This is a list of prominent people from the territory that now makes up the U.S. state of West Virginia.
Athletes A–G
Michael Barber, professional football player Randy Barnes (born 1966), shotputter Larry Barnett (born 1945), baseball umpire Clair Bee, college basketball coach Vern Bickford, professional baseball player Brian Bowles, UFC/MMA fighter Rich Braham, professional football coach George Brett, professional baseball player Vicky Bullett, professional basketball player Lew Burdette, professional baseball player Jesse Burkett, professional baseball player Necro Butcher, professional wrestler Eddie Cameron, college basketball coach Mark Canterbury, professional wrestler David Carpenter, professional baseball player Bimbo Coles, professional basketball player Wilbur Cooper, professional baseball player Larry Coyer, professional football coach Dan D'Antoni, college basketball coach Mike D'Antoni, professional basketball player and coach Jack Dempsey, professional boxer Aaron Dobson, professional football player Jimbo Fisher, college football coach Gene Freese, professional baseball player George Freese, professional baseball player Bob Gain, professional football player Frank Gatski, professional football player Marshall Goldberg, professional football player C. J. Goodwin, professional football player Hal Greer, professional basketball player Jedd Gyorko, professional baseball player
H–M
Dennis Harrah, professional football player Cam Henderson, college football, basketball, and baseball coach Lou Holtz, Hall of Fame college football coach Alexis Hornbuckle, professional basketball player Jeff Hostetler, professional football player J. R. House, professional baseball and football player Chuck Howley, professional football player Sam Huff, professional football player Bob Huggins, college basketball coach Hot Rod Hundley, professional basketball player and broadcaster Gary Jeter, professional football player James Jett, professional football player Dwayne Jones, professional basketball player Bill Karr, professional football player Jason Kincaid, professional wrestlerNWA World Junior Heavyweight Championship. John Kruk, professional baseball player Carl Lee, professional football player Doug Legursky, professional football player Gino Marchetti, professional football player Rod Martin, professional football player Chris Massey, professional football player O. J. Mayo, professional basketball player Bill Mazeroski, professional baseball player Leo Mazzone, professional baseball player Seth McClung, professional baseball player John McKay, college and professional football coach Leland Merrill, Olympic wrestler, WV's first Olympian Renee Montgomery, professional basketball player Eric Moss, professional football player Randy Moss, professional football player
N–Z
Greasy Neale, Hall of Fame college and professional football coach Dustin Nippert, professional baseball player Jamie Noble, professional wrestler (WWE) Buzz Nutter, professional football player Peggy O'Neal, Australian Rules football president Patrick Patterson, professional basketball player Joe Pettini, professional baseball coach Kevin Pittsnogle, college basketball player Tom Pridemore, professional football player Paul Popovich, professional baseball player Mary Lou Retton, professional gymnast Ira Rodgers, college football coach Rich Rodriguez, college football coach Nick Saban, professional and college football coach Christy Salters, professional boxer Ben Schwartzwalder, Hall of Fame college football coach Heath Slater, professional wrestler (WWE) Tamar Slay, professional basketball player Stephanie Sparks, professional golfer and commentator Ray Stevens, professional wrestler Emanuel Steward, boxing trainer Bill Stewart, college football coach Joe Stydahar, professional football player Nick Swisher, professional baseball player Steve Swisher, professional baseball player Ryan Switzer, professional football player Rod Thorn, basketball player and executive Rick Tolley, college football coach Bill Walker, professional basketball player Fulton Walker, professional football player Robert Walker, professional football player Curt Warner, professional football player Jerry West, professional basketball player Deron Williams, professional basketball player Jason Williams, professional basketball player Kayla Williams, world champion gymnast Alex Wilson, professional baseball player Hack Wilson, professional baseball player Quincy Wilson, professional football player Steve Yeager, professional baseball player Fielding H. Yost, Hall of Fame college football coach Guy Zinn, professional baseball player
Business
Don Blankenship, chief executive officer of Massey Energy John T. Chambers, chief executive officer of Cisco Systems Carl Keith, inventor William Luke, businessman and entrepreneur George Preston Marshall, owner and president of Washington Commanders William N. Page, civil engineer, entrepreneur, capitalist, businessman, and industrialist Milan Puskar, entrepreneur, philanthropist, co-founder of Mylan Alex Schoenbaum, founder of Shoney's restaurant chain Harry F. Sinclair, industrialist Brad D. Smith, chief executive officer of Intuit, Inc. Ellsworth Milton Statler, hotel businessman Clarence Wayland Watson, businessman Allen Harvey Woodward, industrialist
Entertainment A–G
Hasil Adkins, musician Michael Ammar, magician Karen Austin, actress Charlie Barnett, actor, comedian Lina Basquette, actress Leon "Chu" Berry, jazz saxophonist Charles Blevins, musician Chris Booker, radio DJ, TV personality Bobby Campo, actor Mark Carman, producer, songwriter Jean Carson, actress Bernie Casey, actor Kevin Cassidy, gospel/retired country singer Ted Cassidy, actor Joe Cerisano, singer-songwriter Michael Cerveris, actor, singer-songwriter John Davis Chandler, actor Larry Combs, clarinetist Stoney Cooper, country/bluegrass singer Wilma Lee Cooper, country/bluegrass singer John Corbett, actor Billy Cox, bassist George Crumb, composer Phyllis Curtin, operatic soprano, NYCO Frank De Vol, film composer, actor Joyce DeWitt, actress; Three's Company Hazel Dickens, bluegrass singer Little Jimmy Dickens, country singer; Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Brad Divens, vocalist, musician, Wrathchild America, Kix Paul Dooley, actor, writer and comedian Brad Dourif, actor Joanne Dru, actress Greg Dulli, singer, The Afghan Whigs Virginia Egnor (also known as Dagmar), actress, model, TV personality Conchata Ferrell, actress Sierra Ferrell, singer-songwriter Virginia Fox, silent-film actress; frequent co-star with Buster Keaton Jennifer Garner, actress Randy Gilkey, singer-songwriter Larry Groce, musician, radio personality
H–M
Ed Haley, blind professional fiddler Joshua Harto, actor, writer, producer Steve Harvey, comedian, TV personality Hawkshaw Hawkins, country music singer Allison Hayes, actress Blind Joe Hill, one-man band Frank Hutchison, slide guitar player Katie Lee Joel, television host Johnnie Johnson, blues musician Daniel Johnston, musician, artist; subject of film The Devil and Daniel Johnston Lawrence Kasdan, director, producer, screenwriter Lesli Kay, actress, As The World Turns, The Bold and the Beautiful Fuzzy Knight, actor Don Knotts, actor Shannon Larkin, musician, Godsmack Rex Lease, actor Jake E. Lee, rock guitarist Kristi Lee, TV personality, director of The Bob & Tom Show Traci Lords, actress Ann Magnuson, actress Peter Marshall, musician, actor, host of TV's Hollywood Squares Kathy Mattea, country and bluegrass performer Charlie McCoy, musician Russ McCubbin, actor, stuntman, comedian Justin McElroy, Travis McElroy, and Griffin McElroy, hosts of My Brother, My Brother and Me Elizabeth McLaughlin, actress Garnet Mimms, soul singer Landau Eugene Murphy Jr., singer, winner of America's Got Talent, Season 6 (2010) Lou Myers, actor
N–Z
Tim O'Brien, bluegrass musician Brooklyn Nelson, actress Devon Odessa, producer, actress, My So-Called Life Brad Paisley, country singer-songwriter Will Pan, rapper, actor Sam Pancake, actor Squire Parsons, gospel singer Johnny Paycheck, country musician Rachel Proctor, country singer-songwriter Don Redman, jazz musician and bandleader Ashlie Rhey, actress, writer Jeff Richmond, producer, composer Tyler Robertson, bluegrass singer/musician Walter E. "Jack" Rollins, songwriter Soupy Sales, actor and comedian Frank "Poncho" Sampedro, guitarist for Neil Young's band Chris Sarandon, actor, activist David Selby, actor Robert R. Shafer, actor Art Simmons, Jazz Pianist Elaine McMillion Sheldon, director, producer, writer Bill Slater, radio personality, host of Twenty Questions Connie Smith, country singer, Country Music Hall of Fame inductee Fred "Sonic" Smith, guitarist for MC5 Michael W. Smith, contemporary Christian singer-songwriter Red Sovine, country singer Morgan Spurlock, film director, screenwriter Blaze Starr, stripper and burlesque star Aaron Staton, actor; Mad Men Eleanor Steber, soprano, The Metropolitan Opera, NYC Josh Stewart, actor Sam Trammell, actor, True Blood Ryan Upchurch, country, rap and rock songwriter Teddy Weatherford, jazz pianist Patty Weaver, actress Donald Ray White, mountain dancer Jesse "Jesco" White, mountain dancer Steve Whiteman, former Kix singer Garland Wilson, jazz pianist Melvin Wine, fiddler Bill Withers, singer-songwriter Bobby Wright, country singer Frankie Yankovic, polka musician
Frontiersmen
Patrick Gass, frontiersman Morgan Morgan, frontiersman Lewis Wetzel, frontiersman
Journalism
William E. Chilton, newspaper publisher and politician J. R. Clifford, journalist, first African-American lawyer in West Virginia; founder of the Pioneer Press George Esper, newspaper reporter; known for his coverage of the Vietnam War for the Associated Press John S. Knight, newspaper publisher and editor Hoda Kotb, television reporter; host of Today Molly Line, news correspondent for Fox News Channel Herbert Morrison, radio reporter; known for his coverage of the Hindenburg disaster Asra Nomani, Indian-American journalist, author, and feminist Mike Patrick, sportscaster Michael Tomasky, newspaper writer and editor Carter G. Woodson, historian, author, and journalist
Literature and art
Allen Appel, novelist Annie Latham Bartlett, sculptor John Peale Bishop, poet, man of letters Florence V. Brittingham, poet and short story writer Pearl S. Buck, writer and Nobel Prize winner Bob Carroll, historian, author Stephen Coonts, novelist Rebecca Harding Davis, short story writer Alice Mary Dowd, educator and author Henry Louis Gates Jr., author, educator, and scholar Denise Giardina, author Linda Goodman, poet, novelist, best-selling astrology writer Davis Grubb, novelist Charley Harper, artist Homer Hickam, writer Craig Johnson, novelist John Knowles, novelist William Robinson Leigh, artist Keith Maillard, novelist, poet Scott McClanahan, writer Brooke McEldowney, cartoonist; creator of 9 Chickweed Lane comic strip Jeannie Blackburn Moran (1842–1929), author, community leader, socialite, and philanthropist Ehrman Syme Nadal, author Breece D'J Pancake, short fiction writer, author of Trilobites Roger Price, creator of Mad Libs and Droodles Jedediah Purdy, author and professor Mary Lee Settle, author Beau Smith, comic book writer Jean Edward Smith, biographer David Hunter Strother (aka Porte Crayon), artist Timothy Truman, writer, artist, and musician Jeannette Walls, author and columnist Booker T. Washington, political leader, educator, and author Tom Wilson, creator of Ziggy comic strip
Military
John James Abert, explorer and soldier Earl E. Anderson, U.S. Marine Corps general John Ashby, frontiersman and soldier Woodrow Wilson Barr, U.S. Marine