Penley To Be Honored By SC Hall Of Fame

May 17, 2004

Clemson Golf Coach Larry Penley will receive an achievement award from the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame for leading the Tiger golf team to a NCAA National Championship last season.

Penley will be honored along with the Professional and Amateur athletes of the year and the Class of 2004 at the SC Athletic Hall of Fame annual awards ceremony and induction on May 20th at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Columbia. Information about the SC Athletic hall of Fame can be found at www.southcarolinaathletichalloffame.org.

The class includes Dick Sheridan, who coached Furman to Southern Conference football domination; two-time American League home run champion Gorman Thomas; former Presbyterian College tennis standout Allen Morris, and five former football stars — Willie Scott and Tom Addison of the University of South Carolina, Jeff Bryant and Dreher “Goon” Gaskin of Clemson, and Charlie Brown of South Carolina State. All but Gaskin enjoyed standout pro careers.

To win the championship, the Tigers beat Oklahoma State on the Cowboys’ home course by two strokes. It was Clemson’s first national championship in golf and the program’s first in any sport in 16 years. In addition to the championship, Penley’s team became the first in NCAA history to win its conference, regional and national championships in the same year. The Tigers started and ended the year as the number one ranked team in the nation and Penley was named the National Coach of the year by Golfweek and the Golf Coaches Association. He also received coach of the year honors from the ACC. In January 2004 Penley was inducted into the Golf Coaches Association Hall of Fame.