List of Savannah State University alumni

This list of Savannah State University alumni includes graduates, non-graduate former students and current students of Georgia State Industrial College for Colored Youth, Georgia State College, Savannah State College, and/or Savannah State University. Notable administration, faculty, and staff are found on the list of Savannah State University faculty.

Savannah State University is a four-year, state-supported, historically black university (HBCU) located in Savannah, Georgia.[1] The first baccalaureate degree was awarded in 1898.[2] In 1928 the college became a full four-year degree-granting institution and removed the high school and normal school programs.[2][3] In 1932 the school became a full member institution of the University System of Georgia.[2][3]

Academics

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Name Class year Notability Reference(s)
Charles Elmore African-American scholar and jazz historian
George E. Kent 1941 Professor of literature (with a specialism in Afro-American literature) [4]

Business

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Name Class year Notability Reference(s)
Jerome Miller 1975 Retired vice president for diversity and inclusion, Toyota Motor Inc; held other vice president and executive positions with the Coca-Cola Company, Delta Airlines, and TIAA [5]

Politics and public service

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Name Class year Notability Reference(s)
Curtis Cooper Savannah-area civil rights leader
Edna P. Jackson Member of the National League of Cities board of directors and former Mayor of Savannah, Georgia [6]
W. W. Law 1948 Civil rights leader and preservationist [7]
Barbara J. Mobley 1969 Former member of the DeKalb County Georgia State Court bench, former member of the Georgia House of Representatives [8]
Robert E. Robinson 1971 Civil rights attorney and member of the Savannah City Council

U.S. military services

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Official U.S. Navy photo of Retired U.S. Navy Captain Donnie Cochran
 
Lieutenant General Walter E. Gaskin, United States Marine Corps
Name Class year Notability Reference(s)
Annie B. Andrews 1983 Retired U.S. Navy rear admiral who served as the director of the Total Force Requirements Division (OPNAV N12); current assistant administrator for human resource management for the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration [9][10]
Donnie Cochran 1976 Retired U.S. Navy captain, completed two tours with the United States Navy Flight Demonstration Squadron, the Blue Angels [11]
Walter E. Gaskin 1971 Lieutenant general, U.S. Marine Corps; retired in 2013 at the rank of lieutenant general as the deputy chairman, NATO Committee in Brussels;reviously vice director, Joint Staff; in June 2006, became the commanding general of Marine Corps Second Division, making him the senior ranking active-duty African-American Marine and first African American to command a Marine Corps division [12]
James E. Wright Flight instructor for the World War II Tuskegee Airmen [13]

Journalists and news media personalities

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Name Class year Notability Reference(s)
Kareem McMichael 2009 News content specialist (WTOC), actor and film producer [14]
JaQuitta Williams 1993 Former anchor/reporter for WSB-TV, ABC affiliate in Atlanta, Georgia [15]

Athletics

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Name Class year Notability Reference(s)
Steven Aycock 1993 Former head football coach at Johnson C. Smith University [16]
Bobby Curtis 1987 Former National Football League player with the Washington Redskins and New York Jets [17]
Roy Ellison 1987 National Football League official and umpire during Super Bowl XLIII [18]
Troy Hambrick 2000 Former National Football League running back [19]
Matt "Showbiz" Jackson 1983 Former member of the Harlem Globetrotters [20]
Jessie Kenlaw 1975 Interim head coach of the WNBA's Washington Mystics; former assistant coach with the WNBA Seattle Storm and Washington Mystics [21][22]
John Mathis 1967 Former American Basketball Association forward for the New Jersey Americans [23]
Wesley McGriff 1990 Defensive backs coach and defensive recruiting coordinator for the Vanderbilt Commodores; former defensive backs coach for the Miami Hurricanes and former interim coach and defensive coordinator at Savannah State University [24][25]
Ernest "The Cat" Miller Former professional wrestler [26]
Shannon Sharpe 1991 Former National Football League player; three-time Super Bowl champion; second to Tony Gonzalez for most receptions (815), receiving yards (10,060), and TD receptions (62) by a tight end in an NFL career; TV presenter, co-hosted Skip and Shannon: Undisputed with Skip Bayless; co-hosts ESPN First Take with Stephen A Smith and Molly Querim [27][28][29]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "List of HBCUs -- White House Initiative on Historically Black Colleges and Universities". 2007-08-16. Archived from the original on 2007-12-23. Retrieved 2008-01-03.
  2. ^ a b c "Historically Black Colleges and Universities: Savannah State University". Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
  3. ^ a b Savannah State University from the New Georgia Encyclopedia Online. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
  4. ^ Coleman, James W.; Joanne Veal Gabbin (Winter 1983). "The Legacy of George E. Kent". Black American Literature Forum. 17 (4): 143–147. doi:10.2307/2903975. JSTOR 2903975.
  5. ^ "Toyota Motor Sales Appoints New Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion". Hispanic PR Wire. 2005. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  6. ^ "SSU grad, Savannah mayor pro-tem wins national post". SavannahNow.com. Savannah Morning News and Evening Press. 2008-11-25. Archived from the original on 2013-02-02. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
  7. ^ Charles J. Elmore: W. W. Law (1923-2002) from the New Georgia Encyclopedia Online (2004-01-23). Retrieved on 2008-07-23.
  8. ^ "Representative Barbara J. Mobley". Georgia House of Representatives. 2007. Archived from the original on November 23, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  9. ^ "U.S. Navy Biography Rear Admiral Annie B. Andrews Retired 2015". U.S. Navy. 2015. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  10. ^ "Annie B. Andrews Assistant Administrator for Human Resource Management". U.S. Federal Aviation Administration. 2015. Retrieved 2018-11-27.
  11. ^ "From SSU to the Blue Angels". Savannah State University. 2004. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  12. ^ "Official Biography for Walter E. Gaskin". United States Marine Corps. 2007. Archived from the original on March 16, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  13. ^ "Tuskegee airmen instructor dies in Savannah". SavannahNow.com. Savannah Morning News and Evening Press. 2008-09-16. Archived from the original on 2012-07-16. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
  14. ^ "Kareem McMichael | Actor, Producer, Writer". IMDb.
  15. ^ "JaQuitta Williams: News Reporter and Anchor". WSBTV. 2007. Archived from the original on 2011-05-24. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  16. ^ "Sand Gnats make radio deal". SavannahNow.com. Savannah Morning News and Evening Press. 2009-01-28. Archived from the original on 2012-07-14. Retrieved 2009-01-28.
  17. ^ "Former Tigers sign football contracts". 2007-11-13. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
  18. ^ "Savannah State Alumnus Officiates Super Bowl XLIII" (PDF). The Savannah Tribune. 2009-02-11. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
  19. ^ "NFL Players: Troy Hambrick". NFL.com. 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  20. ^ "Player Bio". Harlem Globetrotters. 2007. Archived from the original on 2006-10-31. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  21. ^ "Jessie Kenlaw Named Mystics Interim Head Coach". 2008-07-20. Retrieved 2008-07-22.[dead link]
  22. ^ "Coach Bio". WNBA. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-07-13. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  23. ^ "NBA/ABA Players who attended Savannah State University". Archived from the original on 2006-05-06. Retrieved 2008-02-06.
  24. ^ "Sports with Walter Moore". The Savannah Tribune. The Savannah Tribune, Inc. 2011-02-16. Retrieved 2011-02-16.
  25. ^ "Player Bio:Wesley McGriff". Archived from the original on November 11, 2007. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
  26. ^ "The early days of WCW star Ernest Miller". SLAM! Wrestling. Archived from the original on January 1, 2013. Retrieved 2007-11-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  27. ^ "NFL.com Writers: Shannon Sharpe". NFL.com. 2007. Archived from the original on March 28, 2007. Retrieved 2007-04-04.
  28. ^ "Gonzalez gets record, win". The Examiner. 2007. Archived from the original on 2007-06-17. Retrieved 2007-10-15.
  29. ^ Barnidge, Noell (2009-10-15). "Shannon Sharpe headed home to SSU". SavannahNow.com. Savannah Morning News and Evening Press. Retrieved 2009-10-15.