15 Notable alumni of Catawba College
Updated: June 13, 2026 EliteDegrees
Catawba College is ranked #4,709 in the world and #1,237 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 15 notable alumni from Catawba College sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff. Many individuals affiliated with Catawba College won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Helgi Már Magnússon
1982-. (aged 44)
basketball player
Helgi Már Magnússon is an Icelandic basketball coach and former player. As a player, he has won seven national championships in Iceland during his career.
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2. Arlie Franklin Culp Jr
1926-2017 (aged 91)
politician
Arlie Franklin Culp was a Republican member of the North Carolina General Assembly, United States, for nine terms. He represented the state's sixty-seventh House district, including constituents in Randolph county. A retiree from Ramseur, North Carolina, Culp retired from the state House in 2006. He died on October 18, 2017.
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3. Dave Robbins
1942-. (aged 84)
basketball coach
David Robbins is a retired American basketball coach. Robbins is best known for coaching at NCAA Division II power Virginia Union University, where he won 713 games and three NCAA Division II men's basketball tournament titles. Out of all NCAA coaches who have won more than 700 wins, Robbins is the second winningest coach with a winning percentage of 0.786...
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4. Bill Wilhelm
1929-2010 (aged 81)
baseball player
Billy Wilhelm was an American college baseball coach who was the head coach of the Clemson Tigers from 1958 to 1993. In his 36 seasons as head coach, Wilhelm had a record of 1,161–536–10. Before coming to Clemson, Wilhelm played several seasons of minor league baseball and served one season as an assistant baseball coach at North Carolina.
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5. T. J. Rooney
1964-. (aged 62)
politician
T.J. Rooney is the former chairman of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party and a former member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives.
6. L. J. McCray
1991-. (aged 35)
American football player
James Oneil "L. J." McCray II is an American former professional football safety who played for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Catawba College. He also played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League (CFL).
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7. Vern Benson
1924-2014 (aged 90)
baseball player
Vernon Adair Benson was an American infielder/outfielder, coach, scout and interim manager in Major League Baseball. During his playing career, he stood 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) tall, weighed 180 pounds (82 kg), batted left-handed, and threw right-handed.
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8. Charles A. Gabriel
1928-2003 (aged 75)
military officer
Charles Alvin Gabriel was the 11th Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force. As chief of staff, Gabriel served in a dual capacity. He was a member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff which, as a body, acts as the principal military adviser to the president, the National Security Council, and the Secretary of Defense. In his other...
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9. Johnny Temple
1927-1994 (aged 67)
baseball player
John Ellis Temple was an American professional baseball player and coach. He played in Major League Baseball as a second baseman from 1952 to 1964, most prominently as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, where he was the leadoff hitter and starting second baseman for six seasons.
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10. Jerry Sands
1987-. (aged 39)
baseball player
Gerald Robert Sands is an American former professional baseball outfielder and first baseman. He was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 25th round of the 2008 MLB draft out of Catawba College and made his Major League Baseball (MLB) debut with them in 2011. He also played in MLB for the Tampa Bay Rays, Cleveland Indians, Chicago White...
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11. William L. Swing
1934-2021 (aged 87)
diplomat
William Lacy Swing was a diplomat and former United States Ambassador, and United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Under Secretary General. He was the Director-General of the International Organization for Migration until António Vitorino's appointment in 2018.
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12. Jumal Rolle
1990-. (aged 36)
American football player
Jumal Dequavius Rolle is an American former gridiron football defensive back. He has been a member of the Buffalo Bills, New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens, Arizona Cardinals, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Montreal Alouettes. Rolle played college football at Catawba.
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13. Jasika Nicole
1980-. (aged 46)
cartoonist
television actor
actor
film actor
Jasika Nicole is an American actress and illustrator. She is known for her role as Agent Astrid Farnsworth on the Fox series Fringe. She has guest-starred in Scandal as Kim Muñoz. She starred as Carly Lever, the head of pathology, in the ABC medical drama The Good Doctor.
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14. Pat McCrory
1956-. (aged 70)
businessperson
politician
Patrick Lloyd McCrory is an American politician and businessman who served as the 74th governor of North Carolina from 2013 to 2017. A member of the Republican Party, he previously served as the 53rd mayor of Charlotte from 1995 to 2009. To date, he is North Carolina's most recent Republican governor, and the last Republican mayor of Charlotte.
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15. Jim Tomsula
1968-. (aged 58)
American football coach
American football player
James Andrew Tomsula is an American football coach. Serving as a defensive coach throughout his career, Tomsula has also been the head coach for the Rhein Fire of NFL Europe and the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He was born and raised in the Pittsburgh suburb of Homestead. Attending Catawba College, Tomsula played defensive end from...
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