Two former Clemson standouts named to SC Athletic HOF

by Press Release - Mon Mar 10 13:16:24 GMT-04:00 2014

COLUMBIA, SC – Future NFL Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins Brian Dawkins
Safety (1992 - 1995)
#20 6-0, 200
Jacksonville, FL
View Full Profile of Clemson and USC’s Zam Fredrick, who led college basketball in scoring highlight the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame’s Class of 2014.

The Class of 2014 also consists of SC State football standout Edwin Bailey, South Carolina pitcher Randy Martz, Olympian Monique Hennagan, state golf legend Happ Lathrop, Newberry basketball standout Carl Short and Clemson quarterback Rodney Williams.

The eight individuals will be enshrined with the state’s highest athletic honor on May 12 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. Tickets (table of eight for $500) and program sponsorships may be purchased by calling the SCAHOF office at 803/779-0905. The affair, which includes a reception and dinner, begins at 5:30 p.m.

In addition to the inductees donning of the symbolic blue jackets, the Bobby Richardson Sportsmanship Award recipient will also be recognized. The event, which includes a host of returning past inductees, is the largest annual celebration of Palmetto State sports stars under one roof. Legendary South Carolina State coach and 2008 SCAHOF President Willie Jeffries, known for his witticism, will again preside over the banquet as master of ceremonies along with Executive Director Ephraim Ulmer and this year’s president, Kay Fortune of Columbia.

BRIAN DAWKINS: Brian Dawkins played in the NFL for 16 seasons after a successful career at Clemson where he was a three-year starter at free safety in (1993-95). He finished Clemson with 247 tackles and 11 interceptions, and in 1995 was a second-team All-American by the Associated Press and Sporting News. He was first team All-ACC in ‘95 and second team in ‘93 and ‘94. Dawkins finished eighth in the nation in interceptions during his second season, having set a Clemson record for most interceptions in a quarter against Duke with three in ‘95 and was named Sports Illustrated’s national defensive player of the week for that performance. Dawkins finished his career third in Tigers history in tackles by a defensive back. He was a second round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1996, a NFL All-Rookie selection in ‘96, and chosen All-Pro six times. He was also a nine-time All-Pro Bowl selection. Dawkins was named to Clemson’s Centennial Team in 1996 and was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 2009. He had his No. 20 jersey retired by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012. Having been to the Philadelphia Eagles 75th Anniversary Team, he had 1,131 career tackles and 37 career interceptions in the NFL.

RODNEY WILLIAMS: Rodney Williams completed his Clemson career (1985-88) as the winningest starting quarterback in ACC history with a 32-10-2 overall record. He established Clemson career records for passing yards (4,647), pass completions (333) and pass attempts (717) while setting career record for most starts regardless of position (44). Williams finished his Clemson career in second place in total offense with 5,510 career yards and was a standout in bowl games as he was 41-of-79 for 564 yards in four bowl games. Williams was named most valuable player of the 1986 Gator Bowl and the 1988 Citrus Bowl, and became the first player in Clemson history to be MVP of two bowl games. He was the Clemson signal caller for 3,028 plays in his career and led the Tigers to four consecutive Bowl Games and three consecutive victories: 1986 Gator Bowl vs. Stanford, the1988 Citrus Bowl vs. Penn State and 1989 Citrus Bowl vs Oklahoma. He was enshrined in the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame.

ZAM FREDRICK: Zam Fredrick spent his professional career playing in Italy from 1981-87 after graduating college from USC in 1981. Although Fredrick played in Europe, he is best known for leading NCAA Division I in scoring as a senior in 1980–81 with a 28.9 ppg average. He played for coaches Frank McGuire and Bill Foster. The 781 total points he scored during his senior season is second all-time in school history to Grady Wallace's 906, who also led the nation in scoring in 1956–57. Despite being selected by the Los Angeles Lakers in the 1981 NBA Draft(third round, 51st overall), Fredrick never played in the NBA. After his decade-long European professional career, he returned to South Carolina and coached high school basketball at Calhoun County High in St. Matthews. During a seven-year stretch, Fredrick led CCHS to five state championships and a winning streak of 81 games. Fredrick continues to coach at CCHS.

EDWIN BAILEY: A Savannah, Ga., native, Edwin Bailey was a S.C. State offensive guard who earned I-AA All-America honors in 1980. A fifth-round NFL draft pick by Seattle in 1981, he enjoyed a stellar 11-year career (1981-91) before retiring with a knee injury. He started in 121 of his 139 career games at left guard and ranked No. 1 all-time at retirement in games started for the Seahawks. He played on Seattle teams that captured the AFC West title in 1988 and on the team that went 12-4 record in 1984. Bailey, who played for Coach Bill Davis at S.C. State, was a three-time All-Conference performer, where he was inducted into the school’s athletic hall of fame. After five-year stints as a scout and then a coach, Bailey is now the assistant head football coach and offensive line coach at Paine College in Augusta, Ga.

MONIQUE HENNAGAN: A 1994 graduate of Spring Valley High who graduated from the University of North Carolina in ’98, is a two-time Olympic 4x400-meters gold medalist ('04, '00), 2004 Olympic Trials 400-meters champion, two-time ('02 & '03) U.S. Indoor 400-meters Champion, ‘96 NCAA Indoor 400-meters and Outdoor 800-meters champion, and ‘94 World Junior gold (4x400m) and silver (400m) medalist. Hennagan went from solid performer to winning her first U.S. outdoor title in ‘04, breaking 50 seconds for the first time with her Olympic Trials victory in 49.56 seconds. She narrowly missed a medal at the Olympics, placing fourth, but she earned her second Olympic 4x400-meters relay gold medal in Athens and has long been a key part of Team USA relays. Hennagan was the first UNC woman to win an NCAA title and she earned her first USA Senior title at 400-meters at the 2002 USA Indoor Championships. She successfully defended her title in ‘03 before going on to win a bronze medal in the 4x400-meters relay at the World Indoor Championships. She started running in elementary school because of all the encouragement she got when she regularly beat her boy schoolmates and cousins in footraces, and was twice ranked the top high school 400-meters runner in the nation, and as a senior, clocked the nine fastest times in the nation. Hennagan was also an all-state volleyball player and played basketball at Spring Valley High. In high school, she won 12 state titles, despite not being able to compete in the state meet as a 9th-grader because she went to a private school. She lives in Atlanta and works in New York City.

HAPP LATHROP: Regarded by many as “Mr. Golf” in South Carolina, Happ Lathrop has presided over the game as executive director of the South Carolina Golf Association for more than four decades. In 1976, he became the first full-time employee of the South Carolina Golf Association when membership involved 99 clubs (about 11,500 golfers) and assets stood at $50,000. Today, the association commands more than $1 million in assets and represents the interests of more than 70,000 golfers across nearly 300 clubs. A fine player in his own right, the Hampton native won the state amateur championship in ‘68 as an 18-year old, becoming the youngest to do so at that time. He was South Carolina Inter-Collegiate Champion in the same year. However, it is his service as an administrator that he is best known. Lathrop helped create one of the most successful and respected junior development programs in the country, through the South Carolina Junior Golf Association (1989) and the South Carolina Junior Golf Foundation (1995). In addition to producing numerous PGA Tour players, those organizations have fostered strong and healthy competition for juniors and awarded more than $300,000 in scholarships and well over $100,000 to organizations for minority and disadvantaged youth. For all of the events and organizations Lathrop has had a hand in creating or running, his efforts brokering relationships, sponsorships and overall goodwill for golf in the state are just as far-reaching. He was inducted into the South Carolina Golf Hall of Fame in 1997 and has also been recognized as Father of the Year by the National Father and Son Team Classic tournament in Myrtle Beach. Lathrop was inducted into the Carolinas Golf Hall of Fame in 2008.

RANDY MARTZ: The 6-4, 210-pund right-hander from Harrisburg, Pa., recruited to USC as a football player, put together an overpowering baseball season as a senior in 1977, going 14-0 and winning the honor as college baseball’s most valuable player. The Chicago Cubs selected Martz in the first round of the 1977 MLB draft, the No. 12 selection overall. He pitched for the Cubs from 1980-82, with his best year coming in 1982 with an 11-10 record. For his four-year MLB career that included time with the Chicago White Sox (‘83), he compiled a 17-19 record with a 3.78 ERA. He currently lives in East Alton, Ill., where he is the head baseball coach at Lewis and Clark Community College and also the pitching coach for the Gateway Grizzlies of the independent Frontier League.

CARL SHORT: An Indianapolis, Ind., native, Short dominated Newberry College basketball opponents from 1958-61. As a sophomore, he was South Carolina’s leading scorer averaging 20.6 points and 13 rebounds per outing, and was named to the All-Conference team and All-State Team. In his junior year, Short averaged 22 points and 13 rebounds, and was named All-Conference, All-State, All-Tournament and First Team All-NAIA District 26. He was the NAIA’s leading scorer, scoring 888 points for a 28.7 scoring average and 12 rebounds. He earned numerous All-America honors and was named South Carolina Collegiate Player of the Year as well as Athlete of the Year. He led the Indians (now Wolves) to the NAIA District 26 Championship and to the first national tournament of any kind in Newberry history. His jersey No. 24 is retired and he was inducted into the Newberry Athletic Hall of Fame in 1978. Following graduation, Short was drafted and signed by the Cincinnati Royals of the NBA. However, his desire to play in the pros was delayed because he was drafted by the Army. While in the service, he was a starter and a star on the All-Army World Championship Team, a team that remained undefeated during his Army career. He worked for 26 years in the Indianapolis Public School system and had a very successful tenure as a teacher and basketball coach. He continues to live in Indianapolis.