There are many notable alumni of the college, some of the famous ones are listed below. Also, the college has a strong Alumni Network.

Josh Anderson – (baseball) center fielder, Cincinnati Reds
Yeremiah Bell – (football) retired, Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals
Eula Bingham – noted occupational health scientist
Elmo Boyd – (football) wide receiver, San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers
Chad Bratzke – (football) defensive end, New York Giants and Indianapolis Colts
Dwight Butler – a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives representing the 18th District
John "Bam" Carney – educator/coach; member of the Kentucky House of Representatives representing the 51st District
Wally Chambers – (football) defensive tackle, Chicago Bears, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Winner of the 1973 Defensive NFL Rookie of the Year Award
Sam Champion – weather editor/anchor for "Good Morning America" and ABC News; former weather forecaster for WABC-TV
Tom Colbert – first African-American Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice (M.Ed.)
Earle Combs – (baseball) former New York Yankee teammate of Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig, member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
Danny Copeland – (football) defensive back, Washington Redskins. Starter on the Redskins Super Bowl XXVI champions. Currently a motivational speaker[27] in Meigs, Georgia.[28]
Dale Dawson – (football) placekicker; Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, and Green Bay Packers[29]
Jessamyn Duke – professional Mixed Martial Artist formally for the UFC[30]
Jason Dunn – (football) veteran tight end, Kansas City Chiefs
Alecia Webb-Edgington – former executive director, Kentucky Office of Homeland Security; member of the Kentucky House of Representatives representing the 63rd District
George Floyd – (football) defensive back, New York Jets Member of the College Football Hall of Fame
Danny Ford – House Republican Whip, member of the Kentucky House of Representatives representing the 80th District
Christian Friedrich – (baseball) starting pitcher, Colorado Rockies
Myron Guyton – (football) defensive back, New York Giants, and New England Patriots. Starter on Giants Super Bowl XXV champions. Currently a successful businessman in suburban Atlanta.[31]
Ole Hesselbjerg – 2016 Rio Summer Olympian
Silas House – American writer best known for his novels.
Carl Hurley – noted humorist and motivational speaker; former EKU professor.
Chris Isaac – (football) CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie Award in 1982
John Jackson – (football) former NFL tackle (171st person in NFL history to play in at least 200 games)
Aaron Jones – (football) former NFL defensive end
Roy Kidd – (football/baseball) eighth winningest coach in college football history, two-time NCAA National Champion (1979 and 1982). Member of the College Football Hall of Fame
Kim King – a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives representing the 55th House District
Laura Kirkpatrick – runner up of America's Next Top Model Cycle 13
Homer Ledford – bluegrass musician and member of the Cabin Creek Band
Lee Majors – (attended as Harvey Yeary) Six Million Dollar Man, The Fall Guy (1962, History/Physical Education)
Antwaun Molden – (football) 3rd-round (79th overall) pick of the Houston Texans in 2008 NFL Draft
Virgil Moore - former member of the Kentucky State Senate
Dan Patrick – gained fame as co-host of ESPN's SportsCenter, attended EKU for two years on a basketball scholarship.
Steve Pence – former Lieutenant Governor and Justice Secretary of Kentucky
Dallas Robinson the state of Kentucky's sole Army Veteran and Olympian from the 2014 Olympics; Sochi Russia. He was a Team USA athlete for six years, two with the USA Rugby team and four with the USA Bobsled team. In 2008 he was ranked 1st in the USA & World in the 55m dash, indoor track, and field. EKU school record holder & Hall of Fame Inductee. Also, a Hall of Fame inducted High School Track and Field Coach.
Rex Ryan – Former NFL Coach.
Thaksin Shinawatra – former Prime Minister of Thailand (1975, M.S. in criminal justice)
Garfield Smith – (basketball) former NBA and ABA player
Teddy Taylor – (football) The 1969 Milestone Outstanding Athlete, Teddy Taylor earned All-Ohio Valley Conference honors in 1967, 1968, and 1969. The two-time All-American served as a team captain during his senior season. Taylor, a four-year letter winner, was also named to the OVC All-Time Team. A member of the “E” and HYPER Clubs as a collegian, Taylor has been involved with the University’s Alumni Association and the Worn Cleat Club during his professional life. The 2003 inductee into the Harrison County High School Hall of Fame is a member of the American Football Coaches Association and the Kentucky High School Athletics Association. He is the Minority Director of the Kentucky Education Association. Teddy earned 1978 Southeastern Kentucky Football Conference Coach of the Year honors. His dedication to the community is evident in his involvement in a mentoring program for single mothers. He has mentored six young men as well as been involved in his community’s Little League. Teddy currently coaches, works, and mentors at Madison Central High School. He was inducted into the EKU Hall of Fame in 2006 and was named "Man of the Year" for Richmond, KY in 2013.
Ken Upchurch – a member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from District 52 in Wayne County
Corey Walden - professional basketball player, 2019 Israeli Basketball Premier League MVP
Crystal Wilkinson – writer, poet, educator, and winner of 2016 Ernest J. Gaines Award for Literary Excellence

Eastern Kentucky University