People from Elizabeth City, North Carolina

Anthony Wayne Smith (born June 20, 1967) is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League and convicted murderer. He was drafted by the Raiders 11th overall in the 1990 NFL Draft. He played college football at Arizona and also Alabama.

Edward Joseph Snowden (born June 21, 1983) is an American whistleblower who copied and leaked highly classified information from the National Security Agency (NSA) in 2013 when he was a Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) employee and subcontractor. His disclosures revealed numerous global surveillance programs, many run by the NSA and the Five Eyes Intelligence Alliance with the cooperation of telecommunication companies and European governments, and prompted a cultural discussion about national security and individual privacy.

Ruby Johnson (April 19, 1936 – July 4, 1999) was an American soul singer, best known for her recordings on the Volt label in the late 1960s.

Steven Jay Russell is an American con artist, known for escaping from prison multiple times. I Love You Phillip Morris, a film about his life and crimes, was produced in 2009. In 2011, his crimes were featured on the television series I Almost Got Away with It, in the episode "Got A Boyfriend to Support". He was also the subject of On The Run, a 2005 episode of The Discovery Channel series King of Cons.

Cecil Lee Rouson (born October 18, 1962) is a former professional American football running back. He played a total of seven seasons for the NFL's New York Giants and Cleveland Browns. He was selected as the NFL Special Teams Player of the Year in 1986.

John Booker Walton (born October 4, 1947) is a former American football player and coach. He played professionally as a quarterback in the Continental Football League (CFL), World Football League (WFL), National Football League (NFL), and United States Football League (USFL). Walton played college football at Elizabeth City State University. He served two stints at the head football coach at Elizabeth City State, from 1980 to 1982 and 1989 to 1990, compiling a record of 25–24–2.

Michael Burnette McGee (December 1, 1938 – August 16, 2019) was an American offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL) who later became a successful college football coach and college athletics administrator. He was an All-American at Duke University and in 1959 won the Outland Trophy, given to the nation's best interior lineman. After playing for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1960 to 1962, he returned as an assistant coach to Duke, and then at the University of Minnesota and the University of Wisconsin–Madison, before becoming head coach at East Carolina University (1970) and Duke (1971–1978). At East Carolina, he compiled a 3–8 record, and at Duke he compiled a 37–47–4 record. His overall record as a head coach was 40–55–4. His best seasons came in 1971 and 1974, when he went 6–5. He later became athletic director at the University of Cincinnati (1980–1984), the University of Southern California (1984–1993), and the University of South Carolina (1993–2005). McGee was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1990. He died in 2019 at the age of 80.

Kenneth Ray "Kenny" Williams (born June 9, 1969) is an American former professional basketball player, most notably with the National Basketball Association's Indiana Pacers. He was known for his stellar leaping ability and off-court problems.

Paul Winslow is a former defensive back in the National Football League. He was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the thirteenth round of the 1960 NFL Draft and played that season with the team.

Sha'Keela Saunders (born December 18, 1993) is an American female track and field athlete who competes in the long jump. Saunders finished third at the long jump final at the 2017 IAAF Diamond League and 2018 IAAF Diamond League. She represented her country at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics and won gold at NACAC Championships.