MONDAY, JULY 9, 2012
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
PAGE 12
WEEKLY
TEN
Alumni shine after leaving Lawrence
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Colombia's President Juan Manuel Santos, a KU alumnus, delivers a speech at the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, or Rio+20, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Thursday, June 21, 2012.
KELSEA ECKENROTH editor@kansan.com
Next time you're in class, look at the person sitting next to you. He or she could be a future superstar or president. Many University alumni have gone on to become actors, professional athletes, politicians, and other notable figures, some of whom you may not know walked around the same campus as you.
Juan Manuel Santos
Gale Sayers
Juan Manuel Santos is the current president of Colombia. He graduated in 1973 with degrees in economics and business. Santos was elected in 2010 and is serving a four-year term. Before becoming president, Santos served three years as defense minister and played a role in the 2008 rescue mission that freed Ingrid Betancourt, a former Colombian presidential candidate held captive by the rebel group the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia.
Former Kansas football player Gale Sayers is the youngest football player in NFL history to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He played for the Chicago Bears from 1965 to 1971. His career was cut short because of a knee injury, but he had a career total of 4,956 rushing yards and 39 rushing touchdowns. In 1965, Sayers scored a rookie record of 22 touchdowns and 132 points. He was awarded NFL Rookie of the Year.
Lynette Woodard
Lynette Woodard is a former Kansas basketball player who went on to play in the WNBA. In the 1984 Olympics, Woodard was a member of the American women's basketball team that won the gold medal. Woodard made history by becoming the first female Harlem Globetrotter in 1985. She was enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2004.
Billy Mills
Billy Mills is known for winning the gold medal in the men's 10,000-meter race at the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo. Mills set a world record for the event with a time of 28:24.4. Mills grew up on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota and earned a track scholarship to Kansas. Today, Mills is still the only American to ever win a gold medal in the 10,000 meters.
increase
Paul Rudd
Steven Hawley
Steven Hawley is a former NASA astronaut who flew five missions in space. "I always felt quite privileged to have been entrusted with the responsibility," Hawley said. He said he never thought held be selected, but his preparation allowed him to be competitive for an opportunity he thought held'd never have. Hawley used that example to explain that if a student is well prepared, they can have a chance for opportunities they never thought they'd have.
Actor Paul Rudd is a favorite among University students. Rudd has been in movies such as "Knocked Up," "The 40 Year Old Virgin," "Forgetting Sarah Marshall," "Clueless" and "Role Models." He also appeared on the television show "Friends." Amanda Seurer, a senior from Abilene, saw Rudd for the first time when she watched "Clueless," where Rudd wears a Kansas baseball hat in a few of the scenes. "It was cool to watch the movie after I had already started at KU and see him wear the KU hat," she said.
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain is a former Kansas basketball player and NBA superstar. He played for the Philadelphia Warriors and was later traded to the Philadelphia 76ers, and ended his career playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. Chamberlain was enshrined to Basketball Hall of Fame in 1979.
Alan Mulallv
Alan Mulally joined Ford Motor Co. in 2006 and is the current president and CEO of the company. Before joining Ford, Mulally served as executive vice president of The Boeing Company, as
well as the president and CEO of Boeing Commercial Airplanes. Mulally received bachelor's and master's degrees in aeronautical and astronautical engineering from KU.
Mandy Patinkin
Mandy Patinkin is best known for his role as Inigo Montoya in "The Princess Bride" Patinkin attended the University for two years and then transferred to Julliard. He has been in television shows such as "Homeland," "Dead Like Me," and "Criminal Minds." Patinkin has been in Broadway shows and won the award for Best Actor in the 1980 Tony Awards for his role as Ernesto 'Che' Guevara in "Evita."
Paul Pierce
- Paul Pierce is a former Kansas basketball player and current player for the Boston Celtics. He's played professional basketball for 14 years and has a career total of 6,164 rebounds, 3,935 assists, and 22,591 points. Last September, Pierce came back to Lawrence and played in the Legends of the Phog game. Tyler Adams, a recent graduate and Celtics fan who grew up in Massachusetts, said he thought this showed Pierce's loyalty to the Jayhawks. "Even though he is an NBA champion," Adams said, "he still finds the time to revisit his roots."
Edited by Megan Hinman
CHECK OUT MORE
Gale Sayers was recognized twice as an All-American at Kansas and was a first-round pick in the 1965 NFL Draft. While playing for the Chicago Bears, his friendship with teammate Brian Piccolo was the basis for the 1971 Movie "Brian's Song."
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
KANSAN FILE PHOTO
Wilt Chamberlain easily jumps over a Northwestern basketball team with the advantage of his 7'1" height and 9'6" reach while he played for Kansas under coach Phog Allen from 1955-1958.
BOOKSTORE KUBOOKSTORE.COM
THE OFFICIAL BOOKSTORE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS
THE ALUMNI COLLECTION CAN BE FOUND IN-STORE & ONLINE AT KUBOOKSTORE.COM
Kansas Union Level 2 • 1301 Jayhawk Blvd. • Lawrence, KS 66045 • (785) 864-4640
acebook.com/KUBookstore
twitter.com/KUBookstore
pinterest.com/KUBookstore
2