SoCon Hall of Fame page
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference Hall of Fame week continues Thursday, as the league will announce one member of the 2024 induction class each day from May 13-17.
Dick Sheridan, who served as Furman’s head football coach for eight seasons, is the next to join the class of 2024.
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.
Sheridan was the head coach at Furman from 1978-85. He also served as the school’s athletic director from 1983-85. In his eight seasons at the helm of the football program, the Paladins had a 69-23-2 (.744) overall record and won 79 percent of their SoCon games, with both percentages being the highest in program history.
Sheridan’s teams won six SoCon titles under his tutelage, becoming just the second program in league history to win four in a row (1980-83). In 1982, Sheridan led Furman to its first playoff appearance in program history and three years later led the squad to the I-AA (now FCS) championship game.
The native of North Augusta, South Carolina, was named SoCon Coach of the Year three times (1978, 1980, 1982) and the AFCA Coach of the Year (1985). While leading the Paladins, Sheridan coached eight first team All-Americans, 75 all-conference players, and five SoCon Players of the Year, including the league's first three-time selection Stanford Jennings.
In 1994, Sheridan was inducted into the Furman Hall of Fame. In 2020, he was inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame and became the first player or coach from Furman inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
2024 Induction Class
Paul Chelimo, UNCG Cross Country/ Track & Field
Terry Holland, Davidson Men’s Basketball/Admin
Ali Lord, UNCG Women’s Soccer
Dick Sheridan, Furman Football
TBA
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.