27 Notable alumni of Alabama State University
Updated: June 14, 2026 EliteDegrees
Alabama State University is ranked #2,880 in the world and #744 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 27 notable alumni from Alabama State University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Alabama State University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Gregg Northington
1949-2017 (aged 68)
basketball player
Greggory D. "Poncho" Northington was an American professional basketball player. He played college basketball for the Murray State College Aggies, Paul Quinn Tigers and Alabama State Hornets. Northington was selected in the 1971 NBA draft by the New York Knicks and the 1972 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Lakers but did not play in the National Basketball Association (NBA)....
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2. Natashia Holmes
1975-. (aged 51)
politician
Natashia L. Holmes is an American politician who served as the alderman of the 7th ward of the City of Chicago. Holmes was appointed by the Chicago City Council and Mayor Rahm Emanuel, replacing Sandi Jackson, who resigned in January 2013 due to personal and legal problems. Holmes was sworn in on February 13, 2013.
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3. Rudy Hobbs
1976-. (aged 50)
politician
Rudy Hobbs is an American politician from the state of Michigan. He is a member of the Democratic Party and a former member of Michigan House of Representatives.
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4. Mary Fair Burks
1914-1991 (aged 77)
literary critic
Mary Fair Burks was an American educator, scholar, and activist during the Civil Rights Movement from Montgomery, Alabama. Burks founded the Women’s Political Council in 1946, which helped initiate the Montgomery Bus Boycott following the arrest of Rosa Parks in 1955.
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5. Tonya Anderson
politician
Tonya Peterson Anderson is an American pastor and politician who serves in the Georgia State Senate. She previously served in the Georgia House of Representatives, from 2013 to 2015. She is a member of the Democratic Party.
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6. Quinton Ross
1968-. (aged 58)
politician
Quinton T. Ross Jr. is an American politician and university administrator who is the 15th president of Alabama State University, a Historically Black College (HBCU). A Democrat, Ross served as a member of the Alabama Senate from 2002 to 2017 and served as the Minority Leader from 2014 to 2017.
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7. Jylan Ware
1993-. (aged 33)
American football player
Jylan Ware is an American former professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Alabama State Hornets, and was selected in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL draft by the Oakland Raiders.
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8. Terry Greer
1957-. (aged 69)
Canadian football player
American football player
Terry Greer is a former professional American and Canadian football player who played wide receiver with the Canadian Football League (CFL)'s Toronto Argonauts and the Cleveland Browns and San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He held the CFL record for most catches in a season; he is a member of the Argonauts all-time team and his #10...
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9. Gwendolyn Boyd
1954-. (aged 72)
academic
Gwendolyn Elizabeth Boyd is an American scientist and university administrator. She served as president of Alabama State University from 2014 to 2016. Before entering administration, she worked as a mechanical engineer at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory.
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10. Erskine Hawkins
1914-1993 (aged 79)
bandleader
conductor
composer
jazz musician
songwriter
Erskine Ramsay Hawkins was an American trumpeter and big band leader from Birmingham, Alabama, dubbed "The 20th Century Gabriel". He is best remembered for composing the jazz standard "Tuxedo Junction" (1939) with saxophonist and arranger Bill Johnson. The song became a hit during World War II, rising to No. 7 nationally (version by the Erskine Hawkins Orchestra) and to No....
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11. Esonica Veira
1989-. (aged 37)
model
beauty pageant contestant
Esonica Veira is a US Virgin Islander model and beauty queen who won the title of Miss Universe US Virgin Islands 2017 and represented the US Virgin Islands at the Miss Universe 2017 pageant on November 26, 2017 in Las Vegas. Esonica was the territory's representative for Miss Earth 2014. Previously, Esonica represented her country in the Miss World 2011...
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12. Frederick D. Reese
1929-2018 (aged 89)
teacher
Frederick Douglas Reese was an American civil rights activist, educator and minister from Selma, Alabama. Known as a member of Selma's "Courageous Eight", Reese was the president of the Dallas County Voters League (DCVL) when it invited the Southern Christian Leadership Conference and Martin Luther King Jr. to Selma to amplify the city's local voting rights campaign. This campaign eventually...
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13. Eugene Sawyer
1934-2008 (aged 74)
teacher
politician
Eugene Sawyer Jr. was an American businessman, educator, and politician. Sawyer was selected by the Chicago City Council as the 53rd Mayor of Chicago, Illinois after the sudden death of then–mayor Harold Washington. Sawyer served for the remainder of the term, from December 2, 1987 until April 24, 1989. A member of the Democratic Party, Sawyer was an alderman, and...
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14. Reggie Barlow
1973-. (aged 53)
American football player
Reggie Devon Barlow is an American former professional football player and coach who is currently the head coach for Tennessee State University.
15. Felix da Housecat
1971-. (aged 55)
composer
record producer
club DJ
disc jockey
Felix da Housecat is an American DJ and record producer, mostly known for house music and electroclash. Felix is regarded as a member of the second wave of Chicago house.
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16. Coco Montrese
1974-. (aged 52)
female impersonator
drag queen
Coco Montrese is the stage name of Lenwood Martin Cooper, an American drag queen, entertainer, and reality television personality. Montrese came into the spotlight after being crowned Miss Gay America 2010 when Alyssa Edwards' title was revoked. She subsequently appeared on the fifth season of RuPaul's Drag Race as well as the second season of RuPaul's Drag Race All Stars.
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17. Jesse White
1934-. (aged 92)
baseball player
politician
Jesse Clark White is an American educator, politician and former athlete from the State of Illinois. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 37th Secretary of State of Illinois from 1999 to 2023. He was the longest-serving person to hold this office. A popular office holder, White declined to seek reelection in 2022 for a seventh term....
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18. Rickey Smiley
1968-. (aged 58)
actor
comedian
radio personality
Broderick Dornell "Rickey" Smiley is an American stand-up comedian, television host, actor, and radio personality known for his prank phone calls. The calls feature Smiley disguising his voice carrying a conversation with the recipient of the call. He is the host of the nationally syndicated Rickey Smiley Morning Show based in Dallas from its flagship affiliate KZMJ "Majic 94.5". He...
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19. Clarence Carter
1936-. (aged 90)
singer
record producer
singer-songwriter
Clarence George Carter is an American singer, songwriter, musician and record producer. His most successful songs include "Slip Away", "Back Door Santa" (both released 1968), "Patches" (1970) and "Strokin'" (1986).
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20. Lil Yachty
1997-. (aged 29)
songwriter
rapper
singer
record producer
Miles Parks McCollum, known professionally as Lil Yachty, is an American rapper. He first gained recognition in August 2015 for his viral hit "One Night", the lead single from his debut extended play (EP), Summer Songs. He released his debut mixtape Lil Boat in March 2016, and signed a joint venture record deal with Motown, Capitol Records, and Quality Control...
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21. Tarana Burke
1973-. (aged 53)
militant
feminist
teacher
Tarana Burke is an American activist from New York City who started the MeToo movement. In 2006, Burke began Me Too as a youth program for junior and high school students with the goal of addressing the rampant sexual violence in the community. Over a decade later, in 2017, #MeToo became a viral hashtag when Alyssa Milano encouraged women to...
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22. Rosa Parks
1913-2005 (aged 92)
civil rights advocate
autobiographer
human rights defender
public figure
political activist
Rosa Louise McCauley Parks was an American civil rights activist. She is best known for her 1955 refusal to move from her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in defiance of Jim Crow racial segregation laws, which sparked the Montgomery bus boycott. She is sometimes known as the "mother of the civil rights movement".
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23. Ralph Abernathy
1926-1990 (aged 64)
religious leader
human rights defender
theologian
Christian minister
civil rights advocate
Ralph David Abernathy Sr. was an American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was ordained in the Baptist tradition in 1948. Being a leader of the civil rights movement, he was a close friend and mentor of Martin Luther King Jr. He collaborated with King and E. D. Nixon to create the Montgomery Improvement Association, which led to the...
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24. Theodora Lacey
1932-. (aged 94)
teacher
Theodora Smiley Lacey is an American civil rights activist and educator. She helped organize the Montgomery bus boycott, fought for voting rights and fair housing, and helped lead the effort to integrate schools in New Jersey.
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25. Fred Gray
1930-. (aged 96)
lawyer
jurist
Fred David Gray is an American civil rights attorney, preacher, activist, and state legislator from Alabama. He handled many prominent civil rights cases, such as Browder v. Gayle, and was elected to the Alabama House of Representatives in 1970, along with Thomas Reed, both from Tuskegee. They were the first black state legislators in Alabama in the 20th century. He...
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26. 2 Chainz
1977-. (aged 49)
actor
businessperson
rapper
activist
basketball player
Tauheed Epps, known professionally as 2 Chainz, is an American rapper, songwriter, and actor. Born and raised in College Park, Georgia, he gained recognition as one-half of the Southern hip-hop duo Playaz Circle, alongside hometown rapper Earl "Dolla Boy" Conyers. The duo signed with fellow Georgia-based rapper Ludacris' Disturbing tha Peace label and became best known for their 2007 debut...
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27. T. J. Jemison
1918-2013 (aged 95)
civil rights advocate
religious figure
Theodore Judson Jemison, better known as T. J. Jemison, was minister of Mount Zion First Baptist Church in Baton Rouge, Louisiana in June 1953 when he led a bus boycott to protest the city's segregated public transit. It was the first boycott of its kind in the modern civil rights movement. He quickly organized a free-ride system to offer car...
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