March Madness: Most famous alumni from every 2019 NCAA Tournament team
By Bryan Mauro
Florida State Seminoles – Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds (attended 1954-57) started his career at Florida State as a football player. Injuries ended his football career, and if not for those injuries the world may never have seen Reynolds as the actor. While most of the current generation didn’t grow up watching Reynolds, perhaps your parents or your grandparents did. Smokey and The Bandit is a classic movie that has withstood the test of time and will still be great for generations to come.
Gardner-Webb Running Bulldogs – Artis Gilmore
Most schools that have a college basketball program have had at least one player turn professional, whether that be the NBA or overseas. Not every school has produced an NBA Hall of Famer. Artis Gilmore (attended 1967-1969) played 17 years as an NBA center. Standing at 7’2 tall the Hall of Fame big man produced just under 19 points, 12 rebounds and two assists per game. Gilmore did not graduate from Gardner-Webb.
Georgia State Panthers – Ludacris
Christopher Bridges better known by his stage name of Ludacris (attended 1998-99) is a rapper and an actor. As a musical artist, the rapper has successfully owned and operated his own record label Disturbing the Peace. That career has also earned the rapper three Grammy awards. As an actor, he has starred in the Fast and the Furious movie series alongside Vin Diesel and the late Paul Walker.
Gonzaga Bulldogs – Bing Crosby
Seattle, Washington is home to Gonzaga University. One of the most famous crooners in the world Bing Crosby (attended 1920-1923) went to Gonzaga but did not earn a degree from the university. From the early ’30s to the mid-’50s the singer was the highest grossing artist in the U.S. Crosby’s biggest hit is still played in homes today during the holiday season. His rendition of the hit “White Christmas” has sold over 100 million copies worldwide. That song epitomizes the holiday season.