Walter Kevin Dean
Walter Kevin Dean (born June 1, 1968) is a former professional football player who was a running back for the Green Bay Packers. He played college football for the Grambling State. In his senior year, he led the nation in rushing and won the 1990 Walter Payton Award as the most outstanding player in Division Walter Dean graduated from Grambling High School in 1988 and turned down offers from major college football programs such as Nebraska and Louisiana State in order to attend Grambling State. Dean said, “I wanted to go to a college where everybody I knew wouldn’t have to sign up for a frequent-flyer program in order to see me play.”
Lynn McGlothen
Lynn Everett McGlothen (1950–1984) was an American professional baseball pitcher who played ten seasons in Major League Baseball. Known for his strong right arm and All-Star 1974 season, he contributed notably to teams including the St. Louis Cardinals and Chicago Cubs during the 1970s.
McGlothen grew up in Monroe, Louisiana, and attended Grambling High School and Grambling State University. The Boston Red Sox drafted him in the third round of the 1968 amateur draft. He debuted in the majors in 1972, showing early flashes of potential as a durable right-handed starter.
Traded to St. Louis before the 1974 season, McGlothen achieved his best success there. That year, he posted a 16–12 record and 2.69 ERA over 237 innings, earning a spot in the 1974 MLB All-Star Game. He followed with two more 200-inning seasons and a reputation for consistency in the Cardinals’ rotation.
After St. Louis, McGlothen pitched for the San Francisco Giants, Chicago Cubs, Chicago White Sox, and New York Yankees between 1977 and 1982. His 1979 Cubs season featured 13 wins and over 200 innings. Unfortunately, McGlothen career was cut short when he died tragically at age 34 in a fatal fire near Dubach, Louisiana. Though his career was relatively brief, he remains remembered as a hometown hero.
Bobby DuPree
Bobby J. DuPree was one of Grambling High School’s standout baseball players. After graduating from Grambling Laboratory High School, DuPree continued his baseball career at Grambling State University under legendary coach Wilbert Ellis. His success on the mound led to his selection by the San Diego Padres in the 23rd round of the 1976 Major League Baseball Draft. DuPree went on to pitch in the Padres minor league system, becoming one of several Grambling High graduates to reach professional baseball.
Rick Gallot
Rick Gallot is a higher education leader, attorney, and former legislator who serves as president and CEO of the University of Louisiana System. A Grambling native and alumnus, he is best known for revitalizing Grambling State University during his tenure as its 10th president from 2016 to 2023.
Born and raised in Grambling, Louisiana, Gallot grew up on the GSU campus where his mother taught history and his father served as mayor. He earned his bachelor’s degree from GSU, juris doctor from Southern University School of Law, and completed leadership training at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government.
Gallot practiced law for over three decades before entering public service. From 2000 to 2016, he served twelve years in the Louisiana House of Representatives and four years in the State Senate, representing Ruston and Grambling.
In October 2023, Gallot was unanimously appointed by the Board of Supervisors as president of the University of Louisiana System — the state’s largest public higher education network of nine universities and 90,000 students. He assumed office on January 1, 2024, becoming the second African American to hold the post.
Yvette Mansfield Alexander
Born Yvette Mansfield, on June 23, 1956, in Monroe, Louisiana. She is the daughter of the late Rev. & Mrs. Andrew Mansfield. Judge Alexander graduated from Grambling High School in 1974 and attended Grambling State where she entered a dual degree program to receive her Juris Doctorate from Louisiana State University Law Center as well and completed her J.D. in 1979.
Judge Alexander began her legal career as counsel for the Louisiana State House of Representatives and the Louisiana State Senate. Realizing that Criminal Law was her forte, she began working at the East Baton Rouge Parish Public Defender’s Office and the law firm of Moore and Moore in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. From 1988-1995, she served as Chief Legal Counsel for the Louisiana Department of State under Secretary of State Fox McKeithen and as an Ex-Officio Member of both the Louisiana State Bond Commission and the Louisiana School Employees Retirement System. She also served as an Assistant Attorney General for the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office. Judge Alexander practiced law for over 17 years before being elected to the bench. In 1995, she was elected to Division D of the Baton Rouge City Court. She was first African American woman elected to Baton Rouge City Court. She was also the first African American woman to serve as Chief Judge of Baton Rouge City Court and the first African American woman President of the American Judges Association, one of the nation’s leading judicial organizations. She was later re-elected to a second term, an unusual honor.
Dr. Martin Lemelle, Jr.
Rounding out this distinguished group of notable Grambling High graduates is Dr. Martin Lemelle, jr. In February 2024, Dr. Martin Lemelle, Jr., became the 11th President of Grambling State University. At the time, at 39, he was and still is the youngest currently serving HBCU President in the nation. He is a third-generation Grambling State alumnus, continuing a family legacy tied to the university. Dr. Lemelle holds a B.S. in Accounting, Magna Cum Laude, from Grambling State University, an M.B.A. from The George Washington University, and a Doctorate in Business Administration from SKEMA Business School in Paris, France.
Prior to assuming the presidency, Dr. Lemelle served as the Executive Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) in Baltimore, Maryland. His tenure at MICA was marked by visionary leadership and strategic financial management, enhancing the operations of the nation’s oldest continuously degree-granting college of art and design.