On Friday, October 9, the Block C Club welcomed 10 new members into the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame. The 2015 class included student-athletes that competed for Clemson as far back as 1977 and as recently as the year 2000. The 10 new members were inducted into the Clemson Athletic Hall Of Fame during a Friday night ceremony and where then recognized on the field, prior to the Clemson vs. Georgia Tech football game.
Executive Director of the Block C Club, Bob Mahony, had this to say about the new class: “I am very excited about the 2015 Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame class. Each year there is a competitive pool of candidates and these 10 individuals came to the top. Each one is very deserving of this prestigious honor. These former Tiger standouts have gone on to be leaders in their communities and continue to represent the Clemson Family in an exemplary way. There have been many outstanding student-athletes here at Clemson and to be recognized as a member of the Hall Of Fame is very special.”
Below is a short bio on each of the 2015 inductees.
Nancy Augustyniak (Goffi)
SOCCER • 1997-00
Nancy Augustyniak was a four-year starter for the women’s soccer team as a defender and was a big reason Clemson’s program got off to such a great start on a national basis.
In her four years with the program, Clemson won 64 matches against just 24 losses with three ties. That included the 2000 season, when Clemson won the ACC regular-season championship and finished ranked No. 5, the highest finish in school history.
Clemson reached the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16 all four seasons, including three visits to the Elite Eight, the only four-year period in history Clemson has made three national quarterfinal appearances in a four-year period. The team was ranked No. 10, No. 11, No. 6 and No. 5 in the final polls, respectively, during her playing career.
The squad was competitive nationally all four seasons, as the Tigers recorded 19 victories over top-25 teams.
Augustyniak joined forces with her twin sister, Julie, to form a Clemson defense that allowed less than two goals in all but four games in that 2000 campaign. The season included a 2-1 victory over top-ranked North Carolina, a victory that moved Clemson to a No. 2 national ranking.
Augustyniak was a Second-Team All-ACC selection during the 1999 season and was a second-team All-American as a defender as a senior in 2000. She was also named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll.
Fifth all-time in school history in starts (85), Augustyniak was named to the ACC 50-Year Anniversary team in 2002. She played professionally with the Atlanta Beat and Boston Breakers.
Jay Berger
TENNIS • 1985,86
Jay Berger was one of the top players on two Tiger men’s tennis teams that finished in the top 10 in the nation under Hall of Fame head coach Chuck Kriese. In two years, he was named First-Team All-ACC in 1985 and 1986, and was an All-American in 1986.
Clemson finished No. 8 in the nation in 1985 after a 24-12 season, and the Tigers finished No. 5, the program’s highest ranking ever, after a 31-7 season in 1986. The 31 wins are still tied for second most in school history. Both the 1985 and 1986 squads were 7-0 in the ACC and won the ACC title.
In 1985 as a freshman, Berger won 57 matches and lost just 11 as Clemson’s No. 4 player. The 57 wins were the most by a Tiger that year and still are second most in a season in Clemson history. In September 1985, Berger reached the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open, still the only time an active Clemson student advanced that far at a Grand Slam event.
The following spring, he played the No. 1 position in the lineup and had a 34-11 singles record. He was 20-4 with Kent Kinnear in doubles play as well.
With a 91-22 record in two years, Berger is sixth on the Clemson career list for best winning percentage in singles play (80.5).
As a professional, Berger was a two-time member of the U.S. Davis Cup team. His best year was 1989, when he reached the quarterfinals of the French Open and U.S. Open.
Berger was named to the ACC 50-Year Anniversary Team in 2002.
He coached the 2012 U.S. Tennis Olympic Team and currently serves as head of men’s tennis for the USTA. His son, Daniel, is on the PGA Tour.
Duane Bruley
MEN’S TENNIS COACH • 1963-73
Duane Bruley coached the Clemson tennis program for 11 years. He had previously coached at Tennessee and was not expecting to coach at Clemson, but when Frank Howard offered him the coaching position, he could not pass up the opportunity. During his time at Clemson, he was also a chemical engineering professor.
After beating NC State 9-0 in 1969, Bruley’s Tigers finished undefeated with a 16-0 record. The 16-match win streak is the second-longest winning streak in Clemson history. Later that season in the postseason tournament, the Tigers captured their first ACC championship in program history. Clemson finished three points ahead of North Carolina to win the tournament.
In 1971, Clemson again won the ACC regular-season championship. The title came after the Tigers defeated Duke 6-0 in the last regular-season match.
Bruley coached eight ACC champions in singles and six ACC champions in doubles. Ten of Bruley’s players were named All-ACC.
Over his 11 years as the Tiger coach, he produced 34 All-ACC Academic selections. He was especially outstanding in ACC play, leading Clemson to a 61-14 record in regular-season play, an incredible 81.3 winning percentage. He won 20 of his last 21 conference matches as well.
Bruley finished with a 150-42 record as head coach, and that 78.2 winning percentage is the best in Clemson history for any coach regardless of sport who coached 10+ years with the program.
Bruley coached in a different time of college athletics. Despite the level of success, he left Clemson after the 1973 season to continue his career as head of the chemical engineering department at Tulane.
Danny Ellis
GOLF • 1989-93
Danny Ellis was one of the dominant Clemson golfers of the 1990s. He was the first freshman in Clemson golf history to be chosen as an All-American. Ellis was a three-time All-American, with honorable mention accolades in 1990, 1992 and 1993. He also earned two First-Team All-ACC honors.
Ellis was a part of the ACC championship team in 1990 as a freshman and finished eighth at the NCAA National Tournament, quite an accomplishment for a freshman. He was Clemson’s top player at that 1990 NCAA Tournament, helping the Tigers to a No. 13 national finish.
In 1992, Ellis won the ACC Tournament, earning medalist honors with a score of 208, eight-under par. Among the players he beat were future British Open champions David Duval and Stewart Cink.
Ellis was a starter on the 1993 team that finished No. 4 in the nation. That team won the NCAA East Regional in 1993 in Charlottesville, Va., where they finished first out of 23 teams. Ellis was a big reason with a fifth-place finish and 213 score. It was the first of now seven NCAA regional titles for the program. Individually, Ellis had six top-10 finishes in 1993.
A four-year letterman, Ellis was 10th in Clemson history in career stroke average when he finished. He was named to the ACC 50-Year Anniversary team in 2002. He played on four NCAA Tournament teams that finished in the top 20 as well.
After finishing his Clemson career, Ellis finished second in the U.S. Amateur in 1993, and it got him an invitation to play in the 1994 Masters. He went on to a long career on the PGA Tour, where he had nine top-25 finishes.
Ed McDaniel
FOOTBALL • 1988-91
Ed McDaniel was a four-year starter during a great era in Clemson football. During McDaniel’s career, he was a part of a program that finished in the top 20 all four years, won two ACC championships and won three bowl games.
In 1991, McDaniel was named a first-team All-American by College & Pro Football Weekly and was an AP Third-Team All-American that season. He also received First-Team All-ACC honors and was one of four semifinalists for the Butkus Award.
Today, he would have gotten a trip to Orlando and the College Football Awards Show, but there was no such program in those days.
McDaniel had 114 tackles in the 1991 season, when Clemson led the nation in rushing defense. He paced the Tigers in 1990 as a junior with 109. That Clemson defense led the nation in total defense, the only Tiger team other than the 2014 squad to lead the nation in total defense.
McDaniel suffered some injuries his sophomore year and finished with just 62 tackles, but he helped that team to a 10-2 record, with wins over Florida State and West Virginia.
As a freshman, the inside linebacker had 104 tackles to lead the team that finished No. 9 in the polls.
In his career, McDaniel had 389 tackles, sixth most in school history. His fierce hitting also caused 10 fumbles, tied for first in school history with Jeff Davis.
McDaniel was drafted in 1991 by the Minnesota Vikings. During his NFL career, he earned his degree from Clemson. Playing his entire 10-year professional career with the Vikings, he was named to the Pro Bowl in 1998. He retired in 2001.
Linda Rutter (Blust)
SWIMMING • 1982-86
Linda Rutter earned several honors throughout her Clemson career, including All-America honors in consecutive season (1985,86).
Perhaps her top career honor took place at the ACC championships, where she won the 200 freestyle three consecutive years (1984-86). She is still the only ACC swimmer to win that event at the conference meet three straight years. She joins Paulette Russell (500 free, 1991-93) as the only Tigers to win an event at the ACC championships three consecutive years.
As a sophomore in 1984, she won the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle at the ACC championships, joining diver Nancy Wellish as the only Tiger to win two events at that ACC championship. Later that season, she participated in the Olympic Trials in the 400 and the 1000 freestyle events.
The 1985 season included another individual ACC championship in the 200 freestyle, and she was a part of the championship 800 freestyle. For the first time in her celebrated career, she also earned All-America honors in the same two events.
Rutter’s final year (1986) was just as successful. She was an ACC champion in the 200 freestyle for the third straight year and was again part of the 800 freestyle relay championship squad. At the NCAAs, she earned All-America honors in the 400 medley relay, 800 freestyle relay, 200 butterfly and 500 freestyle.
Clemson had landmark success as a team in 1986, as she helped Bob Boettner’s squad to a school-record No. 7 final ranking at the NCAA championships.
Rutter finished with six ACC championships and six All-America honors. She is third in the Clemson recordbook for fastest time in the 200 butterfly.
Tim Teufel
BASEBALL • 1979,80
Tim Teufel was a starter for Clemson in each of his two years with the program. He helped the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament and a final top-20 national ranking both seasons, including a trip to the 1980 College World Series. Clemson also won the ACC championship both years.
The native of Greenwich, Conn., batted .367 over his two seasons, ninth highest in Clemson history, but fifth among players with 200+ at-bats. He is even higher in terms of slugging percentage with a .668 figure, third in school history thanks to 244 total bases in 365 at-bats.
Teufel had 24 home runs in those two seasons, including 11 in 1980 when he led the ACC as a second-baseman. He is the only Tiger second-baseman in history to lead the ACC in long balls.
Teufel’s 1980 season was remarkable. In addition to the 11 home runs, he totaled 66 RBIs in just 46 games, hit a team-high .387, had a 43/13 walk-to-strikeout ratio and had 16 doubles. At the end of that season, he was named a Sporting News All-American, an All-Atlantic Region member and finished 11th in the country in RBIs per game. He was named Clemson team MVP as well.
Teufel had a knack for playing well against rival South Carolina. In the game that clinched the berth in the College World Series, he hit a first-inning home run against the Gamecocks in the 1980 regional championship game at Clemson.
Teufel played in the major leagues for 11 years with the Minnesota Twins, New York Mets and San Diego Padres. He was a member of the 1986 world champion New York Mets. He is now the third-base coach for the Mets.
Pearse Tormey
SOCCER • 1987-90
Pearse Tormey played soccer at Clemson from 1987-90. He was a starter on the 1987 national championship team and was a two-time All-American according to NSCAA.
Tormey led the Tigers in assists from 1988-90 and led the team in goals in 1989, while also earning the point-leader title in 1988 and 1989. His top scoring game came as a junior when he had four goals in a game against Presbyterian College on Oct. 3, 1989. He was also named MVP for the 1989 season when he was 20th in the nation in points (38).
Twice during his career, Tormey was named offensive MVP of the Clemson Invitational. In October 1990, he was named national player-of-the-week by Soccer America.
His successful career landed him All-ACC honors three times (1988-90). He was a starter on the 1990 team that won the ACC regular-season title and finished No. 4 in the national poll with a 16-4-1 record.
Tormey is one of just two Tigers in history to finish his career with 40 goals and 41 assists. The other is all-time great Bruce Murray, who won the 1987 Hermann Award. Tormey is eighth all-time in points and third in assists at Clemson.
Tormey was one of the most durable players in Clemson history, as he started 80 of 82 games. He is still in the top 10 in school history in matches and starts.
A former member of the Ireland National team, Tormey also played professionally with the Charleston Battery, Carolina Shamrocks and Greenville Lions.
Tormey is the eighth men’s soccer player to be inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame and the second since 2003.
Cheron Wells (Bland)
BASKETBALL • 1990-92
Cheron Wells played two impactful seasons with the Lady Tigers. She was a two-time, honorable mention All-American according to the American Women’s Federation and was team MVP both seasons.
The native of Dayton, Ohio became the first Clemson player to be named to the NCAA All-Region team when she helped the Lady Tigers to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, the only year Clemson has reached that level.
Her 14.5 scoring average is seventh best in school history on a per-game basis.
In 1991, Wells had one of her most memorable performances, as she had 26 points and 10 rebounds off the bench against top-ranked Virginia in Clemson’s 65-62 victory.
Wells was named to the ACC All-Tournament team that year and the NCAA East Regional all-tournament team in 1991. She was also the first Clemson women’s basketball player named to the All-NCAA Tournament team.
As a senior in 1992, the junior college transfer was named Second-Team All-ACC. For the second straight year, she helped Clemson to a win over the top-ranked team, as the Lady Tigers downed Maryland 72-55 in Littlejohn Coliseum.
Wells led the team in minutes and points per game in both seasons at Clemson. She led the team in steals in 1990-91 and assists in 1991-92, an example of her all-around abilities.
Her outstanding play contributed to the Lady Tigers being ranked in the top 25 both of her seasons. Clemson was No. 8 in the final 1990-91 poll and No. 19 in the final 1991-92 poll.
Billy Williams
BASKETBALL • 1977-80
Billy Williams played basketball for the Tigers from 1977-80 under Clemson Hall of Fame head coach Bill Foster and was the top scorer on the Tigers’ only team to reach the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.
Clemson defeated six top-20 teams during that 1979-80 season, including an 87-82 overtime victory over top-ranked Duke, the first time the Tigers defeated the nation’s No. 1 ranked team.
That 1979-80 season was his top season, as he averaged 18 points per game overall, but scored a league-high 20 points per game in ACC play. Fourteen times he scored 20 points in a conference game that year, and he continued his fine play in the postseason, as he led Clemson in scoring in the NCAA Tournament. In fact, his 19.0 scoring average for the four games is first in school history for NCAA Tournament play.
Williams played in a great era in ACC play, but he was an outstanding shooter against the tough competition. One must wonder what he would have done with a three-point shot (which did not start until 1986-87). He made 229 field goals as a senior, third in Clemson history for a season, and his 53-percent field-goal percentage is first in school history for a guard.
In addition to being named First-Team All-ACC in 1979-80, he was named to the Helms Foundation All-America team.
The native of Raleigh, N.C., was selected in the second round of the NBA draft by the Rockets in 1980, but Williams ended up playing professionally in Germany, becoming the second-leading scorer in the top division.
During the celebration of Clemson’s 100 years of basketball in 2012, Williams was named to the 25-man all-time Tiger team.
December 11, 2024
December 10, 2024
