Mississippi State University

Mississippi State University is a land-grant university located in north east-central Mississippi in the town of Starkville and is situated 125 miles northeast of Jackson and 23 miles west of Columbus. It is the largest public university in the state.

Notable alumni

• Marsha Blackburn Tennessee Congressman
• Fred Carl Founder and CEO of Viking Range
• Will Clark, Former 1st Baseman for S.F. Giants and St. Louis Cardinals
• Jerry Clower Comedian
• Johnie Cooks, Former NFL Star
• Erick Dampier, Dallas Mavericks Center
• Dave Ferriss, Former Major League Baseball Player
• James L. Flanagan (1948), technical pioneer in speech transmission and acoustics
• John Grisham, Author
• Toxey Haas Founder and CEO, Mossy Oak Outdoors
• Bill Hawks USDA Undersecretary, Marketing and Regulatory Programs
• Bailey Howell, Former NBA Star
• Rhonda Keenum Director General of the U.S. and Foreign Commercial Service
• Gregory Keyes, Author
• G.V. "Sonny" Montgomery Former U.S. Representative and author of the Montgomery G.I. Bill
• Rafael Palmeiro Major League Baseball Player
• Ronnie Parker Founder of Pizza Inn
• Hartley Peavey Founder of Peavey Electronics
• Buck Showalter, Manager, Texas Rangers
• John C. Stennis Former U.S. Senator and "Father of the Modern Navy"
• Bobby Thigpen Former Major League Relief Pitcher
• Amy Tuck Mississippi Lt. Governor
• Bill Waller Jr. MS Supreme Court Justice