Famous Alumni of Oregon State University
Oregon State University (OSU), located in Corvallis, Oregon, boasts a long and distinguished history dating back to 1856. Founded as Corvallis Academy, it evolved through several name changes, becoming Oregon Agricultural College in 1890, Oregon State Agricultural College in 1927, and finally Oregon State University in 1961. Throughout these eras, OSU has fostered a tradition of academic excellence, producing numerous alumni who have achieved prominence in diverse fields. This article highlights some of the most notable graduates and former students who have left their mark on the world.
Leaders in Science and Technology
Oregon State University has been a fertile ground for innovation, producing pioneers who have shaped the landscape of science and technology.
Linus Pauling: Perhaps OSU's most celebrated alumnus, Linus Carl Pauling (1917-1922) was a two-time Nobel laureate, earning the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1954 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1962. A chemist, biochemist, chemical engineer, peace activist, author, and educator, Pauling published over 1,200 papers and books, with approximately 850 focusing on scientific topics. New Scientist recognized him as one of the 20 greatest scientists of all time. Pauling is one of only five individuals to have won more than one Nobel Prize, and the only one to have been awarded two unshared Nobel Prizes.
Douglas Engelbart: A visionary in computer science, Douglas Carl Engelbart graduated from OSU in 1948 with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. He is best known for his groundbreaking work in human-computer interaction at the Augmentation Research Center Lab in SRI International. Engelbart's innovations include the computer mouse, hypertext, networked computers, and precursors to graphical user interfaces, demonstrated at "The Mother of All Demos" in 1968. Engelbart's law, which posits that the intrinsic rate of human performance is exponential, is named in his honor.
Jensen Huang: A Taiwanese-American businessman, electrical engineer, and philanthropist, Jen-Hsun "Jensen" Huang is the president, co-founder, and CEO of Nvidia, the world's largest semiconductor company. As of January 2025, Forbes estimated Huang's net worth at US$130.5 billion, ranking him as the 9th wealthiest person in the world. He studied at Oregon State University in 1984.
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Philip Emeagwali: This Nigerian computer scientist is known for his work in high-performance computing. Although some of his claims regarding his achievements have been disputed, Emeagwali's contributions to the field are noteworthy.
Stars in the Sports Arena
OSU's athletic programs have cultivated numerous talented athletes who have excelled at the professional level.
Gary Payton: Widely regarded as one of the greatest point guards in NBA history, Gary Dwayne Payton Sr. played for 13 years with the Seattle SuperSonics, holding franchise records in assists and steals. Known as "The Glove" for his defensive prowess, Payton won an NBA championship with the Miami Heat in 2006 and was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2013. In October 2021, he was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team.
Chad Johnson: Known as Chad Ochocinco from 2008 to 2012, Chad Ochocinco Johnson is a former professional football wide receiver who played in the NFL for 11 seasons. He played college football for the Santa Monica Corsairs and the Oregon State Beavers, and was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the second round of the 2001 NFL draft. In 2011, Johnson was traded to the New England Patriots, with whom he played in Super Bowl XLVI.
Colby Covington: An American professional mixed martial artist, Colby Ray Covington competes in the Welterweight division of the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), where he is a former Interim UFC Welterweight Champion. As of December 17, 2024, he is #9 in the UFC welterweight rankings.
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Gary Payton II: Following in his father’s footsteps, Gary Dwayne Payton II is an American professional basketball player for the Golden State Warriors of the NBA. As a junior and senior playing college basketball for the Oregon State Beavers, Payton was named first-team All-Pac-12 as well as Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year. He won his first NBA championship with the Warriors in 2022.
Jeff Monson: An American-born Russian mixed martial artist, boxer, and submission grappler, Jeffrey William Monson competes primarily in the heavyweight division. A professional competitor since 1997, he has competed for the UFC, Strikeforce, DREAM, PRIDE, M-1 Global, Impact FC, World Victory Road, and Cage Warriors. In submission wrestling and Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Monson is a two-time ADCC World Champion and a no-gi Brazilian jiu-jitsu world champion.
Brent Barry: Also known as "Bones", Brent Robert Barry is an American basketball coach, executive, broadcaster and former player, currently an Assistant coach for the Phoenix Suns. The shooting guard played professionally in the NBA, winning two league championships with the Spurs in 2005 and 2007, and also won the Slam Dunk Contest in 1996. He is the son of Basketball Hall of Famer Rick Barry.
Jacoby Ellsbury: An enrolled member of the Colorado River Indian Tribes, Jacoby McCabe Ellsbury is an American former professional baseball center fielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Boston Red Sox from 2007 through 2013 and then played for the New York Yankees from 2014 to 2017. Ellsbury is the first Native American of Navajo descent to play Major League Baseball.
Jade Carey: This American artistic gymnast was a member of the U.S. women's team, nicknamed the "Golden Girls".
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Brandon Browner: An American former professional football player, Brandon Kemar Browner played as a cornerback in the NFL for the Seattle Seahawks, New England Patriots, and New Orleans Saints, and in the Canadian Football League (CFL) for the Calgary Stampeders. He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers before signing with the Denver Broncos as an undrafted free agent in 2005.
A.C. Green: Nicknamed "Iron Man", A.C. Green Jr. is an American former professional basketball player who holds an NBA record for most consecutive regular-season games played with 1,192. Green played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Miami Heat. He found most success with the Lakers, with whom he won three championships in 1987, 1988 and 2000, and was named an NBA All-Star in 1990.
Adley Rutschman: An American professional baseball catcher for the Baltimore Orioles of Major League Baseball (MLB), Adley Stan Rutschman played college baseball for the Oregon State Beavers and was named the Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year in 2019. The Orioles selected Rutschman with the first overall selection in the 2019 MLB draft, and he signed for $8.1 million, at the time the highest MLB draft signing bonus ever. Rutschman made his MLB debut in 2022 and is a two-time All-Star.
Jordan Poyer: An American professional football safety for the Miami Dolphins of the NFL, Jordan Lynn-Baxter Poyer played college football at Oregon State, where he was named a consensus All-American. Poyer was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2013 NFL draft, but was waived only a few months into his rookie season. After going on to become the primary backup safety for the Cleveland Browns, Poyer later became a starter for the Buffalo Bills, where he formed one of the league's top safety tandems alongside teammate Micah Hyde. Poyer earned All-Pro and Pro Bowl accolades during his time on the Bills.
Michael Conforto: Nicknamed "Scooter", Michael Thomas Conforto is an American professional baseball outfielder for the Los Angeles Dodgers of Major League Baseball (MLB). He has previously played in MLB for the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants.
John Hekker: An American professional football punter for the Carolina Panthers of the NFL, John Robert Hekker played college football for the Oregon State Beavers and was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2012. Hekker is a four-time First-team All-Pro and four-time Pro Bowler, and holds the NFL record for longest punt in Super Bowl history, with a 65-yarder that he delivered in Super Bowl LIII.
Jared Cunningham: An American professional basketball player, Jared Armon Cunningham played college basketball for Oregon State, where he was an All-Pac-12 first team selection before being selected with the 24th overall pick in the 2012 NBA draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Jacquizz Rodgers: An American former professional football player, Jacquizz "Quizz" Rodgers was a running back in the NFL. He played college football for the Oregon State Beavers, and was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL draft.
Contributions to Arts and Entertainment
OSU alumni have also made their mark in the entertainment industry, showcasing their talents in acting, modeling, and other creative pursuits.
Sara Jean Underwood: An American model, television host and actress, Sara Jean Underwood was chosen as the Playmate of the Month for the July 2006 issue of Playboy magazine and later became Playmate of the Year in 2007. She is a former host of Attack of the Show! on G4.
Pinto Colvig: Vance DeBar Colvig Sr., known professionally as Pinto Colvig, was an American voice actor, cartoonist, and circus and vaudeville performer. Colvig was the original performer of the Disney characters Goofy and Pluto, as well as Bozo the Clown and Bluto in Popeye. In 1993, he was posthumously made a Disney Legend for his contributions to Walt Disney Films, including Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Fun and Fancy Free.
William Oefelein: An American freelance adventure writer and photographer and former NASA astronaut, William Anthony "Bill" Oefelein piloted the STS-116 Space Shuttle mission on his only spaceflight.
Jodi Ann Paterson: An American model, actress and former beauty queen, Jodi Ann Paterson competed in the Miss Teen USA competition as Miss Oregon Teen USA in 1994. She is Playboy's Playmate for October 1999, and was named Playmate of the Year (PMOY) in 2000.
Public Service and Politics
OSU has produced numerous alumni who have dedicated their careers to public service and politics, shaping policies and serving their communities.
Ted Stevens: Theodore Fulton Stevens Sr. served as a Senator from Alaska from 1968 to 2009.
Mike Gabbard: Gerald Michael Gabbard is an American politician, serving as the Hawaii State Senator for District 21 from the Democratic party, since 2006. Gabbard rose to prominence for efforts to prevent same-sex marriage in Hawaii by passing a 1998 amendment to the Constitution of Hawaii to give the state legislature "the power to reserve marriage to opposite-sex couples" under the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA). Gabbard is the first person of Samoan descent to serve in the Hawaii Senate.
John Ensign: John Eric Ensign is an American veterinarian and former politician who served as a United States Senator from Nevada from 2001 until his resignation in 2011. A member of the Republican Party, Ensign previously represented Nevada's 1st congressional district in the House of Representatives from 1995 to 1999.
Frits Bolkestein: Frederik "Frits" Bolkestein is a Dutch retired politician and energy executive who served as Leader of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) from 1990 to 1998 and European Commissioner for Internal Market from 1999 until 2004 under Romano Prodi.
Other Notable Alumni
Beyond the categories above, numerous other OSU alumni have achieved distinction in their respective fields:
J.B. Bickerstaff: An American professional basketball coach, John-Blair Bickerstaff is the head coach of the Detroit Pistons of the NBA. Before that, he was the head coach for the Memphis Grizzlies and the Cleveland Cavaliers, and has also been an assistant coach for several other NBA teams.
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