University of Florida

The University of Florida, is a public university located in Gainesville, Florida. It is the fourth-largest university in the United States, with over 48,000 students; it also has the eighth-largest budget (nearly $1.9 billion per year) and is considered one of the top public universities in the United States. UF is also one of the Public Ivies, the only one in the Deep South.

Alumni

Famous UF alumni include:

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• Stephanie Abrams, meteorologist, The Weather Channel
• John Atanasoff, inventor of the digital electronic computer
• Red Barber, radio sportscaster principally for the Brooklyn Dodgers
• Wes Chandler, former Gator & NFL superstar wide receiver
• Lawton Chiles, late former governor of Florida and former U.S. senator
• Jonathan Demme, Academy Award winning director of Silence of the Lambs
• Kate DiCamillo, award-winning children's novelist and screenwriter
• Chris DiMarco, successful professional golfer
• Faye Dunaway, Academy Award winning actress for Network
• Scott Dunlap, PGA golfer
• Buddy Ebsen, actor, best known as Jed Clampett on The Beverly Hillbillies
• David Eckstein, All-Star shortstop for the St. Louis Cardinals
• Rich Fields, announcer of The Price Is Right, radio personality
• Malcolm Gets, actor, Caroline in the City
• Bob Graham, governor, senator, and presidential candidate
• Philip Graham, famed publisher of the Washington Post
• Rex Grossman, quarterback for the Chicago Bears
• Darrell Hammond, comedian, Saturday Night Live
• Kristin Harmel, People reporter and novelist
• Carl Hiaasen, novelist and Miami Herald columnist
• Spessard Holland, governor, senator, namesake of Holland & Knight
• Jevon Kearse, professional football player for the Philadelphia Eagles
• Joseph Kittinger, famed pilot, best known for his high-altitude balloon flights and parachute jumps
• John Janick, owner of Fueled by Ramen Records
• Fred Levin, prominent attorney, namesake of the Levin College of Law at the University of Florida
• Jamie McIntyre, senior Pentagon correspondent for CNN
• Buddy McKay, Former Lt. Governor of Florida, Former Interim Governor of Florida(*)
• Mike Miller, NBA Player
• Rob Murphy, former major league baseball pitcher for the Boston Red Sox and Cincinnati Reds
• Bill Nelson, U.S. Senator
• Marshall Nirenberg, Nobel Prize winner in medicine and physiology
• Andy North, golfer, winner of the 1978 and 1985 US Open
• Jesse Palmer, NFL Quarterback and star of ABC's The Bachelor
• Stephen Root, actor, best known as Milton in the Mike Judge comedy classic Office Space
• Forrest Sawyer, anchorman, ABC News
• Joe Scarborough, former congressman and MSNBC talk show host
• Elfi Schlegel-Dunn, sports/gymnastics commentator for NBC
• Lito Sheppard, NFL cornerback
• George A. Smathers, former U.S. senator and presidential candidate
• Emmitt Smith, former professional football player, Super Bowl MVP, NFL's all-time leading rusher
• Steve Spurrier, former Florida Gators quarterback and national-championship winning head coach, 1966 Heisman Trophy winner, former coach of the NFL's Washington Redskins, current head football coach at the University of South Carolina
• Stephen Stills, member of bands CSNY and Buffalo Springfield
• Fred Taylor, NFL running back
• Melinda Lou "Wendy" Thomas, namesake of Wendy's Restaurants and daughter of Wendy's founder Dave Thomas
• Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay
• Mel Tillis, singer, songwriter and comedian
• Kendra Todd, real estate businesswoman and winner of The Apprentice 3 reality TV show
• Bob Vila, home-improvement guru and former host of This Old House
• Brad Wilkerson, major league baseball player for the Washington Nationals
• Danny Wuerffel, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback, led the Florida Gators to the 1996 National Championship, former NFL player
• Jack Youngblood, Hall of Fame NFL football player

(*)- Named Interim Governor of Florida after the death of Gov. Lawton Chiles at the time.

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The University of Florida has more of its graduates in the United States Congress than any other university or college in the country - currently nine alumni serve in the House or Senate.

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In the last four decades, more presidents of the American Bar Association have come from the Levin College of Law than any other U.S. law school.

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