HOF - Thirteen Inductees To Make Up Inaugural Class
AIKEN, S.C. - Continuing a year of firsts, the USC Aiken Athletics Department has announced the creation of an Athletics Hall of Fame, presented by First Citizens Bank. A project several years in the making, the inaugural class will consist of 13 outstanding representatives of USC Aiken Athletics over its 46-year history. A formal ceremony will take place on Friday, November 30 at the Convocation Center.
The initial class will include: Lew Perkins (former Athletic Director), Johanna Gibbs (former volleyball and women’s basketball coach), Roberto Hernandez (baseball), Bill Weeks (men’s basketball), Faye Ryans Norris (women’s basketball), Charlie Colclough (baseball), Greg Gibson (men’s basketball), Tisha England (women’s basketball), Kim Merrill Brooks (volleyball), Roxanna Rivera Tirado (volleyball), Brian Kassel (golf), Brooks Blackburn (golf), and Jamie Stanley (golf).
“The creation of the USC Aiken Athletics Hall of Fame is another historic first in the evolution of Pacer Athletics,” said Randy Warrick, USC Aiken Athletic Director. “We will now have a mechanism in place to honor our elite student-athletes, coaches, and contributors to our various programs. This is a very high honor, and all of our initial inductees are thrilled and honored by their selection. All of the 13 honorees, as well as myself, are looking forward to our November 30 event.”
Perkins, currently the Director of Athletics at the University of Kansas, is one of the most recognizable names in college athletics. Perkins arrived in Lawrence, Kan. following successful runs as AD at Connecticut, Wichita State, and Maryland; but before all that, he got his start at USC Aiken. Hired in 1969, the Chelsea, Mass. native served as the school’s first Athletic Director and head men’s basketball coach. He amassed 125 wins in his 10 seasons, ranking second all-time, while helping the school transition from two-year to four-year status. Perkins left USCA in 1980 to take a position as Associate AD at the University of Pennsylvania.
Gibbs pioneered the women’s athletic programs at USC Aiken. A successful coach at Aiken High School, Gibbs was hired by the University in 1976 to start the volleyball and women’s basketball programs. In her five seasons at the helm of Lady Pacer Basketball, Gibbs posted a 92-45 record and her .672 winning percentage still stands as the best in school history. In her final season, she guided USCA to the 1981 NAIA District 6 Championship and a berth in the NAIA National Tournament. After giving rise to the volleyball program in 1978, Gibbs compiled an 81-29 career mark in three seasons, again holding the record for best winning percentage (.736). She won the NAIA District 6 Tournament title in 1980.
Hernandez is the most successful athlete USC Aiken has ever produced. A 17-year veteran of Major League Baseball, Hernandez transferred to USCA from UConn in 1986. Current Athletic Director, and then baseball coach, Randy Warrick, transformed him from a catcher to a pitcher and the rest is history. In his one season as a Pacer, Hernandez posted a 10-2 record with 97 strikeouts in 94.0 innings. At the plate, he belted 19 home runs and led USC Aiken to its only appearance in the NAIA World Series. He was drafted with the 16th pick in the first round of the 1986 MLB Draft by the California Angels. Currently a reliever with the Los Angeles Dodgers, Hernandez ranks in the top 15 all-time in saves and is a two-time MLB All-Star. He had his Pacer jersey number 35 retired in 2001.
Weeks finished his four-year career as a Pacer (1974-78) as the school’s all-time leading scorer in NAIA history. A two-time NAIA All-District selection in 1977 and 1978, Weeks was a member of the first three four-year teams fielded by USC Aiken after making the transition from a junior college. For all his successes, Weeks had his jersey number 40 retired, one of only two men’s basketball players to receive that honor.
Norris was a standout women’s basketball player for head coach Johanna Gibbs and the initial teams of the Lady Pacer program. Playing from 1976-79, Norris finished off her career with a superb final season, earning SCAIAW All-State and South Carolina Sports Writers All-State honors. As a crowning achievement, she was named a First-Team All-American in 1979, the first All-American in the school’s athletic history. Norris’ jersey number 10 is one of only three in the women’s basketball program to have been retired.
Colclough is a former USC Aiken baseball Most Valuable Player and an NAIA All-District 6 performer in 1981. Also earning NAIA All-State accolades in 1980, the former Pacer (1978-81) holds the distinction of being the first USCA student-athlete to sign a professional contract, inking with the Cincinnati Reds organization in 1981. For his successes, Colclough had his Pacer jersey number three retired, joining Hernandez as the only baseball players bestowed with that honor.
Known as a prolific scorer, Gibson played for the USCA men’s basketball team from 1987-92. In only two seasons of NCAA play, Gibson still ranks third on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,175 points. A two-time Peach Belt All-Conference selection, Gibson’s jersey number 30 joins Weeks as the only men’s basketball players to have their numbers retired. Gibson still holds school records for points in a game (45), field goals in a season (236), minutes played in a season (1,139), career scoring average (19.9 ppg), and consecutive games started (59). Upon graduation, Gibson played professionally in Europe and currently coaches a professional team in Finland.
England is one of the best women’s basketball players to ever suit up for the Lady Pacers. From 1988 to 1992, England dominated the hardwood. Joining Jami Cornwell and Norris as the only players to have their jerseys retired, England’s number 32 meant trouble for USCA opponents. A two-time Peach Belt All-Conference standout, she is the only USCA basketball player—male or female—to ever win PBC Player of the Year honors, claiming the award in 1991. Despite just two years of NCAA play, England ranks fourth on the all-time scoring list with 1,157 points. A 1989 WBCA Freshman All-American, England holds the school and conference scoring average record at 20.0 ppg. She also holds single season records for points (677), scoring average (23.3 ppg), field goals (229), and steals (107).
Brooks is a four-time Peach Belt All-Conference selection, having played volleyball at USC Aiken from 1994-97. Named PBC Player of the Year in 1995, Brooks led the Lady Pacers to the 1995 Peach Belt Conference Championship and the PBC Tournament title in 1996. An AVCA First-Team All-Region selection, Brooks is the school’s all-time kills leader with 1,778, ranking second in conference history. She also holds school career marks for solo blocks (295), block assists (464), total blocks (759), and hitting percentage (.399). Her single season hitting percentage of .486 set in her senior season of 1997 still stands a decade later as the best-ever in the PBC. Brooks’ jersey number 10 joins Tirado as the only volleyball numbers retired.
Tirado was a three-time Peach Belt All-Conference performer, playing alongside Brooks from 1994-97. In leading USC Aiken to the PBC Tournament title in 1996, was named the PBC Tournament Most Valuable Player. A four-time PBC Player of the Week selection, the former setter holds three career school and conference records for games played (571), assists (6,845), and service aces (280). Joining Brooks, Tirado had her jersey number two retired.
Kassel is one of only two USC Aiken golfers to be named All-American four times (1993-96). A three-time All-Conference selection, Kassel was named the Peach Belt Conference Player of the Year in 1993 after capturing medalist honors at the PBC Tournament. With five victories, Kassel ranks fourth all-time in career wins and his 74.41 stroke average in 103 rounds is ninth best. In his four years at USC Aiken, Kassel helped the Pacers to a pair of NCAA Tournament National Runner-up finishes (1995, 1996), while placing fifth nationally his other two years.
Blackburn was named an All-American in both his seasons as a Pacer (1994-96). Ranking fourth all-time on the school’s career scoring list with a 73.78 stroke average in 49 rounds, Blackburn is fifth all-time in victories with four. His senior season in 1996 ranks as the seventh best in school history with a 73.32 scoring average. A two-time All-Conference standout, Blackburn was selected as the PBC’s Player of the Year after winning the 1996 PBC Tournament.
Stanley is the other USCA golfer to be named a four-time All-American (1994-97). Ranking seventh on the school’s career scoring list with a 74.28 stroke average in 105 rounds, Stanley’s seven victories is second behind only Scott Brown’s conference record nine wins. With both his junior and senior seasons ranking in the top 15 all-time, Stanley won NCAA Regional medalist honors in 1997. A two-time winner of the PBC Tournament (1995, 1997), Stanley was named PBC Player of the Year in both those years. Holding the record for lowest round recorded by a USC Aiken golfer with a 64, Stanley was named the NCAA National Freshman of the Year in 1994.
Among other criteria, to be eligible for election to the Athletics Hall of Fame, a student-athlete must be removed from collegiate play at USCA for at least five years.
The induction ceremony will take place on Friday, November 30 beginning at 6:00 PM in the Convocation Center lobby. Following a social hour, dinner will begin at 7:00 PM on the main arena floor to be followed by induction of the 13 honorees. The night will be capped off by the unveiling of the permanent display of the USC Aiken Athletic Hall of Fame, presented by First Citizens Bank, inside the arena.
A limited number of tickets will be made available to the general public for purchase by contacting the USC Aiken Athletics Department at 803-641-3486.
