Louisville high schools: Who are the most notable graduates from city schools

A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Jack Harlow's awards. He has only been nominated for a Grammy.

From actors to entrepreneurs and successful athletes, Louisville-area high schools have produced plenty of prestigious graduates: Muhammad Ali, Jack Harlow and Pee Wee Reese, to name a few.

Jefferson County Public Schools and surrounding private schools have also uplifted other well-known, successful and distinguished names, including some that locals might find surprising.

Here's a look at some of the most well-known folks who have graduated from high schools around Derby City.

Atherton

• Jack Harlow graduated in 2016. He is a Grammy-nominated rapper known for hits including "First Class" and "WHAT'S POPPIN" as well as the 2023 movie "White Man Can't Jump." Harlow also joined the ranks of Hometown Heroes, which honors people with deep ties to Louisville, with a 2023 banner.

• Oksana Masters graduated in 2008. She has won more than a dozen medals and world championships in Paralympic events including cross-country, cycling and biathlon. Born in Ukraine, she lost both her legs from radiation damage related to the Chernobyl nuclear explosion.

• Sue Grafton graduated in 1957. She was an "internationally renowned author of murder mysteries," according to her school's bio. Grafton is known for the Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Series and has been published in 28 countries and 26 languages, according to her website. She died in December 2017.

Ballard

• Allan Houston graduated in 1989. The shooting guard is the all-time leading scorer at the University of Tennessee with 2,801 points. Houston was drafted by the Detroit Pistons with the 11th pick in the 1993 draft and went on to play 12 seasons in the NBA including nine with the New York Knicks. He was a member of the gold medal-winning Team USA in the 2000 Sydney Olympics and was inducted into the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.

Butler

• Lance Burton graduated in 1978. Burton was introduced to magic at a birthday party before he turned six, according to his website, eventually winning competitions and scoring a spot on Johnny Carson's "The Tonight Show." In 1994, he entered into a 13-year contract with Monte Carlo Resort & Casino in Las Vegas where the theater is named for him. At that time, it was the longest contract in Sin City's history.

Central

• Denise Clayton graduated in 1970. Clayton went on to graduate from the Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville and was admitted into the bar in 1976, according to the Notable Kentucky African Americans Database. She was the first Black woman appointed to a circuit judgeship in Kentucky and the second Black woman to become a judge in the state.

• Muhammad Ali graduated in 1960. Known as Cassius Clay in high school, he would go on to win an Olympic boxing gold medalist and then as a heavyweight fighter, become the Greatest Of All Time. Ali grew up in Louisville's West End, retired in 1981, won multiple awards for public service, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005 and lit the Olympic torch at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. His philanthropic legacy has made a worldwide impact.

• Mattie Jones graduated in 1951. Jones was a formidable civil rights activist in Louisville for six decades for causes such as anti-racism, women’s and workers' rights, environmental justice, peace and police brutality, according to the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage. She was also a founding member of civil rights group National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression.

• Sam Gilliam graduated in 1951. The University of Louisville graduate went on to pioneer draped canvas paintings, and his career left an indelible impression on the art scene. He died in 2022.

• Elmer Lucille Allen graduated in 1949. Allen was the first Black chemist at Brown-Forman, a Kentucky distillery company. She studied at the University of Louisville and in 2002 received a master's degree in creative arts, according to the Kentucky Center for African American Heritage. She worked with the art gallery at Wayside Christian Mission, now Hotel Louisville, which offers accessible space for community artists.

DeSales

• Joey McFarland graduated in 1990. He produced high-profile movies including "The Wolf of Wall Street" with Leonardo DiCaprio and "Dumb and Dumber To" with Jim Carrey. A 2015 Courier Journal story said McFarland was an "outgoing, popular kid who played sports and worked a lot of part-time jobs during high school."

duPont Manual

• Nicole Scherzinger graduated from duPont Manual's Youth Performing Arts School in 1996. She went on to become a member of the Pussycat Dolls. The group's song "Stickwitu" was nominated for a Grammy in 2006. She has also appeared on multiple reality shows including "The Masked Singer" and "Dancing with the Stars."

• Mitch McConnell graduated in 1960. He was first elected to the Senate in 1984 and has held leadership positions including minority and majority leader. McConnell is also a graduate of the University of Louisville (1964) and the University of Kentucky Law School (1967).

• Pee Wee Reese graduated in 1936. He played professional baseball − primarily with the Brooklyn Dodgers until 1957 − finishing his career with 126 home runs in more than 2,000 games. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1984 and is well-known for supporting teammate Jackie Robinson, the first Black plaer in Major League Baseball's modern history.

• Yared Nuguse graduated in 2017. He was a standout track athlete at the University of Notre Dame and in January 2023, set the indoor American mile record, at 3:47.38.

Eastern

• Ned Beatty graduated in 1955. Beatty acted in several theater groups, including Shakespeare in Central Park. He's noted for roles in "Deliverance," "White Lightning" and Superman movies, according to IMBD. He was also recurring on the TV show "Roseanne." Beatty was nominated for Emmy awards as Best Actor in "Friendly Fire" and Best Supporting Actor in "Magic Hour: Tom Alone."

Iroquois

• Bryson Tiller graduated in 2020. The rapper got his start with the album "Trapsoul," which was released two years after he dropped out of Iroquois in 2013, according to the Atlanta Black Star. He was thrown into viral fame after he dropped the single "Don't" in 2014, Forbes wrote. He went back to school and graduated at age 27.

Louisville Male

• Darrell Griffith graduated in 1976. A standout basketball player at Male and then the University of Louisville, he earned the nickname Dr. Dunkenstein and lead the Cardinals to its only national championship in 1980, receiving the Wooden Award as the best college player in the country the same year. Griffith was drafted by the Utah Jazz with the second overall pick in 1980 and would go on to win the 1981 Rookie of the Year. Griffith spent all 10 of his professional seasons in Salt Lake City. His No. 35 jersey was retired by both the Cardinals and Jazz. His Hometown Heroes banner hangs on Watterson City building, along I-264 at Newburg Road.

• Raoul Cunningham graduated in 1961. He has been a civil rights activist since a young age leading a nonviolent campaign with the Youth Council at a theater that wouldn't allow Black movie-goers to see "Porgy and Bess" — which had an all-Black cast. He demanded access to stores and lunch counters on Fourth Street, organized a Young Democrats chapter at Howard University and in 2004 was elected president of the Louisville Branch NAACP. He was inducted into the Kentucky Civil Rights Hall of Fame and received the city's Martin Luther King Freedom Award.

• Louis Brandeis graduated in 1898. He became the first Jewish person to sit on the Supreme Court of the United States, after being appointed by President Woodrow Wilson in 1916. He was cited as making major contributions to "modern jurisprudence" by pioneering fact-based arguments. Brandeis University, a private research school outside Boston, is named after him, as is the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville.

Pleasure Ridge Park

• Dawne Gee graduated in 1984. Gee attended Louisville schools through college at the University of Louisville, earning degrees in communications and biology. She became a reporter at WAVE3 News in 1994 and leads a nonprofit called A Recipe to End Hunger whose proceeds go to feeding children.

Sacred Heart

• Mary T. Meagher graduated in 1982. The Olympic swimmer set a world record in the 200-meter butterfly at 14. "Madame Butterfly," as she's also known, has five gold medals. She was also named Female World Swimmer of the Year by Swimming World Magazine in 1981 and 1985.

Shawnee

• Ed Hamilton graduated in 1965. A sculptor and activist, he has won several awards for both his art and public service, including the Urban League Diversity Award and Arthur M. Walters Champion of Diversity Award. He also graduated from the Louisville School of Art and Spalding University.

Seneca

• Diane Sawyer graduated in 1963. The editor-in-chief of the school paper, she went on to become an award-winning journalist, appearing on networks including CBS and ABC anchoring shows including "Good Morning America" and "ABC World News." She was inducted into the Television Hall of Fame in 1997 and won a Peabody Award in 2009.

• Wes Unseld graduated in 1963. After a rocky start to a high school basketball career, Unseld went on to play at the University of Louisville then professionally with the Baltimore and Washington Bullets, winning many awards. He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1988 and the Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006 then in 1996 was named one of the 50 greatest players in NBA history. He died in 2022.

Southern

• Lisa Harrison Rogers graduated in 1989. She played college basketball under legendary coach Pat Summit at the University of Tennessee, winning the NCAA title in 1991. She followed that with a nine-year career in the WNBA. Harrison's basketball honors include Kentucky Miss Basketball and Naismith Prep Player of the Year. She was inducted into the Kentucky Athletic Hall of Fame, the Kentucky Coaches Hall of Fame and received a Hometown Heroes banner in 2016.

St. Xavier

• Justin Thomas graduated in 2011. He is the winner of two major championships (PGA Championship 2017, 2022) and has 17 total professional wins (as of June 2023). He was a member of two winning Ryder Cup teams (2018, 2021) and three winning Presidents Cup teams (2017, 2019, 2022). His 2009 appearance in the Wyndham Championship made him the third-youngest competitor in a PGA tour at 16. Thomas was added to the Hometown Heroes 2.0 project in 2022.

• Chris Hartman graduated in 1998. Hartman has been active in the political world since a young age, running for class president in eighth grade. He currently serves as a lobbyist and executive director of the Louisville Fairness Campaign, an LGBTQ+ organization fighting for queer rights across the state.

• Jim James graduated in 1996. He is lead singer of the rock band My Morning Jacket that "roared out of Louisville at the turn of the millennium," according to Billboard. The group is known for songs including "One Big Holiday" and "Run It" and has been nominated for "Best Alternative Music Album" at the Grammy Awards three times.

Jim James: How a St. Xavier art teacher changed the life of My Morning Jacket's lead singer

Trinity

• GreBrohm, Jeff Brohm and Brian Brohm graduated in 1988, 1989 and 2004, respectively. The athletic brothers made their name on the football field, playing college football at the University of Louisville. Jeff Brohm played seven seasons in the NFL and one in the XFL while Brian Brohm spent three seasons in the NFL. Jeff Brohm is now head football coach at U of L where Greg Brohm is his chief of staff and Brian Brohm is his offensive coordinator.

• Daryl Issacs graduated in 1982. After three attempts at the Law School Admission Test, he was accepted into the Louis D. Brandeis School of Law at the University of Louisville, his website bio said. It also took three times for him to pass the bar exam before partnering with his father Sheldon N. Isaacs to establish locally famous Isaacs & Isaacs, P.S.C. law firm.

Did we miss a notable or famous Louisville graduate? Let us know: we're happy to keep the list running. Contact reporter Rae Johnson at RNJohnson@gannett.com. Follow them on Twitter at @RaeJ_33. The Kentucky Center for African American Heritage contributed.

This article originally appeared on Louisville Courier Journal: Louisville has several distinguished high school graduates. Here's a few that might surprise you