DENVER -- Sen. John McCain tapped little-known Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin to be his vice presidential running mate on Friday.

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GOP Presidential candidate John McCain introduces Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his choice for vice president.

Palin, 44, is a Sandpoint native and University of Idaho graduate. She's a self-styled hockey mom and political reformer who has been governor of her state less than two years.

“The University of Idaho is proud of its legacy of leaders, which includes Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, named on Friday by Sen. John McCain as his running mate," the university said in a prepared statement.

"University of Idaho alumni are sizable in number, but remain a close-knit community. A large number of university alumni, such as Sarah, have gone on to distinguish themselves in public service," the press release concluded.

Palin's selection was a stunning surprise, as McCain passed over many other better known prospects, some of whom had been the subject of intense speculation for weeks or months.

At 44, she is a generation younger than Sen. Joseph Biden of Delaware, who is Barack Obama's running mate on the Democratic ticket.

Palin flew overnight to an airport in Ohio near Dayton, and even as she awaited her formal introduction, close aides said they had believed she was at home in Alaska.

She is a former mayor of Wasilla, Alaska who became governor of her state in 2006 after ousting a governor of her own party in a primary and then dispatching a former governor in the general election.