List of Southern University alumni

This is a list of notable Southern University alumni.

Athletes

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Mel Blount	1970	member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Lou Brock		record-setting base-stealing Major League Baseball player
Harold Carmichael		four-time NFL Pro-Bowler
Willie Davenport		two-time gold medalist of U.S. Olympic track team
Marvin Davis		former NFL and CFL player and Grey Cup champion
Matthew Dorsett	1995	former pro football player, 1996 NFL
Kip Holden		Mayor-President of Baton Rouge since 2005
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
Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones		President and baseball coach at Grambling State University from 1936 to 1977	[1]
Tyrone Jones		former Canadian Football League all-star and MVP
Fred Lewis		current Major League Baseball player
Bob Love		former NBA all-star and second leading scorer in Chicago Bulls history
Rod Milburn		track and field gold medalist at 1972 Munich Olympic Games
Jordan Miller	2011	current NFL defensive tackle
Bobby Phills		NBA basketball player
Isiah Robertson		six time NFL Pro-Bowler
Bernie Smith		former Major League Baseball player
Donnell Smith		former NFL player
Godwin Turk		former NFL player
Rickie Weeks		current Major League Baseball player
Aeneas Williams		member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame
Jerry Wilson		former NFL player
Ken Winey		former CFL player
Ken Ellis		former NFL player Green Bay Packers
Tommie Green	1978	former NBA player New Orleans Jazz
Brian Johnson		United States Olympic Long Jumper
Oliver Ford		former 100m World Record Holder
John Williams Jr.		former NFL player	[2]
Lenny Williams		former NFL and CFL player
Charlie Granger		former NFL player	[3]
Al Beauchamp		former NFL Linebacker

Entertainers and personalities

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Randy Jackson	1979	musician, record producer, former American Idol judge
Lavell Crump	1997	aka David Banner; music recording artist, producer, actor
Faith Jenkins		Miss Louisiana 2000, Miss America runner-up 2001, attorney, TV personality, star of Judge Faith
Alvin Batiste		jazz artist and educator
Isiah Carey		television news reporter
Maurice Brown		jazz artist
Branford Marsalis		jazz saxophonist

Politicians, judges and public officials

Name	Class year	Notability	Reference(s)
Barbara West Carpenter		dean of international relations at Southern University; African-American Democrat member of the Louisiana House of Representatives since 2016	[4]
Mike Foster	2004 (Juris Doctor)	53rd governor of Louisiana
Melvin "Kip" Holden	1982;1985	first African-American mayor of Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Dalton W. Honoré		member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 63 in East Baton Rouge Parish since 2010	[5]
Diana Bajoie		member of both houses of the Louisiana State Legislature (1976-2008); member of the New Orleans City Council (2012-2013)	[6]
Kirt Bennett		Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in 2003	[7]
Jay Blossman	1991 (Juris Doctor)	former member of the Louisiana Public Service Commission
Israel "Bo" Curtis		Democrat member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 1992 to 2008 and the Rapides Parish School Board from 1976 to 1992, former Alexandria educator and insurance agent, did graduate study at Southern	[8]
Herbert B. Dixon		Democrat member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from 2008 to 2014 and the Rapides Parish School Board from 1992 to 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
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]
Marcus Hunter	2002	member of the Louisiana House of Representatives from District 17 in Ouachita Parish	[12]
Melvin Irvin		member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 58 (based in Ascension Parish) from 1984 to 1988; educator and real estate developer, died in 2014	[13]
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	[14]
Edward C. James		member of the Louisiana House of Representatives for District 101 in East Baton Rouge Parish; Baton Rouge lawyer	[15]
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
Isiah Leggett		County Executive of Montgomery County, Maryland
Robert M. Marionneaux		Louisiana state senator since 2000 from Baton Rouge area	[16]
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	[17]
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	[18]
Abe E. Pierce, III	1956	first African-American mayor of Monroe, Louisiana (1996-2000)	[19]
Vincent Pierre		state representative for Lafayette Parish since 2012	[20]
Chris Roy, Jr.	1987	attorney, former state legislator from Rapides and Vernon parishes	[21]
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	[22]
Ledricka Thierry	1999	state representative for St. Landry Parish since 2009	[23]
Thomas Taylor Townsend		state representative from Natchitoches Parish (2000-2008)	[24]
Pinkie C. Wilkerson		Louisiana House of Representatives (1992-2000)	[25]
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	[26]
Tom Willmott		Louisiana House of Representatives from Jefferson Parish since 2008	[27]

Military commanders

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 female to reach the rank of General in U.S. Army
Russel L. Honoré		Lieutenant General who commanded the U.S. military support of recovery efforts in the Gulf Coast after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita

References

1. "Ralph W. E. Jones, Ex-Head of Grambling". The New York Times, April 10, 1982. April 11, 1982. Retrieved July 7, 2011.
2. http://www.foxsports.com/nfl/john-williams-player
3. http://www.databasefootball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=GRANGCHA01
4. "Barbara W. Carpenter". intelius.com. Retrieved April 6, 2016.
5. "Dalton W. Honoré". house.louisiana.gov. Retrieved April 26, 2015.
6. "Diana E. Bajoie: 2006 Honoree". dom.com. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
7. Willmarine B. Hurst, "A New Breed with New Vision and New Leadership for a New Louisiana", May 30, 2003, at kirtbennett.com
8. "Israel "Bo" Curtis obituary". The Alexandria Town Talk. February 24, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
9. "Herbert Bernard Dixon". intelius.com. Retrieved December 12, 2014.
10. "Randal L. Gaines' Biography" Check |url= value (help). Project Vote Smart. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
11. "Rep. Greene, Hunter (R)". mobilelgs.com. Retrieved July 14, 2011.
12. "Rep. Marcus Hunter, D-LA". al--ala.capwiz.com. Retrieved August 29, 2013.
13. "Melvin Irvin, Jr., obituary". Baton Rouge Advocate. June 10, 2014. Retrieved June 29, 2015.
14. "Alphonse Jackson, Jr.". Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved December 24, 2014.
15. "Edward C. "Ted" James, II". house.louisiana.gov. Retrieved April 24, 2015.
16. "Unglesby & Marionneaux". unglesbyandmrionneaux.com. Retrieved May 12, 2010.
17. Cheryl Devall (April 12, 2015). "Dustin Miller makes it four candidates for District 40". The Opelousas Daily World. Retrieved April 2, 2016.
18. "Jewel Joseph Newman". Baton Rouge Advocate. Retrieved October 12, 2014.
19. James O. McHenry, The Indigenous Black People of Monroe, Louisiana and the Surrounding Cities, Towns, and Villages: A 100-Year Documentary, pp. 174-182. Self-published, 2010: ISBN 978-1-4535-8859-8. Retrieved July 9, 2013.
20. "Vincent J. Pierre's Biography" Check |url= value (help). Project Vote Smart. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
21. "Christopher J. Roy". mobilelgs.com. Retrieved August 3, 2011.
22. Michael Radcliff (June 14, 2011). "Remembering Dorothy Mae Taylor: The First Lady of 1300 Perdido St.". The Louisiana Weekly. Retrieved September 27, 2014.
23. "Ledricka Thierry's Biography". Project Vote Smart. Retrieved May 12, 2015.
26. "Patrick Williams". house.louisiana.gov. Retrieved April 23, 2015.
27. "Rep. Tom Willmott". lmgma.capwiz.com. Retrieved August 29, 2011.