Friday 09/07/2007
Sept. 7, 2007
Lester BrownFootball 1976-79 Described by Head Coach Danny Ford as “not a bulky back, but a slicing runner with a knack for finding the endzone,” Lester Brown was one of the best running backs in school history. The Myrtle Beach, SC native still is second on Clemson’s career touchdown list with 32, behind only All-ACC running back Travis Zachery, who was a senior in 2000.
Brown’s 31 career rushing touchdowns are second-most in school history, also behind Zachery, who had an ACC-record 50. Brown was a First-Team All-ACC selection in 1978 when the team went 11-1 and finished ranked #6 in the nation.
His junior season of 1978 was quite a success for Brown, as he scored 17 rushing touchdowns, a single-season record that was not equaled until James Davis tallied 17 in 2006. Also that year, Brown finished fourth in the nation in scoring with 9.3 points per game, and he led the team in scoring in both 1977 and 1978. His 102 points in 1978 still is fourth-most in a season in school history. He totaled 1,022 yards that season, leading the team in rushing while averaging 5.1 yards per carry.
For his career, Brown had 2,228 rushing yards, becoming only the fourth player in Clemson history to rush for over 2,000 yards. That total also stands 11th on the school’s career rushing list. In his time at Clemson, he totaled 192 points, eighth-most in Tiger history. Brown’s number was called frequently, as he is 10th in career carries (505). His best single-game performance came against Virginia when he totaled 178 rushing yards on 19 carries in 1978.
Remembered for having tremendous leaping ability when he got close to the goal line, Brown jumped over defenders into the endzone on numerous occasions. His unique touchdown celebration dance became a common sight at Death Valley.
Brown graduated from Clemson after his professional playing career ended. He played seven years in the Canadian Football League as a running back for Saskatchewan, Montreal, Toronto, and Winnipeg. His son Corey is currently a sprinter on Clemson’s track team.
Woodrow DantzlerFootball 1998-01 Woodrow Dantzler is the best Clemson dual-threat quarterback in history. During the 2001 season, he became the first player in college football history to rush for over 1,000 yards and pass for over 2,000 yards in the same season.
In 2001, the native of Orangeburg, SC was a finalist for the Walter Camp Award, given to the nation’s best player, and the Davey O’Brien Award for the nation’s top quarterback. He was also highly touted as a Heisman Trophy candidate in 2000 and 2001. Dantzler became only the third player in NCAA history to throw for over 5,000 yards and rush for over 2,500 yards in a career.
Dantzler’s name can be found all over the Tiger football recordbook. In total, he set eight single-game records, 23 season records, and 22 career records. His 132.5 pass efficiency mark is the best in school history among quarterbacks who have over 350 pass attempts.
Dantzler ranks fifth in career rushing yards (2,761) and is tied for fifth with 27 career rushing touchdowns. His 6,037 passing yards are second-most in school history behind current San Diego Charger quarterback Charlie Whitehurst. He also is second in total offense, completions, completion percentage, and touchdown passes, all behind Whitehurst.
Some of the top individual performances in Clemson history belong to Dantzler. In 2001, he accounted for 517 total yards at N.C. State, arguably the best single-game performance ever by a Tiger. That total is fifth-most in a game in ACC history. His 333 passing yards in that game are third-most in Tiger history. He also holds the school record for completion percentage in a game at 94 percent, a 16-17 performance against The Citadel in 2000. His 11 career 100-yard rushing games are also the most by a Clemson quarterback.
The 2001 season was a remarkable senior year for Dantzler. He was the first Tiger since 1953 to lead the team in rushing and passing in the same season, and he was the first ACC player to do so since 1976. This accomplishment helped earn him First-Team All-ACC honors. He won the McFadden Award, presented to the top college football player in South Carolina. Dantzler led the Tigers to a win in the Humanitarian Bowl over Louisiana Tech when he threw four touchdown passes and was named MVP of the game. He was also twice named national player-of-the-week, and he was invited to participate in the East-West game and Senior Bowl at the end of the season.
After graduating with a degree in marketing in 2001, he played in the NFL for Atlanta and Dallas. One of his professional highlights was an 84-yard kickoff return for a touchdown for the Cowboys in 2002. He played in the Arena Football League for the Chicago Rush in 2007 as well.
Amy GerenBasketball 1995-99 Amy Geren was one of the greatest shooters in Lady Tiger basketball history. The Cleveland, TN native is second in school history in three-point field goals (199) and still holds the career record for free-throw percentage (84.8). While at Clemson, her team won the school’s only ACC Championships in women’s basketball in 1996 and 1999.
While in high school, she was a basketball and volleyball star, leading her volleyball team to two state titles. Both her basketball and volleyball jerseys were retired by her school.
Continuing her success at Clemson, Geren was named to the All-ACC freshman team in 1996. That year, she also led the ACC in free-throw percentage and set the school record for free-throw percentage by a freshman. She was twice ACC Rookie-of-the-Week and was named to the All-ACC Tournament second team in helping the Lady Tigers to their first-ever ACC Championship.
In her third year at Clemson, Geren’s shooting prowess continued, as she led the ACC in free-throw percentage (87.6), the highest of her career and tied for ninth-best in the nation. She also led the ACC in three-point percentage. Deservingly, she was named First-Team All-ACC for the first time in her career. She led the team in scoring and was twice named ACC Player-of-the-Week.
Geren’s senior season proved to be her most successful. She again led the team in scoring with 13.5 points per game and led the ACC in free-throw percentage, setting the school record for free-throw percentage by a senior. These accomplishments helped her earn First-Team All-ACC honors for the second season in a row.
She was also named to the All-ACC Tournament second team for the third time in her career and helped the Lady Tigers win their second ACC title. Geren was selected to the WBCA All-Star Game and also won the national three-point shooting contest, where she defeated Jason Terry of Arizona, who is now a player in the NBA. She was co-MVP of the team and also made the Academic All-ACC team that year. Her senior class is the winningest class in Clemson history with a 93-33 record as well.
Geren finished her career third in free throws made in school history, behind former Lady Tiger stars Barbara Kennedy and Itoro Umoh. She tied the record for most three-pointers in a game with six and finished second in three-pointers made in a season with 70. She is second in school history for career three-pointers per game and three-point attempts. She also holds the ACC Tournament record for free throws made and attempted in a single tournament.
Geren graduated in 1999 with a degree in sociology. She is currently a teacher and high school basketball coach in her hometown of Cleveland, TN.
Lucas GloverGolf 1997-01 Clemson has had many talented golfers come through its program, and one of the best was Lucas Glover. The Greenville, SC native won three tourneys in his collegiate career and was a three-time All-American. While at Clemson, he helped the team to four national top-10 finishes, including second place in 1998 and third in 2001. He is now enjoying a successful career on the PGA Tour and was named to the U.S. President’s Cup team in August.
Glover is third in Tiger history with a career stroke average of 71.95. He is also third in school history for rounds at par or better with 86. He was named First-Team All-ACC from 1999-01 and was selected as a member of the ACC’s 50-Year Anniversary team in 2002.
Glover wasted little time in making his mark on Tiger golf, winning two tournaments during the 1998 calendar year, the Carpet Classic in Dalton, GA, and at Mauna Kea in Hawaii.
As an amateur, he became the first person to win the South Carolina Amateur Championship three consecutive years (1998-00), defeating many of his Tiger teammates. In 2001, he won the Puerto Rico Classic and the Sunnehanna Amateur. Glover was also a member of the 2001 Walker Cup team along with the 2000 and 2001 Palmer Cup squads. He was among the top-10 golfers in the nation for three straight years (1999-01).
Glover played on the Nationwide Tour, winning one event, the Gila River Classic in 2003, and finished 17th overall on the Tour to earn his PGA Tour card. He won the Funai Classic at Walt Disney World in 2005 and finished 30th on the PGA Tour money list that year, earning over $2 million.
In 2006, he had nine top-10 finishes, most ever for a former Tiger, helping him finish 21st on the money list, the highest finish by a former Tiger in history. Recently, he tied for 20th in the Masters at Augusta, GA, where he had been attending as a spectator with his family since he was a boy.
Glover attributes his start in golf to his grandfather Dick Hendley, who introduced him to the game at the age of five. Fittingly, Hendley is also a member of the Clemson Hall of Fame, as he played football and baseball at Clemson from 1946-51. This is the first grandfather-grandson Hall of Fame combination in Tiger history.
Glover graduated from Clemson in 2005 with a degree in communication studies. He is currently playing in his fourth full season on the PGA Tour and is among the top-50 players on the PGA Tour money list.
Khalil GreeneBaseball 1999-02 Khalil Greene was not only one of Clemson’s best, but one of college baseball’s best players between 1999-02. The infielder was named unanimous national player-of-the-year in the 2002 season, winning the Dick Howser Trophy, Golden Spikes Award, and Rotary Smith Award as the nation’s most outstanding player. Kris Benson is the only other Tiger baseball player in history to be named national player-of-the-year.
The quiet player from Key West, FL did his talking on the field. Playing at third base his freshman year, he had the most hits ever by a freshman, as he led the team in hits, multi-hit games, and at-bats. He was named to the All-ACC Tournament team, All-Regional team, and was a freshman All-American.
During Greene’s sophomore season, his success continued, as he earned Second-Team All-ACC honors and was named to the All-ACC Tournament team once again. That year he was also voted team MVP.
His junior year brought a change of position from third to shortstop, but that did not seem to effect Greene’s play. He had a Tiger-record .965 fielding percentage at shortstop that year and led the team in doubles. He was named First-Team All-ACC in his first season at shortstop.
Greene’s senior year was perhaps the best individual season in Clemson baseball history. He broke his fielding record at shortstop while averaging .470 with 27 home runs and 91 RBIs on the season. He led the nation in hits, doubles, runs scored, and total bases. He was named team MVP, ACC Player-of-the-Year, first-team All-American, and national player-of-the-year. He also made the All-ACC Tournament team for the third time in his career. He led the Tigers to an appearance in the Final Four of the College World Series and had a 34-game hitting streak as well.
For a player who disliked being in the spotlight, Greene certainly found himself in it quite a bit. He holds Clemson career records for games, at-bats, hits, doubles, extra-base hits, RBIs, total bases, and hit-by-pitches. His 1,069 at-bats, 403 hits, 95 doubles, and 276 RBIs are all ACC records. He is seventh in school history for career batting average (.377). He is tied for fourth with 52 career home runs as well. It does not stop there, as he holds NCAA records for career doubles and consecutive starts (269), and he is second all-time in hits.
Greene was a first-round draft pick of the San Diego Padres in 2002, the #13 overall selection of the entire draft. In his rookie season in the majors, he finished second in the voting for National League Rookie-of-the-Year. He is currently the starting shortstop for the Padres and has already established a record for homers by a Padre shortstop this year.
Terrell McIntyreBasketball 1995-99 One of the smallest guards in Tiger men’s basketball history also turned out to be one the best players the Tigers have ever had. Standing only 5’9″ tall, Terrell McIntyre was not an imposing figure. However, his records say otherwise. The point guard from the small town of Raeford, NC led the Tigers to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 1996-98, the only three-year streak in school history. His 1,839 career points are second-most in Clemson history behind Elden Campbell. Add to that his 194 steals, second-most in school history, and 577 career assists, third-most in school history, and it is clear that McIntyre left his mark on the Tiger program.
Prior to coming to Clemson, life was not easy for McIntyre. His mother raised him and his younger brother alone. McIntyre’s stepfather played a big role in his life, coming to all of his basketball games. But during his senior year in high school, his stepfather was killed in a tragic accident while at work. This hit McIntyre very hard, and he was still grieving when he started at Clemson.
Then Assistant Coach Larry Shyatt took McIntyre under his wing and acted like a father to him. This helped McIntyre through the rough times, and his basketball career at Clemson took off. He made the All-ACC freshman team during his first season (1994-95). He was MVP or co-MVP of the team all four years, the only Clemson basketball player to ever achieve that distinction. He led the team in steals and assists all four years, and he is also the career leader in minutes played in school history.
Along with being a great point guard, McIntyre was also a great three-point shooter and scorer. He holds the Tiger record for career three-pointers (259), which is also 12th in ACC history. In the 1998-99 season, he led the ACC in scoring with 17.9 points per game. He is tied with Campbell and Greg Buckner for the most double-digit scoring games in a career (97).
McIntyre was a three-time All-ACC selection, only the fifth player in school history to be named All-ACC three times. In his junior season, he made the All-ACC Tournament first team. Following that during his senior year, he made the NIT All-Tournament team after leading the Tigers to the NIT Finals. He was also named second-team all-district.
In all, McIntyre holds or is tied for six career records, six season records, and three single-game records in Clemson history. He went on the play in the NBDL and currently plays professionally in Italy. Recently, he was named MVP of the Italian A League while leading his team to the championship. In one game two years ago, he made an Italian League record 10 three-point goals.
Kerry RobinsonTrack & Field 1980-84 During the early 1980s, women were just starting to break into athletics, and one of the frontrunners in Clemson female athletics was Kerry Robinson. From Dunfermline, Scotland, Robinson came to Clemson as a distance runner. In her first season, she became one of the first female All-Americans in school history. Robinson joined Cindy Duarte as the first female All-Americans in cross country at Clemson in 1981. That 1981 team finished sixth in the country.
During her freshman season at Clemson, Robinson made history when she was named an All-American. She was also named First-Team All-ACC, first-team all-region, and all-district. She finished 25th nationally in cross country that year as well.
Robinson continued to succeed during her sophomore year. Once again she was named First-Team All-ACC, first-team all-region, and all-district. She set the Clemson outdoor record in the 3,000m that still stands today. She also participated in the NCAA Championship in the 3,000m.
Her junior season at Clemson brought more accolades and another school record for Robinson. She was named First-Team All-ACC, first-team all-region, and all-district for the third consecutive year. In the first-ever ACC Outdoor Track Championship meet, she won the 5,000m title and set the school record in that event, which has yet to be equaled. Once again, she participated in the NCAA Championship meet, this time in the 5,000m.
Robinson finished as a four-time letterwinner and graduated from Clemson in 1984 with a degree in food science. In 2002, she was named to the ACC’s 50-Year Anniversary cross country team. She now holds a doctorate degree and is a technical specialist for Mead/Westvaco Corporation in Charleston, SC.
Nelson WelchFootball 1991-94 Nelson Welch was perhaps the best placekicker in Tiger history. From nearby Greer, SC, he holds the career record for field goals (72). He is also second in career scoring with 301 points, behind only fellow kicker Aaron Hunt. He was a third-team All-American as a sophomore in 1992, only the second sophomore in school history to be named an All-American. The other sophomore All-American was William Perry, also a member of the Clemson Hall of Fame.
While at Clemson, Welch finished in the top 15 in the nation in field goals made per game during all four seasons, still the only ACC player to ever accomplish that feat. He also led the Tigers in scoring during all four seasons, the only Clemson player to accomplish that feat. Welch holds the Tiger record for multiple field goal games in a career with 25. He is also second in kick scoring and fifth in PATs in a career. His 21 field goals of 40 yards or more is also second-most in school history behind only Clemson Hall of Fame member Chris Gardocki’s 23.
In his freshman year, Welch was named First-Team All-ACC, as he helped the Tigers to a first-place conference finish and top-20 national finish. He scored 88 points that year, including a five-field-goal performance against N.C. State that set the school record for most yards on field goals in a game. He finished the season tied for fourth in the nation in field goals per game as well.
Welch’s sophomore campaign was even more successful. Along with being named an All-American, his 89 points led the ACC and the 22 field goals are tied for third-most in a season in school history. He finished the year second in the nation in field goals per game and 11th in scoring. He was selected Second-Team All-ACC for his achievements. One of the highlights of the year was the Virginia game, as Welch kicked the game-winning field goal in the greatest comeback in Clemson history.
The following year, Welch again was named Second-Team All-ACC, and he finished in the top 15 in the nation in field goals per game. He helped the team to a third-place finish in the conference and a victory in the Peach Bowl. Even better, he kicked the game-winner against South Carolina, again showing his clutch-kicking ability.
In Welch’s final season, he continued his steady performance. He finished in the top 15 in the nation in field goals per game and was rewarded with another Second-Team All-ACC selection. This made history, as he is the first and only Clemson football player to be a four-time, all-conference selection.
Welch was selected to participate in the Blue-Gray game and Senior Bowl. Welch finished his career as the ACC’s all-time field-goal leader. He also served as a punter at Clemson, though placekicking was his strength. He led the team in punting average three times.
After graduating from Clemson, he had brief stints in the NFL and CFL. He is now a sales representative for Adidas. Welch and his wife Kristen have a son Davis (5).
Summaries written by McKenna Maertens, a senior from Clemson, SC and student assistant in the Clemson Sports Information Office.
December 8, 2024
