The Southern Conference Announces 2026 Hall of Fame Class

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Southern Conference announced its 2026 Hall of Fame Class Thursday, with five individuals and one team comprising the Hall's 11th group of honorees. The ceremony will be held at Battery Park Hall in Asheville, NC, on Thursday, March 5. Doors open at 7:00 pm.

Tickets will go on sale to the public at a later date.

Georgia Southern football coach Paul Johnson (1997-2001), The Citadel football standout Paul Maguire (1957-1959), Davidson men's basketball coach Bob McKillop (1992-2014), Furman women's basketball student-athlete and coach Jackie Smith Carson (1996-2000, 2010-2023), and App State men's soccer legend Thompson Usiyan (1977-1980) were selected for this year's class. 

For the first time in the Hall of Fame's existence, teams were eligible for nomination, and the iconic 2007 App State Football team was the top vote getter.

"The Hall of Fame Ceremony at The SoCon Soirée recognizes the most exceptional individuals and teams in our conference's 100-plus year history,” said SoCon Commissioner Michael Cross. “There is no better way to launch SoCon Week and the Ingles SoCon Basketball Championships in Asheville. We are grateful to Explore Asheville for their partnership as our presenting sponsor and for helping us pay tribute to these legendary figures who represent the pinnacle of Southern Conference achievement."

“The Explore Asheville team is proud to strengthen our longtime partnership with SoCon by honoring conference Hall of Famers this year. This new event creates another stellar reason for more friends and fans to join us here in Asheville during SoCon week,” added Vic Isley, president & CEO of Explore Asheville and the Buncombe County Tourism Development Authority.

Johnson elevated a proud Georgia Southern football program to elite heights during his five-season run as head coach. The Newland, N.C., native and 1979 Western Carolina University graduate went 62-10 overall during that time, including a 36-4 mark in SoCon play to go with five conference titles. His winning percentage of 86.1 trails only that of University of Tennessee head coach Robert Neyland (1926-1932) in Southern Conference history and is the highest in the modern era. Johnson led the Eagles to Division I-AA national titles in 1999 and 2000, and his team finished in the top 10 of the final national rankings in each of his five seasons in Statesboro. The 1997 and 1998 SoCon Coach of the Year and 1999 and 2000 AFCA I-AA National Coach of the Year, Johnson was also the Eddie Robinson Award winner in 1998. He became one of only four head coaches in Division I football history to record at least 50 wins in their first four seasons. Johnson went on to successful stints as the head coach at the United States Naval Academy and Georgia Tech, leading his teams to 13 bowl appearances. He was named National Coach of the Year in 2008 and led Georgia Tech to an ACC Championship and an Orange Bowl appearance in his second campaign. Johnson was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2023.

Maguire enjoyed a terrific career on the gridiron at The Citadel as a tight end and punter from 1956 to 1959. The Youngstown, Ohio, native led the Bulldogs in receiving yards each of his four seasons and was the team's top punter three times. The two-time All-SoCon selection had his best season in 1959, powering The Citadel to an 8-2 overall mark and a 5-1 record in SoCon play. Maguire led the team with 32 catches for 549 yards and a national-best 10 touchdowns as a senior, earning 1959 SoCon Player of the Year and third team Associated Press All-America honors. Maguire also led the league with a then-school-record 42.8 yards per punt on 32 attempts. He finished his career with 76 catches for 1,524 yards and 13 touchdowns, averaging 20.1 yards per catch over four seasons. Maguire averaged 40.2 yards per punt for his career. The Los Angeles Chargers drafted Maguire in the 1960 AFL Draft, and he played four seasons in Southern California, helping the Chargers to an AFL title in 1963. He joined the Buffalo Bills in 1964 and helped the club to AFL titles in 1964 and 1965. Maguire was a two-time AFL All-Star and led the league in punting three times. He averaged 41.7 yards per punt for his career and picked off nine passes while playing linebacker. Following his playing career, Maguire embarked on a long and successful stint as a color analyst for NBC and ESPN, rising to a position on NBC's top NFL broadcast team in the mid-1990s.

McKillop stands atop a long and talented list of coaches to patrol the sidelines of the Southern Conference's storied history in men's basketball. From 1992 to 2014, he led the Davidson Wildcats to an impressive 447 wins, seven NCAA Tournament appearances, seven SoCon Tournament championships, and 11 SoCon regular season titles. McKillop's 447 wins are the most in conference history, with no other coach reaching 300 wins. Davidson's second regular season title in three seasons led to its first NCAA Tournament berth under McKillop in 1998 – the school's first appearance in the Big Dance since 1986. McKillop led his team to another NCAA bid in 2002 and had a stretch of three consecutive seasons with NCAA appearances from 2006 to 2008. His Wildcats were a perfect 20-0 in the regular season in 2007-08 and rolled through the SoCon Championship in North Charleston by an average of 26.3 points per win. Led by SoCon Hall of Famer Steph Curry, the Wildcats went on a historic run in the Big Dance, beating Gonzaga, Georgetown, and Wisconsin to reach the Elite Eight in Detroit. The Wildcats lost 59-57 to eventual national champion Kansas, tying the school's deepest advancement ever in the tournament, and first Elite Eight appearance since 1969. The 2008 Wildcats finished with a No. 9 final national ranking. McKillop led Davidson to NCAA appearances again in 2012 and 2013 following SoCon titles. His teams posted 12 seasons with at least 20 wins, and McKillop was named SoCon Coach of the Year by his peers eight times and Coach of the Year by the league's media pool six times. He was also named the 2008 NABC National Coach of the Year. His 22 seasons coaching in the SoCon ranks second all-time and mark the longest tenure since 1947.

Smith Carson starred on the hardwood for Furman, then made her mark as a successful head coach with the Paladins after playing professionally in Belgium and Israel. She remains the only person in Southern Conference history to be named both Player of the Year and Coach of the Year in either men's or women's basketball. Carson earned All-SoCon honors three times as a player, was named the conference's Player of the Week 12 times, and earned SoCon Player of the Year in both 1998 and 1999. She led the SoCon in scoring as a sophomore and junior and topped the SoCon's rebounding list in each of her final three seasons. Her school and conference records for made free throws in a single season (212) and career (724) still stand. Carson recorded 52 career double-doubles, 1,920 points, and 1,057 rebounds over four seasons in Greenville, and her senior season finished in style – with a SoCon Tournament title and an appearance in the 2000 NCAA Tournament. Carson won 205 games as the program's head coach, with six seasons of 18 wins or more to her credit. She was named SoCon Coach of the Year following the 2013-14 season, which saw her Paladins finish second in the regular season standings and earn a trip to the WNIT. Carson has served as Senior Vice President of Women's Basketball for the Atlantic Coast Conference since 2023. She was named to the Southern Conference's 100th Anniversary Team in 2021.

Usiyan finished his career at App State as the most prolific scorer in NCAA Division I men's soccer history. Nearly 45 years later, he remains atop that list. A native of Effurun, Nigeria, Usiyan was sensational for the Mountaineers, registering NCAA Division I and SoCon career records with 255 points, 109 goals, and 6.35 points per match – 25 points and 19 goals more than the next closest scorer. His 1980 season established single-season marks for NCAA Division I and the SoCon in points (108), goals (46), points per match (6.35), and goals per match (2.71), which remain unbroken to this day. A testament to his dominance, Usiyan is listed in the current edition of the NCAA Men's Soccer Record Book 22 times. His second-best single-season marks for points per match (6.00) and goals per match (2.52) also rank second in NCAA Division I history. One of his most electric performances came on November 15, 1978, in the NCAA Tournament, when he blitzed George Washington for an NCAA Division I postseason record 15 points on seven goals and an assist. App State won that match 9-3, advancing to face eventual College Cup participant Clemson in the second round, falling to the Tigers 2-1 in an overtime thriller. Usiyan was named SoCon Player of the Year three times and led App State to a stellar 44-6-3 overall record, which included a 25-0 mark in SoCon regular-season play and three NCAA Tournament appearances. He was named to the Southern Conference's 100th Anniversary Team in 2021. Following his college career, Usiyan spent 14 seasons playing professionally in the United States, both indoor and outdoor. He was named MVP of the MISL in 1992 with the San Diego Sockers, leading the team to a 26-win season and a league championship. Before his time at App State, Usiyan earned a spot on Nigeria's national team roster to play in the 1976 Montreal Olympics, but the country joined 29 other nations in boycotting those games. He was considered a top striker for the Nigerian National Team and scored five career goals in eight international matches played with the Green Eagles. Usiyan passed away on August 31, 2021, at the age of 65 in La Mesa, Calif.

The 2007 App State Mountaineers captured the national football spotlight early in 2007, marching into Ann Arbor, Mich., and stunning the No. 5 Michigan Wolverines 34-32 in front of 109,218 fans in the Big House. By September 10, speedster Dexter Jackson was on the cover of Sports Illustrated, and the Mountaineers were heavy favorites to win a third-straight NCAA Division I-AA National Championship. Hall of Fame Coach Jerry Moore's team did just that, rallying in late October to begin an eight-game win streak with a 34-27 road win at Furman. Wins over Western Carolina and Chattanooga closed out the regular season, and two thrilling wins in the playoffs over James Madison (28-27) and Eastern Washington (38-35) vaulted the Mountaineers into the semifinals. They had little trouble from there, dominating Richmond (55-35) to reach the finals and steamrolling Delaware 49-21 in Chattanooga's Finley Stadium to cap a three-peat. The Mountaineers became the first program in NCAA Division I-AA history to win three consecutive national titles. The third straight title also marked the first time a Division I program had won three consecutive national titles since Army in 1944, 1945, and 1946. Guard Kerry Brown, defensive tackle Anthony Williams, linebacker Pierre Banks, safety Corey Lynch, quarterback Armanti Edwards, kicker Julian Rauch, running back Kevin Richardson, guard John Holt, center Scott Suttle, defensive end Gary Tharrington, and corner Jerome Touchstone were named to the Sports Network I-AA All-America Team, giving App State a record 11 selections in 2007. Receivers Hans Batichon and Dexter Jackson, linebackers Jacque Roman and D.J. Smith, and defensive end Tony Robertson earned honorable mention All-America honors from TSN. App State defeated six nationally ranked teams during the 2007 season and averaged a healthy 41.3 points per game offensively. The 2007 Mountaineers had success beyond the college ranks, with eight members going on to appear on NFL rosters.

The conference's Executive Committee approved the creation of a Hall of Fame in 2008, with the first class inducted on May 4, 2009, in Spartanburg, S.C. With the most recent class, the Hall of Fame includes 64 individual members and one team. 

Current and former members submit nominations, which an internal committee vets before creating a final ballot. A panel consisting of representation from each current SoCon member institution and a group of voters with historical ties to the league determines the final class. The SoCon Fan Vote, introduced in 2024, is also part of the selection process.