Fred H. Brown 1903

Mode of exit: Dropped out to play professional basketball

Career: Lawyer, politician

Notable achievement: Elected governor of New Hampshire as a Democrat

After playing professional ball with the Boston Nationals, Brown studied law at Boston University and entered private practice in Somersworth, New Hampshire. President Woodrow Wilson appointed him a federal district attorney in 1914. But in 1922 he achieved his greatest fame by pulling off the heavily Republican state's greatest political upset in half a century, narrowly defeating his Republican opponent for the governorship. Brown championed the 48-hour work week, home rule, and tax reform. He opposed a poll tax on women. Dartmouth gave him an honorary degree in 1923. In 1933, Brown was elected to the U.S. Senate, where he became known in the press as the "foe of the holding companies." He failed reelection.