Notable Alumni of the University of Arkansas
The University of Arkansas, a public land-grant research university established in 1871 in Fayetteville, Arkansas, has a long tradition of producing accomplished graduates across diverse fields. This article highlights some of the university's most notable alumni, showcasing their contributions to business, politics, sports, arts, and sciences.
Academic Excellence and Historical Significance
The University of Arkansas was established under the Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act of 1862. The citizens of Fayetteville and Washington County pledged $130,000 toward securing the university. Completed in 1875, Old Main, a two-towered brick building designed in the Second Empire style, was the primary instructional and administrative building. Beginning with the class of 1876, the names of students at University of Arkansas are inscribed in "Senior Walk" and wind across campus for more than four miles.
The university played a role in the integration of higher education in the South. In 1948, Silas Herbert Hunt, an African American veteran, was admitted to the School of Law, marking a significant step towards desegregation. Edith Irby Jones became the first African American to be admitted in any Southern school in 1952.
Business and Entrepreneurship
The University of Arkansas has produced numerous influential figures in the world of business, particularly within the retail sector.
Jim Walton: As an heir to the Walmart fortune, Jim Walton is a prominent businessman. As of February 2025, Walton was the 12th-richest person in the world, with a net worth of US$118.9 billion according to Forbes. He is the youngest son of Sam Walton.
Read also: Tuition at UARK Law
S. Robson Walton: Another heir to the Walmart fortune, Samuel Robson "Rob" Walton served as chairman of Walmart from 1992 to 2015. As of December 2024, Forbes estimated his net worth to be US$110.8 billion, making him the 13th richest person in the world. He is also the principal owner of the Denver Broncos.
Doug McMillon: He sits on the retailer's board of directors. Having first joined the company as a summer associate in high school, he became the company's fifth CEO in 2014. He previously led the company's Sam's Club division, from 2005 to 2009, and Walmart International, from 2009 to 2013.
Ricardo Martinelli: Graduating with a Bachelor in Business Administration in 1973, Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal is a Panamanian politician and businessman who served as the 36th President of Panama from 2009 to 2014.
Politics and Law
The University of Arkansas has a strong tradition of alumni entering public service and law, shaping policy and governance at the state and national levels.
Asa Hutchinson: Graduating with Juris Doctor in 1975, William Asa Hutchinson II is an American attorney, businessman, and politician who served as the 46th governor of Arkansas from 2015 to 2023. He was a representative, and in two roles in the George W. Bush administration. He was a candidate for the 2024 Republican presidential nomination.
Read also: UA Admissions Landscape
Vince Foster: Vincent Walker Foster Jr. was an American attorney who served as deputy White House counsel during the first six months of the Clinton administration.
J. William Fulbright: James William Fulbright represented Arkansas in the United States Senate from 1945 until his resignation in 1974. As of 2023, Fulbright is the longest-serving chairman in the history of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. He is best known for his strong multilateralist positions on international issues, opposition to American involvement in the Vietnam War, and the creation of the international fellowship program bearing his name, the Fulbright Program.
Joycelyn Elders: Minnie Joycelyn Elders is an American pediatrician and public health administrator who served as Surgeon General of the United States from 1993 to 1994. A vice admiral in the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps, she was the second woman, second person of color, and first African American to serve as Surgeon General.
Athletics
The University of Arkansas Razorbacks have a strong athletic tradition, and many alumni have gone on to achieve success in professional sports.
Patrick Beverley: Patrick Beverley is an American professional basketball player for Hapoel Tel Aviv of the Israeli Basketball Premier League and the EuroCup. Originally from Chicago's West Side, Beverley played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. He spent the first five years of his pro career overseas, playing in Ukraine, Greece, and Russia. In January 2013, he joined the NBA, signing with the Houston Rockets.
Read also: ATU Tuition & Fees Explained
Tyson Gay: Tyson Gay is a retired American track and field sprinter who competed in the 100 and 200 meters. His 100 m personal best of 9.69 seconds is the American record and makes him tied for the second fastest athlete over 100 m ever, along with Yohan Blake of Jamaica.
Joe Johnson: Joe Marcus Johnson is an American former professional basketball player. Nicknamed "Iso Joe", he played high school basketball for Little Rock Central High School and college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks. After two years with Arkansas, he declared for the 2001 NBA draft where he was drafted 10th overall by the Boston Celtics.
Ryan Mallett: Ryan Michael Mallett was an American professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the New England Patriots, Houston Texans, and Baltimore Ravens.
Hunter Woodhall: Hunter Woodhall is an American track and field athlete. He won a gold medal in Men's 400 m T62 at the 2024 Summer Paralympics, following a bronze medal in the same event at the 2020 Summer Paralympics.
Bobby Portis: Bobby Portis Jr. is an American professional basketball player for the Milwaukee Bucks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks, earning consensus second-team All-American honors as a sophomore in 2015. Portis was selected in the first round of the 2015 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls with the 22nd overall pick. He won an NBA championship with Milwaukee in 2021.
Peyton Hillis: Peyton Derek Hillis is a former American football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL). Hillis attended Conway High School in Conway, Arkansas, and was a highly touted recruit. Hillis attended the University of Arkansas where he was primarily used as a fullback. After being drafted in the seventh round of the 2008 NFL draft, Hillis rose to the top of the depth chart as the starting fullback for the Denver Broncos. In 2011, Hillis won a nationwide vote which put him on the cover of EA Sports' Madden NFL 12 video game.
Barry Switzer: Barry Layne Switzer is an American former college and professional football coach. He served for 16 years as head football coach at the University of Oklahoma and four years as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He won three national championships at Oklahoma, and led the Cowboys to win Super Bowl XXX against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Jason Peters: Jason Raynard Peters is an American professional football offensive tackle. He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was signed as a tight end by the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent after the 2004 NFL draft. He was later traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2009 and spent the next twelve seasons playing for them, before joining the Chicago Bears in 2021, the Dallas Cowboys in 2022, and the Seattle Seahawks in 2023. He is currently the oldest active NFL player.
Darren McFadden: Darren McFadden is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was selected by the Oakland Raiders in the first round with the fourth overall pick of the 2008 NFL draft. He also played three seasons for the Dallas Cowboys.
Hunter Henry: Hunter Henry is an American professional football tight end for the New England Patriots of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Arkansas Razorbacks, earning unanimous All-American honors in 2015. Henry was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the second round of the 2016 NFL draft.
Alvin Robertson: Alvin Cyrrale Robertson is an American former professional basketball player who played in the National Basketball Association (NBA) from 1984 to 1993, and for one final season in 1995â96. Robertson holds the record for the most steals per game played, averaging 2.71 steals per game for his career and is the only player to ever have a season of 300 or more steals which he accomplished in the 1985â86 season. He is also the only guard in NBA history to have recorded a quadruple-double.
Nikki Hiltz: Nikki Hiltz is an American middle-distance runner specializing in the 1500 meters and mile. Hiltz holds the American record in the mile and is the 2023 US 1500 m champion. They won a silver medal at the 2024 World Indoor Championships.
Daniel Gafford: Daniel Gafford is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Arkansas Razorbacks and was drafted in the second round of the 2019 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls. He plays both the power forward and center positions.
Arts and Entertainment
The University of Arkansas has also fostered talent in the arts and entertainment industries.
Laurence Luckinbill: Graduating with Bachelor of Arts in 1956, Laurence George Luckinbill is an American actor, playwright and director. He has worked in television, film, and theatre, doing triple duty in the theatre by writing, directing, and starring in stage productions.
Ben Rector: Benjamin Evans Rector is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer based in Nashville, Tennessee. Rector is an independent artist, and releases music under his own label OK Kid Recordings; he has individually sold over 250,000 albums and 2,000,000 downloads.
Charlie Rich: Charles Allan Rich was an American country singer. His eclectic style of music also blended influences from rockabilly, jazz, blues, soul, and gospel.
Baseball
Dallas Keuchel: Dallas Keuchel is an American professional baseball pitcher for the Chiba Lotte Marines of Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB). He has previously played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Houston Astros, Atlanta Braves, Chicago White Sox, Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, and Milwaukee Brewers.
Cliff Lee: Clifton Phifer Lee is an American former professional baseball starting pitcher who played for 13 seasons in Major League Baseball (MLB). Between 2002 and 2014 he played for the Cleveland Indians, Philadelphia Phillies, Seattle Mariners, and Texas Rangers. During his career, Lee was a member of four All-Star teams, won the Cy Young Award, and had consecutive World Series appearances in 2009 and 2010 with the Phillies and Rangers.
Coaching
Butch Davis: Paul Hilton "Butch" Davis Jr. is an American football coach. He was most recently the head football coach at Florida International University. After graduating from the University of Arkansas, he became an assistant college football coach at Oklahoma State University and the University of Miami before becoming the defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He was head coach of the University of Miami's Hurricanes football team from 1995 to 2000 and the NFL's Cleveland Browns from 2001 to 2004.
Houston Nutt: Houston Dale Nutt Jr. is an American former college football coach and player. Previously, he served as the head football coach at Murray State University (1993â1996), Boise State University (1997), the University of Arkansas (1998â2007), and the University of Mississippi (2008â2011).
Basketball
- Sidney Moncrief: Sidney Alvin Moncrief is an American former professional basketball player. As an NCAA college basketball player from 1975 to 1979, Moncrief played for the University of Arkansas Razorbacks, leading them to the 1978 Final Four and a win in the NCAA Consolation Game versus #6 Notre Dame. Moncrief went on to play 11 seasons in the National Basketball Association, including ten seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks. He was a five-time NBA All-Star and won the first two NBA Defensive Player of the Year awards in 1983 and 1984. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019.
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