List of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University alumni
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This list of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University alumni includes graduates, non-graduate former students, and current students of North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University (N.C. A&T), a public, coeducational, high research activity, land-grant university, located in Greensboro, North Carolina, United States.
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North Carolina A&T is one of 16 public universities that constitute the University of North Carolina System, and one of the first public universities in the United States.[1] Founded in 1891 as the "Agricultural and Mechanical college for the Colored Race," N.C. A&T was the first land grant college for people of color in the state of North Carolina.[2] Over the 100 plus years of the university's existence, the academic scope expanded to encompass other disciplines. The North Carolina General Assembly redefined N.C. A&T as a regional university and through legislation made it a member of the University of North Carolina System in 1971.[2]
As of 2025, North Carolina A&T had over 70,000 living alumni.[3]
Alumni
Education
| Alumni | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harold Franklin | First Black student to attend Auburn University | ||
| James A. Hefner | 1961 (B.S.), |
Economist; seventh president of Jackson State University; sixth president of Tennessee State University | |
| Melvin N. Johnson | 1968 (B.S.) |
Economist; seventh president of Tennessee State University (2005–2011) | |
| Harold L. Martin | (B.S.) (M.S.) |
Engineer; twelfth chancellor of Winston-Salem State University; twelfth chancellor of North Carolina A&T; first and only alumnus to serve as chancellor of the university | |
| Lynn Perry Wooten | Ninth president of Simmons University | ||
Science and technology
| Alumni | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quincy K. Brown | 1995 (B.S.) |
Computer scientist and former senior policy advisor in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy | |
| Ronald McNair | 1971 (B.S.) |
Physicist and NASA astronaut; died during the launch of the Space Shuttle Challenger on mission STS-51-L | |
Civics
Civil rights
| Alumni | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Randolph Blackwell | (no year indicated) |
Civil rights activist; emphasized economic development for poor African-Americans; former program director of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference; former director of Southern Rural Action | |
| Walter P. Carter | (no year indicated) |
Civil rights activist and a central figure in Baltimore's civil rights movement, organizing demonstrations against discrimination throughout Maryland | |
| Jacqueline Jackson | (no year indicated) |
Author; peace activist | |
| Jesse Jackson Sr. | 1964 (B.S.) |
Civil rights activist; Baptist minister; candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination (1984 and 1988); shadow U.S. senator for the District of Columbia (1991–1997); founder of the organizations that merged to form Rainbow/Push Coalition | |
| Jonathan Jackson | 1987 (B.S.) |
Business professor, entrepreneur, social justice advocate, national spokesman for the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition | |
| Jibreel Khazan (born Ezell A. Blair, Jr.) | 1963 (B.S.) |
Civil rights activist and member of the Greensboro Four/A&T Four; staged a sit-in at the Woolworth lunch counter in downtown Greensboro on February 1, 1960 | |
| Franklin McCain | 1963 (B.S.) |
Civil rights activist and member of the Greensboro Four/A&T Four; staged a sit-in at the Woolworth lunch counter in downtown Greensboro on February 1, 1960 | |
| Joseph McNeil | 1963 (B.S.) |
Civil rights activist and member of the Greensboro Four/A&T Four; staged a sit-in at the Woolworth lunch counter in downtown Greensboro on February 1, 1960 | |
| David Richmond | (attended) 1990 (PhD)[Notes 1] |
Civil rights activist and member of the Greensboro Four/A&T Four; staged a sit-in at the Woolworth lunch counter in downtown Greensboro on February 1, 1960 | |
Corporate and business
| Alumni | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Janice Bryant Howroyd | (no year indicated) (B.A.) |
Entrepreneur; founder and CEO of ACT-1 Group, the largest minority woman-owned employment agency in the US | |
| Joe Dudley | 1962 (B.S.) |
Businessman and hair care entrepreneur; founder, president and CEO of Dudley Products Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of hair and skin care products for the African-American community | |
| Hilda Pinnix-Ragland | 1977 (B.S.) |
Businesswoman and philanthropist; first African-American vice president at Progress Energy Inc and Duke Energy |
Arts and entertainment
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| Alumni | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warren Ballentine | (no year indicated) |
Motivational speaker, attorney, political activist, and radio talk show host | |
| Lou Donaldson | (no year indicated) |
Jazz alto saxophonist; 2012 inductee to the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame | |
| Taraji P. Henson | Transferred to Howard University |
Actress | |
| Terrence J | 2004 (B.A.) |
Actor and television personality; host of BET's 106 & Park; co-anchor of E! News | |
| Sybil Lynch | 1985 (B.A.) |
R&B and pop singer–songwriter | |
Military
| Alumni | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Clara Leach Adams-Ender | 1961 (B.S.) |
Former chief of the United States Army Nurse Corps (1987–1991); first woman to receive her master's degree in military arts and sciences from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College; first African-American nurse corps officer to graduate from the United States Army War College |
Athletics
| Alumni | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tom Alston | (No Year Indicated) |
Former Major League Baseball first baseman; first African-American player for the St. Louis Cardinals | |
| Tevester Anderson | 1971 (M.S.) |
Retired college basketball coach; former men's head coach at Jackson State University and Murray State University | |
| Al Attles | 1960 (B.A.)/(B.S.) |
Retired NBA player; one of the first African-American coaches in the NBA when he was named player-coach of the Golden State Warriors during the 1969–70 season | |
| Bob Beamon | (Transferred to University of Texas at El Paso) |
Former Olympic athlete; set a 22-year world record in the long jump at the 1968 Summer Olympics | |
| Christopher Belcher | 2018 |
World class international sprinter, broke 10-second barrier in 100 meters | |
| Elvin Bethea | (no year indicated) |
2003 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee; played with the NFL's Houston Oilers; first N.C. A&T alum elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame | |
| Joe Binion | 1984 |
Retired NBA player; played for the Portland Trail Blazers | |
| Dwaine Board | 1979 |
Former NFL player and coach; played for the San Francisco 49ers and New Orleans Saints (1979–1988); four-time Super Bowl champion (XVI, XIX, XXIII and XXIX) | |
| Jessie Britt | (no year indicated) |
Former NFL player for the Pittsburgh Steelers | |
| Joseph Bunn | (Transferred to Old Dominion University) |
Professional basketball player | |
| Tarik Cohen | 2017 |
Former NFL player for the Chicago Bears | |
| Warren Davis | (no year given) |
Former ABA and NBA player | |
| Curtis Deloatch | 2003 |
Former NFL player; played with the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, and Carolina Panthers | |
| Hugh Evans | (no year indicated) |
Former NBA referee (1972–2001); current assistant supervisor of officials in the NBA front office | |
| Harold Hair | No Year Indicated |
Negro League baseball player for Birmingham Barons and Kansas City Monarchs | |
| Maurice Hicks | 2002 |
Former NFL player; played with the Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers, and Minnesota Vikings | |
| Al Holland | No Year Indicated |
Retired Major League Baseball relief pitcher; 1983 National League Relief Pitcher of the Year and 1984 MLB All Star | |
| Mamie Johnson | no year indicated |
Former professional baseball player; one of three women, and the first female pitcher, to play in the Negro leagues | |
| Jamal Jones | 2003 |
Former NFL player; played with the Green Bay Packers and the New Orleans Saints | |
| Connell Maynor | 1995 |
Head coach of the Hampton Pirates | |
| Ruth Morris | (no year indicated) |
Sprinter who represented the United States Virgin Islands at the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympic Games; first A&T athlete to ever compete at the Olympics | |
| Brandon Parker | 2018 |
NFL player for the Oakland Raiders | |
| Mel Phillips | (no year indicated) |
Former NFL player, now coach; played his entire 12-year NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers; assistant coach with the Miami Dolphins (1985–present) | |
| George Ragsdale | 1975 |
Former professional football player with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers; current college football coach | |
| Randolph Ross | 2022 |
Sprinter, gold medalist at 2020 Summer Olympics in the 4 × 400 metres relay | |
| Rodney Rowe | 2018 |
World class international sprinter for the United States | |
| George Small | 1979 (B.S.) |
College football coach at Florida A&M University; coached N.C. A&T to 2003 MEAC football championship | |
| J.R. Smith | 2026 |
Two-time National Basketball Association Champion with the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Los Angeles Lakers | |
| Maurice Smith | 1999 |
Retired NFL player; played with the Atlanta Falcons and Green Bay Packers | |
| Trevor Stewart | 2020 |
Sprinter, gold and bronze medalist at 2020 Summer Olympics in the 4 X 400 and mixed 4 x 400 meter relays | |
| Claude Williams | 1988 |
Professional basketball player |
Miscellaneous
| Alumni | Class year | Notability | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Khalid Sheikh Mohammed | 1986 (B.S.) |
Senior leader of Al-Qaeda, "principal architect" of the September 11 attacks | |
| William "Billy" Queen | (no year indicated)(M.S.) |
Former undercover agent with the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the author of the bestselling book Under and Alone | |
| Ryan Routh | Dropped out after two semesters |
Attempted assassin of then-former U.S. President Donald Trump in September 2024 |
Notes
- David Richmond was posthumously awarded an honorary doctorate of humanities degree at his funeral services on December 12, 1990.
- Al Attles graduated from N.C. A&T with both a B.A. in History and a B.S. in Physical Education.
- Franklin McCain received bachelor's degrees in both biology and chemistry from A&T in 1964.