69 Notable alumni of Tennessee State University
Updated: June 12, 2026 EliteDegrees
Tennessee State University is ranked #1,635 in the world and #402 in United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 69 notable alumni from Tennessee 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 Tennessee State University won Nobel Prizes for Peace, in Physics, Chemistry, Physiology or Medicine, and Economics.
1. Hubert Hamer
civil servant
Hubert Hamer is the top official of the U.S. National Agricultural Statistics Service, the agency that produces most official U.S. government statistics on agriculture and food.
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2. Lainie Marsh
singer-songwriter
songwriter
Lainie Marsh is an American singer-songwriter. She grew up in West Virginia, attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston, and moved to Nashville in 1989.
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3. Ruth Inge Hardison
1914-2016 (aged 102)
artist
sculptor
Ruth Inge Hardison was an American sculptor, artist, and photographer, known particularly for her 1960s busts (or sculpted portraits) entitled "Negro Giants in History". Hardison's 1983 collection called "Our Folks", which features sculpted portraits of everyday people, is also of note. Her artistic productions largely surround historical black portraiture. She was especially interested in creatively representing the unspoken voices of...
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4. Veronica L. Turner
1950-. (aged 76)
politician
Veronica L. Turner is an American politician who represents District 26 in the Maryland House of Delegates.
5. Rogers Gaines
1989-. (aged 37)
Canadian football player
American football player
Rogers Gaines is an American former football offensive tackle. He played college football at Tennessee State.
6. Dick Catledge
1920-2007 (aged 87)
military officer
Richard C. Catledge, born in Shawnee, Oklahoma, was a major general in the US Air Force.
7. Markeith Price
1990-. (aged 36)
athletics competitor
Markeith LeRoy Price is a visually impaired Paralympic athlete raised in Baltimore, Maryland in the United States competing in T13 (track) and F13 (field) events for the United States.
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8. Nate Snell
1959-. (aged 67)
baseball player
Nathaniel Snell is an American former professional baseball pitcher, who played in Major League Baseball (MLB) for the Baltimore Orioles and Detroit Tigers, for four seasons.
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9. Kenneth Pettiford
1950-. (aged 76)
head coach
American football player
American football coach
Kenneth Pettiford is a former American college football player and coach. He served as the head coach at Mississippi Valley State University (MVSU) from 1987 to 1989, Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (AAMU) from 1995 to 1997, and Savannah State University (SSU) from 2002 to 2003, compiling a career college football coaching record of 25–54. He currently works as a...
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10. David E Rutledge
1945-. (aged 81)
politician
David E. Rutledge is a former state representative, who represented the 54th House District.
11. Dorothy J. Phillips
1945-. (aged 81)
biochemist
chemist
Dorothy Jean Phillips is an American chemist and 2025 President of the American Chemical Society. She worked on circular dichroism and bioseparation. In 1967, Phillips was the first African-American woman to complete a bachelor's degree at Vanderbilt University.
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12. Terry Blocker
1959-. (aged 67)
baseball player
Terry Fennell Blocker is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) outfielder who played with the New York Mets and Atlanta Braves. The 6'2" outfielder batted and threw left handed.
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13. Harold Love
1972-. (aged 54)
politician
Harold Moses Love Jr. is an American politician. A member of the Democratic Party, he represents the 58th District in the Tennessee House of Representatives. He is the House Democratic assistant leader and President of The National Black Caucus of State Legislators. Love's father, Harold Moses Love Sr., was a Nashville city councilman from 1962 to 1970 and a member...
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14. Stephen D. Barnett
military personnel
Stephen D. Barnett is an active duty United States Navy officer and career naval flight officer who most recently served as the commander of Navy Region Hawaii from 2022 to 2025, and commander of Navy Closure Task Force – Red Hill from 2023 to 2025. He served as the commander of Navy Region Southwest from 2021 to 2022, and before...
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15. Eleanor Montgomery
1946-2013 (aged 67)
high jumper
Eleanor Inez Montgomery was an American high jumper. She was a two-time Olympian, placing 8th in 1964 and 19th in 1968, and a Tigerbelle, the name of the Tennessee State University women's track and field program. Montgomery set her personal best in the high jump (1.80 m) on July 6, 1969 at the US National Championships in Dayton, which was...
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16. Jason Powell
1978-. (aged 48)
politician
Jason Powell is an American politician. As a Democrat, he has represented District 53 in the Tennessee House of Representatives since 2013.
17. Martha Watson
1946-. (aged 80)
long jumper
sprinter
Martha Rae Watson is a retired American track and field athlete. She qualified for four Olympics, 1964–1976 in the long jump, but also was a fast enough sprinter to be on two United States 4 x 100 metres relay teams. She picked up the individual silver medal in the long jump and the gold in the 4 x 100 relay...
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18. Mamie Rallins
1941-2016 (aged 75)
athletics competitor
Mamie Annette Rallins was an American hurdler. She competed at the 1968 and 1972 Summer Olympics and later coached many future Olympians.
19. Edith Mitchell
1948-. (aged 78)
editor
Edith Peterson Mitchell was a retired Brigadier general of the United States Air Force and an oncologist. She was clinical professor of medicine and medical oncology at Thomas Jefferson University. In 2015, she became the president of the National Medical Association.
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20. Curtis Lynn Collier
1949-. (aged 77)
lawyer
judge
Curtis Lynn Collier is a senior United States district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Tennessee.
21. Gilbert Mason
1928-2006 (aged 78)
physician
Dr. Gilbert R. Mason Sr., was a physician with a family practice, a civil rights leader, and author in Biloxi, Mississippi. He organized three wade-ins from 1959 to 1963 to desegregate the city's federally funded public beaches. This was the first nonviolent civil disobedience action conducted in Mississippi in the 1950s.
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22. David Naguib Pellow
1969-. (aged 57)
sociologist
David Naguib Pellow is an American sociologist who is Dehlsen Chair and Professor of Environmental Studies and Director of the Global Environmental Justice Project at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Previously he was Professor, Don Martindale Endowed Chair, Department of Sociology, University of Minnesota and associate professor of Ethnic Studies at the university of California, San Diego. His area...
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23. Martha Hudson
1939-. (aged 87)
athletics competitor
Martha B. Hudson is a retired American sprinter. She won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 1960 Olympics, but failed to reach the final of the individual 100 m event. In 1959 she held the AAU indoor 100 yd title. In 1986 she was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame.
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24. John Barnhill
1903-1973 (aged 70)
head coach
John Anthony "Rabbit" Barnhill was an American professional basketball player.
25. Cleopatra Tucker
1943-. (aged 83)
politician
Cleopatra Gibson Tucker is an American Democratic Party politician, who has represented the 28th Legislative District in the New Jersey General Assembly since 2008.
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26. Brenda Gilmore
1968-. (aged 58)
politician
Brenda Gilmore is a former Democratic member of the Tennessee Senate, representing the 19th district from 2019 to 2023.
27. A.C. Leonard
1992-. (aged 34)
Canadian football player
American football player
AC Leonard is an American professional gridiron football defensive lineman. He played tight end for the BC Lions in 2015 before converting to a defensive lineman in 2016. He attended Tennessee State University, where he played college football for the Tigers and studied criminal justice. Leonard has been member of NFL, AFL, FXFL and CFL.
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28. La Tonya Johnson
1972-. (aged 54)
trade unionist
politician
LaTonya Johnson is an American activist and Democratic politician from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She is a member of the Wisconsin Senate, representing the 6th Senate district since 2017. Before her election to the Senate, she served two terms in the Wisconsin State Assembly, and was president of AFSCME Local 502.
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29. Rodney D. Bennett
1966-. (aged 60)
academic
Rodney D. Bennett is an academic administrator who most recently served as the chancellor of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. He had previously served as the president of the University of Southern Mississippi. Bennett received his Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication, Master of Education, and Education Specialist degrees from Middle Tennessee State University and earned his Ed.D. from Tennessee State...
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30. Thelma Harper
1940-2021 (aged 81)
politician
Thelma M. Harper was an American politician and the first African-American woman state senator in Tennessee and the longest-serving female state senator in Tennessee history. She was also the first African-American woman to serve as the chair of the Senate Government Operations Committee; she held that position during the 102nd, 103rd, 104th, and 105th General Assemblies, and she also served...
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31. Harvey Johnson, Jr
1946-. (aged 80)
politician
Harvey Johnson Jr., is an American politician from Mississippi. He was elected in 1997 as the first African American Mayor of Jackson, Mississippi, serving two terms. He was known for his achievements in gaining reinvestment in the city to revitalize downtown.
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32. Ed Temple
1927-2016 (aged 89)
athletics competitor
Edward Stanley Temple was a women's track and field pioneer and coach. Temple was Head Women's Track and Field Coach at Nashville's Tennessee State University for 44 years and was Head Coach of the U.S. Olympic Women's Track and Field Team twice, in 1960 and 1964, and Assistant Coach in 1980. He was also a member of the International Women's...
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33. Lucinda Williams
1937-. (aged 89)
athletics competitor
Lucinda Williams is a retired American sprinter. She won a gold medal in the 4 × 100 m relay at the 1960 Olympics, but failed to reach the finals of the individual 100 m and 200 m events in 1956 and 1960. She earned three gold medals at the 1959 Pan American Games in these three events. In 1994, she...
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34. Lloyd W. Newton
1942-. (aged 84)
military officer
Lloyd Warren "Fig" Newton is a retired United States Air Force (USAF) four-star general who served as Commander, Air Education and Training Command (COMAETC) from 1997 to 2000. He was also the first African-American pilot in the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.
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35. Edith McGuire
1944-. (aged 82)
athletics competitor
sprinter
Edith Marie McGuire, later known as Edith McGuire Duvall, is an American former sprinter.
36. Barbara Cooper
1929-2022 (aged 93)
politician
Barbara Lee Cooper was an American politician and a Democratic member of the Tennessee House of Representatives for the 86th District.
37. Arthur Doyle
1944-2014 (aged 70)
singer
saxophonist
vocalist
composer
jazz musician
Arthur Doyle was an American jazz saxophonist, bass clarinettist, flutist, and vocalist who was best known for playing what he called "free jazz soul music". Writer Phil Freeman described him as having "one of the fiercest, most unfettered saxophone styles in all of jazz", "a player so explosive that it seems like microphones and recording equipment can barely contain him".
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38. Isabelle Daniels
1937-2017 (aged 80)
athletics competitor
Isabelle Frances Daniels was an American sprinter.
39. Lloyd Neal
1950-. (aged 76)
basketball player
Lloyd Neal is an American former professional basketball player born in Talbotton, Georgia.
40. Chandra Cheeseborough
1959-. (aged 67)
athletics competitor
Chandra Danette Cheeseborough is a retired American sprinter. She won two gold medals and a silver at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
41. Willye White
1939-2007 (aged 68)
athletics competitor
Willye Brown White was an American track and field athlete who took part in five Olympics from 1956 to 1972. She was America's best female long jumper of the time and also competed in the 100 meters sprint. White was a Tennessee State University Tigerbelle under Coach Ed Temple. An African-American, White was the first U.S. athlete to compete in...
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42. Andrea Conte
1941-. (aged 85)
First Lady
Andrea Conte is an American nurse who served as First Lady of Tennessee from 2003 to 2011 as the wife of former Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen.
43. Clarice Phelps
1981-. (aged 45)
engineer
chemist
Clarice Evone Phelps is an American nuclear chemist researching the processing of radioactive transuranic elements at the US Department of Energy's Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). She was part of ORNL's team that collaborated with the Joint Institute for Nuclear Research to discover tennessine (element 117). The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) recognizes her as the first...
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44. Gerald Robinson
1989-. (aged 37)
basketball player
Gerald Anthony Robinson Jr. is an American professional basketball player for Rimini of the Italian Serie A2. Standing at 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m), he plays at the point guard and shooting guard positions. He played college basketball for Tennessee State and Georgia.
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45. Levi Watkins
1944-2015 (aged 71)
surgeon
Levi Watkins Jr. was an American heart surgeon and civil rights activist. On February 4, 1980, he and Vivien Thomas were the first to successfully implant an automatic defibrillator in a human patient at Johns Hopkins University. This took place only a mere seven months after Watkins completed his surgical education at Johns Hopkins. Today, millions of patients everywhere use...
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46. Cleveland Eaton
1939-2020 (aged 81)
jazz musician
Cleveland Josephus Eaton II was an American jazz double bassist, producer, arranger, composer, publisher, and head of his own record company in Fairfield, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham. His most famous accomplishments were playing with the Ramsey Lewis Trio and the Count Basie Orchestra. His 1975 recording Plenty Good Eaton is considered a classic in the funk music genre. He...
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47. Larry Herndon
1953-. (aged 73)
baseball player
Larry Darnell Herndon, sometimes referred to by the nickname "Hondo", is an American former baseball outfielder and hitting coach. He played in Major League Baseball in 1974 and from 1976 to 1988.
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48. Patrick Miller
1992-. (aged 34)
basketball player
Patrick Dominick Miller is an American professional basketball player for Lokomotiv Kuban of the VTB United League. He played college basketball for the Tennessee State Tigers.
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49. Carl Rowan
1925-2000 (aged 75)
writer
author
journalist
diplomat
Carl Thomas Rowan was a prominent American journalist, author and government official who published columns syndicated across the U.S. and was at one point the highest ranking African American in the United States government.
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50. Madeline Manning
1948-. (aged 78)
middle-distance runner
Madeline Manning-Mims, née Madeline Manning, is a former American runner and Olympic champion. Between 1967 and 1981 she won ten national titles and set a number of American records. She participated in the 1968, 1972, and 1976 Summer Olympics. She likely also would have participated in the 1980 Games in Moscow, had they not been boycotted by the United States....
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51. George Altman
1933-2025 (aged 92)
baseball player
George Lee Altman was an American professional baseball outfielder who had a lengthy career in both Major League Baseball (MLB) and Nippon Professional Baseball. A three-time National League (NL) All-Star, he appeared in 991 games over nine full seasons in the major leagues. Then, at age 35, he began an eight-year tenure in Japanese baseball, where he would hit 205...
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52. Wyomia Tyus
1945-. (aged 81)
athletics competitor
sprinter
Wyomia Tyus is a retired American track and field sprinter, and the first person to retain the Olympic title in the 100 m (a feat since duplicated by Carl Lewis, Gail Devers, Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, Usain Bolt, and Elaine Thompson-Herah).
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53. Sean Foley
1974-. (aged 52)
historian
Sean Foley is a Canadian born golf instructor, who resides in Orlando, Florida and has coached Tiger Woods, Lydia Ko, Sean O'Hair, Hunter Mahan, Stephen Ames, An Byeong-hun, Cameron Champ, Michael Kim, Erik van Rooyen, Sam Horsfield, Justin Rose and Lee Westwood, as well as other PGA Tour, LPGA Tour and LIV Golf professionals. Foley also coached many players on...
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54. Hank Crawford
1934-2009 (aged 75)
songwriter
recording artist
saxophonist
jazz musician
Bennie Ross "Hank" Crawford, Jr. was an American alto saxophonist, pianist, arranger and songwriter whose genres ranged from R&B, hard bop, jazz-funk, and soul jazz. Crawford was musical director for Ray Charles before embarking on a solo career releasing many well-regarded albums for labels such as Atlantic, CTI and Milestone.
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55. A C Wharton
1944-. (aged 82)
politician
A C Wharton Jr. is an American educator, politician, and attorney who served as the 63rd mayor of Memphis, Tennessee and previously mayor of Shelby County. He was the second African American to serve as mayor of Shelby County.
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56. Cecil Newton
1986-. (aged 40)
American football player
Cecil Newton Jr. is an American former football center. He was signed by the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2009. He played college football at Tennessee State. He is the son of Cecil Newton Sr. and older brother of Cam Newton.
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57. Ralph Boston
1939-2023 (aged 84)
athletics competitor
Ralph Harold Boston was an American track athlete who received three Olympic medals and became the first person to break the 27 feet (8.2 m) barrier in the long jump.
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58. Gary Jenkins
singer
Gary "Lil G" Jenkins is an American musician. He is the lead singer of the R&B group Silk. Born and raised in Nashville, he is the youngest of seven children.
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59. Dick Griffey
1938-2010 (aged 72)
record producer
composer
music executive
Richard Gilbert Griffey was an American record producer and music promoter who founded SOLAR Records, an acronym for "Sound of Los Angeles Records". The label played a major role in developing a funk-oriented blend of disco, R&B and soul music during the 1970s and 1980s. As a concert promoter, Griffey arranged bookings for artists such as James Brown, The Sylvers,...
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60. Robert Covington
1990-. (aged 36)
basketball player
Robert Covington is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Philadelphia 76ers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Tennessee State Tigers, and, in 2018, he was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team.
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61. Moses Gunn
1929-1993 (aged 64)
film actor
television actor
stage actor
Moses Gunn was an American actor of stage and screen. An Obie Award-winning stage player, he is an alumnus of the Negro Ensemble Company. His 1962 off-Broadway debut was in Jean Genet's The Blacks, and his Broadway debut was in A Hand Is on the Gate, an evening of African-American poetry. He was nominated for the 1976 Tony Award for...
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62. Harold Ford, Sr
1945-. (aged 81)
politician
funeral director
Harold Eugene Ford Sr. is an American politician and Democratic former member of the United States House of Representatives representing the area of Memphis, Tennessee, for 11 terms—from 1975 until his retirement in 1997. He was the first African-American to represent Tennessee in the U.S. Congress. He is a member of the Ford political family from Memphis.
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63. Rufus Thomas
1917-2001 (aged 84)
singer
composer
dancer
disc jockey
musician
Rufus C. Thomas, Jr. was an American rhythm-and-blues, funk, soul and blues singer, songwriter, dancer, DJ and comic entertainer from Memphis, Tennessee. He recorded for several labels, including Chess Records and Sun Records in the 1950s, before becoming established in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax Records. His dance records, including "Walking the Dog" (1963), "Do the Funky Chicken" (1969),...
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64. Oprah Winfrey
1954-. (aged 72)
businessperson
television producer
podcaster
voice actor
film producer
Oprah Gail Winfrey is an American talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, broadcast from Chicago, which ran in national syndication for 25 years, from 1986 to 2011. Globally, she is the richest Black woman and the wealthiest female celebrity. Dubbed the "Queen of All...
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65. Maurice White
1941-2016 (aged 75)
bandleader
music executive
composer
record producer
percussionist
Maurice White was an American musician, best known as the founder, leader, main songwriter and chief producer of the band Earth, Wind & Fire, also serving as the band's co-lead singer with Philip Bailey.
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66. Wilma Rudolph
1940-1994 (aged 54)
sprinter
Wilma Glodean Rudolph was an American sprinter who overcame polio as a child and went on to become a world-record-holding Olympic champion and international sports icon in track and field following her successes in the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games. Rudolph competed in the 200-meter dash and won a bronze medal in the 4 × 100-meter relay at the 1956...
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67. Mark Funkhouser
1949-. (aged 77)
politician
Mark Funkhouser is an American academic, author, and former politician who served as the 53rd mayor of Kansas City, Missouri, serving one four-year term from May 1, 2007, until May 2, 2011. Previously, he was Kansas City's city auditor. He was the publisher of Governing magazine. He is the author of the blog Bring on the Funk and the book...
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68. Barbara Jones
1937-. (aged 89)
sprinter
Barbara Mildred Jones was an English artist, writer and mural painter. She is known for curating the exhibition Black Eyes and Lemonade (1951) and her book The Unsophisticated Arts (1951).
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69. John Ford
1942-. (aged 84)
politician
funeral director
John Frank Ford is a British former Anglican bishop. From 2013 to 2019 he was the Bishop of The Murray in the Anglican Church of Australia. From 2005 to 2013, he was the Bishop of Plymouth, a suffragan bishopric in the Diocese of Exeter in the Church of England. In November 2025 he was received into the Roman Catholic Church.
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