University of Virginia - Notable Alumni

Notable Alumni

Among the individuals who have attended or graduated from the University of Virginia are author Edgar Allan Poe, medical researcher Walter Reed, painter Georgia O'Keeffe, polar explorer Richard Byrd, computer scientist John Backus, pioneer kidney transplant surgeon J. Hartwell Harrison, five NASA astronauts (Patrick G. Forrester, Karl Gordon Henize, Bill Nelson, Thomas Marshburn, and Kathryn C. Thornton), deep sea vent researcher Richard Lutz, NASA Launch Director Michael D. Leinbach, Pulitzer Prize-winning poets Karl Shapiro and Henry S. Taylor, short story writer Breece D'J Pancake, Director of the National Institutes of Health Francis Collins, Dale Elizabeth Wright, journalist Katie Couric, journalist Margaret Brennan, author David Nolan, comedian and creator of 30 Rock Tina Fey, film director Tom Shadyac, author Barbara A. Perry, musician Boyd Tinsley, Jens Söring, Elizabeth Haysom, billionaire commodity trader Paul Tudor Jones, noted philanthropist and founder of Landmark Communications Frank Batten, influential indie rock artist Stephen Malkmus, hip-hop artist and Peabody Award winner Asheru, and TV personality Vern Yip.

Notable athletes who have attended or graduated from the University of Virginia include 3-time NCAA Player of the Year for men's basketball Ralph Sampson, pro wrestler Virgil, 3-time Olympic Gold Medalist for women's basketball Dawn Staley, New England Patriots Long Snapper Danny Aiken, NFL Pro Bowlers Ronde Barber, Tiki Barber, and James Farrior; NFL Super Bowl appearances Thomas Jones, Antwan Harris, and Terrence Wilkins, and professional baseball players Mark Reynolds and Ryan Zimmerman, Olympic medalist Wyatt Allen, Indian tennis player Somdev Devvarman, The University of Virginia has been home to several top soccer players throughout the years – several former U.Va. players have gone on to play for the United States men's national soccer team, including Tony Meola, Jeff Agoos, and former USA team captains Claudio Reyna and John Harkes.

Numerous political leaders have also attended the University of Virginia, including the 28th President of the United States, Woodrow Wilson, the 18th Speaker of the United States House of Representatives Robert Mercer Taliaferro Hunter, U.S. Senator and 1968 Presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy (Law School), and his brother, Senator Ted Kennedy, and New York House of Representative candidate Sean Patrick Maloney.

Many of Virginia's governors studied at the University, including Colgate Darden, George Allen, Albertis S. Harrison, Jr., Frederick W. M. Holliday, Claude A. Swanson, Elbert Lee Trinkle, John S. Battle, James Lindsay Almond, Jr., John N. Dalton, Gerald L. Baliles, and Jim Gilmore.