional mixed martial artist and former Olympic wrestler.
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Tennessee Williams
- Occupations
- writernovelistscreenwriterpoetplaywright
- 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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Tim Kaine
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- In 1979 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- lawyeruniversity teacherpoliticianmissionaryinternational forum participant
- 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 Hillary Clinton's running mate.
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Tom Berenger
- Occupations
- film actorscreenwritertelevision actoractorfilm producer
- Biography
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Tom Berenger is an American actor. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor 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. Other films he appeared in include Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), The Dogs of War (1980), The Big Chill (1983), Eddie and the Cruisers (1983), Someone to Watch Over Me (1987), Betrayed (1988), The Field (1990), Sniper (1992), Gettysburg (1993), The Substitute (1996), Training Day (2001), and Inception (2010).
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Stan Kroenke
- Occupations
- directorentrepreneur
- Biography
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Enos Stanley Kroenke is an American billionaire businessman. He is the owner of Kroenke Sports & Entertainment, which is the holding company of Arsenal F.C. of the Premier League and Arsenal W.F.C. of the WSL, the Los Angeles Rams of the NFL, Denver Nuggets of the NBA, Colorado Avalanche of the NHL, Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer, Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League, the Los Angeles Gladiators of the Overwatch League, and the Los Angeles Guerrillas of the Call of Duty League.
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Chris Cooper
- Occupations
- actorfilm actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Christopher Walton Cooper is an American actor. 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 also portrayed Sheriff July Johnson in the acclaimed miniseries Lonesome Dove (1989), which became one of the most successful Westerns in history.
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George C. Scott
- Occupations
- film actordirectoractorfilm producerfilm director
- Biography
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George Campbell Scott was an American actor, director, and producer who 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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Michael Chandler
- Occupations
- mixed martial arts fighter
- Biography
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Michael Chandler is an American professional mixed martial artist. He currently competes in the Lightweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC). A professional competitor since 2009, Chandler first gained notoriety while competing for Bellator MMA, an organization he competed in from 2010 through 2020. There, Chandler became a three-time Bellator Lightweight Champion and was the winner of the Bellator Season Four Lightweight Tournament. As of July 17, 2023, he is #5 in the UFC lightweight rankings.
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Sam Walton
- Occupations
- entrepreneurbusinesspersoneconomist
- Biography
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Samuel Moore Walton was an American business magnate best known for 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 US$240.6 billion as of January 2022. In 1992 at the age of 74, Walton died of blood cancer and was laid to rest at the Bentonville Cemetery in his longtime home of Bentonville, Arkansas.
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Max Scherzer
- Occupations
- professional baseball player
- Biography
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Maxwell Martin Scherzer is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Texas Rangers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the Arizona Diamondbacks, Detroit Tigers, Washington Nationals, Los Angeles Dodgers, and New York Mets. 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 won the World Series with the Nationals in 2019, and the Texas Rangers in 2023. Known for his intensity and competitiveness on the field, he is nicknamed "Mad Max" after the film series of the same name.
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Robert Loggia
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- In 1951 studied journalism
- Occupations
- television directorprogram hostactordirector
- 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 a Filipino-American professional basketball player for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for two seasons with Tulsa 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
- television actordancerfilm actoractorvoice actor
- Biography
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Phyllis Smith is an American actress, comedian and casting associate. She is best known for playing Phyllis Vance in the television series The Office and her critically acclaimed voice role as Sadness in the film Inside Out. She also starred as Betty Broderick-Allen on the critically acclaimed Netflix series The OA.
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David Koechner
- Occupations
- comedianfilm actormusicianscreenwritervoice actor
- Biography
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David Michael Koechner is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing roles such as Champ Kind in the Anchorman films and Todd Packer on The Office series.
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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 Denver Nuggets 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 Nuggets in the 2018 NBA draft, winning his first NBA championship with them in 2023.
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Michael Sam
- Occupations
- player of American football
- Biography
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Michael Alan Sam Jr. is an American former professional football defensive lineman who is a coach for the Barcelona Dragons 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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Kenneth Lay
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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Kenneth Lee Lay was an American businessman 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.
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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
- lawyerinternational forum participantprosecutorpolitician
- Biography
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Claire Conner McCaskill is an American former politician who served as a United States senator from Missouri from 2007 to 2019 and as State Auditor of Missouri from 1999 to 2007.
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Richard Matheson
- Occupations
- novelistscience fiction writerwriterscreenwriter
- Biography
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Richard Burton Matheson was an American author and screenwriter, primarily in the fantasy, horror, and science fiction genres.
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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
- international forum participantjournalist
- 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 the host for Fox's revival of America's Most Wanted. 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
- writerlawyernovelistscreenwriterjournalist
- 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 Wolfe Award, and he is 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
- science fiction writerchildren's writerveterinariannovelistwriter
- 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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Hayley McFarland
- Occupations
- television actordancersingerfilm actoractor
- 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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Evan Bourne
- Occupations
- professional wrestler
- Biography
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Matthew Joseph Korklan, better known by the ring name Matt Sydal, and for his time in WWE (2008–2014) under the ring name Evan Bourne, is an American professional wrestler currently signed to All Elite Wrestling (AEW).
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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 produced 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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Lee Strobel
- Occupations
- journalistwriterapologisttelevision presenter
- 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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Carl Edwards
- Occupations
- racing automobile driver
- Biography
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Carl Michael Edwards Jr. is an American former professional stock car racing driver. He last competed in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series, driving the No. 19 Toyota Camry for Joe Gibbs Racing. Prior to that, he drove the No. 99 Ford Fusion for Roush Fenway Racing. He won the 2007 NASCAR Busch Series championship and nearly won the 2011 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series title, but lost by a tiebreaker to Tony Stewart. Edwards is known for doing a backflip off his car to celebrate his victories. In 2023, he was named one of NASCAR's 75 Greatest Drivers.
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DeMarre Carroll
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
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DeMarre LaEdrick Carroll is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Lakers 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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Bill Snyder
- Occupations
- player of American footballhead coach
- Biography
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William D. Snyder is a 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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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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Duke Cunningham
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- In 1964 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- In 1965 graduated with Master of Arts
- Occupations
- politicianuniversity teachermilitary officerteacher
- Biography
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Randall Harold "Duke" Cunningham is an American former politician, decorated Vietnam War veteran and fighter ace. Cunningham served as a Republican member of the U.S. House of Representatives from California's 50th district from 1991 to 2005, and later served prison time for accepting bribes from defense contractors.
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Jeremy Maclin
- Occupations
- player of American football
- Biography
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Jeremy Maclin is a former American football wide receiver. He played college football at Missouri, where he was a two-time consensus All-American, and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the first round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He also played for the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens, making a Pro Bowl appearance in 2014 with the Eagles. Maclin retired in 2019.
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Dorial Green-Beckham
- Occupations
- player of American football
- Biography
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Dorial Isaiah Green-Beckham is a former American football wide receiver. He was drafted by the Tennessee Titans in the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft and played college football at Missouri until he was dismissed from the team in 2014.
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Gene Snitsky
- Occupations
- player of American footballprofessional wrestler
- 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 and was on the pre-season roster in 1995 for the Birmingham Barracudas of the Canadian Football League.
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Martin Heinrich
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- In 1995 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- Occupations
- politiciantrusteebusiness executiveengineerinternational forum participant
- Biography
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Martin Trevor Heinrich is an American businessman and 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 is the dean of New Mexico's congressional delegation.
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Melanie Paxson
- Occupations
- stage actortelevision actorfilm actoractor
- Biography
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Melanie Moore Paxson is an American actress. She is known for her roles as Jaclyn in Cupid, Sara Brennan in Happy Family and as Julie in Notes from the Underbelly. Paxson also appeared in a number of Gladware television commercials in the early 2000s.
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Thomas Eagleton
- Occupations
- politicianlawyermilitary officer
- Biography
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Thomas Francis Eagleton was an American lawyer serving 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, it humiliated the McGovern campaign 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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David McClelland
- Occupations
- university teachersociologistpsychologist
- 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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Cleo King
- Occupations
- actorfilm actortelevision actor
- Biography
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Harriet Cleo King is an American actress. She is best known for her roles on television, particularly Mike & Molly (2010–2016).
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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 NewsHour on PBS and was known for his role as a debate moderator during U.S. presidential election campaigns, moderating twelve presidential debates between 1988 and 2012. Lehrer authored 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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Major Garrett
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- Graduated with Bachelor of Journalism
- Occupations
- correspondentjournalist
- Biography
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Major Elliott Garrett is an American journalist who is chief Washington correspondent for CBS News. Garrett is the host of The Takeout podcast and was 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 CBS Evening News, and Face The Nation.
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Andrew Cherng
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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Andrew Cherng is a Chinese-born American billionaire restaurateur. He is the founder and chairman of Panda Restaurant Group, based in Rosemead, California. He is the co-founder and chief executive officer (CEO) of Panda Express. The Cherngs invest out of their family office, the Cherng Family Trust.
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J'den Cox
- Occupations
- amateur wrestler
- Biography
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J'den Michael Tbory Cox is an American freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler who competes at 92 kilograms. In freestyle, Cox is 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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Loïk Le Floch-Prigent
- Occupations
- engineerbusinessperson
- Biography
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Loik Le Floch-Prigent is a French engineer and manager. 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 the nephew of the poet Maodez Glanndour.
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Nischelle Turner
- Born in
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United States - Occupations
- news presenter
- Biography
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Nischelle Renee Turner is the co-host of Entertainment Tonight and Secret Celebrity Renovation (2021–present). Previously she was former entertainment correspondent for HLN's Showbiz Tonight and CNN and an entertainment correspondent for KNBC in Los Angeles. She was a general assignment reporter for KTTV Fox 11 from 2004 and to October 2, 2008, and worked as a sideline reporter for Fox's Sunday NFL broadcasts, and did segments for a show called Dailies. Prior to KTTV, she worked for WEHT, the ABC affiliate in Evansville, Indiana and for WVUE, the Fox affiliate in New Orleans. She is a native of Columbia, Missouri. She attended the University of Missouri, and graduated from its Missouri School of Journalism in 1998. She used to work with either analyst Kurt Warner or Torry Holt and either play-by-play Chris Myers, Sam Rosen, or Chris Rose. She also works with Paul Sunderland on college basketball telecasts.
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Margaret Weis
- Occupations
- novelistscience fiction writerwriterrole-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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Edgar Snow
- Occupations
- writerjournalist
- 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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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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Larry Drew
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- 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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Jay Nixon
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- 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 was first elected to the governorship in 2008 and reelected in 2012. Prior to his tenure as Missouri Governor, he served as the 40th Missouri Attorney General from 1993 to 2009. After leaving public office he joined the Dowd Bennett law firm in St. Louis. As of early 2024, he is the most recent Democrat to serve as the governor of Missouri.
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Tim Hawkins
- Years
- 1968-.. (age 56)
- Occupations
- comediansinger-songwriterbaseball player
- Biography
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Timothy Aaron Hawkins is an American Christian comedian, songwriter, and singer, best known for song parodies.
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Neal E. Boyd
- Occupations
- opera singer
- Biography
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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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Barry Odom
- Occupations
- American football coachplayer of American footballdefensive coordinator
- Biography
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Barry Stephen Odom is an American football coach and currently the head coach at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Odom previously spent 15 years with the University of Missouri football program as a player, recruiter, assistant coach, and head coach.
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Harlow Shapley
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- Studied in 1907-1911
- Occupations
- university teacherastronomermeteorologist
- Biography
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Harlow Shapley was an American scientist, head of the Harvard College Observatory (1921–1952), and political activist during the latter New Deal and Fair Deal.
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William F. Baker
- Occupations
- engineerarchitectcivil engineer
- 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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Tom Kennedy
- Occupations
- actorgame show host
- Biography
-
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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Mort Walker
- Occupations
- comics writercartoonistcomics artist
- 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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Travis Ford
- Occupations
- actorbasketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
-
Travis Ford is an American college basketball coach, who is currently the head coach of the Saint Louis Billikens men's basketball team. He was also previously the head coach at Campbellsville University, Eastern Kentucky, Massachusetts, and Oklahoma State. Prior to that, he played at the University of Missouri and the University of Kentucky.
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David Limbaugh
- Occupations
- lawyerjournalist
- 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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Kony Ealy
- Occupations
- player of American football
- Biography
-
Kony Montoy Ealy is a gridiron football defensive end who is a free agent. He played college football at Missouri and was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft.
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Ann Wagner
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- In 1984 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- diplomatpoliticianbusinessperson
- Biography
-
Ann Louise Wagner is an American politician and former diplomat serving as the U.S. representative for Missouri's 2nd congressional district. A member of the Republican Party, she was the United States ambassador to Luxembourg from 2005 to 2009.
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Reginald Ballard
- Occupations
- television actoractor
- Biography
-
Reginald Ballard is an American character actor and comedian from Galveston, Texas, who is best known for his recurring roles as Bruh-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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Beatriz Sheridan
- Occupations
- stage actortelevision actorfilm actoractor
- 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 and directed many great dramatic stars.
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Vicky Hartzler
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- In 1983 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- Occupations
- business executivepoliticianfarmerteacher
- Biography
-
Vicky Jo Hartzler is an American politician 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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Elisabeth Noelle-Neumann
- Occupations
- writeruniversity teachersociologistpolitical scientistjournalist
- 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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Mel Carnahan
- Occupations
- judgelawyerpoliticianmilitary officeraircraft pilot
- Biography
-
Melvin Eugene Carnahan was an American lawyer and politician who served as the 51st Governor of Missouri from 1993 until his death in 2000. Carnahan was a Democrat and held various positions in government.
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John Anderson
- Occupations
- news presenter
- Biography
-
John Anderson is an American sports commentator who has served as host of the ESPN TV program SportsCenter since June 1999.
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Kareem Rush
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
-
Kareem Lamar Rush is an American former professional basketball player. Rush's younger brother, Brandon, last played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, while older brother JaRon played college basketball for UCLA.
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William Manchester
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- In 1947 graduated with Master of Arts
- Occupations
- historianwriterbiographerauthorprofessor
- 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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Kelly Bryant
- Occupations
- player of American football
- Biography
-
Kelly Bryant is a professional gridiron football quarterback who is a free agent. He played college football for the Missouri Tigers after previously playing for the Clemson Tigers.
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Billy Long
- Enrolled in the University of Missouri - Columbia
- Studied in 1973-1976
- Occupations
- auctioneerbusiness executivepoliticianpundit
- Biography
-
William Hollis Long II is an American politician and auctioneer who served as the U.S. representative for Missouri's 7th congressional district from 2011 to 2023. The district includes much of the southwestern quadrant of the state and is anchored in Springfield. It also includes Joplin and Branson.
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Phil Pressey
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
-
Phillip Michael Pressey is an American professional basketball coach and former player who played at the point guard position. He currently is an assistant coach for Boston Celtics of the National Basketball Association. His prior professional teams were the Boston Celtics, Philadelphia 76ers and Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA), and the Maine Red Claws and Idaho Stampede of the NBA Development League. As a junior playing point guard for the 2012–13 Missouri Tigers men's basketball team, Pressey announced on April 10, 2013, that he would forgo his senior season of eligibility at Missouri and enter the 2013 NBA draft instead. He led the 2011–12 Big 12 Conference in assists, steals and assist-to-turnover ratio and was a 2011–12 All-Big 12 team selection as a result. He shares the Southeastern Conference (SEC) single-game assists record (19) and was the 2012 SEC Preseason Player of the Year. He earned 2012–13 All-SEC First team selection and was the conference assist champion. He earned Associated Press 2013 All-American honorable mention recognition. He holds Missouri single-game, single-season and career assists records and numerous Missouri steals records, including career steals.
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Nicole Galloway
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
-
Nicole Marie Galloway is an American accountant and politician who served as the state auditor of Missouri from 2015 to 2023. She was the Democratic nominee for Governor of Missouri in the 2020 election, losing to incumbent Republican Mike Parson.
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Nick Bolton
- Occupations
- player of American football
- Biography
-
Nicholas Bolton is an American football linebacker for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Missouri, and was selected by the Chiefs in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. Bolton has won two Super Bowl titles, 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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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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Michael Wallis
- Occupations
- journalistvoice actorhistorianwriter
- 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.
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Ed Sanders
- Occupations
- publisherwriterpoetmusiciansongwriter
- 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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Kim English
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
-
Kim David English Jr. is an American former professional basketball player, former head basketball coach of the George Mason Patriots and current head basketball coach for the Providence Friars. He played college basketball for the University of Missouri before being selected by the Detroit Pistons with the 44th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft.
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Keyon Dooling
- Occupations
- basketball coachbasketball player
- Biography
-
Keyon Latwae Dooling is an American basketball coach and former professional basketball player who played the guard position.
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Ricardo Ratliffe
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
-
Ra Gun-ah is an American-born South Korean basketball player for Busan KCC Egis of the Korean Basketball League (KBL) and the South Korea national basketball team. Ra played collegiately at the University of Missouri.
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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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Justin Britt
- Occupations
- player of American football
- Biography
-
Justin Britt is an American football center who is a free agent. He was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft. He played college football at Missouri.
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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 Minnesota Twins 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 played college baseball for the Missouri Tigers.
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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 who last played for the Phoenix Super LPG Fuel Masters of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). 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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Chris Koster
- Occupations
- politicianlawyer
- Biography
-
Christopher Andrew Koster is an American lawyer and politician who served as the 41st Attorney General of Missouri from 2009 to 2017. Before that, Koster was elected three times as prosecuting attorney of Cass County, Missouri, and served four years as state senator from Missouri's 31st Senatorial district.
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Al Lowe
- Years
- 1946-.. (age 78)
- Occupations
- engineeractorvideo game developercomposercasting director
- 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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Jackson Scholz
- Occupations
- sprinterathletics competitor
- 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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Ziggy Hood
- Occupations
- player of American football
- Biography
-
Evander "Ziggy" Hood is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football at Missouri, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft. Hood has also played for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Chicago Bears, Washington Redskins, Miami Dolphins, and New Orleans Saints.
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Peggy Cherng
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
-
Peggy Tsiang Cherng is an American billionaire businesswoman who cofounded Panda Express in 1983 and serves as the cochief executive officer of Panda Restaurant Group. With an estimated net worth of US$1.7 billion as of 2019, Forbes reported that she is America's second richest self-made woman born outside the United States. The Cherngs invest their wealth out of their family office, the Cherng Family Trust.
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Mitchell Zuckoff
- Years
- 1962-.. (age 62)
- Occupations
- writer
- Biography
-
Mitchell S. Zuckoff is an American professor of journalism at Boston University. His books include Lost in Shangri-La and 13 Hours (2014).
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Jim Johnson
- Occupations
- player of American football
- 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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Steve Cash
- Occupations
- singer-songwriter
- Biography
-
Stephen Douglas Cash was an American musician, most notable as a founding and continual member of the rock band The Ozark Mountain Daredevils.
