College football is just around the corner as most teams in America are opening their season this weekend. And as the prominent athletic program of most universities, that sport "gets the name out" more than any other.

That got me to thinking about our wonderful university here in Lafayette (of which I am a proud alumnus of). Who are some of the notable people to have stepped on the campus at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette?

A website called Ranker.com does a great job of ranking just about everything. One of their better list includes a compilation of famous people that went to each university in the U.S.

Below is the list of the top 10 that were the answers to the following questions: "Which famous people went to the University of Louisiana at Lafayette?" and "Which celebrities are University of Louisiana at Lafayette alumni?"

Keep in mind that their ranking does not just include graduates but also celebs who at least attended the university.

  • Charley Gallay, Getty Images
    Charley Gallay, Getty Images
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    1

    Ali Landry

    Model, Actor

    Ali Landry is an actress, model and beauty queen who won Miss USA 1996. She is perhaps best known as the Doritos Girl from her 1998 Super Bowl commercial, for her portrayal of Rita Lefleur on the UPN sitcom Eve, and for being the winner of the Miss USA 1996 pageant.

  • Michael Buckner, Getty Images
    Michael Buckner, Getty Images
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    2

    Richard Simmons

    Fitness Personality

    Milton Teagle Simmons, better known as Richard Simmons, is a fitness personality and actor. Simmons promotes weight-loss programs, prominently through his Sweatin' to the Oldies line of aerobics videos and is known for his eccentric, flamboyant, and energetic personality.

  • Mike Windle, Getty Images
    Mike Windle, Getty Images
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    3

    Daniel Sunjata

    Actor

    Daniel Sunjata is an actor who performs in film, television and theater. He is best known for his role as Franco Rivera in the FX television series Rescue Me. Sunjata currently stars as Paul Briggs in USA Network's series Graceland.

  • Jim McIsaac, Getty Images
    Jim McIsaac, Getty Images
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    4

    Ron Guidry

    Baseball Player

    Nicknamed "Louisiana Lightning" and "Gator", Ron Guidry is a former Major League Baseball left-handed pitcher. He played his entire 14-year baseball career for the New York Yankees from 1975 through 1988. Guidry won the AL Cy Young Award in 1978.

  • Nick Laham, Getty Images
    Nick Laham, Getty Images
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    5

    Jake Delhomme

    Football Player

    Jake Delhomme is a former quarterback. After his four years at UL, Jake played for four NFL teams, most prominently with the Carolina Panthers from 2003-2009. He led the Panthers to Super Bowl XXXVIII in his first season with the team.

  • Chris Graythen, Getty Images
    Chris Graythen, Getty Images
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    6

    Kathleen Blanco

    Politician, Teacher

    Kathleen Babineaux Blanco served from January 2004 to January 2008 as the 54th governor of Louisiana. A Democrat, she is the first woman to have been elected as governor of Louisiana.

  • Phil Konstantin
    Phil Konstantin
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    7

    Albert H. Crews

    Astronaut, Engineer

    Albert Hanlin "Al" Crews, Jr., is a former chemical and aeronautical engineer, and U.S. Air Force astronaut, who was briefly included in the X-20 Dyna-Soar program.

  • Charles Boustany Official House Photo
    Charles Boustany Official House Photo
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    8

    Charles Boustany

    Politician, Surgeon

    Charles William Boustany, Jr., is a politician and physician who served as a U.S. Representative for Louisiana from 2005 to 2013. Before that he was a prominent heart surgeon in Lafayette.

  • jamesleeburke.com
    jamesleeburke.com
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    9

    James Lee Burke

    Author

    James Lee Burke is an author of mysteries, best known for his Dave Robicheaux series. He has won an Edgar Award for Black Cherry Blues and Cimarron Rose, and has also been presented with the Grand Master Award from the Mystery Writers of America. The Robicheaux character has been portrayed twice on screen, first by Alec Baldwin and then Tommy Lee Jones.

  • 10

    J. Rayburn Bertrand

    Businessman, Politician

    J. Rayburn "Ray" Bertrand was a businessman, civic leader, and decorated World War II veteran who served as the Democratic mayor of Lafayette from 1960 to 1972. During Bertrand's three terms, the city nearly doubled in population, having grown from 40,000 to 75,000, and the corporate limits were extended more than sixty times.

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