SoCon Hall of Fame page
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference Hall of Fame week kicks off Monday, as the league will announce one member of the 2024 induction class each day from May 13-17.
Paul Chelimo, who competed at UNCG on the cross country and track & field teams from 2011-13, is the first member of the new class.
Student-athletes who competed for a minimum of two seasons in the Southern Conference were eligible for consideration, along with coaches and administrators who spent at least five years in the league. A pool of more than 200 candidates from the conference’s current and former member institutions were nominated for consideration. The pool of former student-athletes, coaches and administrators was cut down to 40 individuals who comprised the final ballot. A voting panel of 19 media members and league administrators along with fan voting made the selection of the induction class.
Paul Chelimo, who was a five-time All-American at UNCG, was named the 2013 Cross Country Southeast Regional Athlete of the Year.
The Chebiemit, Kenya, native finished his collegiate career with seven SoCon titles, three coming in cross country and four coming in track & field. He was named the SoCon Cross Country Runner of the Year in 2011, 2012 and 2013. Chelimo was named the SoCon Runner of the Week seven times and the SoCon Runner of the Month four times.
In addition to his athletic prowess in Greensboro, Chelimo earned Academic All-SoCon honors on four occasions (Fall 2012, Winter 2012-13, Spring 2013, Fall 2014) and in 2013, he was a second-team CoSIDA Academic All-American. Chelimo was also the recipient of the Aaron Bobb Scholarship and the Irwin Belk Athletic Scholarship, which are two prestigious UNCG scholarships.
He turned pro in 2014 and after leaving UNCG, entered the U.S. Army’s World Class Athlete Program and earned U.S. citizenship, leading to him becoming the first-ever U.S. Olympian in UNCG history. Chelimo went on to win the silver medal in the 5,000-meter run at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in 2016. He followed that with a bronze medal at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo in the 5,000-meter run.
Chelimo was named to the SoCon's 100th Anniversary Cross Country Team in 2021.
2024 Induction Class
Paul Chelimo, UNCG Cross Country/ Track & Field
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2022 Induction Class
DeShawne Blocker, ETSU, Women’s Basketball
Kirk Roach, Western Carolina Football
Anita Buggins, Georgia Southern Women’s Tennis
Michelle Fuzzard LaCourse, Chattanooga Softball
Clyde Mayes, Furman Men’s Basketball
2020 Induction Class
Lynne Agee, UNCG, Women’s Basketball
Eric Breitenstein, Wofford, Football
Terrell Owens, Chattanooga, Football/Men’s Basketball/Men’s Track & Field
Rod Thorn, West Virginia, Men’s Basketball/Baseball
Wayne Tolleson, Western Carolina, Baseball/Football
2018 Induction Class
Mike Ayers, ETSU/Wofford, Football
Ron Carter, VMI, Men’s Basketball
Susan Gardner Mayhorn, Western Carolina, Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country
Chal Port, The Citadel, Baseball
*Les Robinson, The Citadel/ETSU, Men’s Basketball/Administration
Debbie Southern, Furman, Women’s Tennis
2016 Induction Class
Stephen Curry, Davidson, Men’s Basketball
Armanti Edwards, App State, Football
Brad Faxon, Furman, Men’s Golf
Keith “Mister” Jennings, ETSU, Men’s Basketball
Karen Pelphrey, Marshall, Women’s Basketball
2014 Induction Class
Rushia Brown, Furman, Women’s Basketball
Eddie Cameron, Duke, Football/Men’s Basketball
Clint Dempsey, Furman, Men’s Soccer
Jerry Moore, App State, Football
Charlie Teague, Wake Forest, Baseball
2012 Induction Class
Angie Barker, ETSU, Women’s Track & Field
Percy Beard, Auburn, Men’s Track & Field
*Jim Burch, Southern Conference
Dick Modzelewski, Maryland, Football
Paul Scarpa, Furman, Men’s Tennis
2011 Induction Class
Dexter Coakley, App State, Football
Lefty Driesell, Davidson, Men’s Basketball
Regina Kirk, Chattanooga, Women’s Basketball
Gen. Robert Neyland, Tennessee, Football
Vic Seixas, North Carolina, Men’s Tennis
Shannon Wommack, Chattanooga, Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country
2010 Induction Class
Everett Case, NC State, Men’s Basketball
Mary Jayne Harrelson, App State, Women’s Track & Field/Cross Country
Fred Hetzel, Davidson, Men’s Basketball
“Hot” Rod Hundley, West Virginia, Men’s Basketball
Banks McFadden, Clemson, Football/Men’s Basketball
Wallace Wade, Alabama/Duke/SoCon, Football/Commissioner
*J. Dallas Shirley, Southern Conference
2009 Induction Class – Inaugural Year
Megan Dunigan, Furman, Women’s Tennis
Dick Groat, Duke, Men’s Basketball/Baseball
Sam Huff, West Virginia, Football
Charlie Justice, North Carolina, Football
Melissa Morrison Howard, App State, Track & Field
Arnold Palmer, Wake Forest, Men’s Golf
Adrian Peterson, Georgia Southern, Football
Frank Selvy, Furman, Men’s Basketball
Jerry West, West Virginia, Men’s Basketball
Valorie Whiteside, App State, Women’s Basketball
* Special Contributor
ABOUT THE SOUTHERN CONFERENCE
The Southern Conference, in its 103rd season of intercollegiate competition, is a national leader in emphasizing the development of the student-athlete and helping build lifelong leaders and role models. The conference has been on the forefront of innovation and originality in developing creative solutions to address issues facing intercollegiate athletics. From establishing the first conference basketball tournament (1921), to tackling the issues of freshman eligibility (1922), to developing women’s championships (1984) to becoming the first conference to install the 3-point goal in basketball (1980), the Southern Conference has been a pioneer. The Southern Conference is the nation’s fifth-oldest NCAA Division I collegiate athletic association.
The conference currently consists of 10 members in six states throughout the Southeast and sponsors 20 varsity sports and championships that produce participants for NCAA Division I Championships.