Judges, actors and football players. These are some notable E.E. Smith alumni
Ongoing discussions about building a new E.E. Smith High School have drawn out alumni who say being a Golden Bull graduate is an honor recognized nationally.
The historically Black high school was founded in 1927 and is named after Ezekiel Ezra Smith, a Fayetteville educator and statesman from the late 1800s.
Among its alumni are professional athletes, watchmakers, actors, at least one national franchise CEO and judges and politicians.
Here are 38 notable people who graduated from E.E. Smith High School.
Charlie Baggett
Charlie Baggett is a running back and wide receivers coach whose career has been spent with Michigan State and NFL teams like the Houston Oilers, Green Bay Packers, St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikings.
He was also the assistant head coach, offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach for the Miami Dolphins.
He was assistant head coach and wide receivers coach at the University of Tennessee for two seasons before retiring in 2012.
David Blackledge
Retired Brig. Gen. David N. Blackledge, a 1971 graduate of E.E. Smith High School, twice-wounded combat veteran, and former commander of the U.S. Army Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations Command.
Harold Floyd “Tina” Brooks
Harold Floyd "Tina" Brooks was a saxophonist who recorded with fellow jazz musicians under the Blue Note label.
Terry Brown Jr.
Terry Brown Jr. is a 2005 E.E. Smith High School graduate who is a Charlotte-based attorney. After winning the 2020 general election, he has been a state representative for House District 92, which includes southwest Mecklenburg County, and he is the House Democratic whip.
Brian Bullock
Brian Bullock is a 1983 graduate of E.E. Smith and former NFL linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts.
Aaron Curry
Aaron Curry is a linebacker who was drafted into the NFL during the 2009 draft.
He spent four seasons in the NFL with Seattle, Oakland and the New York Giants.
After leaving pro football, he coached with the Charlotte 49ers at the college level, then in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks. He is currently the inside linebackers coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Bill “Fatback” Curtis
Bill “Fatback” Curtis was a drummer in the E.E. Smith High School band until he graduated in 1950, then was a drummer with the 33rd Army Band and 7th Army Special Services Group until 1954.
After being released from the Army in 1955, Curtis was a student at the Mannes College of Music in New York for three years before attending New York University School of Music and performing with musicians around New York.
During the 1970s and 1980s, Curtis and the Fatback Band started as a jazz-funk group that had a string of R&B hits like “(Do The) Spanish Hustle,” “I Like Girls,” “Gotta Get My Hands on Some (Money),” “Backstrokin',” and “I Found Lovin.”
Fatback has been credited with recording the first hip-hop song in 1979, a tune called “King Tim III (Personality Jock).”
The band’s music has been sampled by other musicians over the years, like Chaka Khan’s “Like Sugar” sampling the Fatback Band’s 1975 funk-jam, “(Are You Ready) Do the Bus Stop” and the Beastie Boys hit “Brass Monkey” sampling “Bring It Here.”
Curtis was inducted into the North Carolina Music Hall of Fame in 2023, currently lives in Fayetteville and releases singles through his Fatback Records label.
Maurice Davis and Kwame Molden
Maurice Davis and Kwame Molden are founders of SPGBK, which stands for spring break, watches, featured on Oprah Winfrey's 2023 annual Favorite Things list.
Each of the watches offered by SPGBK is named for a school, community, or event in the Fayetteville area, including the “Smith” named after their alma mater.
Cumberland County Commissioners
Cumberland County Commissioners' Chairman Glenn Adams and Commissioner Jeanette Council are among E.E. Smith's alumni.
Mark Davis
Mark Davis is a 1984 E.E. Smith High School graduate and attorney who was sworn in as an associate judge for the North Carolina Supreme Court in 2019 after being appointed by Gov. Roy Cooper.
Russell Davis
Russell Davis is a 1994 E.E. Smith graduate who was an NFL defensive tackle and has played with the Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals, Seattle Seahawks and New York Giants.
He was part of the Giants’ team that won the 2007 Super Bowl XLII title.
Joey Evans
Joey Evans is a 1997 E.E. Smith High School graduate and defensive end who was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in 2002.
Fayetteville City Council
Mayor Mitch Colvin graduated from E.E. Smith High School in the early 1990s and was first elected to the Fayetteville City Council in 2013, named mayor pro-tem in 2017 and is in his fourth term as mayor.
Councilmembers Mario Benavente and Lynne Greene are also alumni.
Benavente was first elected to the District 3 seat in 2022 and is in his second term. Greene was elected for her first term in November and represents District 5.
J. Harrison Ghee
J. Harrison Ghee is a nonbinary actor who graduated from E.E. Smith High School in 2007. Ghee was one of the first two nonbinary people to receive a Tony award in 2023 for performances in the Broadway musical “Some Like It Hot.” Ghee won Best Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role in a Musical. Ghee also won a Grammy this year when “Some Like It Hot” was named Best Musical Theater Album.
Bishop Harris
Bishop Harris is a 1959 graduate who coached for North Carolina Central University in 1991 and spent 14 seasons as an assistant coach in the NFL with the Denver Broncos, Oakland Raiders, Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and San Francisco 49ers.
Joe Harris
Joe Harris is a 1971 graduate who was drafted into the NFL in 1975 as a linebacker and played for the then-Washington Redskins, 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams and Baltimore Colts. He was the Rams’ special teams captain in Super Bowl XIV.
Brian Tyree Henry
Brian Tyree Henry graduated in 2000 and is an actor who portrayed rapper “Paper Boi” in the FX comedy-drama series "Atlanta" on FX, which earned him an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Actor in a Comedy Series in 2022. Henry has also appeared on “Boardwalk Empire,” “This Is Us,” and “How to Get Away with Murder.”
In 2018, Henry was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play for his role in the Broadway play “Lobby Hero.”
Henry has also had roles in the films “Joker,” Marvel Universe’s “Eternals,” and “Causeway,” for which he was nominated for a Best Supporting Actor award at the Academy Awards.
In a 2019 interview with television host Jimmy Kimmel, Henry said he was in the E.E. Smith “Magnificent Marching Machine,” band and also served as the Golden Bull mascot.
Patricia Horoho
Retired Lt. Gen. Patricia D. Horoho, is a 1978 graduate and a former commander of the U.S. Army Corps and became the Army’s 43rd surgeon general in December 2011. She was the first female and first Nurse Corps officer to serve in those roles.
Jason Hunter
Jason Hunter is a 2001 graduate who was an undrafted free agent defensive end for the NFL for nine seasons and played for the Green Bay Packers, Detroit Lions, Denver Broncos and Oakland Raiders.
Luther “Nick” Jeralds
Luther "Nick'' Jeralds is a 1956 graduate who spent time in the NFL as a defensive end with the Dallas Texans and Minnesota Vikings before returning home to Fayetteville where he would earn a seat in the N.C. legislature. A Cumberland County middle school is named after Jeralds, along with Fayetteville State University’s stadium.
Cynthia Karen “Lil’ Mo” Loving
Cynthia Karen Loving is known as R&B singer Lil’ Mo and is also a songwriter, radio personality and record producer.
She has worked with Missy Elliott, helping write Elliott’s “Hot Boyz,” and also helped write rapper Ja Rule’s “Put It on Me.”
In 2000, Lil’ Mo released her first solo “Ta Da,” followed up by "Superwoman Pt. II", which peaked at No. 11 on the Billboard Hot 100 charts. Her 2001 album “Based on a True Story,” peaked on the Billboard 200 and was gold certified through the Recording Industry Association of America.
Lil’ Mo was also seen in the TV One reality series “R&B Divas: Los Angeles.”
Mary E. McAllister
Mary E. McAllister was a 1955 graduate who was a former Cumberland County commissioner and served seven terms in the North Carolina House of Representatives.
Diamond McCall
Diamond McCall is a hairstylist whose work has been featured in the movies “Hocus Pocus 2,” “Kindred” and “The Exorcist: Believer.”
Victoria “Porkchop” Parker
In high school, Victoria "Porkchop" Parker was known as Victor Bowling. Since then, she’s become a female impersonator and appeared on the first season of TV series "RuPaul's Drag Race.”
Nicholas Perkins
Nicholas Perkins is president and CEO of his own company, Perkins Management Co., in addition to Black Titan Franchise Systems LLC.
Perkins is also the owner of national and international hamburger chain Fuddruckers.
Jimmy Raye II
Jimmy Raye is a 1964 graduate who spent 36 seasons as an NFL assistant coach with 10 different teams. He served as offensive coordinator for 13 of those seasons and also worked as assistant head coach for the Oakland Raiders
Mark Smith
Mark Smith is a 1980 graduate and was an NFL wide receiver for the then-Washington Redskins.
Larry Tearry
Larry Tearry is a 1974 graduate who was an NFL center who played two seasons for the Detroit Lions.
Cressie Thigpen
Cressie Thigpen is an attorney who was elected as the first Black president of the North Carolina State Bar in 1999. In 2010, he was appointed by then-Gov. Beverly Purdue to the North Carolina Court of Appeals and reappointed in 2011. His term ended in 2012. In 2022, Gov. Roy Cooper appointed Thigpen to the Commission on the Governance of Public Universities in North Carolina. He is a former chair of the North Carolina Central University Board of Trustees and previously served on the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees.
Kelly J. Thomas
Retired Brig. Gen. Kelly J. Thomas is a former commander of the 82nd Combat Aviation Brigade, former deputy chief of staff for the U.S. Army Forces Command and former commissioner of the N.C. Division of Motor Vehicles.
Demarcus “Tank” Tyler
Demarcus "Tank'' Tyler is a 2003 graduate who was drafted into the NFL as a defensive tackle and played two NFL seasons with the Kansas City Chiefs and Carolina Panthers.
Dimitrius Underwood
Dimitrius Underwood is a 1995 graduate who was drafted as an NFL defensive end by the Minnesota Vikings in 1994. He also played for the Miami Dolphins and Dallas Cowboys.
Tiffany Whitfield
Judge Tiffany Whitfield was elected to serve Cumberland County’s 12th Judicial District Court in 2016. Prior to her election, she worked as a public defender and assistant district attorney.
Douglas Wilkerson
Douglas Wilkerson was a 1965 graduate who was an offensive lineman for the NFL and spent 15 seasons playing professional football.
Staff writer Rachael Riley can be reached at rriley@fayobserver.com or 910-486-3528.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Who are notable Fayetteville graduates of E.E. Smith High School?
