- Joan C. Edwards
Joan C. Edwards was a New Orleans jazz singer and well-known West Virginia-based philanthropist.
- Ahmad Bradshaw
Ahmad Bradshaw (born in Bluefield, Virginia) is an American football player who currently plays running back for the New York Giants. He was selected in the seventh round by the New York Giants.
- Jack Lengyel
Jack Lengyel is a software executive and former sports official. He is best known as having been head coach of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team from 1971 until 1974, having taken over following the Southern Airways Flight 932 plane crash that killed nearly the entire team in 1970. He graduated from The University of Akron, where he was an assistant coach in 1959.
- Brian Mitchell
Brian Mitchell played college football for Marshall University in 1987 and the University of Northern Iowa from 1989-1991. He holds many UNI football records and NCAA records as well including the most accurate single season kicker in NCAA college football history (26 for 27 in field goals). Brian played two years of professional football in the Arena Football League, in 1994 for the Cleveland Thunderbolts and in 1995 for the St. Louis Stampede.
- Hal Greer
Harold Everett Greer (born June 26 1936, in Huntington, West Virginia) is a former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at Marshall University and was drafted by the Syracuse Nationals of the NBA in 1958. Greer played for Syracuse for five seasons, raising his scoring average to 22.8 points a game in 1961. He was selected for the NBA All-Star team that year. In 1963, the Syracuse Nationals moved to Philadelphia to become the Philadelphia 76ers.
- Tamar Slay
Tamar Ulysses Slay (born April 2 1980, in Beckley, West Virginia) is an American professional basketball player. A 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) guard/forward, he was formerly with the NBA's New Jersey Nets and Charlotte Bobcats. Slay was the 54th overall pick in the 2002 NBA Draft, selected by the New Jersey Nets. He attended Marshall University (Huntington, West Virginia), where he was one of the team's most prominent players, …
- Donnie Jones
Donnie Jones (born July 7, 1966 in Point Pleasant, West Virginia, US) is the head men's basketball coach at Marshall University. He took over the position vacated by Ron Jirsa in 2007.
- Byron Leftwich
Byron Antron Leftwich (January 14, 1980 in Washington, DC) is an American football quarterback who currently plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL.
- Stephen J. Kopp
Stephen J. Kopp is president of Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia. Kopp assumed the presidency on July 1, 2005, taking over from interim president Michael J. Farrell. Previously, Kopp was provost for two years at Ohio University (2002-2004) in Athens, Ohio, where he shared with the president the central administrative role in the university and served as the chief academic and operating officer.
- Mark Snyder
Mark Snyder is the current American football head coach of the Marshall Thundering Herd team. Snyder is the 28th head coach for the football squad after a notable tenure with Ohio State. Him, along with cross-state rivals West Virginia Mountaineers coach Rich Rodriguez, are only a handful of coaches coaching at their alma mater.
- Donald Dedmon
Donald Dedmon (August 13, 1931 - February 13, 1998) was born in Missouri. He received his undergraduate degree at Southwestern Missouri State College, and later, an M.A. and doctorate degree in oral education from University of Iowa. He taught at high school and college levels before entering administration positions at Colorado State University. After serving at Colorado State University he became vice president at Marshall University, …
- Robert Byrd
Robert Carlyle Byrd (born November 20 1917) is the senior United States Senator from West Virginia and a member of the Democratic Party. Byrd has held the office since January 3 1959, making him the longest-serving member of the Senate in history. He is also currently the longest-serving and oldest member of the United States Congress. Byrd is currently President "pro tempore" of the United States Senate of the 110th United States Congress, …
- Jean Edward Smith
Jean Edward Smith (born October 13, 1932, Washington, D.C.) is professor at Marshall University and biographer. Currently he is the John Marshall Professor of Political Science at Marshall University and professor emeritus at the University of Toronto after having served as professor of political economy there for thirty-five years. Smith also currently serves as professor of history and government at Ashland University. A graduate of McKinley High School in Washington, …
- Ron Jirsa
Ron Jirsa is a men's basketball coach. He has previously been the head coach at the University of Georgia and Marshall University. Jirsa graduated from Gettysburg College in 1981. He bounced around as an assistant coach, but had two significant stints at the University of Tulsa, first under J.D. Barnett and second under Tubby Smith. Smith promoted Jirsa to associate head coach in 1994, and Jirsa followed Smith to the University of Georgia.
- Rick Tolley
Rickey D. Tolley was the head coach of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team during the 1969 and 1970 seasons. He died in the 1970 plane crash that killed most of the Marshall football team and coaching staff. Tolley became the interim head coach of Marshall just 4 days before the start of fall practice for the 1969 season. He had just 32 players that first season yet still managed to win games against Bowling Green University (21-16), …
- David Garrard
David Douglas Garrard (born February 14, 1978 in East Orange, New Jersey) is an American football player who plays quarterback for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Ironically, the arguably greatest game in his college career was against his current competitor for starting quarterback position on the Jacksonville Jaguars, Byron Leftwich.
- Larry Fitzgerald
Larry Darnell Fitzgerald, Jr. (born August 31, 1983 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American football wide receiver currently playing for the Arizona Cardinals. His younger brother, Marcus, currently plays wide receiver for Marshall University.
- Earl Ray Tomblin
Earl Ray Tomblin (born March 15, 1952 in Logan County, West Virginia) is the current President of the West Virginia State Senate. He represents the 7th West Virginia Senate District based in Logan County. Tomblin is a member of the Democratic Party. Recent legislation has also given him the title of Lieutenant Governor of West Virginia, but the state constitution still makes no mention of the office and the honorfic is rarely used outside of formal occasions. Sen.
- Peter Marshall
Peter Marshall (born Ralph Pierre LaCock, March 30, circa 1927, Huntington, West Virginia) is an actor, singer and television personality. Although he has almost fifty television, movie, and Broadway credits, he is best known as the original host and "The Master" of "The Hollywood Squares" from 1966 to 1981. His stage name, Marshall, came from the name of the college in his home town (Marshall College became Marshall University in 1961).
- John Young
John Young is a literary theorist and assistant professor of English at Marshall University. Young received his Ph.D. from Northwestern University. His research focuses on 20th-century British and American literature.
- Michael W. Smith
Michael Whitaker Smith (born October 7, 1957, to Paul and Barbara Smith in Kenova, West Virginia), often nicknamed "Smitty", is a Christian singer, songwriter, guitarist, and keyboardist. Since his first solo project in 1983, Smith has become one of the most popular artists in the Contemporary Christian music world, while also finding considerable success in the mainstream.
- Marcus Fitzgerald
Marcus R. Fitzgerald (born July 1, 1985 in Minneapolis, Minnesota) is an American football wide receiver for Marshall University. He is the young brother of Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
- Chris Hanson
Christopher David Hanson (born October 5, 1976) is an American football punter who currently plays for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League. He played collegiately at Marshall. Hanson has been punter for the Jaguars for more than 5 years, but will perhaps be best known for one of the more embarrassing freakish injuries of all time. After an 0-3 start during the 2003 season, …
- Kim Wolfe
Kim Wolfe is the Sheriff of Cabell County, West Virginia and has been with the Huntington Police Department for 26 years. In 2006, he was the Republican candidate for West Virginia's 3rd congressional district, losing to incumbent Nick Rahall. Wolfe served two tours of duty in the United States Navy in Vietnam. Wolfe graduated from Marshall University having studied Criminal Justice Administration, with additional training from Northwestern University.
- Jim Donnan
Jim Donnan was a college football coach and is now an on-air television analyst for college football games. A Burlington, North Carolina native and graduate of North Carolina State University, Donnan was head football coach at Marshall University, where he led the Thundering Herd to a 64-21 record from 1990 to 1995, including five consecutive 11-plus win seasons and the 1992 NCAA Division I-AA national football championship.
- Jonathan Goddard
Johnathan Bruce Goddard (born May 11, 1981 in Jacksonville, FL) is a defensive end for the Indianapolis Colts in the NFL. He is currently on the injured reserve. He attended Ed White High School in Jacksonville, and attended Marshall University where he played for the Thundering Herd. He hasn't played at all this year, but he has played a little in 2005. He has been in the NFL for 1 year so far.
- Brad Dourif
Bradford Claude Dourif (March 18, 1950) is an American Academy Award-nominated film and television actor.
- Soupy Sales
Soupy Sales (born Milton Supman on January 8, 1926) is an American comedian and actor. Soupy got his unusual nickname from his family. His older brothers had been nicknamed "Hambone" and "Chicken Bone"; young Milton was dubbed "Soup Bone," which was later shortened to "Soupy." When he became a disc jockey, he began using the stage name "Soupy Hines." After he became established, it was decided that "Hines" sounded too close to Heinz, …
- Frank Loria
Frank Loria (born 1947, Clarksburg, West Virginia)(1947 - November 14, 1970) was an American football defensive back. He played college football for the Virginia Tech Hokies football team from 1965-1967, helping the Hokies to a berth in the 1966 Liberty Bowl. Loria was named consensus All American in 1967. Loria joined the Marshall University coaching staff as the defensive backs coach. He died in the Southern Airlines Flight 932 airplane crash, …
- Chris Crocker
Chris Crocker (born March 9, 1980 in Chesapeake, Virginia) is an American football safety with the Atlanta Falcons of the NFL. He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft out of Marshall University.
- Conchata Ferrell
Conchata Galen Ferrell (born March 28, 1943) is an American actress, perhaps best known for her role as Berta the housekeeper in the CBS sitcom "Two and a Half Men", for which she received a 2005 Emmy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series. She was previously nominated in 1992 for Best Supporting Actress In A Drama Series for her role as Susan Bloom on "L.A. Law".
- Anthony Grant
Anthony Grant (born April 15, 1966) is a basketball coach who became the ninth head coach in the history of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) on April 18, 2006. A native of Miami, Florida, Grant came to VCU after serving for ten years as an assistant to Billy Donovan at the University of Florida (UF).
- J. R. Vanhoose
J. R. VanHoose (born July 4, 1979 in Floyd County, Kentucky) is a former power forward/center for Paintsville High School and Marshall University and is currently a Middle School Social Studies teacher at Paintsville High School.
- John Pelphrey
John Pelphrey is the 14th head men's basketball coach at the University of Arkansas (hired April 2007). After being named Kentucky's "Mr. Basketball" in 1987, he became a star college player at the University of Kentucky. Prior to coaching the Razorbacks, he served as head basketball coach for South Alabama. Pelphrey served as an assistant coach under Eddie Sutton at Oklahoma State and Billy Donovan at Marshall and Florida. He and his wife Tracy have two children, …
- Cynthia Rylant
Cynthia Rylant (1954-) is the author of more than 100 children's books in English and Spanish, including works of fiction, nonfiction, and poetry. Her novel "Missing May" won the 1993 Newbery Medal and "A Fine White Dust" was a 1987 Newbery Honor book.
- Gregg Marshall
Gregg Marshall is the current head basketball coach at Wichita State University (WSU).
- Chris Royal
Chris Royal was the starting free safety at Marshall University. As a junior last season, Royal was second in the nation in interceptions with six. He returned an interception of UCF quarterback Steven Moffet for a touchdown. The 5'11", 209 lb. Royal has seen action in nearly every game with the Herd since his freshman season. He started one game at strong safety as a sophomore against national powerhouse Tennessee.
- Jason Rader
Jason Rader (born April 12, 1981 in St. Albans, West Virginia) is an American football tight end who currently plays for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League. He was originally signed by the Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played collegiately at Marshall.
- John Laidley
John Laidley (born 1791, Morgantown; died 1863, West Virginia) was a prominent Virginia lawyer and politician who was one of the founders of Marshall University in 1837. The part of Virginia where Marshall University is located is now part of West Virginia.
- Jeff Montgomery
Jeffrey Thomas Montgomery (born January 7, 1962 in Wellston, Ohio) was a relief pitcher for Major League Baseball's Kansas City Royals. He pitched all but 14 games of his major league career for the Royals. Montgomery played collegiate baseball at Marshall University and was later drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 9th round of the 1983 Major Leaque Baseball draft. He made his debut with the Reds on August 1, 1987 at age 25. He pitched a total of 14 games, …