Jump to content

List of Johnson C. Smith University alumni

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Johnson C. Smith University is a private historically black university in Charlotte, North Carolina.[1][2] It was called Biddle Memorial Institute from 1867 to 1876 and Biddle University from 1876 to 1922.[1][3]

Following is a list of some of its notability members.

Name Graduation year Notability References
Trezzvant Anderson non-degreed Journalist and author [4][5]
Tim Beamer 1971 Professional football player [6][7]
Frederick C. Branch 1942 First African American officer in the United States Marine Corps [8]
Jack S. Brayboy 1943 Football player, coach, teacher, and university administrator, all at Johnson C. Smith University [9]
Tyrone Britt 1967 Professional basketball player [10]
Vanderbilt Brown 1907 One of the first physicians to finish training in World War I with the Medical Reserve Corps
Mickey Casey non-degreed Professional baseball player [11]
Eva Clayton 1955 United States House of Representatives from North Carolina [12]
Gregory Clifton non-degreed Professional football player with the Carolina Panthers and the Washington Redskins [13][14]
Dorothy Counts 1964 One of the first black students to attend Harry P. Harding High School in Charlotte, North Carolina [15]
Grover Covington Professional player with the Canadian Football League [16][17]
John O. Crosby non-degreed First president of what is now North Carolina A&T State University [18]
Daniel Wallace Culp 1876 Pastor, principal, and doctor; first graduate of Biddle University [19]
Sadye Curry 1963 First African-American woman to become a gastroenterologist in the United States [20]
Charlie Smith Dannelly 1962 North Carolina Senate and Charlotte City Council [21]
Bill Davis 1963 Head football coach at South Carolina State University, Savannah State University, Tennessee State University, and Johnson C. Smith University [22]
De'Audra Dix 2009 Professional football player with the Canadian Football League [23]
Edward R. Dudley 1932 U.S. Ambassador to Liberia; first African American ambassador [24]
Bill Dusenbery Professional football player with New Orleans Saints [25]
Thereasea Elder non-degreed First African American public health nurse in Charlotte, North Carolina [26]
Richard Erwin 1947 Judge on the United States District Court for the Middle District of North Carolina and the North Carolina Court of Appeal; first black federal judge in North Carolina [27]
Ferdinand Kwasi Fiawoo 1933 Ghanaian minister of religion, playwright, educator, and founder of Zion College in Ghana [28]
Malcolm Graham 1985 North Carolina Senate and Charlotte City Council [29]
Leford Green 2011 National Track Athlete of the Year in 2010 and 2011; 2012 Summer Olympics Jamaican National Olympic Track and Field team [30]
Chet Grimsley 1978 Author and first white student to garner accolades as All-CIAA and All-American at JCSU and at a historically Black college or university [31]
Larry D. Hall 1978 North Carolina House of Representatives [32]
Norman Washington Harllee Supervisor of Dallas's public schools for Black children; principal of Dallas Colored High School [33]
Reginald Hawkins 1943 Civil rights activist; first African-American to run for Governor of North Carolina [34]
Bun Hayes 1929 Professional baseball player [35]
JoAnn Haysbert Chancellor and Provost of Hampton University; president of Langston University [36]
Henry Aaron Hill 1936 Organic chemist; first Black president of the American Chemical Society [37]
Quentin Hillsman Basketball coach at Syracuse University [38]
Cheris F. Hodges 1999 Author of African-American romance novels
Delois Huntley One of four black students to integrate Charlotte schools [39]
Cecil Ivory 1946 Presbyterian minister and civil rights leader [40]
Sara Dunlap Jackson 1943 National Archives and Records Administration archivist, Military Archives Division [41]
Benny Johnson 1970 Professional football player with the Houston Oilers and New Orleans Saints [42]
J. Charles Jones 1960 Co-founder of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) [34]
Edward Joyner 1994 Basketball coach at Hampton University [43]
Boise Kimber 1981 Baptist minister and civil rights activist [44]
William Lindsay 1931 Professional baseball player [45][46]
Earl Manigault non-degreed Regarded as one of the greatest never to have played in the National Basketball Association [47]
Vince Matthews 1970 Winner of two gold medals for sprinting at the 1968 Summer Olympics and 1972 Summer Olympics [48][49]
Mildred Mitchell-Bateman 1941 Director of the Division of Professional Services at the West Virginia Department of Mental Health; chair of the Psychiatry Department at Marshall University [50]
Eddie McGirt 1948 Head football coach and athletic director at Johnson C. Smith University [51]
Curly Neal 1962 Member of the Harlem Globetrotters [52]
Pettis Norman 1962 Professional football player with the Dallas Cowboys and the San Diego Chargers [53]
Melanie Harrison Okoro 2005 Marine estuarine and environmental scientist [54]
Trevin Parks 2013 Professional basketball player and college basketball coach [55]
Obie Patterson 1965 Maryland House of Delegates and Maryland Senate [56]
Don Pullen 1963 Jazz pianist and organist [57][58]
Zilner Randolph Jazz trumpeter and music educator [59]
Twiggy Sanders 1974 Member of the Harlem Globetrotters [60][61]
Jawn Sandifer 1935 New York Supreme Court justice; staff lawyer for the NAACP [62]
Gary Siplin 1976 Florida Senate and Florida House of Representatives [63]
Marvin Scott 1966 Sociology professor at Butler University [64]
Chris Smith 1992 Florida Senate and Florida House of Representatives [65]
Clarence F. Stephens 1938 Chair of the State University of New York at Potsdam mathematics department [66][67]
John Taylor Professional football player [68]
Steel Arm Johnny Taylor Professional baseball player and college baseball coach [69]
Evelyn Terry North Carolina House of Representatives [70]
John Terry non-degreed Professional football player
Sandra L. Townes 1966 Senior Judge of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of New York [71]
Skeets Tolbert Jazz clarinetist [72]
Faya Ora Rose Touré 1966 Civil rights activist, lawyer, and first black female judge in Alabama [73]
Orval Tucker Professional baseball player
McKinley Washington Jr. 1961 South Carolina Senate and South Carolina House of Representatives [74]
Ola B. Watford 1946 Geophysicist with the United States Department of Commerce [75]
Bob Wells 1968 Professional football player [76][77]
Avon Williams 1940 Tennessee State Senate and civil right attorney [78]
Danielle Williams 2014 Winner of the gold medal at the 2015 World Championships for sprint hurdles [79]
Shermaine Williams 2011 Sprinter and 2012 Summer Olympics representative for Jamaica [80]
Emanuel Wilson non-degreed Professional football player with the Denver Broncos and the Green Bay Packers [81]
Draff Young Professional basketball coach

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Moore Parker, Inez (1975). Callison, Helen Vassy (ed.). The Biddle-Johnson C. Smith University Story. Charlotte, North Carolina: Observer Craftsman Company. ISBN 0914998056.
  2. ^ "Johnson C. Smith University". U.S. News & World Report. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  3. ^ "University to Change Name". The Charlotte Observer. 1922-02-04. p. 5. Retrieved 2025-07-08 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "Reporters and Writers: Trezzvant Anderson". Reporting Civil Rights. Library of America. Archived from the original on 2012-03-07. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  5. ^ Ethridge, Emily (2020-08-11). "How a Local Historian Uncovered Trezzvant Anderson, the Charlotte Civil Rights Hero You've Never Heard Of". Charlotte Magazine. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  6. ^ "Tim Beamer Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  7. ^ "Timothy Beamer (1995) - Hall of Fame". Johnson C. Smith University Athletics. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  8. ^ Craven, C. K. (2020-02-29). "Hamlet's Frederick C. Branch: First African-American officer in the Marine Corps". Richmond Observer. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  9. ^ Thomas, Elmer (1976-09-02). "JCSU Educator Brayboy Dies". The Charlotte Observer. p. 31. Retrieved 2025-07-07 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Tyrone Britt Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft Status and more". Basketball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  11. ^ Hofmann, Paul. "Mickey Casey". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  12. ^ "Clayton, Eva M." US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  13. ^ "Make 'em sweat: Former Panther Greg Clifton trains for fitness". The Charlotte Post. September 8, 2017. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  14. ^ "Gregory Clifton Stats, Height, Weight, Position, Draft, College". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  15. ^ Moultrie, Randi (2024-09-04). "67 Years Ago Dorothy Counts Walked Through the Doors of Harding High School in Charlotte". Power 98 FM. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  16. ^ "Grover Covington (1995) - Hall of Fame". Johnson C. Smith University Athletics. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  17. ^ "Grover Covington". Canadian Football Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  18. ^ "Chief Executives of North Carolina A&T". North Carolina A&T State University. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  19. ^ "Daniel Wallace Culp, First Graduate of Biddle University". DigitalNC. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  20. ^ "Dr. Sadye Beatryce Curry". Changing the Face of Medicine. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  21. ^ "Charlie Dannelly's Biography". Vote Smart. Archived from the original on 2023-06-10. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  22. ^ "Former S.C. State coach dead at 60 DAVIS: Led team to only I-AA playoff appearances". Spartanburg Herald Journal. March 18, 2002. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  23. ^ "Oh, Canada!". The Charlotte Post. July 15, 2010. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  24. ^ McLellan, Carlton (2015-04-01). "Edward Richard Dudley (1911-2005)". BlackPast. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  25. ^ "Bill Dusenberry - Hall of Fame". Johnson C. Smith University. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  26. ^ "Thereasea Clark Elder". The Gantt Center. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  27. ^ "Richard Erwin". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  28. ^ Fiawoo, D. K. (2024-02-15). "Fiawoo Ferdinand Kwasi". Encyclopaedia Africana. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  29. ^ "Alumnus, city councilman appointed chair of COVID-19 task force". Johnson C. Smith University. June 3, 2020. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  30. ^ Hector, Gerald (June 2024). "Fortis to be Inducted into Johnson C. Smith University Athletics Hall of Fame". The K C Times. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  31. ^ "Chet Grimsley (1995) - Hall of Fame". Johnson C. Smith University Athletics. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  32. ^ "Larry Hall". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  33. ^ Dulaney, W. Marvin (November 18, 2020). "Norman Washington Harllee: Pioneer African American Educator and Civic Leader". Texas State Historical Association. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  34. ^ a b Lunsford, Brandon. "Johnson C. Smith University Student Protests". North Carolina African American Heritage Commission. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  35. ^ "Bun Hayes Black Baseball Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  36. ^ "Former provost JoAnn Haysbert returning to Hampton University". Daily Press. 2011-08-10. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  37. ^ Levy, Joshua. "African American Innovation, Invention, and Entrepreneurship in the Manuscript Division: Henry Aaron Hill | Research Guides". Library of Congress. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  38. ^ "Quentin Hillsman Coaching Record". College Basketball at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  39. ^ Wootson Jr., Cleve R. (May 11, 2015). "Delois Huntley, who integrated Alexander Graham Junior High in 1957, dies at 69". The Charlotte Observer. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  40. ^ "Cecil A. Ivory: Presbyterian Leader and Activist | Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)". Presbyterian Church USA. February 15, 2018. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  41. ^ "Dedication". Federal Records and African American History. 29 (2). Summer 1997. Retrieved July 7, 2025 – via National Archives.
  42. ^ "Benny Johnson Stats, News and Video - DB". NFL.com. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  43. ^ O'Neil, Dana (2009-05-18). "Joyner carries on a rich family legacy". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  44. ^ "Dr. Boise Kimber". West Virginia Baptist State Convention. 2022-08-04. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  45. ^ "Negro Leagues Baseball eMuseum: Personal Profiles: William Lindsay". Negro Leagues Baseball eMuseum. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  46. ^ "William Lindsay Career Stats Leagues Statistics". Baseball-Reference.com. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  47. ^ Rhoden, William C. (1998-05-16). "Sports of The Times; The Legend And Legacy Of the Goat". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  48. ^ "Vince Matthews". USA Track & Field. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  49. ^ "Vince Matthews Selected for Induction into the USA Track & Field Hall of Fame". Johnson C. Smith University Athletics. November 1, 2011. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  50. ^ "Mildred Mitchell-Bateman, M.D." American Psychiatric Association Foundation. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  51. ^ "Eddie McGirt". South Carolina African American History Calendar. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  52. ^ Waggoner, Trey (2021-02-16). "Fred "Curly" Neal (1942-2020)". BlackPast. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  53. ^ "Pettis Norman, longtime Cowboys tight end and renowned civil rights advocate, dies at 86". CBSSports.com. 2025-07-08. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  54. ^ Grunewald, Becky (July 13, 2022). "On the Fast Track: Dr. Melanie Okoro". Comstock's magazine. Retrieved 2025-07-07.
  55. ^ "Trevin Parks - Men's Basketball Coach". Johnson C. Smith University Athletics. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  56. ^ "Obie Patterson, Maryland State Senator". Maryland Manual On-Line. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  57. ^ Donahue, Ann (April 25, 1995). "Jazz Pianist Don Pullen Dies at 53". Virginia Tech. The Roanoke Times. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  58. ^ "Don Pullen; Jazz Pianist Known for Improvisational Work". Los Angeles Times. 1995-04-28. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  59. ^ Chilton, John. "Randolph, Zilner T(renton)". Cengage Encyclopedia. Baker’s Biographical Dictionary of Musicians. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  60. ^ Trutor, Clayton (2021-07-20). "From Johnson C. Smith University to the Harlem Globetrotters, Twiggy Sanders was an 'out-of-the-box sensation'". Mid-Major Madness. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  61. ^ "James "Twiggy" Sanders (1999) - Hall of Fame". Johnson C. Smith University Athletics. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  62. ^ Hevesi, Dennis (2006-09-07). "Jawn Sandifer, Civil Rights Lawyer, Dies at 92". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  63. ^ "Gary Siplin 1998 - 2000". Florida House of Representatives. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  64. ^ "Marvin Scott's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  65. ^ "Christopher L. "Chris" Smith". Florida House of Representatives. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  66. ^ "In Memoriam: Dr. Clarence F. Stephens, Sr". SUNY Potsdam. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  67. ^ O'Connor, J. J.; Robertson, E. F. (July 2022). "Clarence Francis Stephens - Biography". Maths History. School of Mathematics and Statistics, University of St Andrews, Scotland. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  68. ^ "John Taylor". Bay Area Sports Hall of Fame. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  69. ^ "Steel Arm Johnny Taylor". Society for American Baseball Research. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  70. ^ "Evelyn Terry". Ballotpedia. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  71. ^ "Sandra L. Townes". Historical Society of the New York Courts. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  72. ^ "“Skeets” Tolbert". DigitalNC. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 2010-08-16. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  73. ^ "Faya Rose Toure". Selma Center for Nonviolence, Truth, and Reconciliation. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  74. ^ "Senator McKinley Washington, Jr". South Carolina Legislature. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  75. ^ Roberson, Stephen (February 9, 2021). "Ola Bryant Watford | Black History Month 2022". National Society of Black Physicists. Retrieved July 7, 2025.
  76. ^ "Bob Wells Stats, News and Video - G". NFL.com. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  77. ^ "Robert Wells (1992) - Hall of Fame". Johnson C. Smith University Athletics. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  78. ^ Barron, James (1994-08-31). "Avon Williams, 72, Lawyer Who Fought To End Segregation". The New York Times. p. D18. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  79. ^ "JCSU alumna heads to Olympics". Johnson C. Smith University Athletics. 2024-07-02. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  80. ^ "Shermaine Williams - Women's Track and Field". Johnson C. Smith University Athletics. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
  81. ^ "Former JCSU Running Back Wilson signs with Green Bay". Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association. 2025-06-23. Retrieved 2025-07-08.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=List_of_Johnson_C._Smith_University_alumni&oldid=1299421837"