Ole Miss is home to several famous alumni. There are the obvious football superstars that are praised on campus, but they are not the only famous people to graduate from the University of Mississippi. There are notable alumni from all different career fields! Check out these famous alumni from Ole Miss, current students are in great company.
Archie Manning graduated with a BPA in 1971. He was the quarterback of the Ole Miss Rebels during his time here and is considered one of the greatest college quarterbacks ever. After graduation, he was in the NFL for 14 years and was the MVP in 1989 with the Saints.
Eli graduated in 2003 with a BBA. During his college football career, he set 47 Ole Miss records. He won the Maxwell Award and was first team All-America in 2003. He was the number 1 overall draft pick in the 2004 NFL Draft. Eli took his team, the New York Giants, to Super Bowl XLII and led them in their victory. He won the Most Valuable Player award for that Super Bowl.
Michael Oher is another famous football player to come out of Ole Miss. He graduated in 2009 with a degree in criminal justice. Oher is most known for being the subject of the popular book and film, ‘The Blind Side.’ He was a top NFL draft pick and has spent his professional career on the Baltimore Ravens, Tennessee Titans, and Carolina Panthers.
James Meredith graduated Ole Miss in 1963 with a BA. Meredith is a significant figure in the American Civil Rights Movement. He was the first African-American student to attend Ole Miss. There is a statue in honor of him near the JD Williams Library.
John Grisham earned his JD at the University of Mississippi in 1981. He is known for being a best-selling author of legal dramas, which include “A Time to Kill”, “The Firm”, “The Client”, and “Runaway Jury”.
Trent Lott earned his BPA in 1963 and his JD in 1967. He was a U.S. Senator for Mississippi from 1988 until 2007. He was also a former Senate Majority Leader. This name may sound familiar to you because the Trent Lott Leadership Institute is named after him.
Thad Cochran graduated from Ole Miss with a BA in 1959 and a JD in 1965. Cochran is currently a U.S. Senator for Mississippi and has been since 1978. He is also the chair of the Senate Agricultural Committee and the Senate Appropriations Committee. The Thad Cochran Research Center is named after him.
Kate Jackson graduated from the University of Mississippi in 1968. She is best known for portraying Sabrina Duncan in the 1970s television series, “Charlie’s Angels”.
River graduated with a BA in 1989. He is a writer of many hit songs for recording artists, Brad Paisley and Kenny Chesney. He also wrote “American Remains” which was recorded in 1989 by Johnny Cash, Waylor Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Kris Kristofferson.
Glen Ballard graduated with a BA in 1975. He is a five-time Grammy Award-winning producer, songwriter, and arranger. Ballard has worked with multiple artists, such as Michael Jackson, Van Halen, and Alanis Morisette.
Bill Parsons graduated from Ole Miss in 1979 with a BE. He is the Director of NASA’s Kennedy Space Center and is the former director of John C. Stennis Space Center.
Dr. Fisher earned his BA in 1980 and MD in 1984. He is currently a plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills, California. He was featured on the “Extreme Makeover” television show.
James Barksdale graduated in 1965 with a BBA. He is the president and CEO of Barksdale Management Corporation. He is the former president and CEO of Netscape Communications.
Bill graduated from Ole Miss in 1973 with a BBA. He founded Spartan Archery Sportswear Products and Realtree camouflage. He is also the host of “Realtree Outdoors”.
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