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2019 Clemson Hall of Fame Inductees

2019 Clemson Hall of Fame Inductees2019 Clemson Hall of Fame Inductees

Note: The following appears in the Wake Forest gameday football program.

Eight former Clemson student-athletes representing seven sports, plus a former athletic director who made one of the most important coaching hires in the 124-year history of the school’s athletic department, represent the 2019 Clemson Hall of Fame class. The announcement was made by Director of Block C Club Bob Mahony, who oversees the hall of fame and its selection process.

This year’s class includes six former All-Americans, a national player-of-the-year, three athletes who were named to ACC 50-Year Anniversary teams and three athletes who are still in the top 10 in scoring for their respective sports.

The class includes Clemson’s No. 2 all-time leading rusher, James Davis, All-America offensive lineman Dave Thompson, baseball All-American and former Major Leaguer Brian Kowitz, former All-ACC basketball player K.C. Rivers, Jimmy Glenn, a finalist for the Hermann Award, the Heisman Trophy of college soccer, and tennis player Mitch Sprengelmeyer, the first player in the nation to win national senior player-of-the-year honors and the national sportsmanship award (Van Nostrand Award) in the same year.

Also included in the 2019 Clemson Hall of Fame class are Karen Hartmann, a women’s track & field standout who was named to the ACC 50-Year Anniversary team in 2002, Nadra Simmons, a seven-time swimming All-American, and Dr. Terry Don Phillips, Clemson’s award-winning athletic director from 2002-12 who made the decision to hire Dabo Swinney as head football coach in 2008.

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James Davis

FOOTBALL • 2005-08

• No. 2 in Clemson history with 3,881 rushing yards, just 85 rushing yards short of Raymond Priester’s career record.

• Had 47 rushing touchdowns, second most in Tiger history, and is fourth in Clemson history in total touchdowns (49) and seventh in points.

• First-Team All-ACC in 2006 and 2007, when he helped the Tigers to a bowl game each season.

• ACC Rookie-of-the-Year in the 2005 season, when he rushed for 879 yards and led Clemson to a top-25 final ranking.

• Named MVP of Clemson’s victory over Colorado in the 2005 Champs Sports Bowl when he had 28 carries for 150 yards and a touchdown in the Tigers’ 19-10 win.

• Had 1,187 rushing yards, 5.8 yards per carry and 17 touchdowns in 2006, then followed that with 1,064 rushing yards in 2007.

• Will always be remembered for his career-high 216-yard rushing game in Clemson’s win over No. 12 Georgia Tech in 2006.

• Finished his career with 14 100-yard rushing games, third most in Clemson history.

• Led Clemson in rushing yards all four years, the only Tiger in history to lead the team four times.

• Played two years with the Cleveland Browns.

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Jimmy Glenn

SOCCER • 1990-93

• One of four finalists for the Hermann Trophy in 1993.

• Unanimous first-team All-American in 1993 and was one of four finalists for the Missouri Award.

• ACC Player-of-the-Year in 1993, when he led the nation in goals (32).

• Led Clemson in goals and points in 1990, 1991 and 1993.

• His 32 goals are still tied for the Clemson season record and are eighth most in NCAA history.

• His 76 points in 1993 are still most in Clemson history and fifth most in NCAA history.

• Had 32 goals and 12 assists in 1993, the only player in Clemson history with 30 goals and double-figure assists in one year.

• Had eight “hat tricks” in his career, tied for most in Clemson history. Four of the “hat tricks” came in the 1993 season.

• Third in Clemson history in career points (164) and third in Tiger history in career goals (68). He also totaled 28 career assists.

• Clemson finished ranked No. 5 in the nation in 1990, when Glenn was a freshman, and No. 5 in 1993, his senior year.

• Scored the game-winning goal with one second left to beat top-ranked Virginia in 1993.

• Named to the ACC’s 50-Year Anniversary team.

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Karen Hartmann

TRACK & FIELD • 1992-95

• Named to the ACC’s 50-Year Anniversary team in 2002.

• Burst on the scene when she earned All-America honors as a freshman. She finished third in the 800m at the NCAA indoor meet with a time of 2:04.55, fourth fastest in Clemson history.

• Earned All-America honors outdoors as a freshman and finished sixth at the NCAA Championships in the 1500m (4:22.72).

• MVP of the ACC Indoor Championships in 1993, when she won the mile and 800m. She is the only Tiger to win two individual events at that ACC Championships and became the second Tiger to earn ACC Indoor Championships MVP honors in history.

• Competed in the 800m at the NCAA Indoor Championships in 1992 and 1993, still the only Tiger to make it to the NCAA Indoor Championships in the 800m twice.

• Helped the 1992 indoor team to a No. 22 national finish and the 1992 outdoor team to a No. 17 national finish.

• Helped the indoor team to the ACC title in 1992, while the Tigers finished second two other times in her career.

• Her 2:04.55 time in the 800m indoors is fourth fastest in Clemson history, and her indoor mile time is seventh fastest. Her 1500m outdoor time (4:15.87) is still third fastest 24 years after she graduated.

• Five-time All-ACC honoree overall.

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Brian Kowitz

BASEBALL • 1988-90

• Received national acclaim in 1990 for his 37-game hitting streak, second longest in school history and one of the top-25 streaks in NCAA history.

• Hit .430 (61-for-142) with 43 RBIs and 45 runs during his 37-game hitting streak.

• Second-team All-American by Baseball America in 1990.

• ACC-Player-of-the-Year in 1990, when he was second in the nation in runs. He is one of just three Tiger outfielders named ACC Player-of-the-Year since 1975.

• Second-Team All-ACC selection in 1989 and First-Team All-ACC pick in 1990.

• Selected to the All-ACC Tournament team in 1988 and 1990.

• Named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll in 1988 and 1990.

• Chosen All-Atlantic Region in the 1990 season.

• Won the Mitchell Award as team MVP in 1990.

• In 1990, he batted .403 with 102 hits, 60 RBIs and 87 runs. His 102 hits are 10th most in Clemson history and his 87 runs are fourth most in Tiger history. He had a team-high 22 doubles and 34 steals as well.

• Had a career .319 batting average with 53 doubles, 11 triples and 124 RBIs.

• Ninth-round draft pick by Atlanta in 1990 and played for the Braves in 1995.

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Dr. Terry Don Phillips

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR • 2002-12

• During his tenure (2002-12), Clemson had 57 top-25 finishes and won 13 ACC championships in all sports.

• The Clemson football team had six top-25 seasons, including an 11-2 record in his final year as athletic director, the program’s most wins in 31 years. The Tigers defeated a top-10 Louisiana State team in his final game.

• In 2011, the football Tigers won their first ACC championship in 20 years with a 38-10 win over Virginia Tech.

• Under Phillips, the athletic program invested more than $140 million in facilities.

• NACDA Athletic Director-of-the-Year for the Southeast region in 2012.

• Bleacher Report named him one of the nation’s top-25 athletic directors.

• In 2012, he won the Bobby Dodd Athletic Director Award.

• WestZone and indoor football facility were constructed under his watch.

• He hired Dabo Swinney to an interim position in October 2008, then named him the permanent football head coach at the end of the regular season. Swinney has led Clemson to two national championships and five ACC titles. He is the winningest active coach in the country in terms of winning percentage.

• Phillips also hired Brad Brownell, the men’s basketball head coach, who will become Clemson’s winningest basketball coach this season.

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K.C. Rivers

BASKETBALL • 2005-09

• Eighth in Clemson history in points (1,684). He was one of the most consistent players in school history, as he averaged between 14.0 and 14.7 points per game each of his last three seasons.

• Second-Team All-ACC selection in 2007-08, when he led Clemson to one of its best seasons, a 24-10 record, a third-place finish in the ACC regular-season standings and its second appearance in the ACC Championship game, including its first since 1962.

• Scored 28 points in the ACC Championship game against North Carolina. That team finished No. 22 in the AP poll, the best final ranking for the program in 11 seasons.

• Was a second-team all-district pick by ABCA in 2007-08.

• Led Clemson’s 2007-08 team in scoring (14.7).

• Helped Clemson to the NCAA Tournament each of his last two years and to the NIT finals as a sophomore.

• Made 88 three-pointers in 2006-07, fifth most in school history.

• Clemson’s career leader in three pointers (281) and is third in steals (210). He made a Tiger-record-tying eight three-pointers at Virginia in 2008.

• Has gone on to a long professional career, mostly in Europe. In 2014-15, he played on the Real Madrid team that won the Euro League and Spanish League titles.

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Nadra Simmons

SWIMMING • 1984-88

• Seven-time All-America selection over three seasons during the greatest era of Clemson women’s swimming. That included earning All-America honors in the 100 backstroke three consecutive years (1985-87).

• The team finished 19th at the NCAA Championships in 1985, seventh in 1986 and a program-best fifth in 1987 and 1988.

• Clemson won the women’s program’s first ACC title in the 1987 season, then it duplicated the feat in the 1988 season.

• She first won All-America accolades in the 100 backstroke at Texas in the 1985 season.

• Won All-America honors in the backstroke in 1986 and also was an All-American on the 200 medley relay and the 400 medley relay. She duplicated the feat in 1987.

• Captured ACC championship honors in the 100 backstroke (56.87) in the 1986 season.

• She qualified for the U.S. Olympic Trials in the backstroke in 1984 and 1988.

• Inducted into the Indiana High School Swimming Hall of Fame in 2015. She was a four-time high school All-American at Jefferson High School in Indiana.

• Nadra Simmons Woerner is now living in Zionsville, Ind. with her husband, Tim, and their two children.

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Mitch Sprengelmeyer

TENNIS • 1994-97

• Named ITA National Senior Player-of-the-Year in 1997, then won the Van Nostrand Award for sportsmanship in 1997, the first player in college tennis history to win both honors in the same year.

• Had a 36-7 record in 1997, as his 83.7 winning percentage is fourth in school history. That included an incredible 11-2 record in tiebreakers.

• All-American in singles in 1997 and an All-American in doubles in 1996.

• Finished his career with a 115-50 record in singles and 112-48 record in doubles. He was one of 12 players in Clemson history to win 100+ matches of each in a career and is eighth in career doubles victories.

• Had a strong junior year, as he finished 30-13 in singles and was No. 59 in the final ITA rankings. He and Bruce Li were ranked No. 10 as a doubles team that year.

• Led Clemson to the ACC team title, the school’s first since 1988. He was a big reason Clemson was 3-0 in the tournament in Atlanta, Ga., including a 4-3 upset of Duke in the championship match.

• Led Clemson to a No. 19 national finish in 1997 as a senior. He was No. 19 in the final singles poll.

• Four-time honoree on the ACC Academic Honor Roll.

• Named to the ACC’s 50-Year Anniversary team in 2002.

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Dave Thompson

FOOTBALL • 1968-70

• First-team All-American by Newspaper Enterprise Association and second-team All-American by UPI in 1970 as an offensive guard.

• Joined Wayne Mass and Harry Olszewski as the only Tiger offensive linemen to earn All-America honors between 1960-76.

• First-Team All-ACC selection in 1970 as an offensive guard.

• Won the Jacob’s Blocking Trophy for the state of South Carolina in the 1970 season.

• Starter at center for all 10 games as a junior in 1969, then played all 11 games at offensive guard in 1970. His versatility was a key to his success at the professional level.

• Second-round selection (No. 30 overall) of the Lions in the 1971 NFL draft. By today’s standards, he would have been a first-round selection.

• Highest drafted pure offensive lineman in Clemson history with his No. 30 overall selection. Lou Cordileone (No. 12) and Harold Olson (No. 13) went both ways when they were chosen in the 1960 draft.

• Played 56 games over five years in the NFL. He played all 14 games in three of those five seasons. He played for the Detroit Lions from 1971-73 and New Orleans Saints from 1974-75. He was on the practice squad for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976.

• Came to Clemson from Fairfax, Ala.