Old Dominion University: A Legacy of Notable Alumni

Old Dominion University (ODU) has a rich history of producing accomplished individuals who have made significant contributions in various fields. From athletics and the arts to politics, business, and military service, ODU alumni have left their mark on the world. This article highlights some of the university's most notable graduates and their diverse achievements.

Athletics

ODU boasts a strong athletic tradition, with many alumni achieving success at the professional level. The Old Dominion University Sports Hall of Fame was established to honor outstanding achievements by former student-athletes and contributions by coaches and athletic administrators.

Old Dominion University Sports Hall of Fame: Established to honor outstanding achievements by former student-athletes and contributions by coaches and athletic administrators, while at ODU. The Hall exists for the purpose of honoring those individuals and recognizing the importance of their achievements and contributions to the overall enhancement of the reputation of Old Dominion University.

Baseball: The Old Dominion University baseball program started in 1931. Seventeen former Old Dominion University ballplayers have made it to the major leagues, including Denny Riddleberger, the first former Monarch to reach the MLB. Names in bold print in the record books are in the Old Dominion University Hall of Fame. Many players return to college to complete their education after their time in the major leagues.

Hall of Fame Athletes: The Old Dominion University Sports Hall of Fame includes 46 first-team All-Americans, 14 Olympians, 11 members of the Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, a member of the CoSIDA Academic All-American Hall of Fame, and two members of the Naismith Basketball and Women's Basketball Hall of Fame.

Read also: A Look at Old Dominion Sports

Notable Baseball Alumni:

Justin Verlander: A three-time Cy Young Award winner and an American League (AL) Most Valuable Player (MVP) Award recipient, Verlander is considered one of the greatest pitchers in baseball history. He has played for the Detroit Tigers, Houston Astros, New York Mets and San Francisco Giants.
Daniel Hudson: Played 16 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Pittsburgh Pirates, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, Washington Nationals and San Diego Padres. Hudson was on the mound at the end of Game 7 of the 2019 World Series to clinch the Nationals' first championship. He won his second World Series in 2024 with the Dodgers.
Ryan Yarbrough: Played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Tampa Bay Rays, Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Dodgers, and Toronto Blue Jays.

Basketball:

Nancy Lieberman: Nicknamed "Lady Magic", is an American former professional basketball player and coach in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) who is currently a broadcaster for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA) as well as the head coach of Power, a team in the BIG3 which she led to its 2018 Championship. Lieberman is regarded as one of the greatest figures in American women's basketball.
Anne Donovan: An American women's basketball player and coach. From 2013 to 2015, she was the head coach of the Connecticut Sun.
Ticha Penicheiro: A Portuguese sports agent and former basketball player. She played for the Sacramento Monarchs of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) for most of her professional career. She was a four-time WNBA All-Star and a three-time All-WNBA selection. She won a WNBA championship with the Monarchs in 2005. She was inducted into the Women's Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
Kent Bazemore: Played for the Greensboro Swarm of the NBA G League. As a junior at Old Dominion University in 2010-11, Bazemore won the Lefty Driesell Award, an award given to the best defensive player in college basketball.
Gerald Lee: A Finnish professional basketball player who last played for Ironi Nes Ziona of the Israeli Premier League. He played college basketball for Old Dominion University.
Kenny Gattison: An American former professional basketball player and National Basketball Association (NBA) assistant coach.
Frank Hassell: Plays for Mineros de Zacatecas of the Mexican League.

Other Sports:

LaShawn Merritt: A retired American track and field athlete who competed in sprinting events, specializing in the 400 metres. He is a former Olympic champion over the distance.
Brandon Vera: A Filipino and American retired mixed martial artist where he was the inaugural ONE Heavyweight Champion and the 2005 WEC Heavyweight Grand Prix Champion.

Arts and Media

ODU alumni have also made their mark in the arts and media, showcasing their creativity and talent in various fields.

Audra the Rapper: An American rapper, songwriter, and television personality. She is a cast member on the third season of Oxygen Network's hit series 'Sisterhood of Hiphop'.
Ben Bailey: An American comedian, television presenter, and podcaster.
Deborah Shelton: An American actress and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss USA 1970. She is also known for her appearances on Dallas for three seasons, with a special guest return in 2013.
Jay Harris: An American journalist who has worked for ESPN since February 2003.

Business and Entrepreneurship

ODU has produced numerous successful business leaders and entrepreneurs who have made significant contributions to the economy.

Ajit Prabhu: The Chairman and CEO of QuEST Global, which he co-founded in Schenectady, NY in 1997. In 2017, Ajit was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of Old Dominion University, his alma mater. Ajit has also received Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards 2014 in the Services category.
Drew Ungvarsky: The Founder and CEO of Grow, one of the top digital agencies in the world. Drew is also the founder and CEO of Assembly, an iconic building campus and community of creators and technology innovators coming to Downtown Norfolk.
Travis Priest: Currently serves as Entrepreneur in Residence for Vocap Investment Partners, providing strategy and growth consulting to its portfolio companies. He co-founded URLabs, which was acquired by Symantec Corporation in 1999. In 2010, Mr. Priest founded Sundrop Mobile, which was acquired in 2012 by the company that is now Worldpay.
Jim Cheng: Has over 25 years' experience as a technology entrepreneur, angel/private capital investor, business leader, and senior state government executive. He is a Co-Founder of CAV Angels, an Angel Investment Club for University of Virginia alumni. Previously, Mr. Cheng served as Secretary of Commerce and Trade for the Commonwealth of Virginia, from 2010 to 2014.
Jeffrey L. McWaters: The Founder, Chairman, and CEO retired of Amerigroup, a managed health care organization launched from Virginia Beach in 1994.
Angela D. Reddix: Currently serves as the President & CEO of ARDX, an award-winning healthcare management and IT consulting firm headquartered in Norfolk, VA.
Adriane Brown: Senior Advisor and former President and COO for Intellectual Ventures (IV), an invention capital company.
Brian Holland: Graduated from Old Dominion University with a Bachelor of Science in business administration and finance in May 1993. He entered the mortgage industry in 1993 and founded his own mortgage brokerage company, Atlantic Bay Mortgage Group®, just three years later.
Göran Elovsson: Graduated from Old Dominion University with an MBA degree in Corporate Finance in July 1984. He currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Additive Innovation and Manufacturing Sweden AB (AIR Sweden AB), a serial 3D printing company located in the heart of Sweden.
Walter Jones Ewell: Founder of FranchiseRepublic, a franchise development company, has 40 years of experience as a corporate and franchise development specialist, having helped build seven of the top 50 worldwide franchise companies.
Thelma Drake: A real estate agent, politician, and business executive.

Politics and Government

ODU alumni have also made significant contributions to the field of politics and government, serving in various roles at the local, state, and national levels.

Elaine Luria: Served as the U.S. representative from Virginia's 2nd congressional district from 2019 to 2023. Before running for Congress, she served as a naval officer for 20 years.
Scott Taylor: Served as the United States representative for Virginia's 2nd congressional district from 2017 to 2019.
Jen Kiggans: Is the U.S. representative for Virginia's 2nd congressional district.
Jodi Rell: Served as the 87th governor of Connecticut from 2004 to 2011.
Kenneth Cooper Alexander: Currently serving as mayor of Norfolk, Virginia.
Robert M. Scott Brunstetter: Lead Strategic Planner with the National Intelligence Center in Washington, D.C.
William Eliason: Director of the National Defense University Press and Editor of Joint Force Quarterly, the professional military journal of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.
William Patterson: A Department of State Foreign Service Officer stationed in Katmandu, Nepal.
Eva Svobodova: Strategic Communications Advisor to Chairman of NATO Military Committee and Int'l Military Staff Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic.
Ryan Grizzle: Has been a Department of State Foreign Service Officer since 2009.

Political Science Academics:

ODU's Political Science Department has produced a number of alumni who have gone on to academic careers:

Dovile Budryte: Professor of Political Science at Georgia Gwinnett College, in Lawrenceville, Georgia.
Sabine Hirschauer: Assistant Professor of Government at New Mexico State University/Las Cruces.
Thomas Lansford: Professor of Political Science at the University of Southern Mississippi.
Carlos Gustavo Poggio Teixeira: Professor and Department Chair at PUC-SP | Pontifícia Universidade Católica de São Paulo in Brazil.
Jennifer Schiff: Associate Professor of Political Science and Director of International Studies at Western Carolina University in Cullowhee, North Carolina.

Military Service

ODU has a strong connection to the military, with many alumni serving in various branches of the armed forces.

Read also: Paying for ODU

Samuel John Paparo Jr.: A United States Navy admiral who has served as the commander of United States Indo-Pacific Command since May 3, 2024.
William Joseph Fallon: A retired United States Navy four-star admiral.
Amanda Lee: A naval aviator in the United States Navy. She was selected in June 2022 as the first female fighter jet pilot in the elite Blue Angels flight demonstration squadron.
George Thomas Coker: A retired United States Navy commander who was awarded the Navy Cross for extraordinary heroism as a prisoner of war (POW) during the Vietnam War.
Kenneth Ray Whitesell: A retired vice admiral in the United States Navy, and the past Commander, Naval Air Forces.
Daryl Lane Caudle: A United States Navy admiral who is the 35th commander of United States.
Michael John Bloomfield: An American former astronaut and a veteran of three Space Shuttle missions.

Other Notable Alumni

Natalie Diaz: A Pulitzer Prize-winning Mojave American poet, language activist, former professional basketball player, and educator.
Nabeel Qureshi: A Pakistani-American evangelical Christian apologist.
Elizabeth A. Duke: An American bank executive who served as a member of the Federal Reserve Board of Governors from 2008 to 2013.
Carlos Mendes: An American soccer manager and former player currently serving as head coach of the United States Merchant Marine Academy women's soccer program.
Glenn Michael Souther: An American sailor who became a Soviet intelligence officer after defecting to the Eastern Bloc in 1986.
Tzipora Obziler: An Israeli former professional tennis player.

Read also: A Guide to ODU Scholarships

tags: #old #dominion #university #notable #alumni