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Famous Bulldogs

Ed Carpenter '03 (COB) - An IRL IndyCar Series driver for Ed Carpenter Racing, he is also the stepson of Indy Racing League founder Tony George.
 
Barry S. Collier '76 (COE)- The current Butler University Athletic Director and former head basketball coach at the University of Nebraska and Butler University.
 
Kevin Calabro '78 (JCFA) - The former voice of the Seattle SuperSonics and nine-time winner of the Washington Sportscaster of the Year Award; Calabro has a talk show on ESPN's 710 Seattle. He is the brother of Indianapolis' own Dave Calabro '85 (JCFA), WTHR Channel 13's Sports Director.
 
George Daugherty - Emmy Award winning George Daugherty's professional profile includes major credits as an orchestral conductor; film and television director, producer and writer; and a creator and director of live stage productions. Mr. Daugherty attended Butler as a double major in music and journalism but later transferred to Indiana University in 1977 when he was named assistant conductor of the Fort Wayne Philharmonic Orchestra at age 20.
 
Sarah Fisher - A retired American professional racecar driver who is the first and only female team owner and the youngest owner in the IZOD IndyCar Series, she briefly attended Butler on a part-time basis around 2002 pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering.
 
Dave Gunn [Gundaker] '90 (JCFA) - "Gunner" is a radio broadcaster frequently featured on the "Bob and Tom Show" on WFBQ/Q95 Radio Indianapolis, IN 94.7.
 
Paul D. "Tony" Hinkle - Legendary coach of the Butler University Bulldogs in the sports of basketball, football, and baseball for nearly 50 years, he is credited with inventing the orange basketball. Hinkle Fieldhouse was named for him in 1966 and he was awarded an honorary Butler degree in 1978.
 
Dan Johnson-  A major league baseball first baseman, he attended Butler in 2001 for his freshman year, where he was named All-Conference in the Midwestern Collegiate Conference. He is perhaps best known for hitting a dramatic two-out, two-strike home run for the Tampa Bay Rays in the bottom of the 9th inning of the last game of the 2011 season, sending them to the playoffs. In February 2012, Mr. Johnson signed a minor league deal with the Chicago White Sox that included an invitation to spring training.
 
Todd Lickliter '80 (COE) - Named the head coach of the Marian University basketball team in June 2012, Mr. Lickliter also previously served as head basketball coach at the University of Iowa and Butler University.
 
Peter Lupus - As a bodybuilder, he earned the titles of Mr. Indianapolis, Mr. Indiana, Mr. Hercules and Mr. International Health Physique. Mr. Lupus may be best remembered as an actor for the role of Willy Armitage on the original Mission: Impossible television series in the 1960s. He played football while at Butler in the mid-1950s, but did not end up graduating.
 
Thad Matta '90 (COE) - The current Ohio State men's basketball head coach, Mr. Matta has led the Buckeyes to four Big Ten Conference regular season championships, three Big Ten Tournament titles, a runner-up finish in the 2007 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament, the 2008 NIT Championship, and a second Final Four berth in 2012. He is also a former Butler University men's basketball head coach.
 
Harry S. New - A U.S. Senator from Indiana from 1896 to 1900 who was a Spanish-American War veteran, Sen. New was appointed Postmaster General in the cabinet of President Warren G. Harding in 1923 and was reappointed by President Calvin Coolidge in 1925. He attended Butler University before going to work with the Indianapolis Journal where he was a reporter, editor, part owner, and publisher from 1878 to 1903.
 
Bobby Plump '58 (COE)- A member of the Milan High School basketball team that won the Indiana High School Athletic Association State Tournament in 1954, which provided the basis for the 1986 film Hoosiers, (filmed partly at Butler's Hinkle Fieldhouse), Mr. Plump was named one of the "Most Noteworthy Hoosiers of the 20th Century" by Indianapolis Monthly Magazine. He was also one of the "50 Greatest Sports Figures from Indiana in the 20th Century", according to Sports Illustrated.
 
Kurt Vonnegut - An American novelist who wrote works blending satire, black comedy, and science fiction in novels such as Slaughterhouse-Five, Cat's Cradle, and Breakfast of Champions, Mr. Vonnegut attended Butler University but left in 1942 after managing no better than a "C" average in his English courses; he was later awarded an honorary degree from Butler.
 
Maurine Dallas Watkins -An American journalist and playwright who briefly attended Butler around 1919, she wrote the play Chicago, which was later transformed into the 2002 Academy Award-winning film starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renée Zellweger, and Richard Gere.
 
Rev. Dr. Sharon Watkins '75 (LAS) - Dr. Watkins serves as General Minister and President of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada. She is an inspirational preacher, teacher and facilitator who shares her skills in a variety of religious and ecumenical settings.