12 Tigers Named to 50th Anniversary All-ACC Team

Aug. 7, 2002

CLEMSON, S.C. – Current Clemson golfer D.J. Trahan heads a group of 12 Tiger golfers named to the 50th anniversary All-ACC team, the conference announced Wednesday. Clemson’s 12 selections were tied for the most in the league with Wake Forest. No other school had more than six.

Named to the team from Clemson were Clarence Rose, Dillard Pruitt, Kevin Johnson, Chris Patton, Nicky Goetze, Danny Ellis, Richard Coughlan, Charles Warren, Jonathan Byrd, John Engler, Lucas Glover and Trahan.

Each golfer selected to the team earned All-America honors during their collegiate careers, with 11 of the 12 receiving such honors on multiple occasions. Three were also named Academic All-Americans at Clemson.

The group includes one NCAA Champion, one U.S. Amateur Champion, two Public Links Champions and four ACC Champions. Collectively, the group won individual medalist honors at 30 tournaments.

Two of the honorees were named ACC Player-of-the-Year during their careers at Clemson. Each golfer has played professionally, with nine of them having competed in at least one 2002 event. Clarence Rose was a second-team All-American in 1980, a first in Clemson golf history. He was also Clemson’s first two-time All-ACC selection. He was the top player on Clemson’s first NCAA Tournament team in 1980. Rose has played in nearly 500 PGA Tour events.

Dillard Pruitt was a two-time All-American during his career at Clemson. He was a three-time All-ACC player and started on Clemson’s first ACC Championship team in 1982. In 1984, he became the first Tiger golfer to average under 72 for an entire year. He was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1998, only the second golfer honored. Pruitt was the first Clemson golfer to win a PGA event (1991 Chattanooga Classic), and retired in 1997 after earning over $1 million in his professional career. He now works for the PGA Tour as a rules official.

Kevin Johnson was the first three-time All-American at Clemson. In 1987, he won the U.S. Public Links Championship. He won individual honors in 1988 at the ACC Tournament. He would have won the 1989 NCAA title had he not failed to sign his scorecard properly. Johnson will be inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame this fall. He played on the Buy.com Tour for six years before heading to the PGA in 2001.

Chris Patton was a three-time All-American at Clemson and also won the 1989 U.S. Amateur Championship, the only Amateur Champion from Clemson. Patton won medalist honors a record five times during his years as a Tiger. His career stroke average of 72.71 ranks fifth all-time in Clemson history. He was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 2000. Patton went on to win three tournaments on three different professional tours.

Nicky Goetze was a three-time All-American and Academic All-American in 1992. Goetze played in more tournaments and more rounds than any other golfer in Clemson history. Goetze was a two-time winner of the esteemed Ping Preview, including a victory over Phil Mickelson in 1991. He played for three years on the Asian Tour before going into the coaching profession. He is now the head golf coach at Florida State.

Danny Ellis was the first freshman All-American in Clemson history and went on to earn honorable mention two more times while at Clemson. Ellis earned medalist honors at the ACC Tournament in 1993 and was a finalist at the US Amateur in 1994. Ellis played on the Buy.com Tour for two years and is now in his second consecutive year on the PGA Tour.

Richard Coughlan was a first-team All-American in 1997, the same year he became the first Tiger to earn ACC Player-of-the-Year honors. Coughlan finished his career as a three-time All-ACC selection between 1995-97. He has played on both the Buy.com and PGA Tour this season.

Charles Warren was the 1997 NCAA Champion, a two-time ACC Champion and three-time All-American. He is the only Tiger golfer to win an NCAA Championship and more than one ACC title. In 1997, he was named IPTAY Athlete-of-the-Year, the first Tiger golfer to win the award. Warren capped his career by winning both the Dave Williams and Arnold Palmer Awards during his senior year. He currently plays on the Buy.com Tour, where he sits 14th on the money list.

Jonathan Byrd was the first Tiger athlete to be an All-American both on the field and in the classroom in two different seasons. He started on four straight top 10 teams, three of which won the ACC Championship. Byrd was also a four-time first-team All-ACC selection and was twice named IPTAY Athlete-of-the-Year.

Byrd currently plays on the PGA Tour and is 88th on the money list. John Engler was a three-time All-American and three-time Palmer Cup participant. Engler is Clemson’s career leader in rounds under par and rounds at 75 or better, and is second in career stroke average. He won the 2001 ACC Championship. Engler currently plays on the Buy.com Tour.

Lucas Glover was a three-time All-American and 2001 Walker Cup member. He also played on two Palmer Cup teams. Glover won the South Carolina Amateur Championship three consecutive years from 1998 to 2000. He ranks in the top five in several career records categories at Clemson. Glover has played in five events on both the Buy.com Tour and PGA Tour in 2002.

D.J. Trahan, the 2002 Ben Hogan and Jack Nicklaus Award winner, is Clemson’s career leader in stroke average. In addition, he set eight season records for the Tigers this past year. Trahan won the South Carolina Amateur in 2001. He is a three-time All-American and was also an Academic All-American in 2002. He was named Player-of-the-Year in the ACC this season, only the second Tiger to receive such an honor. He was also named co-honoree as IPTAY’s Athlete-of-the-Year (with baseball’s Khalil Greene) for his efforts. Trahan will be a senior for the Tigers this fall.

Clemson Golf Selections to the 50th Anniversary All-ACC Team

Clarence Rose 1979-80 Dillard Pruitt 1980-84 Kevin Johnson 1985-89 Chris Patton 1986-90 Nicky Goetze 1989-93 Danny Ellis 1989-93 Richard Coughlan 1993-97 Charles Warren 1994-98 Jonathan Byrd 1997-00 John Engler 1998-01 Lucas Glover 1998-01 D.J. Trahan 1999-Present