Twenty-Five Student-Athletes Receive Degrees on Thursday

by Press Release - Thu Dec 18 17:23:24 GMT-04:00 2008

Clemson, SC-Twenty-five current and former student-athletes earned undergraduate academic degrees from Clemson University on Thursday. The ceremonies took place at Littlejohn Coliseum. The list included nine current and former Tiger football players and five former or current members of the men’s soccer program.

The nine members of the football team include Aaron Kelly, the ACC’s career reception leader with 226 catches. He will play his final game in a Clemson uniform when the Tigers meet Nebraska in the Konica Minolta Gator Bowl on January 1. Kelly earned his degree in management.

Also receiving a degree on Thursday was veteran defensive tackle Rashaad Jackson. Jackson has been injured much of the year, but the Tigers are 4-1 since he returned to the lineup on November 1. Jackson received his degree in community recreation management.

Other Clemson football players past and present who received degrees include Curtis Baham, LaDonte Harris, Kyle Davisson, Brandon Oliver, Charles Roediger nad Brandon Speweik. Sixteen players on the current Clemson team will have an undergraduate degree when they meet Nebraska in the Gator Bowl.

Five current and former Clemson men’s soccer players also received degrees on Thursday. The list includes David Newton, a third-team All-South defender who will return next season for Trevor Adair’s program as a graduate student. Newton earned his undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering. Other members of Adair’s team who received degrees on Thursday were David Bell, Ricky Lewis, David Poe and Havird Usry.

Two Tiger baseball players also received the degrees. Stan Widmann, Clemson’s starting shortstop this coming spring, received his degree in sport management, as did former All-American home run champion Michael Johnson.

Among the female student-athletes who earned degrees on Thursday were rower Suzanne VanFleet, women’s soccer all-conference players Molly Johnson and Ashley Phillips and women’s basketball players Tasha Taylor and De’Lesha Lloyd. Taylor is a still a point guard on the Lady Tigers team and has helped Cristy McKinney’s team to an 8-2 start.

Clemson Student-Athletes Who Graduated on December 18, 2008

Student-Athlete Sport Major

Curtis Baham Football Sport Management

David Bell M. Soccer Electrical Engineering

Kyle Davisson Football Management

Adam Farnham M. Swimming Chemistry

Mitch Greeley M. Track Community Recreation Management

Polly Hardy W. Track Community Recreation Management

LaDonte Harris Football Sport Management

Rashaad Jackson Football Community Recreation Management

Stan Widmann Baseball Sport Management

Michael Johnson Baseball Career and Technology Education