49 Notable alumni of Southern University and A&M College
Updated: June 14, 2026 EliteDegrees
Southern University and A&M College is ranked #2,186 in the world and #560 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 49 notable alumni from Southern University and A&M 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 Southern University and A&M College won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Detrick DeBurr
1969-. (aged 57)
entrepreneur
writer
Detrick DeBurr is an American entrepreneur, author, and computer/website specialist. He rose to prominence with Deal Us In! How Black America Can Play and Win in the Digital Economy and Build Gamified Websites with PHP and JQuery. He is a co-founder of Game Time Giving. Prior to this, he was Founder/CEO of Digital Rhythm Inc., an IT service provider based...
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2. Donald J. Delandro
1935-2021 (aged 86)
military officer
Donald Joseph Delandro was an American military officer who was a brigadier general and Adjutant General of the United States Army from 1984 to 1985, the first African-American to serve in the position.
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3. Edward Honor, Sr
1933-2008 (aged 75)
military officer
Edward Honor Sr. was a lieutenant general in the United States Army who served as Director of Logistics (J4) on the Joint Staff from 1987 to 1989. Promoted to brigadier general in 1979, he was the first African-American general officer in the Army Transportation Corps.
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4. Joe Pittman
1954-2014 (aged 60)
baseball player
Joseph Wayne Pittman was a backup infielder/outfielder in Major League Baseball who played for the Houston Astros, San Diego Padres and San Francisco Giants in parts of three seasons spanning 1981–1984. Listed at 6 feet 1 inch (1.85 m), 180 pounds (82 kg), Pittman batted and threw right handed. He was dubbed 'Shoes'.
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5. Dewon Day
1980-. (aged 46)
baseball player
Amos Dewon Day is an American former Major League Baseball relief pitcher who was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays. He was then taken by the White Sox via the Rule 5 draft in 2005. He had two brief stints with the Chicago White Sox in 2007, sandwiched around a trip to the disabled list. Day appeared in 13 games...
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6. Okla Jones II
1945-1996 (aged 51)
lawyer
judge
Okla Jarred Jones II was a United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana.
7. Lula J. Davis
Lula Johnson Davis was Secretary for the Majority of the United States Senate from 2008 to 2011. Davis was born in Louisiana. She received a B.S. in office administration and an M.Ed., in guidance counseling from Southern University in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. She began her career with the Senate as a legislative correspondent for Senator Russell B. Long of Louisiana....
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8. Michael L. Vaughn
1957-. (aged 69)
politician
Michael L. Vaughn is an American politician who represented District 24 as a Democrat in the Maryland House of Delegates from 2003 until his resignation in 2017.
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9. Clarence Acox, Jr
1947-. (aged 79)
teacher
jazz musician
Clarence Acox is an American band director and jazz drummer. He is a native of New Orleans, and has been heard in a variety of settings in the Pacific Northwest.
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10. Michelle Amos
scientist
electrical engineer
Michelle Amos is an electronics design engineer at NASA's John F. Kennedy Space Center. Amos joined NASA in 1990 as an electronics design engineer and stayed with Nasa for 30 years. Amos was also a systems engineer for Deep Space Logistics.
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11. Al Beauchamp
1944-. (aged 82)
American football player
Alfred Beauchamp is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the American Football League (AFL) and National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Southern Jaguars and was chosen in the fifth round (138th overall) of the 1968 NFL/AFL draft by the AFL's expansion Cincinnati Bengals. He signed with the team on June 12,...
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12. Lee Richard
1948-2023 (aged 75)
baseball player
Lee Edward "BeeBee" Richard was a Major League Baseball player.
13. Arthur Miley
1993-. (aged 33)
American football player
Arthur Miley is an American former football linebacker. He played college football at Southern University for the SU Jaguars. In 2014, Miley was named First-team All-SWAC. He has also spent time with the Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers, Indianapolis Colts, Saskatchewan Roughriders, and San Antonio Commanders.
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14. Carla Cotwright-Williams
1973-. (aged 53)
mathematician
Carla Denise Cotwright-Williams is an American mathematician who works as a Technical Director and Data Scientist for the United States Department of Defense. She was the second African-American woman to earn a doctorate in mathematics at the University of Mississippi.
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15. Isiah Leggett
1944-. (aged 82)
politician
official
Isiah "Ike" Leggett is an American politician from the U.S. state of Maryland and former executive of Montgomery County, Maryland. He is a member of the Democratic Party.
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16. Robert L. Williams
1868-1948 (aged 80)
lawyer
judge
Robert Lee Williams was an American lawyer, judge, and the third governor of Oklahoma. Williams played a role in the drafting of the Oklahoma Constitution and served as the first Oklahoma Supreme Court chief justice. He also served as a United States circuit judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Tenth Circuit and as a United States...
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17. Dorothy A. Brown
1953-. (aged 73)
politician
Dorothy Ann Rabb Brown Cook, also known as Dorothy Brown is an American lawyer and politician affiliated with the Democratic Party who served as the clerk of the Circuit Court of Cook County from 2000 through 2020.
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18. David Bolen
1923-2022 (aged 99)
diplomat
sprinter
David Benjamin Bolen was an American track and field athlete, Olympian, diplomat and businessman.
19. Eric Skrmetta
1958-. (aged 68)
lawyer
Eric Frederick Skrmetta is an American politician who represents District 1 (largely surburban New Orleans, eastern Florida Parishes, and River Parishes) on the Louisiana Public Service Commission (PSC), an influential regulatory agency which was the political springboard for former governors Huey Long, Jimmie Davis, and John McKeithen. Skrmetta is a member of the Republican Party.
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20. Shawn Wilson
politician
Shawn D. Wilson is an American politician and transportation official who served as the secretary of the Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development from 2016 to 2023. Wilson unsuccessfully ran for governor of Louisiana in 2023 and came in second place to Republican Jeff Landry in a jungle primary receiving 25.9% of the vote.
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21. Robert Holmes
1945-2018 (aged 73)
American football player
Robert Earl Holmes was an American professional football running back who played collegiately at Southern University and professionally in the American Football League (AFL) for the Kansas City Chiefs, and in the National Football League (NFL) for the Chiefs, the Houston Oilers, and the San Diego Chargers. He was an AFL All-Star in 1969, and played with the Chiefs in...
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22. Sherian Cadoria
1940-. (aged 86)
military officer
Sherian Grace Cadoria is a retired United States Army officer. She became the first African-American woman to achieve general officer rank in the regular United States Army on promotion to brigadier general in 1985. She was the highest ranking black woman in the military at the time of her retirement in 1990. Cadoria is a 1961 graduate of Southern University...
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23. Chuck Espy
1975-. (aged 51)
politician
Henry William "Chuck" Espy III is an American politician who served as mayor of Clarksdale, Mississippi from 2017 to 2025. He was a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 2000 to 2016.
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24. Bunny Greenhouse
military personnel
Bunnatine H. Greenhouse is a former chief contracting officer Senior Executive Service (Principal Assistant Responsible for Contracting (PARC)) of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. On June 27, 2005, she testified to a Congressional panel, alleging specific instances of waste, fraud, and other abuses and irregularities by Halliburton with regard to its operations in Iraq since the 2003 invasion....
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25. Bennie Adams
1967-. (aged 59)
basketball official
Bennie Adams is an American professional basketball referee in the National Basketball Association.
26. Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones
1905-1982 (aged 77)
baseball player
head coach
academic administrator
Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones Sr., known as Prez Jones, was an American educator and administrator. He served as the second president of Grambling State University, a historically black university in Grambling, Louisiana, from 1936 until 1977. He also coached the Grambling State Tigers baseball team, and was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.
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27. Kidd Jordan
1935-2023 (aged 88)
music educator
saxophonist
Edward "Kidd" Jordan was an American jazz saxophonist and music educator from New Orleans, Louisiana. He taught at Southern University at New Orleans from 1974 to 2006.
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28. Danny Johnson
1995-. (aged 31)
American football player
Danny Johnson is an American professional football cornerback. He played college football at Southern and was signed by Washington as an undrafted free agent in 2018.
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29. William J. Jefferson
1947-. (aged 79)
lawyer
politician
William Jennings Jefferson is an American former politician from Louisiana whose career ended after his corruption scandal and conviction. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives for nine terms from 1991 to 2009 as a member of the Democratic Party. He represented Louisiana's 2nd congressional district, which includes much of the greater New Orleans area. He...
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30. Rod Milburn
1950-1997 (aged 47)
hurdler
Rodney Milburn Jr. was an American hurdler who won gold at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich in the 110 m hurdles.
31. Fred Lewis
1980-. (aged 46)
baseball player
Frederick Deshaun Lewis is an American former professional baseball outfielder. He played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the San Francisco Giants, Toronto Blue Jays, Cincinnati Reds, and New York Mets, and in Nippon Professional Baseball (NPB) for the Hiroshima Toyo Carp.
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32. Willie Davenport
1943-2002 (aged 59)
bobsledder
athletics competitor
William D. Davenport was an American sprint runner.
33. Harold Carmichael
1949-. (aged 77)
American football player
Lee Harold Carmichael is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles (1971–1983) and one year for the Dallas Cowboys (1984). He played college football for the Southern Jaguars. After his playing career, Carmichael was the director of player development and alumni for the...
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34. Aeneas Williams
1968-. (aged 58)
American football player
Aeneas Demetrius Williams is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback and safety in the National Football League (NFL) for 14 seasons. He played college football for the Southern Jaguars and was selected in the third round of the 1991 NFL draft by the Phoenix Cardinals, where he spent 10 seasons. During his final four seasons, he...
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35. Sid Williams
1942-. (aged 84)
diplomat
American football player
Sidney Williams is an American former diplomat and American football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) for the Cleveland Browns, Washington Redskins, Baltimore Colts, and the Pittsburgh Steelers. He played college football at Southern University.
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36. Lou Brock
1939-2020 (aged 81)
baseball player
Louis Clark Brock was an American professional baseball left fielder. He began his 19-year Major League Baseball (MLB) career with the 1961 Chicago Cubs but spent most of it as a left fielder for the St. Louis Cardinals. An All-Star for six seasons, Brock was elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1985 in his first year of...
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37. Russel L. Honoré
1947-. (aged 79)
military officer
Russel Luke Honoré is a retired lieutenant general of the United States Army. He served as the 33rd commanding general of the U.S. First Army at Fort Gillem, Georgia, from 2004 until his retirement in 2008.
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38. Bob Love
1942-2024 (aged 82)
basketball player
motivational speaker
Robert Earl Love was an American professional basketball player who spent the prime of his career with the National Basketball Association's Chicago Bulls. A versatile forward who could shoot with either his left or right hand, Love later worked as the Bulls' director of community affairs and goodwill ambassador. Love was nicknamed "Butterbean", which dates back to his boyhood when...
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39. Common
1972-. (aged 54)
model
record producer
television actor
songwriter
film actor
Lonnie Rashid Lynn, known professionally as Common (formerly known as Common Sense), is an American rapper, actor and activist. The recipient of three Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award, he signed with the independent label Relativity Records at the age of 20. The label released his first three studio albums: Can I...
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40. Anthony Henderson
1966-. (aged 60)
military personnel
Anthony M. Henderson is a major general in the United States Marine Corps and is currently serving as the Commanding General, Marine Corps Training Command, since 2024. He previously served as deputy director for joint strategic planning of the Joint Staff, commander of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Brigade, and director of concepts and plans at the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory.
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41. Kip Holden
1952-2025 (aged 73)
lawyer
politician
journalist
Melvin Lee "Kip" Holden was an American politician who served from 2005 to 2016 as the Democratic Mayor-President of Baton Rouge and East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. The parish includes the state capital of Baton Rouge and smaller suburban cities such as Baker, Central City, and Zachary.
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42. Cleo Fields
1962-. (aged 64)
lawyer
entrepreneur
politician
Cleo C. Fields is an American attorney and politician who serves in the United States House of Representatives, currently representing Louisiana's 6th congressional district. He previously represented Louisiana's 4th congressional district from 1993 to 1997 and ran unsuccessfully for governor of Louisiana in 1995. He has served as a member of the Louisiana State Senate on three different occasions. Fields...
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43. Murphy J. Foster
1930-2020 (aged 90)
politician
Murphy James Foster Jr. was an American businessman and politician who served as the 53rd governor of Louisiana from 1996 to 2004.
44. David Banner
1974-. (aged 52)
record producer
television actor
philanthropist
activist
songwriter
Lavell William Crump, known professionally as David Banner, is an American rapper, record producer, actor, and activist.
45. Joe N. Ballard
1942-. (aged 84)
military personnel
Lieutenant General Joe Nathan Ballard is a former U.S. Army officer who fought in the Vietnam War, and who served as Chief of Engineers, the first African-American to serve in this role.
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46. Avery Johnson
1965-. (aged 61)
basketball player
basketball coach
Avery DeWitt Johnson is an American basketball television commentator, former player and coach who previously served as head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team. He is an NBA and college basketball analyst for CBS Sports.
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47. Randy Jackson
1956-. (aged 70)
radio personality
composer
talent manager
record producer
jazz musician
Ransom Joseph "Randy" Jackson was an American Major League Baseball (MLB) player for the Chicago Cubs (1950–1955, 1959), Dodgers (1956–1958; two seasons in Brooklyn, one in Los Angeles), and Cleveland Indians (1958–1959). A book on Jackson’s career, Handsome Ransom Jackson: Accidental Big Leaguer, was published in 2016. He died at his home on March 20, 2019.
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48. Elbert Guillory
1944-. (aged 82)
lawyer
businessperson
politician
Elbert Lee Guillory is an American politician who is a former member of the Louisiana State Senate. A Republican, he represented District 24, including his native Opelousas, and several rural precincts, from May 2, 2009, when he won a special election, until January 11, 2016, when his full term to which he was elected in 2011 ended. Guillory previously served...
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49. Reggie Williams
1960-. (aged 66)
baseball player
Reginald Leon Williams II is an American former professional basketball player who played seven seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for five teams. He played college basketball for the Virginia Military Institute (VMI) where he is the school's all-time leading scorer and led the country in scoring twice.
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