15 Famous Ohio State University Alumni

Ever wondered who strolled down the Oval years before you did? Who made a name for themselves after graduating from THE Ohio State University? Take a look at this list of 15 famous Ohio State University alumni!

1. R.L. Stine

Robert Lawrence Stine is a novelist, short story writer, television producer, screenwriter, and executive editor. This famous alum is also known as the “Stephen King of children’s literature”, he is the author of classic horror fiction novels like Goosebumps and Mostly Ghostly. He was even editor of the former OSU humor magazine, The Sundial.

2. Larry Sanger

Larry Sanger is the co-founder of Wikipedia and the founder of Citizendium. He received a Doctorate of Philosophy in philosophy from Ohio State University in 2000.

3. Roy Lichtenstein

Roy Lichtenstein was a pop artist in the 1960s. His works are inspired by comic books and advertisements. He even returned to OSU to teach art!

4. Steve May

Steve May works with Pixar, DreamWorks, Walt Disney Feature Animation, and many more studios. You may have seen some of his work in the Pixar film Brave!

5. Bonnie Milligan

Bonnie Milligan is an actress making her Broadway debut as Princess Pamela in Head Over Heels. She graduated in 2006 with a BA in Theatre. She also starred as Pat in the First National Tour of “Kinky Boots.”

6. Bo Schembechler

Glenn Edward “Bo” Schembechler Jr. was an football player, coach, and athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Miami University and the University of Michigan. Schembechler served as an assistant coach for Woody Hayes at OSU in 1952 and from 1958 to 1962. In his first ten years at Michigan, Schembechler’s teams fought Hayes’s teams in a fierce rivalry known as the “Ten-Year War.” During this time, their teams won or shared the Big Ten Conference every year.

7. Patricia Heaton

Patricia Heaton is an actress best known for playing Debra Barone in Everybody Loves Raymond and Frankie Heck on The Middle. She graduated in 1980 with a BA in drama and was also a sister of OSU’s Delta Gamma chapter.

8. Richard Lewis

Richard Lewis is a stand-up comedian and actor. This famous alum is known for his recurring and semi-autobiographical role in Curb Your Enthusiasm. He was a brother in OSU’s Alpha Epsilon Pi chapter.

9. Sherrod Brown

Sherrod Brown is the senior United States Senator from Ohio. He previously served as Ohio Secretary of State, after having been a member of the Ohio House of Representatives. He received his MA in education in 1979 and went on to teach at OSU’s branch campus in Mansfield.

10. Ross Butler

Ross Butler is an actor, best known for his roles as Zach Dempsey in the Netflix series 13 Reasons Why and Reggie Mantle in the first season of Riverdale. Dempsey attended OSU for one year, and then left to pursue his endless acting career. Regardless, he’s still a Buckeye in our hearts! A pretty famous Ohio State University alumni.

11. Kirk Herbstreit

Kirk Herbstreit is an analyst for ESPN’s College GameDay. This famous alum was a quarterback for OSU football from 1989 to 1993.

12. Jeffrey Dahmer

Little gruesome, but still a notable alumni! Jeffrey Dammer was a serial killer, known for necrophilia, cannibalism, and preservation of his dismembered victims. Dahmer dropped out after only a couple of months, but rumor has it he still haunts Morrill Tower! One of the most famous Ohio State University alumni.

13. George Steinbrenner

George Steinbrenner was a businessman and owner of the New York Yankees. He owned the team for 37 years, the longest in MLB history.

14. Jack Nicklaus

Jack Nicklaus is known as the greatest professional golfer of all time. He won a record of 18 major championships, 19 second-place finishes, and 9 third-place finishes.

15. Les Wexner

Leslie Wexner is the chairman and CEO of L Brands which include companies such as Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works, and more. During his time at OSU, he was a brother in the Sigma Alpha Mu chapter.