University Of Arizona Notable Alumni

Widely regarded as the greatest tight end of all time, Rob Gronkowski is also considered one of the best American football players of his generation. Also one of the most popular players, thanks to his larger-than-life personality, Rob Gronkowski has set many National Football League (NFL) records as a tight end.

Like many American comedians, Kristen Wiig is also a product of the television show, Saturday Night Live. She then became a successful writer and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for her work in the film Bridesmaids (2011). An influential woman, Kristen was named in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People in the World list in 2012.

David Foster Wallace was an American author who is regarded as one of the most innovative and influential writers of the past 20 years. His best-known work, Infinite Jest, was named one of the best English-language novels between 1923 and 2005 by Time magazine. Wallace continues to serve as an inspiration to writers like Darin Strauss and George Saunders.

Craig T. Nelson is an American stand-up comedian and actor. One of the earliest members of the popular comedy troupe The Groundlings, Nelson went on to form his own comedy team along with Rudy De Luca and Barry Levinson. Also an avid racer and motorsports fan, Nelson founded the Screaming Eagles Racing in 1992.

Garry Shandling was initially a sitcom writer and then performed as a stand-up comedian on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson. He later soared to fame with his own shows, It's Garry Shandling's Show and the Emmy-winning The Larry Sanders Show. He has also hosted the Grammy and Emmy Awards.

Entrepreneur Barry Morris Goldwater was a five-term Arizona senator. He represented the Republican Party in the 1964 presidential election, which he lost by a landslide margin to Lyndon B Johnson. He impacted the conservative and libertarian movements. He was a skilled photographer and loved collecting kachina dolls.

Finnish basketball player Lauri Markkanen is best known for his present stint with the NBA team Cleveland Cavaliers. The 3-time Finnish Player of the Year has also played for the Chicago Bulls earlier. Known for his near-7-foot frame, he has also been an NBA All-Rookie First Team in 2018.

NASA astronaut and USAF pilot Stuart Roosa served as the Command Module Pilot for the 1971 Apollo 14 mission. He had begun his career as a smokejumper for the US Forest Service, before moving on to the USAF. Following his stint at NASA, he worked as an executive for Greek and US businesses.

Nobel Prize-winning astronomer Brian Schmidt is best known for discovering what is known as dark energy of the universe. Born in the US, the Harvard alumnus later moved to Australia for his work. He has taught at the Australian National University and is now the university’s vice chancellor.