Tennessee State University, where “excellence is a habit,” is located right in the heart of Nashville, Tennessee, also known as “Music City.” With a name like that, no wonder Tennessee State University is the home of the Grammy Award-winning TSU Aristocrat of Bands marching band. It seems like musical greatness comes from Tennessee State. Look at our list of notable alumni and see who you recognize!

1. Wilma Rudolph

Wilma Rudolph was an Olympic track and field champion who participated in the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games. At one point, Rudolph was labeled the fastest woman in the world and became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field during a single Olympic Games.

Rudolph was born in Saint Bethlehem, Tennessee. As a child, Rudolph battled several childhood illnesses, including pneumonia, scarlet fever, and infantile paralysis caused by poliovirus at age five. After recovering from polio, she lost strength in her left leg and foot, leaving her physically disabled for much of her early life.

Rudolph enrolled at Tennessee State University in 1958 after giving birth to her first child, Yolanda. During her time at Tennessee State, Rudolph became a member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. She graduated with a bachelor's degree in education in 1963.

Rudolph started playing sports in high school and gained the attention of Ed Temple, Tennessee State’s track and field coach. She would regularly train at Tennessee State as a high school student, competing with the Tigerbelles, two years before enrolling at Tennessee State.

Rudolph was one of five Tigerbelles to qualify for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics. Her and the other Tigerbelles won the bronze medal in the 4×100 m relay. After showing her classmates her bronze medal, she decided to try to win a gold medal at the 1960 Summer Olympic Games.

While she was a sophomore at Tennessee State, she competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. She competed in the 100 m, 200 m, and 4x 100 m relay races, winning gold medals in all categories.

After her Olympic career, Rudolph worked various jobs, including as a teacher and a track coach. Rudolph sadly passed away in 1994, at age 54.

2. Robert Covington

Robert Covington is a professional basketball player for the Philadelphia 76ers. Covington was named to the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2018.

Covington entered Tennessee State in 2009. As a freshman, he was named to the Ohio Valley Conference All-Newcomer team and earned Mid-Major Freshman All-American honors from CollegeInsider.com. Covington continued to set records for the remainder of his college career. He finished his career ranked seventh on Tennessee State’s all-time list in both scoring and rebounding. He graduated from Tennessee State in 2013 with a degree in human performance and sports science.

After going undrafted in the 2013 NBA draft, he joined the Houston Rockets for the 2013 NBA Summer League. Following his time with the Rockets, Covington played for the Philadelphia 76ers in 2014 and played with them for four years. Since 2018, Covington has been traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Clippers, and returned to the Rockets for a brief period. Last year, Covington returned to the 76ers along with Marcus Morris Sr., Kenyon Martin Jr., and Nicolas Batum.

3. Oprah Winfrey

Oprah Winfrey, also known monogamously as Oprah, is a talk show host, television producer, actress, author, and media proprietor. She is best known for syndicating her talk show, The Oprah Winfrey Show, which ran from 1986 to 2011.

Oprah was born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, but later moved to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to live with her father. During her senior year, Winfrey worked at a local Black radio station, WVOL. She would continue to work there for her first two years of college. After winning an oratory contest, she earned a full ride to Tennessee State, where she studied communications. Winfrey didn’t receive her degree until 1987 due to her not submitting her final paper.

In the beginning of her career, Winfrey worked as a news anchor in Nashville, Tennessee. Making her the youngest and first Black female news anchor at WLAC-TV. After moving from Baltimore, Winfrey settled in Chicago in 1984. The first episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show aired on September 8, 1986. The show aired for 25 years, ending in 2011. While filming The Oprah Winfrey Show, she announced the start of her network, OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.

In addition to being a well-known talk show host, she is a successful actress and author. She has appeared in films such as The Color Purple, The Butler, Beloved, and A Wrinkle in Time. She has co-authored five books and publishes a magazine, O, The Oprah Magazine.

Oprah is widely known for her celebrity interviews. Throughout her career, she has interviewed a number of stars, including Michael Jackson, Kanye West, Suzanne Somers, Meghan Markle, and Prince Harry.

4. Maurice White

This is now a musical selection from the elements known as Earth, Wind, & Fire. Maurice White was a musician and songwriter best known as the founder and lead singer of the band Earth, Wind, & Fire.

White was born in Memphis, Tennessee, but later moved to Chicago to attend the Chicago Conservatory of Music. White also attended Tennessee State University for a period of time. While in Chicago, he joined the jazz trio, The Jazzmen, at Crane Junior College. White and other members of the group became studio musicians at Chess Records in Chicago. Playing the drums for artists like Etta James, Chuck Berry, Sugar Pie DeSanto, and Buddy Guy.

After leaving The Jazzmen (later named the Pharoahs), White joined the Ramsey Lewis Trio in 1966. He would later leave the trio in 1969 to form a songwriting group with his friends Wade Flemons and Don Whitehead. The group landed a deal with Capital Records under the name The Salty Peppers. White later changed the group name to Earth, Wind, & Fire to represent the elements in his astrological chart. His brother, Verdine White, is also one of the original members of EWF.

With EWF, White has 17 Grammy nominations and six wins, a star on the Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame, and four American Music Awards. As a group, EWF has sold over 90 million records worldwide. The band has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, the Vocal Group Hall of Fame, The Songwriters Hall of Fame, and The NAACP Image Awards Hall of Fame.

Outside of EWF, White worked with other artists such as Minnie Riperton, Barbra Streisand, and Walter Hawkins.

White sadly passed away in 2016 after battling Parkinson’s disease.