Southern University Baton Rouge: A Legacy of Notable Alumni

Southern University and A&M College, an institution steeped in history and tradition, stands as a beacon of academic excellence and cultural pride. Guided by the motto "Excellence defines us. Pride sustains us. Tradition guides us," the university has fostered a remarkable lineage of alumni who have made significant contributions across various fields. This article delves into the lives and achievements of some of Southern University's most notable graduates, showcasing the diverse talents and enduring impact of its alumni network.

A Foundation of Excellence

Southern University's commitment to nurturing talent and instilling a sense of purpose has resulted in a distinguished alumni body. These individuals, embodying the spirit of the Jaguar, have excelled in fields ranging from music and entertainment to politics and athletics.

Trailblazers in Entertainment and Media

David Banner: From SGA President to Hip-Hop Icon

Lavell William Crump, known professionally as David Banner, exemplifies the multifaceted success that Southern University cultivates. A rapper, record producer, actor, and humanitarian, Banner's journey began at Southern University, his mother’s alma mater, where he served as president of the Student Government Association (SGA) and earned a bachelor’s degree in business. After graduating from Provine High School in 1992, he attended Southern University. He later pursued a master’s degree in education at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore before dedicating himself to music.

Banner's career took off in the 1990s as one half of the rap duo Crooked Lettaz. He signed with SRC Records in 2003 to pursue a solo career, collaborating with prominent artists such as Lil Boosie, Static Major, Young Joc, Chris Brown, Lil Wayne, and Snoop Dogg. As a producer, he has crafted records for T.I., Remy Ma, Three 6 Mafia, Ludacris, Mary Mary, and Lecrae.

Beyond music, Banner has appeared in television shows and movies, including This Christmas, The Butler, Ride Along, Empire, Saints & Sinners, and The Family Business: New Orleans. In 2006, he received a Visionary Award from the National Black Caucus of State Legislators for his humanitarian work following Hurricane Katrina. As an activist, Banner speaks out against racism and injustice in the Black community.

Read also: Space Weather & UCLA

Van Lathan: From TMZ to Academy Award Winner

Van Lathan Jr., a journalist, producer, podcaster, and political commentator, is another distinguished alumnus of Southern University. Lathan is best known for his work on TMZ as both a senior producer and cohost. A Baton Rouge native, Lathan graduated from Southern University before embarking on his media career, joining TMZ in 2010.

A career highlight for Lathan was his response to Kanye West's controversial claim that slavery was a choice during a 2018 interview. His poignant rebuttal garnered widespread support. After leaving TMZ, Lathan ventured into film production, cofounding Six Feet Over with Travon Free and Nicholas Maye. He executive produced Uppity: The Willy T. Ribbs Story, Two Distant Strangers, and Once Again (For the Very First Time). Two Distant Strangers won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film at the 93rd Academy Awards and Best Short Film from the African American Film Critics Association. Lathan also hosts Hip Hop Homicides and co-hosts Higher Learning with Rachel Lindsay.

Randy Jackson: A Maestro of Music and Television

Randy Jackson, American Idol’s longest-running judge, is also an alumnus of Southern University. In addition to being a television judge, Jackson is a record executive, television producer, and musician. Jackson, a Baton Rouge native, has always been a lover of music. He graduated from Southern in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in music. His career began in the 1980s as a session musician, playing bass guitar for jazz, pop, rock, and R&B artists. He spent eight years as vice president of artists and repertoire (A&R) at Columbia Records and four years heading A&R at MCA Records. Jackson joined American Idol in 2002 alongside Paula Abdul and Simon Cowell, serving as a judge until 2013.

Common: Rapper, Actor, and Activist

Lonnie Rashid Lynn, known professionally as Common, is an American rapper, actor, and activist. He is the recipient of three Grammy Awards, an Academy Award, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Golden Globe Award. At the age of 20, he signed with the independent label Relativity Records to release his debut studio album Can I Borrow a Dollar? (1992) along with its follow-ups, Resurrection (1994) and One Day It'll All Make Sense (1997). He maintained an underground following into the late 1990s, and achieved mainstream success through his work with the Black music collective, Soulquarians.

Leaders in Athletics

Lou Brock: Baseball Hall of Famer

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 eligibility and was inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in 2014.

Read also: Affording SNHU

Bob Love: From the Court to Community Affairs

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 he was fond of the legume. He Enrolled in Southern University and A&M College and Graduated with Bachelor of Science in nutritional science

Avery Johnson: From Point Guard to Head Coach

Avery DeWitt Johnson is an American basketball television commentator and former player and coach who most recently served as head coach of the Alabama Crimson Tide men's basketball team. He is currently an NBA and college basketball analyst for CBS Sports.

Harold Carmichael: NFL Wide Receiver

Lee Harold Carmichael is an American former professional football wide receiver who played in the National Football League (NFL) for thirteen seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles (1971-1983) and one year for the Dallas Cowboys (1984). Carmichael was the director of player development and alumni for the Eagles from 1998 to 2014, and a fan engagement liaison from 2014 to 2015.

Aeneas Williams: NFL Hall of Famer

Aeneas Demetrius Williams is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback and safety who played 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 was a member of the St. Louis Rams. Williams received eight Pro Bowl selections and three first-team All-Pro honors, as well as being on the second NFL 1990s All-Decade Team. He was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2014.

Willie Davenport: Olympian in Track and Bobsled

William "Willie" D. Davenport was an American sprint runner. He attended Howland High School and college at Southern University and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He competed in the 110 m hurdles at the 1964, 1968, 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics, winning a gold medal in 1968 and a bronze in 1976, and finishing fourth in 1972. In 1980 he took part in the Winter Olympics as a runner for the American bobsleigh team.

Rod Milburn: Olympic Gold Medalist

Rodney "Rod" Milburn Jr. was an American athlete who won gold at the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich in the 110m hurdles.

Public Servants and Leaders

Russel L. Honoré: General and Hurricane Relief Commander

Russel L. Honoré is a retired United States Army lieutenant general who served as commander of Joint Task Force Katrina, responsible for coordinating military relief efforts for Hurricane Katrina-affected areas across the Gulf Coast. He is also known as "The Ragin' Cajun". He Enrolled in Southern University and A&M College and Graduated with Bachelor of Science in vocational agriculture.

Cleo Fields: Congressman and State Senator

Cleo Fields is an American attorney and politician who serves in the Louisiana Senate. He represented Louisiana's 4th congressional district in the United States House of Representatives from 1993 to 1997 and ran unsuccessfully for governor of Louisiana in 1995. He serves as a state senator for Louisiana's 14th State Senate district, a position he held twice before. Fields is a member of the Democratic Party. He Enrolled in Southern University and A&M College In 1984 graduated with Bachelor of Arts and In 1987 graduated with Juris Doctor.

Kip Holden: Mayor-President of Baton Rouge

Melvin Lee "Kip" Holden, is 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.

William J. Jefferson: Congressman

William Jennings Jefferson is an American former politician from Louisiana whose career ended after his corruption scandal and conviction. 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 was elected as the state's first black congressman since the end of Reconstruction. He Enrolled in Southern University and A&M College and In 1969 graduated with Bachelor of Arts.

Murphy J. Foster: Governor of Louisiana

Murphy James Foster Jr. was an American businessman and politician who served as the 53rd governor of Louisiana from 1996 to 2004. He Enrolled in Southern University and A&M College and Graduated with Juris Doctor.

Robert L. Williams: Governor of Oklahoma

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 district judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma.

Shawn Wilson: Secretary of Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development

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. He Enrolled in Southern University and A&M College and Graduated with Master of Arts in public administration.

Elbert Guillory: Louisiana State Senator

Elbert Lee Guillory is a former member of the Louisiana State Senate. An American 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.

Eric Skrmetta: Louisiana Public Service Commissioner

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). Skrmetta is a member of the Republican Party.

Chuck Espy: Mayor of Clarksdale, Mississippi

Henry William "Chuck" Espy III is an American politician. Espy is Mayor of Clarksdale, Mississippi, elected June 2017. He also was a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives from 2000 to 2016.

Military Pioneers

Sherian Cadoria: First African-American Woman General in the Regular Army

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 and A&M College in Baton Rouge, Louisiana with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Education, and holds a Master of Arts degree in Social Work from the University of Oklahoma.

Joe N. Ballard: Chief of Engineers

Joe N. Ballard is a retired United States Army officer who fought in the Vietnam War, and who served as Chief of Engineers, the first African-American to serve in this role.

Bunny Greenhouse: Whistleblower

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.

Other Notable Alumni

The list of accomplished Southern University alumni extends beyond these highlighted individuals. It includes figures like:

Sid Williams: Diplomat and former NFL player.
José De León: Professional baseball pitcher.
Fred Lewis: Former Major League Baseball outfielder.
Kidd Jordan: Jazz saxophonist and music educator.
Danny Johnson: Professional football cornerback.
Bennie Adams: Professional basketball referee in the NBA.
Ralph Waldo Emerson Jones: President of Grambling State University.
Robert Holmes: Former American Football League player.
Arthur Miley: Professional football linebacker.
David Bolen: Olympian, diplomat, and businessman.
Reggie Williams: Baseball coach and former MLB player.

tags: #Southern #University #Baton #Rouge #notable #alumni