Here are some of Ohio State's most famous alumni, from authors to athletes to actors

Nathan Hart, Columbus Dispatch
Updated ·7 min read

Ohio State University has produced its share of famous graduates in 154 years. Some are famous for their contributions to American history. Others are for their athletic prowess, musical achievement or business acumen.

Before their rise to fame, these people likely walked The Oval and studied in Thompson Library like so many other OSU students before them.

While we understand that readers might find gaps and omissions, we tried to focus our selections on former Buckeyes who transcend celebrity and cemented themselves as notable historical figures. Let us know on social media if you think there's someone we missed.

Jesse Owens

Jesse Owens was a track and field athlete who gained international attention after winning four gold medals at the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games. Owens, a Black man, "rebuked Hitler's race theory" when he took home the medals while Nazism was on the rise in Germany, according to Owens' website.

Owens was also responsible for "the greatest 45 minutes in sports" when he set three world records and tied another at the Big Ten Track and Field Championships in Ann Arbor, Michigan, in 1935. Owens attended OSU from 1933-1936 but never finished his degree.

He was later awarded an honorary doctorate of athletic arts in 1972.

Urban Meyer

Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer watches his team during warmups prior to the NCAA football game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan on Saturday, November 30, 2013. (Columbus Dispatch photo by Jonathan Quilter)
Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Urban Meyer watches his team during warmups prior to the NCAA football game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Michigan on Saturday, November 30, 2013. (Columbus Dispatch photo by Jonathan Quilter)

Urban Meyer is a college and NFL football coach, most well-known for his six-year stint as Ohio State University's head football coach. During his time there, the Buckeyes went 7-0 against Michigan, won the first NCAA playoff championship, and went 54-4 in Big Ten games. He is currently an on-air analyst at FOX Sports.

He earned a master's degree in sports administration from OSU in 1988.

R.L. Stine

R.L. Stine is an author best known for his Goosebumps series of horror novels for children. He's also written several other horror series, like Fear Street, and collections of joke books. According to his personal website he's sold over 400 million copies of his books, making him "one of the best-selling authors in history." He graduated from OSU in 1965 with a bachelor's degree in English.

Jack Nicklaus

Jack Nicklaus recaps the week before presenting the trophy to Viktor Hovland following the final round of the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club.
Jack Nicklaus recaps the week before presenting the trophy to Viktor Hovland following the final round of the Memorial Tournament at Muirfield Village Golf Club.

Jack Nicklaus is a retired professional golfer considered by many to be one of the greatest golfers of all time, if not the greatest. According to his company's website, he has 73 official tour victories and 118 total victories around the world. He is also the founder of Nicklaus Design, a golf course construction and design company. Nicklaus attended OSU for three and a half years without receiving a degree, but he was later awarded an honorary degree in 1972.

Richard Lewis

Richard Lewis posed for photographs at The Benjamin in Manhattan, NY for a feature in the September 2015 issue of (201) Magazine.
Richard Lewis posed for photographs at The Benjamin in Manhattan, NY for a feature in the September 2015 issue of (201) Magazine.

Richard Lewis was a groundbreaking stand-up comedian, writer and actor known for his neurotic, dark comedy style. He also played a recurring character on Curb Your Enthusiasm, an HBO comedy show run by Lewis's longtime friend, Larry David. He received a bachelor's degree in business administration from OSU in 1969.

An avid Buckeye fan for decades, Lewis died of a heart attack Feb. 27, 2024.

Alan Freed

Alan Freed was a radio disc jockey who helped popularize the term "rock n' roll." He got his start at radio stations in Akron, New Castle and Youngstown before moving to Cleveland radio. While at WJW-AM, he started a nightly radio show called "The Moondog Rock & Roll House Party", which was eventually syndicated around the world.

He attended OSU for two quarters before joining the army in 1941.

Bobby Knight

Indiana coach Bobby Knight screams for a time out, then throws one of his trademark tantrums in the first half of play at St. John Arena. Knight had called for a time out and officials did not see him and did not give the Hoosiers a time out. Knight threw a fit. Indiana won anyway.
Indiana coach Bobby Knight screams for a time out, then throws one of his trademark tantrums in the first half of play at St. John Arena. Knight had called for a time out and officials did not see him and did not give the Hoosiers a time out. Knight threw a fit. Indiana won anyway.

Bobby Knight was a college basketball coach most known for his 29 years coaching the Indiana University Hoosiers. He also coached the USA men's Olympic basketball in 1984, bringing home a gold medal. When he retired in 2008, he had over 902 wins and three NCAA championships.

He graduated from OSU in 1962.

George Steinbrenner

New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, left, and Nashville Sounds president Larry Schmittou answer questions from the media after announcing an unprecedented five-year minor league working agreement between the two clubs at the Opryland Hotel Oct. 22, 1981. Steinbrenner was in town to address a shipbuilding group at the hotel.
New York Yankees owner George Steinbrenner, left, and Nashville Sounds president Larry Schmittou answer questions from the media after announcing an unprecedented five-year minor league working agreement between the two clubs at the Opryland Hotel Oct. 22, 1981. Steinbrenner was in town to address a shipbuilding group at the hotel.

George Steinbrenner was a Cleveland shipping magnate and owner of the New York Yankees for 37 years. Commonly referred to as "The Boss," he was known for his hands-on managerial style and frequent firings (and sometimes hirings and re-firings). He was also famously portrayed by Larry David on Seinfeld. Steinbrenner graduated from OSU with a master's degree in physical education in 1955.

Patricia Heaton

The dysfunctional Barone clan at Thanksgiving dinner in an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond: Patricia Heaton, left, Ray Romano, Peter Boyle, Brad Garrett and Doris Roberts.
The dysfunctional Barone clan at Thanksgiving dinner in an episode of Everybody Loves Raymond: Patricia Heaton, left, Ray Romano, Peter Boyle, Brad Garrett and Doris Roberts.

Patricia Heaton is an Emmy award-winning actress and comedian most well-known for portraying Debra Barone on Everybody Loves Raymond. She also won awards for her performances in ABC's The Middle and her Food Network Show Patricia Heaton Parties. Heaton graduated from OSU with a bachelor's degree in drama.

Les Wexner

Les Wexner is a businessman and philanthropist who founded L Brands, an international company that ran Victoria's Secret, PINK and Bath & Body Works. In 2021, L Brands spun-off its Victoria's Secret brand and became known as Bath & Body Works, Inc.

Wexner served as CEO of L Brands until 2020, when he stepped down over his association with financier and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.

He graduated from OSU in 1959 with a bachelor's degree in business administration.

Gary LeVox

Gary LeVox, former lead vocalist for Rascal Flatts, is the headline performer at Dublin's 2022 Independence Day celebration.
Gary LeVox, former lead vocalist for Rascal Flatts, is the headline performer at Dublin's 2022 Independence Day celebration.

Gary LeVox is a founding member and the lead singer of country band Rascal Flatts. Since forming the band in 1999, they've had 17 number-one singles and sold over 23 million albums, according to LeVox's website. He is an OSU alum.

Roy Lichtenstein

Roy Lichtenstein, Self-Portrait at an Easel, c. 1951–1952. Private collection. Estate of Roy Lichtenstein.
Roy Lichtenstein, Self-Portrait at an Easel, c. 1951–1952. Private collection. Estate of Roy Lichtenstein.

Roy Lichtenstein was an artist and a key figure in the Pop Art movement of the 1960s. Alongside other contemporaries like Andy Warhol, Lichtenstein helped usher in a new age of art in the 1960s with his comic book-style paintings. Lichtenstein spent his undergraduate and graduate years at OSU in the 1940s before going on to teach at the school from 1949-1951.

Curtis LeMay

Curtis LeMay was an Air Force general who commanded the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki and led a firebombing campaign against Japanese cities during World War II. After the war, he commanded the Berlin Airlift. He graduated from OSU with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering.

John Kasich

Former Ohio Govenor John Kasich makes remarks at a Dec. 9, 2022 portrait dedication ceremony for Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor at the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center.
Former Ohio Govenor John Kasich makes remarks at a Dec. 9, 2022 portrait dedication ceremony for Chief Justice Maureen O'Connor at the Thomas J. Moyer Ohio Judicial Center.

John Kasich is a politician and author known for his time as the 69th governor of Ohio from 2011-2019. Kasich also ran for president in 2000 and 2016. Before he was governor, he represented Ohio's 12th congressional district in Congress for 18 years.

He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from OSU in 1974.

J.D. Vance

J.D. Vance gives his victory speech during a November 2022 election night party for Republican candidates for statewide offices at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Columbus. (Credit: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch)
J.D. Vance gives his victory speech during a November 2022 election night party for Republican candidates for statewide offices at the Renaissance Hotel in downtown Columbus. (Credit: Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch)

J.D. Vance is an author, businessman, Silicon Valley entreprenur and current U.S. senator for Ohio. Before being elected in 2022, he was most well-known for his book Hillbilly Elegy, which outlined his experience growing up in Middletown, Ohio.

He graduated from OSU in 2009 with a bachelor's degree in political science and philosophy.

Sherrod Brown

U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown speaks during the January 2024 Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Breakfast at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. (Credit: Brooke LaValley/Columbus Dispatch)
U.S. Senator Sherrod Brown speaks during the January 2024 Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Breakfast at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. (Credit: Brooke LaValley/Columbus Dispatch)

Sherrod Brown is a politician, author and current U.S. senator for Ohio. He got his start in politics as a state representative before being elected as Ohio's secretary of state in 1982. He went on to serve in the U.S. House of Representatives before taking on his current role in the Senate in 2007. He received a master's degree in education from OSU in 1979 and a master's degree in public administration in 1981.

Larry Sanger

Larry Sanger is a software developer and philosopher who co-founded Wikipedia in 2001. Before co-founding the site, he served as editor-in-chief of Nupedia, Wikipedia's predecessor. He received a master's of art from OSU in 1995 and a doctorate in philosophy in 2000.

Honorable mentions

These celebrities didn't receive a degree from OSU, but they are associated with the college in some way.

Dwight Yoakam

Dwight Yoakam performs in concert during Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic at Q2 Stadium on July 04, 2023 in Austin, Texas.
Dwight Yoakam performs in concert during Willie Nelson's 4th of July Picnic at Q2 Stadium on July 04, 2023 in Austin, Texas.

Dwight Yoakam is a Grammy award-winning country musician and actor. His first album, Guitars, Cadillacs, Etc., Etc. went double-platinum. Since then, he has released 16 additional albums.

He attended OSU from 1975-1976 before dropping out to pursue his musical career.

J.K. Simmons

Academy Award-winning actor J.K. Simmons delivers the lineup before the first inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. The Reds led the Cubs after six innings.
Academy Award-winning actor J.K. Simmons delivers the lineup before the first inning of the MLB National League game between the Cincinnati Reds and the Chicago Cubs at Great American Ball Park in downtown Cincinnati on Tuesday, April 4, 2023. The Reds led the Cubs after six innings.

J.K. Simmons is an award-winning actor known for his portrayal of J. Jonah Jameson in Sam Raimi's Spider-Man films and for his supporting role in Whiplash which garnered him an Oscar for best supporting actor. He has also leant his voice to a number of video games and animated shows like Portal 2 and Invincible.

Simmons didn't receive a degree from OSU, but he is a vocal and prominent Ohio State Buckeyes fan.

Dishonorable mention: Jeffrey Dahmer

A 1991 Press photo of Jeffrey L. Dahmer appearing in Milwaukee court flanked by some of his legal team including Gerald P. Boyle (left) and Wendy A. Patrickus.
A 1991 Press photo of Jeffrey L. Dahmer appearing in Milwaukee court flanked by some of his legal team including Gerald P. Boyle (left) and Wendy A. Patrickus.

Jeffrey Dahmer was a serial killer and sex offender who killed 17 men and boys between the years of 1978 and 1991. He attended OSU for a quarter in 1978 before dropping out.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Who are Ohio State's most famous graduates?

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