HIGHLIGHTS: Vanderbilt-South Carolina (9/1/16)
The South Carolina Football Hall of Fame (SCFHOF) has opened up member voting for their Class of 2017. The SCFHOF honors the state"s best in football past and present while supporting programs to promote and preserve the game and those who play it.
This year"s ballot boasts 50 names of players, coaches, media members, and an NFL owner. Each man grew up in the state of South Carolina, went to, coached at one of the 13 collegiate football programs in the State, or has had a positive and significant impact on the game in South Carolina.
A unique part of the voting process for the SCFHOF is that fans who become members can cast a vote. Adult (18 and older) members depending on their preferred level receive at least voting rights for the annual Induction Class, and also the Collegiate Player of the Year. The SCFHOF has a Junior Membership for those under 18 that have benefits including a vote for the Collegiate Player of the Year.
All member voting is done online at www.scfootballhof.org. During the first round voting period (September 1, 2016-December 11, 2016), members receive one opportunity to write-in up to 4 nominees for the Class of 2017.
The final round of voting with the top names from the first round will be conducted between mid-December-mid January. The top four vote getters in the final round will be inducted into the SCFHOF at the 5th Anniversary Induction Celebration on Thursday, April 20, 2017.
John Abraham (Timmonsville SC, South Carolina 96-99, New York Jets 00-05 (1st Rnd Draft Pick), Atlanta Falcons 06-12, Arizona Cardinals 13-14, Pro Bowl 01, 02, 04, 10, 13, First-team All-Pro 01, 10, 100 Sacks Club)
Terry Allen (Commerce GA, Clemson 86-89, Minnesota Vikings 91-94 (9th Rnd Draft Pick), Washington Redskins 95-98, New England Patriots 99, New Orleans Saints 00, Baltimore Ravens 01)
Art Baker (Sumter SC, Presbyterian College 50-53, Head Coach: Furman 73-77, Citadel 78-82, East Carolina 85-88/Assistant Coach: Clemson 65-69, Texas Tech 70-72, East Carolina 83, Florida State 84)
Brandon Bennett (Greenville SC, South Carolina 91-94, South Carolinas second all-time leading rusher, SEC Legend, Cincinnati Bengals 98-03, Carolina Panthers 04)
Felix Doc Blanchard (McColl SC, North Carolina 43, Army 44-46, Consensus All-American 44-46, National Champion 44-46, Heisman Trophy winner 45, College Football Hall of Fame 59)
Jeff Bostic (Greensboro NC, Clemson 76-79, Washington Redskins 80-93. 3x Super Bowl Champion, All Pro 83, Pro Bowl 83, Washington Redskins Rink of Fame, made 70 Greatest Redskins list)
Joe Bostic (Greensboro NC, Clemson 75-78, St. Louis/Phoenix Cardinals 79-88 (3rd Rnd Draft Pick), Older brother of Jeff Bostic)
Peter Boulware (Columbia, SC; Florida State 93-96, Baltimore Ravens 97-05 (1st Rnd Draft Pick), Pro Bowl 98, 99, 02, 03, All-Pro 99, NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Award 97, Super Bowl XXXV Champion, AFC Sacks Leader 01)
Robert Brooks (Greenwood SC, South Carolina 88-91, Green Bay Packers 92-98 (3rd Rnd Draft Pick), Denver Broncos 00, Super Bowl XXXI Champion)
Charlie Brown (Charleston SC, SC State 77-80, Washington Redskins 82-84 (8th Rnd Draft Pick), Atlanta Falcons 85-87, Pro Bowl 82, 83, Super Bowl XVII Champion)
Bobby Bryant (Macon GA, South Carolina 64-67, Minnesota Vikings 68-80 (7th Rnd Draft Pick), Pro Bowl 75 & 76, Played in four Super Bowls in the 1970s, recorded 51 career INTs which is 2nd on Vikings All-Time INT list, USC Athletic Hall of Fame 79, SC Athletic Hall of Fame)
Brentson Buckner (Columbus GA, Clemson 91-93, Pittsburgh Steelers 94-96 (2nd Rnd Draft Pick), Cincinnati Bengals 97, San Francisco 49ers 98-00, Carolina Panthers 01-05)
Bennie Cunningham (Laurens SC, Clemson 72-75, Pittsburgh Steelers 76-85 (1st Rnd Draft Pick), Super Bowl Champion XIII, XIV)
Dwight Clark (Kinston NC, Clemson 75-78, San Francisco 49ers 79-87 (10th Rnd Draft Pick), Pro Bowl/All-Pro 81-82, Super Bowl Champion XVI, XIX, 49ers retired his jersey #87, Clemson Hall of Fame 88)
Woody Dantzler (Orangeburg SC, Clemson 97-01, Dallas Cowboys 02, 05, Atlanta Falcons 02, First QB in NCAA history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 in same season, holds 53 Clemson football records, Clemson football Hall of Fame 07)
Stephen Davis (Spartanburg SC, Auburn 92-95, Washington Redskins 96-02 (4th Rnd Draft Pick), Carolina Panthers 03-05, St. Louis Rams 06, Pro Bowl 99, 00, 03, All-Pro 99, NFC Rushing leader 99, 01)
Fisher Deberry (Cheraw SC, Wofford 56-60, Assistant Coach: Wofford 69-70, Appalachian State 71-79, Air Force 80-83 Head Coach: Air Force 84-06, went to 12 bowl games as a Head Coach)
Brad Edwards (Lumberton NC, South Carolina 84-87, Minnesota Vikings 88-89 (2nd Rnd Draft Pick), Washington Redskins 90-93, Atlanta Falcons 94-96, Super Bowl XXVI Champion Athletic Director (AD): Newberry College, Jacksonville University Current: AD for George Mason University)
Bobby Engram (Camden SC, Penn St. 92-95, Chicago Bears 96-00 (2nd Rnd Draft Pick), Seattle Seahawks 01-08, Kansas City Chiefs 09, Cleveland Browns 10 (player)/Assistant Coach: San Francisco 49ers 11, Pittsburgh Panthers 12-14, Baltimore Ravens (current))
Todd Ellis (South Carolina 86-89, Denver Broncos 90 (9th Rnd Draft Pick), Voice of the Gamecocks, play by play man for football since 2003, USC Athletic Hall of Fame, all-time leading passer in Gamecock history and schools winningest QB, set 26 Gamecock records)
Steve Fuller (Enid OK/Spartanburg, Clemson 75-78, Kansas City Chiefs 79-82 (1st Rnd Draft Pick), Los Angeles Rams 83, Chicago Bears 84-86, Super Bowl XX Champion)
Rod Gardner (Jacksonville FL, Clemson 97-00, 2x All-ACC, First Team All-American 00, Washington Redskins 01-04 (1st Rnd Draft Pick), Carolina Panthers 05, Green Bay Packers 05, Kansas City Chiefs 06)
James Jumpy Geathers (Georgetown SC, Wichita St 80-83, New Orleans Saints 84-89 (2nd Rnd Draft Pick), Washington Redskins 90-92, Atlanta Falcons 93-95, Denver Broncos 96-97, Super Bowl XXVI Champion)
John Gilliam (Greenwood SC, SC State 63-66, New Orleans Saints 67-68 (2nd Rnd Draft Pick), St. Louis Cardinals 69-71, Minnesota Vikings 72-74, 75, Atlanta Falcons 76, Chicago Bears 77, New Orleans Saints 77, 4 x Pro Bowl selection 72-75)
Jeff Grantz (Columbia SC, South Carolina 72-75, Known as a two sport athlete at UofSC (football and baseball) known for his Clemson prediction in which he went on to throw for 5 Touchdowns in a 56-20 victory over the rival, which is a single game USC record)
Shawn Graves (Marion SC, Wofford 89-92, NCAA record holder for all-time career rushing yards by a QB (5,128) for 23 years, NCAA record holder for most career rushing TDs for a QB (72) for 23 years, owns NCAA DII record for rushing yards by QB in a game (323), tied for most rushing TDs in a season by QB record in NCAA DII (24)
Dwayne Harper (Orangeburg SC, SC State 84-87, Seattle Seahawks 88-93 (11th Rnd Draft Pick), San Diego Chargers 94-98, Detroit Lions 99, 24 career INTs, and 10 forced fumbles)
Vonnie Holliday (Camden SC, North Carolina 94-97, Green Bay Packers 98-02 (1st Rnd Draft Pick), Kansas City Chiefs 03-04, Miami Dolphins 05-08, Denver Broncos 09, Washington Redskins 10, Arizona Cardinals 11-12)
Stanford Jennings (Summerville SC, Furman 80-83, Cincinnati Bengals 84-90 (3rd Rnd Draft Pick), New Orleans Saints 91, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 92, 1981 SoCon Player of the Year)
Bobby Johnson (Columbia SC, Clemson 69-72, Asst Coach: Furman 76-92, Clemson 93 Head Coach: Furman 94-01, Vanderbilt 02-10, SoCon Championships 99, 01, SEC Coach of the Year 08, led first bowl victory since 1955 and second in school history in 2008 at Vanderbilt, current member of the College Football Playoff selection committee.
Levon Kirkland (Lamar SC, Clemson 88-91, Pittsburgh Steelers 92-00 (2nd Rnd Draft Pick), Seattle Seahawks 01, Philadelphia Eagles 02, Pro Bowl 96, 97, All-Pro 96, 97, NFL 90s All-Decade Team, Assistant Coach: FAMU 13-14, Arizona Cardinals (current))
Paul Maguire (Youngstown OH, Citadel 56-59, LA/San Diego Chargers-AFL 60-63, Buffalo Bills-AFL 64-70, AFL Champion 63-65, football commentator for NBC & ESPN for over 40 years)
George Martin (Greenville SC, Oregon 71-74, New York Giants 75-88 (11th Rnd Draft Pick), Super Bowl XXI Champion, scored 7 touchdowns (one lined up as a tight end) as a defensive lineman which is second to Jason Taylor in NFL history)
Clay Matthews Sr. (Charleston SC, Georgia Tech 45-48, San Francisco 49ers 50, 53-55/Father of Clay Matthews Jr. and Pro Football HOF Bruce Matthews, Grandfather of current NFL players Clay Matthews III, Kevin Matthews, Jake Matthews, and Casey Matthews)
Bob McNair (Tampa FL, South Carolina, brought Houston, TX the NFL franchise the Houston Texans in 1999, In 1998 established the McNair Scholar Program at UofSC. In 1989 established the Robert and Janice McNair Educational Foundation to help Rutherford County High School graduates attend college. Listed in Forbes 400 Richest Americans.
Corey Miller (Pageland SC, South Carolina 87-90, New York Giants 91-98 (6th Rnd Draft Pick), Minnesota Vikings 99, Super Bowl XXV Champion Current: Sports Reporter at WACH-TV in Columbia, SC)
Stump Mitchell (Kingsland GA, The Citadel 77-80, St. Louis Cardinals 81-87 (9th Rnd Draft Pick), Phoenix Cardinals 88-89, Kansas City Chiefs 90 (player)/Head Coach: Morgan State 96-98, Southern 10-12/Assistant: San Antonio Riders 92, Morgan State 95, Seattle Seahawks 99-07, Washington Redskins 08-09, Arizona Cardinals RB coach 13- present)
Joe Morrison (Lima OH, Cincinnatti 55-58, New York Giants 59-72 (3rd Rnd Draft Pick, player)/Tennessee-Chattanooga 73-79, New Mexico 80-82, South Carolina 83-88 (Head Coach))
Robert Porcher (Wando SC, SC State 88-91, Detroit Lions 92-04 (1st Rnd Draft Pick), Pro Bowl & All Pro 97, 99, 01, First-team All-NFC 99, Name on Lions annual Man of the Year Award)
Jim Riggs (Fort Knox KY, Clemson 83-86, Cincinnati Bengals 87-92 (4th Rnd Draft Pick), Washington Redskins 93, All-ACC 85, 86, played in Super Bowl XXIII)
Willie Scott (Newberry SC, South Carolina 77-80, Kansas City Chiefs 81-85 (1st Rnd Draft Pick), New England Patriots 86-88)
d**k Sheridan (South Carolina 61-64, Head Coach: Furman 78-85, NC State 86-92, AD: Furman 83-85, SoCon championships (78, 80-83, 85), ACC Coach of the Year 86, Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year 86, 3 NCAA D1AA Playoff wins, 2 NCAA D1 Bowl wins)
Sanders Shiver (Gadsden SC, Carson-Newman 72-75, Baltimore Colts 76-83 (5th Rnd Draft Pick), Miami Dolphins 84-85, Pro Bowl 84)
Anthony Simmons (Spartanburg SC, Clemson 94-97, Seattle Seahawks 98-04 (1st Rnd Draft Pick), 3x 1st Team All-ACC 95-97, recorded 595 tackles in just 7 active NFL seasons.
Clyde Simmons Jr. (Lane SC, Western Carolina 82-85, Philadelphia Eagles 86-93 (9th Rnd Draft Pick), Arizona Cardinals 94-95, Jacksonville 96-97, Cincinnati Bengals 98, Chicago Bears 99-00, 100 sack Club, 2x Pro Bowl/All-Pro 91, 92, Philadelphia Eagles 75th Anniversary Team, (coaching)LA Rams Asst. Def. Line Coach 12-current)
Steve Spurrier (Miami Beach FL, Florida 63-66, won Heisman Trophy 66. Player: San Francisco 49ers 67-75, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 76 Head Coach: Tampa Bay Bandits 83-85, Duke 87-89, Florida 90-01, Washington Redskins 02-03, South Carolina 05-15. 4-time SEC Coach of the Year at Florida, 2-time SEC Coach of the Year at South Carolina, claims 3 of the 4 10 win seasons in program history, 3-straight 11 win seasons, programs only SEC Championship game appearance.)
Travelle Wharton (Greenville SC, South Carolina 00-03, Carolina Panthers 04-11, 13 (3rd Rnd Draft Pick), Cincinnati Bengals 12, started 111 games in the NFL. Didnt allow a sack in college in a 45 game span.
Rodney Williams (Columbia SC, Clemson 85-88, tied with Tajh Boyd as the most successful QB in Clemson football history (32 wins), 4-year starter, led Clemson to 3 ACC Championships and 3 bowl victories, Color Analyst for Clemson Sports Radio Network and successful business man)
Donnell Woolford (Baltimore MD, Clemson 85-88, Chicago Bears 89-97 (1st Rnd Draft Pick), Pittsburgh Steelers 97-98, Carolina Panthers 98-99, Pro Bowl 93, All-Pro 94)
Clyde Wrenn (Chester SC, NC State 61-65, High School coach for 7 years, Recruiting Coordinator for Danny Fords staff at Clemson for 11 seasons, NFL scout for Denver Broncos for 2 years, worked in South Carolina Athletic Department for 16 of the last 23 years, currently the Director of High School Relations for South Carolina Football)
Source: http://www.thestate.com/sports/college/article99574437.html