# Susan Miller Dorsey High School

Susan Miller Dorsey High School, commonly referred to as Dorsey High School, is a secondary public school located in the Baldwin Hills area of Los Angeles, California. It is a part of the Los Angeles Unified School District.

## History

The school opened in 1937 and currently enrolls an average of 2,400 students. Dorsey High is now one of the few predominantly African-American high schools in the Los Angeles Unified School District, with 55% of its students African American and 45% Latino. It is located at 3537 Farmdale Avenue and Obama Boulevard in Baldwin Village. The school colors are green and white, and its mascots are the Dons (male) and Donnas (female).
It was in the Los Angeles City High School District until 1961, when it merged into LAUSD.
The building was designed by architect Henry L. Gogerty.
The school also served as the filming location for the high school scenes in Steven Spielberg's 2022 semi-autobiographical film The Fabelmans.

### Namesake

The school was named after Susan Miller Dorsey, the first female superintendent of the Los Angeles public school system. Dorsey was born in 1857 in Penn Yan, New York. She graduated from Vassar College in 1877 and spent a year teaching at Wilson College in Pennsylvania, returning to Vassar to teach Greek and Latin. In 1881, she married Baptist minister Patrick William Dorsey. The same year, the couple came to Los Angeles, where he became pastor of First Baptist Church at 6th Street and Broadway (then known as Fort Street).
In the early 1890s, her husband abandoned her, taking their son with him. Dorsey returned to teaching in 1896 at Los Angeles High School, where she rose to vice principal. By 1913, she was assistant superintendent of schools. In 1920, she became superintendent. Dorsey remained superintendent for 9 years.

## Extracurricular activities

The school has several athletic teams, such as wrestling, football (Coliseum League Champions for the 2006 season), basketball, track & field, soccer, and Tennis (champions: Kenneth Ajeakwa, Valentine Uzoukwu, Moses Egwurube and Robert Troy) 2007–2010.

### Rivals

Dorsey's main rival is Crenshaw High School.
Dorsey's football games are played in Jackie Robinson Stadium at the nearby Rancho Cienega Sports Complex. In 2006, Dorsey was the 2nd leading high school in the nation with sending student athletes to the NFL. Dillard High School in Fort Lauderdale, FL was 1st. Dorsey is also a 4-A champ in its conference, the most wins ever made in the Los Angeles history.
Dorsey High School California Academic Decathlon teams won Los Angeles City Super Quiz championships in 1981, 1982, 1984, and 1985.
Additionally, Dorsey High School has a Math Science Magnet Program, a Los Angeles Police Academy Magnet Program and a Law and Public Service Magnet Program. In 1989, the Dorsey High School Mock Trial Team earned 2nd Place in Los Angeles County and was the best team in the City of Los Angeles in the Constitutional Rights Foundation's Annual Mock Trial Competition. In 1990, the Dorsey High School Mock Trial Team won the Los Angeles County Championship and later competed in the State Mock Trial competition in Sacramento.

### Football

Dorsey High School's football teams were Los Angeles City Football Champions in 1982, 1989, 1991, 1995, and 2001. Susan Miller Dorsey has the distinction of sending the fifth most football players to the NFL in its entire history behind Long Beach Poly.

### Basketball

In 1975, Dorsey's basketball team went undefeated until losing the Los Angeles city semi final game to Fremont (whom they had beaten in two regular season games). They rebounded in 1976 to win the city championship over Crenshaw High School.

## Notable alumni

* Franklin Ajaye (Class of 1967), stand-up comedian-actor
* Billy Anderson, NFL player
* George "Sparky" Anderson (Class of Winter 1953), Major League Baseball Hall of Fame member, manager of World Champion Detroit Tigers and World Champion Cincinnati Reds, second baseman with the Philadelphia Phillies and broadcaster of the Anaheim Angels
* Sherman Augustus, American actor, martial artist and former NFL player
* David Axelrod, American composer, arranger, and producer
* Ron Baxter, professional basketball player
* Jerome Boyd, NFL safety
* William Boyett, born in 1927, actor best known for TV law enforcement series such as Adam-12 and Highway Patrol
* James "Jimmy" Bridges, actor, director, producer
* Leon Bridges, architect
* Judge Joe Brown, judge and TV personality
* Kenji Brown, guitarist & vocals with Rose Royce, 1976–1979
* Keith Browner Jr. (Class of 2006), NFL defensive end
* Andrea Buchanan, professional tennis player
* Beno Bryant, football player
* Don Buford (Class of 1955), professional baseball player (Chicago White Sox, Baltimore Orioles) and coach
* Charles Bukowski, author
* Frank Buncom, AFL linebacker, San Diego Chargers
* John Casado, graphic designer
* Roslyn Chasan, lawyer
* Antonio Chatman (Class of 1997), NFL wide receiver
* Breanna Clark, Paralympic athlete
* Billy Consolo, professional baseball player (Boston Red Sox, Washington Senators, Minnesota Twins, Los Angeles Angels, Philadelphia Phillies, Kansas City Athletics) and Detroit Tigers bench coach
* John Cooper, fictional Los Angeles Police Department officer who appears on the television series Southland
* Ron Copeland, hurdler, sprinter, and NFL wide receiver
* Aaron Cox, American football wide receiver
* Chili Davis, professional baseball player (San Francisco Giants, California Angels, Minnesota Twins, Kansas City Royals, New York Yankees) and Oakland Athletics
* Willie Deckard, track and field star
* Na'il Diggs (Class of 1996), NFL linebacker
* Julian Dixon, member of United States Congress
* Eric Dolphy (Class of 1947), jazz musician who influenced John Coltrane and many others
* Carl E. Douglas, lawyer (OJ Simpson case)
* Johnny Echols, guitarist and co-founder, with Dorsey schoolmate Arthur Lee, of the band Love
* Vic Edelbrock Jr., president of Edelbrock, LLC, manufacturer of specialty automotive and motorcycle parts
* Richard Elfman, actor, musician, director, producer, screenwriter, journalist, author and magazine publisher
* Johnathan Franklin (Class of 2008), NFL running back
* Keith Franklin, NFL linebacker
* Charles García, professional basketball player
* Siedah Garrett (attended), vocalist and songwriter
* Herb Geller, jazz saxophonist, composer and arranger
* David Gettis, NFL wide receiver
* Kyle Gibson (born 1987), basketball player for Hapoel Galil Elyon of the Israeli Basketball Premier League
* Chris Green, professional baseball player (Pittsburgh Pirates)
* Marvin Hall (Class of 2011), NFL wide receiver for Detroit Lions and Atlanta Falcons
* Jordan Hamilton (born 1990), basketball player in the Israel Basketball Premier League
* Michael S. Harper, poet and English professor
* Jeremy Harris, NFL cornerback
* Robert Herron, NFL wide receiver
* Earl Ofari Hutchinson, journalist, author and activist
* Robert Irwin, installation artist
* Abdul-Karim al-Jabbar, NFL running back
* Bernard Jackson, NFL defensive back
* Hue Jackson, head coach of the Cleveland Browns in 2016 and the Oakland Raiders in 2011, offensive coordinator of Cincinnati Bengals
* Greg Jein, modelmaker nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects
* Jeremiah Johnson (Class of 2005), NFL running back
* Jerome Johnson (Class of 2003), NFL fullback; city champs 2001-2002
* Keyshawn Johnson (Class of 1991), USC wide receiver, Rose Bowl Hall of Fame, NFL Super Bowl Champion 1996-2007
* Michael "Butch" McColly Johnson, wide receiver for the Dallas Cowboys (1976–1983) and Denver Broncos (1984–1985)
* Omari Johnson, professional basketball player
* Stafon Johnson, NFL running back
* Kendall Jones, lead guitarist, founding member of rock band Fishbone
* Robert Kardashian, O.J. Simpson attorney, father of Robert, Khloe, Kourtney and Kim Kardashian
* Jack Kirby, NFL halfback / defensive back
* David Kirkwood, Olympic silver medalist (1964), modern pentathlon
* Hamilton Gary Kotera, professional basketball player
* Jackie Lacey, District Attorney of Los Angeles County
* Bill Lachemann, professional baseball player, coach
* Marcel Lachemann, professional baseball player (Oakland Athletics) and former MLB manager (California Angels)
* Rene Lachemann, professional baseball player (Kansas City Athletics, Oakland Athletics), former MLB manager (Seattle Mariners, Milwaukee Brewers, Florida Marlins)
* Eric Laneuville, television director, producer and actor.
* Arthur Lee, lead singer, co-founder and principal songwriter of the band Love
* Ron Lewis, NFL offensive lineman
* Mike Love, lead singer and founding member of The Beach Boys
* Chris Matthews, 2012 Canadian Football League's Most Outstanding Rookie, Seattle Seahawks wide receiver
* Art Mazmanian, baseball head coach and manager
* Marilyn McCoo, singer and founding member of The Fifth Dimension
* Clarence McDonald, pianist, composer, arranger, and producer
* Jaydon Mickens (Class of 2012), NFL wide receiver for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Oakland Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars
* Chris Mims, NFL player (San Diego Chargers)
* Charles Mincy, NFL safety
* Rahim Moore (Class of 2007), NFL safety
* Jacqueline Morreau, artist
* DJ Mustard, record producer, songwriter, DJ
* Patrick Nagatani, photographer
* Senga Nengudi, visual artist and curator
* Jack Nix, NFL and CFL end
* Dennis Northcutt (Class of 1996), NFL wide receiver
* Paul Olden, New York Yankees public address announcer
* Chris "Peanut" Owens, NFL cornerback
* Judy Pace, 1970s actress
* Ed Palmquist, professional baseball player (Los Angeles Dodgers, Minnesota Twins)
* Mike Patterson, professional baseball player (Oakland Athletics, New York Yankees)
* Troy Payne, professional basketball player
* Carole Doyle Peel, artist
* Jerry Peters, songwriter, record producer, multi-instrumentalist, conductor and arranger
* Makai Polk, NFL wide receiver
* Billy Preston, musician, singer, songwriter ("You Are So Beautiful")
* Frederick K. C. Price, televangelist, founder and pastor of Crenshaw Christian Center
* Googie René, musician, bandleader, and songwriter.
* "Freeway" Rick Ross, drug trafficker in the 1980s, played for the Dorsey men's tennis team
* Stella Rush, LGBT rights activist and journalist
* Michael Brian Schiffer, co-founder of behavioral archaeology, long-time anthropology professor at the University of Arizona, author of 15 books
* Sharrieff Shah, football coach
* Edell Shepherd (Class of 1998), NFL wide receiver, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
* Louil Silas Jr. (1956–2001), record executive who started an MCA Records imprint, Silas Records
* Jordan Simmons, NFL offensive tackle, Seattle Seahawks
* John Smith, actor, Laramie
* Brenda Sykes (Class of 1967), actress
* Dick Teague, industrial designer in automotive industry, executive at American Motors Corporation (AMC).
* Kayvon Thibodeaux, American football player
* Derrel Thomas, professional baseball player (Houston Astros, San Diego Padres, San Francisco Giants, Los Angeles Dodgers, Montreal Expos, California Angels, Philadelphia Phillies)
* Lamont Warren, NFL running back
* Jody Watley (Class of 1977), singer, with Shalamar, solo artist
* Diane Watson, member of United States Congress
* James Wilkes, UCLA and Chicago Bulls basketball player
* Kirby Wilson, NFL running backs coach, 2-time Super Bowl champion with Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2002) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2009)