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{{Short description|Historically black university in Frankfort, Kentucky, US}}
{{hatnote|"Kentucky State" redirects here. For the U.S. state, see [[Kentucky]].}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Infobox university
| name = Kentucky State University
| image_name = Kentucky State University seal.svg
| image_size = 150
| former_name = State Normal School for Colored Persons (1886–1902)<br />Kentucky Normal and Industrial Institute for Colored Persons (1902–1926)<br />Kentucky State Industrial College for Colored Persons (1926–1938)<br />Kentucky State College for Negroes (1938–1952)<br />Kentucky State College (1952–1972)
| motto = "Onward, Upward."
| established = {{start date and age|1886}}<ref name="KSUHistory" />
| type = [[Public university|Public]] [[Historically black colleges and universities|historically black]] [[land-grant university]]
| academic_affiliations = [[National Space Grant College and Fellowship Program|Space-grant]]
| president = [[Koffi C. Akakpo]]
| provost = Michael D. Dailey (interim)
| students = 2,163 (fall 2024)<ref name=CPE>{{Cite web|title=CPE Interactive Data Center|url=https://reports.ky.gov/t/CPE/views/KentuckyPostsecondaryEducationInteractiveDataDashboard/Navigation?%3AshowAppBanner=false&%3Adisplay_count=n&%3AshowVizHome=n&%3Aorigin=viz_share_link&%3AisGuestRedirectFromVizportal=y&%3Aembed=y|access-date=2025-02-13}}</ref>
| city = [[Frankfort, Kentucky|Frankfort]]
| state = [[Kentucky]]
| country = United States
| coordinates = {{coord|38|12|00|N|84|51|30|W|region:US-KY_type:edu|display=inline,title}}
| campus = {{convert|915|acre|km2}}
| colors = Kelly Green and light Gold<br />{{color box|#0A8137}} {{color box|#EDCB04}}
| nickname = [[Kentucky State Thorobreds and Thorobrettes|Thorobreds & Thorobrettes]]
| sporting_affiliations = [[NCAA Division II]] – [[Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference|SIAC]]
| website = {{URL|https://www.kysu.edu/|kysu.edu}}
| logo = Kentuckystate univ textlogo.png
| logo_size = 200
}}
'''Kentucky State University''' ('''KSU''',
==History==
Kentucky State University was chartered in May 1886 as the [[Normal school|State Normal School for Colored Persons]], only the second state-supported institution of higher learning in Kentucky.<ref name="KSUHistory" /> During the euphoria of Frankfort's 1886 centennial celebration, the city donated $1,500 towards the purchase of land for a new college on a bluff overlooking Frankfort.<ref>Hardin, 1995.</ref>
The new school formally opened on October 11, 1887, with three teachers, 55 students, and John H. Jackson as president.<ref name="KSUHistory" /> Recitation Hall (now Jackson Hall), the college's first permanent building, was erected in that year.
{{multiple image
| direction = vertical
| align = left
| width = 180
| image1 = KYState-Frankfort1898.jpg
| alt1 = 1898
| caption1 = Campus in 1898
| image2 = Kentucky State University 2020.jpg
| alt2 = 2020
| caption2 = Main entrance in 2020
}}
KSU became a [[Land-grant university|land-grant college]] in 1890 following the passage of the [[Morrill Land-Grant Acts]], and the departments of [[home economics]], [[agriculture]], and [[mechanics]] were added to the school's curriculum.<ref name="KSUHistory" /><ref name=":0" /> The school produced its first graduating class of five students in the spring of that year. A high school was organized in 1893. This expansion continued into the 20th century in both name and program. In 1902, the name was changed to Kentucky Normal and Industrial Institute for Colored Persons. The name was changed again in 1926 to Kentucky State Industrial College for Colored Persons.
In 1929, the high school was discontinued by president [[Rufus B. Atwood]], since students were now entering college with a high school education.<ref name=":0" /> In 1938, the school was named the '''Kentucky State College for Negroes'''.<ref name="KSUHistory" /> The term "for Negroes" was dropped in 1952.
The civil engineering program was started in 1942 after the [[NAACP]] threatened a lawsuit on behalf of a black student who wanted to attend the engineering program at the [[University of Kentucky]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.jbhe.com/chronology/|title=Key Events in Black Higher Education|date=2011-09-22}}</ref>
Dr. [[Martin Luther King Jr.]] delivered the commencement speech at the 1957 [[graduation]] ceremonies titled, "Facing the Challenge of a New Age".<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://kinginstitute.stanford.edu/encyclopedia/king-delivers-facing-challenge-new-age-kentucky-state-college-graduation-ceremony |title=King delivers "Facing the Challenge of a New Age" at Kentucky State College graduation ceremony |date=1957-06-02 |encyclopedia=King Encyclopedia |publisher=[[Stanford University#Research centers and institutes|Stanford University {{!}} Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute]] |access-date=2020-06-09}}</ref><ref>{{Cite magazine |url=https://www.frankthemagazine.com/day-pastor-king-came-blowin-wind/ |title=The Day Pastor King came 'blowin' in the wind' |issue=124 |magazine=FRANK. |date=2018-01-16 |access-date=2020-06-09}}</ref>
In 1960, the first white student enrolled.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Cabiao |first=Howard |date=January 5, 2011 |title=Kentucky State University (1886- ) |url=https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/kentucky-state-university-1886/ |website=[[BlackPast.org]]}}</ref> '''Kentucky State College''' became a university in 1972, renamed Kentucky State University.<ref name=":0" />{{Break}}
== Presidents ==
{{Columns-list|colwidth=20em|
* John Henry Jackson, 1886 – 1898<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first=|title=Library Homepage: Jackson, John Henry |url=https://libraryguides.berea.edu/c.php?g=62719&p=402578 |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=Hutchins Library, [[Berea College]] |language=en}}</ref>
* James Edward Givens, 1898 – 1900<ref>{{Cite web |title=Past Presidents |url=https://www.kysu.edu/president/inaugural-home/past-presidents.php |website=Kentucky State University}}</ref>
* James Shelton Hathaway, 1900 – 1907
* John Henry Jackson, 1907 – 1910
* James Shelton Hathaway, 1910 – 1912
* [[Green Pinckney Russell]], 1912 – 1923<ref name="UPK">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sOObecifof8C |title=A History of Blacks in Kentucky: In Pursuit of Equality, 1890–1980 |date=1992-01-01 |publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]] |isbn=978-0-916968-21-2 |pages=129–130 |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Francis Marion Wood]], 1923 – 1924<ref name="appointment">{{Cite news |date=1925-07-10 |title=E.C. Lynch Offers B.C.C. Scholarship |pages=26 |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |___location=Baltimore, Maryland |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/20683806/the_baltimore_sun/ |accessdate= |issn=1930-8965}}</ref>
* [[Green Pinckney Russell]], 1924 – 1929<ref name="UPK" />
* [[Rufus B. Atwood]], 1929 – 1962<ref name="Atwood">{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Gerald L. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oKYfBgAAQBAJ&pg=PA176 |title=A Black Educator in the Segregated South: Kentucky's Rufus B. Atwood |date=1994 |publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]] |isbn=9780813118567 |___location=Lexington, KY |pages=176–177}}</ref>
* [[Carl McClellan Hill]], 1962 – 1975<ref name="Atwood" />
* William A. Butts, 1975 – 1982
* [[Raymond M. Burse]], 1982 – 1989<ref>{{cite news |date=October 31, 1988 |title=KSU dean suspended after accusing superior of writing racist memo |page=7 |work=[[The Courier-Journal]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74212916/the-courier-journal/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Lucke |first1=Jamie |date=November 18, 1988 |title='Disgusted' Burse will leave KSU |page=9 |work=[[Lexington Herald-Leader]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74214127/lexington-herald-leader/}}</ref>
* [[John T. Wolfe Jr.|John T. Wolfe, Jr.]], 1990 – 1991<ref>{{cite news |date=March 10, 1990 |title=President chosen |page=3 |work=The Messenger |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74224839/the-messenger/}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Gregory |first1=Eric |date=October 8, 1991 |title=KSU regents charge Wolfe with 9 counts of misconduct |page=13 |work=[[Messenger-Inquirer]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74226239/messenger-inquirer/}}</ref>
* [[Mary L. Smith (educator)|Mary L. Smith]], 1991 – 1998<ref name="CTobit">{{cite news |last1=Aulbach |first1=Lucas |date=November 30, 2020 |title=Mary L. Smith, first woman to lead Kentucky State University, dies |page=5 |work=[[The Courier-Times]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/74232557/the-courier-journal/}}</ref>
* George W. Reid, 1998 – 2002
* Mary Evans Sias, 2004 – 2014
* [[Raymond M. Burse]], 2014 – 2016
* M. Christopher Brown II, 2017 – 2021<ref>{{Cite web |last=Horn |first=Austin |title=Former KSU president charged $73,000 on university credit card for trips in US, abroad |url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/news/2021/10/05/ex-kentucky-state-university-head-charged-pricey-travel-school-credit-card/6005238001/ |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=The Courier-Journal |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=October 6, 2021 |title=Brown resigns as president of Kentucky State University |url=https://www.kentuckytoday.com/state/brown-resigns-as-president-of-kentucky-state-university/article_d16c9b7f-b33c-5a23-a92b-fc981e34fd87.html |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=Kentucky Today |language=en}}</ref>
* Ronald A. Johnson, (interim) 2022 – 2023 <ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-06-28 |title=Kentucky State University announces Dr. Ronald A. Johnson as interim president |url=https://www.lex18.com/news/kentucky-state-university-announces-dr-ronald-a-johnson-as-interim-president |access-date=2023-02-08 |website=LEX 18 News - Lexington, KY (WLEX) |language=en}}</ref>
* [[Koffi C. Akakpo]], 2023 - Present
}}
==Academics==
{| class="wikitable floatright sortable collapsible"; text-align:right; font-size:80%;"
|+ style="font-size:90%" |Undergraduate demographics as of Fall 2023<ref>{{cite web |title= College Scorecard: Kentucky State University|url=https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/school?157058-Kentucky-State-University|website=College Scorecard |publisher=[[United States Department of Education]] |access-date=July 27, 2025}}</ref>
|-
! Race and ethnicity
! colspan="2" data-sort-type=number |Total
|-
| [[African Americans|Black]]
|align=right| {{bartable|81|%|2||background:purple}}
|-
| [[Non-Hispanic whites|White]]
|align=right| {{bartable|8|%|2||background:cyan}}
|-
| [[Multiracial Americans|Two or more races]]
|align=right| {{bartable|4|%|2||background:violet}}
|-
| Unknown
|align=right| {{bartable|3|%|2||background:grey}}
|-
| [[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic]]
|align=right| {{bartable|2|%|2||background:green}}
|-
| [[International student]]
|align=right| {{bartable|1|%|2||background:#008080}}
|-
! colspan="4" data-sort-type=number |[[Economic diversity]]
|-
| [[American lower class|Low-income]]{{efn|The percentage of students who received an income-based federal [[Pell grant]] intended for low-income students.}}
|align=right| {{bartable|64|%|2||background:red}}
|-
| [[Affluence in the United States|Affluent]]{{efn|The percentage of students who are a part of the [[American middle class]] at the bare minimum.}}
|align=right| {{bartable|36|%|2||background:black}}
|}
{{Historical populations
| title= Enrollment history
| percentages = pagr
| 2006 |2500
| 2007 |2696
| 2008 |2659
| 2009 |2834
| 2010 |2851
| 2011 |2746
| 2012 |2524
| 2013 |2533
| 2014 |1895
| 2015 |1586
| 2016 |1736
| 2017 |1926
| 2018 |1781
| 2019 |2171
| 2020 |2290
| 2021 |2279
| 2022 |1726
}}
Students are divided into five colleges, four associate degrees, 55 undergraduate degrees, and six postgraduate programs.<ref name="KSUQuickFacts20132014">{{cite web|url=http://kysu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Quick-Facts-2013-2014_20140502.pdf |title=Quick Facts 2013-2014 |publisher=Kentucky State University |access-date=2014-07-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140714223529/http://kysu.edu/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/Quick-Facts-2013-2014_20140502.pdf |archive-date=2014-07-14 }}</ref><ref name="KSUAcademicPrograms">{{cite web|url=http://kysu.edu/academics/academic-programs-wd/ |title=KSU Academic Programs |publisher=Kentucky State University |access-date=2014-07-21}}</ref>
* College of Agriculture, Food Science, and Sustainable Systems
* College of Arts and Sciences
* College of Business and Computer Science
* College of Professional Studies
The university also offers five liberal study degrees through the Whitney Young School (WYS) of Honors and Liberal Studies, which consists of a Honors Program, an Integrative Studies Program, and an International Studies Program.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kysu.edu/academics/college-of-arts-and-sciences/whitney-young-school-of-honors/ |title=Whitney Young School of Honors and Liberal Studies |publisher=Kentucky State University |access-date=2014-07-21}}</ref> The degrees include Africana Studies and Liberal Studies.<ref name="KSUAcademicPrograms" />
===Demographics===
{{as of|2024}}, Kentucky State University was host to 1,932 undergraduate students. African Americans comprised 81% of the undergraduate student body.<ref name="CPE" />
===Library===
The Paul G. Blazer Library,<ref>{{cite web | url=http://kysu.edu/academics/library/ | title=Welcome to Paul G. Blazer Library}}</ref> constructed in 1960,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://archive.org/details/KentuckyStateUniversity1960Yearbook|title=Kentucky State University 1960 Yearbook|via=Internet Archive}}</ref> houses a collection of more than 700,000 items includes extensive reference, periodical, and circulating collections of materials such as books, videos, microforms, sound recordings, and others, to aid students in their course work and research.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kysu.edu/administration-governance/welcome-to-the-division-of-student-success-and-enrollment-management/ssem-leadership-team/the-office-of-enrollment-services/registrar/2015-2016-bulletin/general-education/the-university-library/ | title=Welcome to The University Library}}</ref> It is named after [[Paul G. Blazer]], a strong supporter of education<ref name='book_1992'>{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8eFSK4o--M0C |title=The Kentucky Encyclopedia |___location=Lexington, Kentucky |publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]] |year=1992 |pages=87–88 |chapter=Blazer, Paul Garrett |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8eFSK4o--M0C&pg=PA87 |isbn=0813128838 |editor-last=Kleber| editor-first=John E.|last=Massie |first=Joseph L.}}</ref> who was the founder and [[CEO]] of [[Ashland Inc.|Ashland Oil and Refining Company]] in [[Ashland, Kentucky]].
=== Pawpaw program ===
KYSU has the world's largest pawpaw (''[[Asimina triloba]]'') research planting.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.courier-journal.com/story/life/food/2015/09/08/pawpaw-americas-forgotten-fruit/71454074/|title=Pawpaw: America's forgotten fruit|last=Downs|first=Jere|website=The Courier-Journal|language=en|access-date=2019-09-30}}</ref> The research program was started in 1990 with the aim of developing pawpaw as a new tree-fruit crop for Kentucky.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/local/campbellcounty/2017/09/17/hunting-pawpaws-cherished-ky-tradition/105742384/|title=Hunting for pawpaws a cherished Ky. tradition|website=Cincinnati.com|language=en|access-date=2019-09-30}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.kentuckymonthly.com/living/education/kentucky-pawpaws/|title=Pawpaw-palooza|last=Laub|first=Abby|date=2013-07-18|website=kentuckymonthly.com|language=en-us|access-date=2019-09-30}}</ref> Pawpaw is the largest native fruit in the United States and has very few diseases compared to other orchard crops. KYSU is the site of the [[USDA]] [[National Clonal Germplasm Repository]] for ''Asimina ''species<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kysu.edu/academics/cafsss/pawpaw/usda-national-clonal-germplasm-repository-for-asimina-spp-at-ksu/|title=USDA National Clonal Germplasm Repository for Asimina spp. at KSU | Kentucky State University|website=kysu.edu}}</ref> and the pawpaw orchards at KYSU contain over 1,700 trees. Research activities include germplasm collection and variety trials, and efforts are directed towards improving propagation, understanding fruit ripening and storage, and developing orchard management practices. Cultivation is best in [[hardiness zone]]s 5-9 and trees take 7–8 years from seedling to fruiting. KYSU has created the three cultivars 'KSU-Atwood', 'KSU-Benson', and 'KSU-Chappell', with focus on better flavors, higher yields, vigorous plants, and low seed-to-pulp ratios.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1999/v4-353.html|title=The Pawpaw Regional Variety Trial|website=hort.purdue.edu}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kysu.edu/academics/cafsss/pawpaw/|title=PawPaw | Kentucky State University|website=kysu.edu}}</ref><ref name="ccd-cp-14">{{cite web|url=http://www.uky.edu/ccd/sites/www.uky.edu.ccd/files/pawpaw.pdf|title=Pawpaw|first1=Cheryl|last1=Kaiser|first2=Matt|last2=Ernst|date=July 2018|publisher=University of Kentucky, College of Agriculture, Food and Environment, Cooperative Extension Service}}</ref><ref name="kysu-propagation">{{Cite web|url=http://www.pawpaw.kysu.edu/pawpaw/propagation.htm|title=Chapter: Propagation, The Pawpaw M. Brett Callaway. Originally published as a booklet in 1990 by Kentucky State University, edited and converted to web format in 1998 by Snake C. Jones|website=www.pawpaw.kysu.edu|publisher=Kentucky State University}}</ref><ref name="kysu-cultiv2009">{{Cite web|url=https://kysu.edu/academics/cafsss/pawpaw/2009-pawpaw-cultivars-and-grafted-tree-sources/|title=2009 Pawpaw Cultivars and Grafted Tree Sources | Kentucky State University|website=kysu.edu}}</ref>
==Athletics==
{{main|Kentucky State Thorobreds and Thorobrettes}}
Kentucky State University teams participate as a member of the [[NCAA Division II|Division II]] [[Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference]]. The school's mascot are the Thorobreds. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, and indoor and outdoor track and field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, indoor and outdoor track and field, softball, and volleyball.<ref name="KSUThorobreds">{{cite web|url=http://www.ksuthorobreds.com/index.aspx |title=KSU Thorobreds |publisher=Kentucky State University |access-date=2014-07-21}}</ref> Kentucky State's main rivals include [[Tennessee State Tigers and Lady Tigers|Tennessee State University]], [[West Virginia State Yellow Jackets|West Virginia State University]], and [[Central State Marauders and Lady Marauders|Central State University]].
The men's basketball team was national champions in 1970, 1971, and 1972 at the NAIA level.
The Exum Center, the university's athletic and recreational complex, was named after William Exum, the first African-American varsity football player at the [[Wisconsin Badgers football|University of Wisconsin]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://nkaa.uky.edu/record.php?note_id=1251 |title=Exum, William |publisher=University of Kentucky Libraries |access-date=2014-07-21 |archive-date=June 26, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150626161315/http://nkaa.uky.edu/record.php?note_id=1251 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Exum was hired as head of KSU's Physical Education department in 1949, and later made head of the Athletics department. He then became manager of the United States Track and Field teams at the [[1972 Summer Olympics|1972]] and [[1976 Summer Olympics|1976 Olympics]]. Exum retired from KSU in 1980.
==Mighty Marching Thorobreds==
Kentucky State University's marching band is named the Mighty Marching Thorobreds (MMT). MMT is one of the largest student organizations on campus with over 200 members. MMT has several notable performances including the [[Honda Battle of the Bands]] in [[Atlanta, Georgia|Atlanta]] and the National Battle of the Bands in [[Houston, Texas|Houston]]. MMT is accompanied by the K-Rettes danceline and Silk Flag Corps.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.kysu.edu/academics/college-hbs/school-of-hpa/music-performing-ensembles-bands-marching-band.php | title=Kentucky State University | Marching Band }}</ref>
==Notable alumni==
{{see also|Category:Kentucky State University alumni}}
{{AlumniStart}}
{{Alum|name=[[Ezzrett Anderson]]||nota=One of the first African Americans from a predominantly African-American school to play professional football when he joined the Los Angeles Dons of the All-American Football Conference in 1947. He also played with the Los Angeles Mustangs. He played for the Hollywood Bears in the Pacific Coast League when they won the title. |ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Michael Bernard]]|year=|nota=Basketball player; the first from KSU to be drafted by the NBA in 1970 (Cincinnati Royals)|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Anna Mac Clarke]]|year=1941|nota=Member of Women's Army Corps during WWII; 1st African American officer of an otherwise all-white company|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Tom Colbert]]|year=|nota=First African-American Oklahoma Supreme Court Justice|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Travis Grant|Travis "Machine" Grant]]|year=|nota=College basketball star on Kentucky State University's 1970, 1971 and 1972 NAIA National Championship teams. Played for the [[Los Angeles Lakers]] and the [[San Diego Conquistadors]] of the [[American Basketball Association]]|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Jayjay Helterbrand]]|year=|nota=Filipino Player of the Barangay Ginebra Kings in the Philippine Basketball Association, 2008–09 Philippine Basketball Association MVP|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Rod Hill]]|year=|nota=Former professional football player who played six seasons in the NFL (1982–1987) and later starred in the CFL|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Cletidus Hunt]]|year=|nota=Former professional football player who played six seasons in the NFL (1999–2004)|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Joe Kendall (American football)|Joseph Kendall]]|year=1938|nota=Former All-American Quarterback; dominated black college football in the 1930s while leading Kentucky State to a black college championship in 1934; the first person in KSU history to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame; inducted into the Kentucky State Athletics Hall of Fame in 1975. He has been a teacher, coach, and parks administrator in Owensboro, Kentucky |ref=<ref>Information supplied by The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame press release May 1, 2007</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[John Kenerson]]|year=|nota=NFL, AFL and CFL player.|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[John Merritt (American football)|John Merritt]]|year=1950|nota=Former head football coach at [[Jackson State University]] and [[Tennessee State University]]. One of the winningest coaches in HBCU football. Inducted into the [[College Football Hall of Fame]].|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Ersa Poston]]|year=1942|nota=civil service and employment opportunity reformer |ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Council Rudolph|Council Rudolph Jr.]]|year=1972|nota= A native of Anniston, AL graduated from Cobb Avenue High School in 1968. In his senior season, he helped the team go to a 9-0-1 championship season. He earned all-conference honors and a scholarship to Kentucky State. In his senior season, Kentucky State ended 8-3-0 and played in the Orange Blossom Classic Bowl game. He was a Pittsburgh Courier Honorable mention. He was inducted into both the Kentucky State Athletic Hall of Fame and Calhoun County (AL) Sports Hall of Fame. Drafted into the NFL in the seventh round, he helped the St. Louis Football Cardinals win two NFC East Championships (1974 & 1975). He retired after playing 6 seasons in the NFL with Houston, St. Louis and Tampa Bay. |ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Yingluck Shinawatra]]|year=1991|nota=The 28th and first female [[Prime Minister of Thailand]]|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Benjamin F. Shobe]]|year=1941|nota=Civil rights attorney and jurist who advocated for the desegregation of public education and public facilities in the Commonwealth of Kentucky}}
{{Alum|name=[[Sam Sibert]]|year=|nota=Former college basketball standout; Drafted as the 19th player in the 1972 NBA Draft by the Cincinnati Royals |ref=}}
{{Alum|name= [[Moneta Sleet Jr.]]|year=1947|nota=Photographer for ''[[Ebony magazine|Ebony]]'', won a [[Pulitzer Prize]] for his picture of [[Coretta Scott King]] at the [[funeral of Martin Luther King Jr.]]|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Effie Waller Smith]]|year=ca. 1900|nota=Educator & poet; poet James Still called her "Kentucky's Emily Dickinson"|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Elmore Smith]]|year=|nota=[[National Basketball Association|NBA]] and college basketball player, who is listed among the top rebounders in college basketball history, starred on KSU's 1970 and 1971 national championship teams. Holds the NAIA records for Rebounds in a Season (799 in 1971 also tops on the NCAA All-Divisions list, as well as being eighth with 682 in 1970) and Career Average (22.6, seventh on the NCAA All-Divisions list), while ranking eighth on the NCAA All-Divisions Career list with 1719 total despite being the only player in the top 10 to play only three seasons. Earned NCAA Division II First Team All-American honors in 1971. A seven-foot center, Smith played in the NBA for eight seasons (1971–1979) and was the third overall pick in the [[1971 NBA draft]] for the [[Buffalo Braves]]; listed amongst all-time greatest shot-blockers in NBA history even though that statistic was only recorded for six of his seasons.|ref=<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://naia.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/083105aad.html |title=NAIA Men's Basketball Division I and Division II Regular-Season Records :: Individual & Team Records<!-- Bot generated title --> |access-date=May 6, 2007 |archive-date=October 26, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026022008/http://naia.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/083105aad.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[Herb Trawick]]|year=1942|nota=First black man to play in the [[Canadian Football League]]; played for the Montreal Alouettes 1946–1957 and was a seven-time All-Star; played in 4 [[Grey Cup]] Championships, winning in 1949; was inducted into the [http://www.cfhof.ca/members/herb-trawick/ Canadian Football Hall of Fame] in 1975.|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Luska Twyman]]|year=|nota=Kentucky's first African American mayor in 1968 when he became mayor of [[Glasgow, Kentucky]].|ref=<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://explorekyhistory.ky.gov/items/show/508|title=Kentucky State University|first=Tim|last=Talbott|website=ExploreKYHistory}}</ref>}}
{{Alum|name=[[Davey Whitney|Davey 'Wiz' Whitney]]|year=1953|nota=Former head basketball coach at Texas Southern University and Alcorn State University. One of the winningest coaches in HBCU basketball. Inducted into [[National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame]]|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Harrison Wilson, Jr.]]|year=1950|nota=Became the second President of [[Norfolk State University|Norfolk State College]] in 1975|ref=}}
{{Alum|name=[[Whitney M. Young Jr.]]|year=1941|nota=Former civil rights leader, educator and executive; former Executive Director who led the National Urban League through its most prosperous period; served many presidential commissions including as a Vietnam elections observer in 1967|ref=}}
{{AlumniEnd}}
==Notable faculty==
{{Further|Category:Kentucky State University faculty}}
*[[Wilfred Reilly]], contemporary professor and published author
*[[Frederick C. Tillis]], educator, professor, musician
==Notes==
{{noteslist}}
==
{{reflist}}
==Further reading==
* Hardin, John A. ''The Pursuit of Excellence: Kentucky State University, 1886–2020'' (2021) [https://books.google.com/books?id=nhcuEAAAQBAJ online].
* Hardin, John A. "Green Pinckney Russell of Kentucky Normal and Industrial Institute for Colored Persons." ''Journal of Black Studies'' 25.5 (1995): 610–621. [https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/002193479502500506?journalCode=jbsa excerpt], now renamed as Kentucky State University at Frankfort.
== External links ==
{{ccat}}
* {{oweb}}
* [https://ksuthorobreds.com/ Athletics website]
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