List of Famous people born in Mississippi, United States of America
Don Dowe
Tommy Kelly
Tommy Terrell Kelly is a former American football defensive tackle in the National Football League. He played college football at Mississippi State and was signed by the Oakland Raiders as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played with the Raiders and subsequently a single season each with the New England Patriots and Cardinals before retiring prior to the 2015 season. He now lives in Jackson, Mississippi.
Larry Smith
Larry Smith is a former American professional basketball player. A 6'8" forward/center from Alcorn State University, Smith spent 13 seasons (1980–1993) in the National Basketball Association (NBA), playing for the Golden State Warriors, Houston Rockets, and San Antonio Spurs. Smith, nicknamed "Mr. Mean", received NBA All-Rookie Team Honors in 1981, and would become one of the best rebounders of the 1980s. He had career averages of 9.2 rebounds and 25.9 minutes per game. Smith was affectionally nicknamed and known as "Mr. Mean" throughout his career, especially during his time with the Warriors, due to the stark contrast between him being nice and soft-spoken off the court but always with a serious demeanor and angry scowl on the court while grabbing a rebound. Smith's popularity in Golden State and Houston led to local fan clubs who would attend games wearing hard hats holding up a sign saying "Larry's Local 13". At the end of his career, Smith earned praise from the Houston Rockets coaching staff and fanbase for adequately covering for an injured Hakeem Olajuwon.
Kennedy McKinney
Kennedy McKinney is an American former professional boxer, who won the bantamweight gold medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics. As a professional, he won the IBF and WBO super bantamweight titles.
Robert Carson
Robert N. Carson is an American professional baseball pitcher who is a free agent. He has played in Major League Baseball for the New York Mets.
Willie Norwood
Willie B. Norwood is a retired American professional basketball player.
Shea Curry
Shea Curry is an American actress, who portrayed the lady's maid Brigitte in The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement (2004).
Roger Wicker
Roger Frederick Wicker is an American attorney and politician serving as the senior United States Senator from Mississippi, in office since 2007. A member of the Republican Party, Wicker previously served as a member of the United States House of Representatives and the Mississippi State Senate.
Ovie Carter
Ovie Carter was an American photographer for the Chicago Tribune from 1969 to 2004. He won the Pulitzer Prize for International Reporting for his coverage of famine in Africa and India together with a reporter William Mullen.
John Fortenberry
John Fortenberry is an American film and television director.