University of Central Florida - Notable Alumni and Faculty

Notable Alumni and Faculty

Main article: List of University of Central Florida alumni See also: List of University of Central Florida faculty and administrators

UCF has awarded over 200,000 degrees, with more than 170,000 alumni located around the world. 71% of UCF alumni reside in Florida, while 57% are located within the Central Florida area. The university has produced eight members of the Florida House of Representatives, a Florida State Senator, two NASA astronauts, and numerous officers in the armed forces through Army and Air Force ROTC programs, Army, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard Officer Candidate School, Air Force Officer Training School, Naval Aviation Officer Candidate School and Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class. UCF graduates have served at the head of such diverse and important institutions as the Orlando Magic, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Texas Rangers, NASCAR, Busch Entertainment Corporation, Darden Restaurants, Sun Sports and Fox Sports Florida, and Raymond James Financial.

Actor James Best, best known as Sheriff Rosco P. Coltrane from the Dukes of Hazzard, taught classes at UCF for several years. Actress Cheryl Hines, best known for her role as Cheryl David on the HBO series Curb Your Enthusiasm, graduated from UCF with a degree in communication, and comedian Daniel Tosh, host of Comedy Central's Tosh.0, graduated with a degree in marketing. Also, The Blair Witch Project, one of the most successful independent films ever produced, was filmed by UCF students and directed by alumnus Daniel Myrick.

In addition, UCF graduates have held leadership positions in the United States Congress, United States Department of Defense, Army Corps of Engineers, Environmental Protection Agency, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Jacksonville Jaguars, Minnesota Vikings, Orlando Magic, NOAA, and Bright House Networks to name just a few. Graduates from UCF have also started many successful businesses, including Fidelity Security Agency, UBreakIFix and Grub Taxi.

As a competitor in college athletics, UCF has many notable student athletes, coaches and staff members, such as NFL players Matt Prater, Daunte Culpepper, Kevin Smith, Brandon Marshall, Asante Samuel, Atari Bigby, Mike Sims-Walker, and Josh Robinson, MLS goalkeeper Sean Johnson, NBA starting guard Jermaine Taylor, NASCAR driver Aric Almirola, Olympic beach volleyball player Phil Dalhausser and soccer star Michelle Akers. Currently, more than 50 UCF alumni compete in professional basketball, football, soccer, baseball and golf.