This is a list of notable Southern University alumni.
Athletes
edit| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fred Bailey | 1996 | former CFL player | |
| Al Beauchamp | 1968 | former National Football League linebacker | |
| Mel Blount | 1970 | member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
| William Breda | 1950 | Negro league outfielder, 1950 - 1954 | [1] |
| Lou Brock | record-setting base-stealing Major League Baseball player | ||
| Harold Carmichael | 1971 | member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
| Darren Clark | 2006 | former MLB baseball player, New York Mets, SU Hall of Fame | |
| Willie Davenport | gold medalist in men's 110 m hurdles at the 1968 Mexico City Olympic Games for the U.S. track team | ||
| Donnie Davis | 1962 | former NFL, CFL and WFL player | |
| Marvin Davis | 1974 | former NFL and CFL player and Grey Cup champion | |
| Matthew Dorsett | 1995 | former pro football player, Super Bowl XXXI champion | |
| Ken Ellis | 1970 | former NFL player, Green Bay Packers | |
| Oliver Ford | former 100m world record holder | ||
| Charlie Granger | former NFL player | [2] | |
| Tommie Green | 1978 | former National Basketball Association player, New Orleans Jazz | |
| Rich Jackson | 1966 | member of the American Football League Hall of Fame | |
| Avery Johnson | 1988 | 1999 NBA Champion, 2006 NBA Coach of the Year, University of Alabama head basketball coach, Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame inductee | |
| Brian Johnson | United States Olympic long jumper | ||
| Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones | President and baseball coach at Grambling State University, 1936–1977 | [3] | |
| Tyrone Jones | 1983 | former Canadian Football League all-star and MVP | |
| Fred Lewis | Major League Baseball player | ||
| Bob Love | former NBA All-Star and second leading scorer in Chicago Bulls history | ||
| Rod Milburn | gold medalist in men's 110 m hurdles at the 1972 Munich Olympic Games | ||
| Jordan Miller | 2011 | NFL defensive tackle | |
| Bobby Phills | NBA basketball player | ||
| Isiah Robertson | 1971 | six-time NFL Pro Bowler | |
| Bernie Smith | former Major League Baseball player | ||
| Donnell Smith | 1971 | former NFL player | |
| Godwin Turk | 1974 | former NFL player | |
| Rickie Weeks | Major League Baseball player | ||
| Aeneas Williams | 1991 | member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
| John Williams Jr. | former NFL player | [4] | |
| Lenny Williams | 2004 | former NFL and CFL player | |
| Jerry Wilson | 1995 | former NFL player | |
| Ken Winey | 1987 | former CFL player |
Entertainers and personalities
edit| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| David Banner | 1997 | music recording artist, producer, actor | |
| Jay Scalez | 2015 | music producer, executive | |
| Alvin Batiste | 1955 | jazz artist and educator | |
| James Booker | rhythm and blues keyboardist | ||
| Maurice Brown | jazz artist | ||
| Isiah Carey | television news reporter | ||
| Randy Jackson | 1979 | musician, record producer, former American Idol judge | |
| Faith Jenkins | Miss Louisiana 2000, Miss America runner-up 2001, attorney, TV personality, star of Judge Faith | ||
| Branford Marsalis | jazz saxophonist |
Politicians, judges and public officials
edit| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Diana Bajoie | member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature (1976–2008); member of the New Orleans City Council (2012–2013) | [5] | |
| Kirt Bennett | Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in 2003 | [6] | |
| Jay Blossman | 1991 (Juris Doctor) | former member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission | |
| Troy E. Brown | Member of the Louisiana State Senate from 2012 until his resignation in 2017 | ||
| Barbara West Carpenter | Dean of international relations at Southern University; African-American Democrat member of the Louisiana House of Representatives since 2016 | [7] | |
| Israel "Bo" Curtis | Democrat member of the Louisiana House of Representatives (1992–2008) and the Rapides Parish School Board (1976–1992), former Alexandria educator and insurance agent, did graduate study at Southern | [8] | |
| Herbert B. Dixon | Democrat member of the Louisiana House of Representatives (2008–2014) and the Rapides Parish School Board (1992–2008), did graduate study at Southern | [9] | |
| Irma Muse Dixon | first African-American elected to the Louisiana Public Service Commission (PSC) | ||
| Cleo Fields | former state senator and U.S. Representative for Louisiana's 4th congressional district | ||
| Mike Foster | 2004 (Juris Doctor) | 53rd governor of Louisiana | |
| Randal Gaines | member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for St. Charles and St. John the Baptist parishes since 2012 | [10] | |
| Hunter Greene | 1994 (Juris Doctor) | Republican former member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, family court judge in East Baton Rouge Parish | [11] |
| Kip Holden | Mayor-President of Baton Rouge 2005–2017 | ||
| Dalton W. Honoré | member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 63 in East Baton Rouge Parish since 2010 | [12] | |
| Hilry Huckaby III | 1969 (Juris Doctor) | Member of Shreveport, Louisiana city council (1978–1990, 1998–2001), Caddo District Judge (1992–1995) | [13] |
| Jason Hughes | member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 100 in Orleans Parish | ||
| Marcus Hunter | 2002 | member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 17 in Ouachita Parish | [14] |
| Melvin Irvin | member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 58 (based in Ascension Parish) 1984–1988; educator and real estate developer, died in 2014 | [15] | |
| Alphonse J. Jackson | 1951 | member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from Caddo Parish, 1972–1992; owner of a public relations agency in Baton Rouge | [16] |
| Edward C. James | member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 101 in East Baton Rouge Parish; Baton Rouge lawyer | [17] | |
| William J. Jefferson | former Representative, U.S. Congress | ||
| Okla Jones II | federal judge on the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana | ||
| Edmond Jordan | Democratic member since 2016 of the Louisiana House of Representatives for West and East Baton Rouge parishes; lawyer in Brusly, Louisiana | [18] | |
| James A. Joseph | 1956 | Ambassador to South Africa (1996–1999) | [19] |
| Isiah Leggett | County Executive of Montgomery County, Maryland 2006-2018 | ||
| Robert M. Marionneaux | Louisiana state senator since 2000 from Baton Rouge area | [20] | |
| Dustin Miller | Pending study to be nurse practitioner | African-American Democrat member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 40 in St. Landry Parish since 2016 | [21] |
| Randy Moore | first African-American chief of the United States Forest Service | [22][failed verification] | |
| Jewel Joseph Newman | member of the East Baton Rouge City Parish Council, 1972–1984; member of the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1984–1988; community organizer in the Scotlandville neighborhood of Baton Rouge | [23] | |
| Abe E. Pierce, III | 1956 | first African-American mayor of Monroe, Louisiana (1996–2000) | [24] |
| Vincent Pierre | state representative for Lafayette Parish since 2012 | [25] | |
| Jewel Prestage | 1951 | first African-American woman to receive a Ph.D in Political Science | [26] |
| Rupert Richardson | African-American civil rights activist and civil rights leader who served as president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) from 1992 to 1995 | ||
| Chris Roy, Jr. | 1987 | attorney, former state legislator from Rapides and Vernon parishes | [27] |
| Jesse N. Stone | attorney, educator, served as Dean of the Southern University Law Center and as president of Southern University | ||
| Dorothy Mae Taylor | first African-American woman to serve in the Louisiana House of Representatives, 1971–1980 | [28] | |
| Ledricka Thierry | 1999 | state representative for St. Landry Parish since 2009 | [29] |
| Taylor Townsend | state representative from Natchitoches Parish (2000–2008) | [30] | |
| Pinkie C. Wilkerson | Louisiana House of Representatives (1992–2000) | [31] | |
| Alfred C. Williams | 1972 | member of the Louisiana House from Baton Rouge since 2012; former school board member and attorney | |
| Patrick C. Williams | state representative for Caddo Parish since 2007 | [32] | |
| Tom Willmott | Louisiana House of Representatives from Jefferson Parish since 2008 | [33] |
Military commanders
edit| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joe N. Ballard | lieutenant general (retired), first African-American Chief of Engineers and Commander, United States Army Corps of Engineers | ||
| Sherian Grace Cadoria | brigadier general (retired), first African-American woman to reach the rank of general in U.S. Army | ||
| Paris Davis | colonel (retired), one of the first African-Americans to become an officer in US Army Special Forces, awarded the Medal of Honor for actions in the Vietnam War | ||
| Russel L. Honoré | lieutenant general who commanded the U.S. military support of recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita |
Academics
edit| Name | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Karen Butler-Purry | 1985 | professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Texas A&M University | [34] |
| Kathie Stromile Golden | 1976 | Provost, Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs, and professor at Mississippi Valley State University | [35] |
| William Moore | 1963 | first African-American to graduate with a PhD in chemistry from Purdue University | |
| Jewel Prestage | 1951 | first African-American woman to earn Ph.D. in Political Science | |
| Morgan Watson | one of the first African-American engineers at NASA, beginning in January 1964 |
References
edit- ^ Jackson, Marion E. (May 20, 1950). Sports of the World. Atlanta Daily World. p. 5. Retrieved June 11, 2021.
- ^ "Charlie Granger Past Stats, Statistics, History, and Awards - databaseFootball.com". Archived from the original on 2016-03-08. Retrieved 2016-02-09.
- ^ "Ralph W. E. Jones, Ex-Head of Grambling". The New York Times, April 10, 1982. April 11, 1982. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
- ^ "NFL News, Scores, Standings & Stats".
- ^ "Diana E. Bajoie: 2006 Honoree". dom.com. Archived from the original on November 12, 2011. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- ^ Willmarine B. Hurst, "A New Breed with New Vision and New Leadership for a New Louisiana", May 30, 2003, at kirtbennett.com
- ^ "Barbara W. Carpenter". intelius.com. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
- ^ "Israel "Bo" Curtis obituary". The Alexandria Town Talk. February 24, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
- ^ "Herbert Bernard Dixon". intelius.com. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
- ^ "Randal L. Gaines' Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
- ^ "Rep. Greene, Hunter (R)". mobilelgs.com. Retrieved July 14, 2011. [permanent dead link]
- ^ "Dalton W. Honoré". house.louisiana.gov. Archived from the original on April 28, 2015. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
- ^ Casey, Billy R. (30 October 2001). "Memorial for Hilry Huckaby, III". First Judicial District Court, Louisiana. Shreveport Bar Association.
- ^ "Rep. Marcus Hunter, D-LA". al--ala.capwiz.com. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
- ^ "Melvin Irvin, Jr., obituary". Baton Rouge Advocate. June 10, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
- ^ "Alphonse Jackson, Jr". Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
- ^ "Edward C. "Ted" James, II". house.louisiana.gov. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
- ^ "Edmond Jordan Announces Candidacy for Louisiana House District 29". swagher.net. July 15, 2015. Archived from the original on 2016-05-08. Retrieved May 15, 2016.
- ^ WAFB Staff (February 19, 2023). "SU mourns death of alumnus, former US ambassador to South Africa". WAFB. Retrieved February 19, 2023.
- ^ "Unglesby & Marionneaux". unglesbyandmrionneaux.com. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
- ^ Cheryl Devall (April 12, 2015). "Dustin Miller makes it four candidates for District 40". The Opelousas Daily World. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
- ^ "Leadership Biographies". February 2016. Retrieved August 7, 2022.
- ^ "Jewel Joseph Newman". Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
- ^ James O. McHenry (2010). The Indigenous Black People of Monroe, Louisiana and the Surrounding Cities, Towns, and Villages: A 100-Year Documentary. Self-published. pp. 174–182. ISBN 978-1-4535-8859-8. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
- ^ "Vincent J. Pierre's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
- ^ "SU mourns passing of beloved educator Dr. Jewel L. Prestage". August 2014.
- ^ "Christopher J. Roy". mobilelgs.com. Retrieved August 3, 2011. [permanent dead link]
- ^ Michael Radcliff (June 14, 2011). "Remembering Dorothy Mae Taylor: The First Lady of 1300 Perdido St". The Louisiana Weekly. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
- ^ "Ledricka Thierry's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
- ^ Thomas T Townsend
- ^ "State Rep. Wilderson Killed in Auto Accident". Louisiana House of Representatives. Archived from the original on March 6, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2012.
- ^ "Patrick Williams". house.louisiana.gov. Archived from the original on May 2, 2015. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
- ^ "Rep. Tom Willmott". lmgma.capwiz.com. Retrieved August 29, 2011.
- ^ "Karen Butler-Purry". Texas A&M Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "MVSU names Stromile Golden as Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs". Mississippi Valley State University. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2020.