Three Former Tigers to Enter S.C. Athletic Hall of Fame

April 28, 2003

Former professional athletes Kevin Long, J.R. Wilburn and Perry Tuttle of the NFL, and Xavier McDaniel of the NBA headline the 2003 inductee class of the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame. They will be joined by Clemson basketball and ABA all-star Randy Mahaffey, NASCAR great Buck Baker, Lady Tigers track star Tina Krebs and Marion duPont Scott, benefactor of the Springdale Race Course in Camden.

All eight will be inducted at the annual SCAHOF banquet at Embassy Suites on May 29 at 6 p.m. Individual tickets cost $80, and a table of eight, $500. To order tickets and for more information on sponsorships, call 779-0905.

Long, a running back for USC and the NY Jets became the first USC player to rush for 1000 yards in a season (1333 in 1975) and was inducted into the USC Hall of Fame in 2002. After a standout career at USC in the 1960’s, Wilburn played wide receiver and tight end for the Pittsburgh Steelers for five years.

Tuttle spent two seasons with the Buffalo Bills after his five receptions for 56 yards and 13 yard TD catch helped Clemson beat Nebraska in the 1981 Orange Bowl and put him on the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Known as the X-man, McDaniel led A.C. Flora High School to the 1981 state championship, and then played his college ball at Wichita State. Drafted by the Seattle Supersonics of the NBA, he made a reputation as a tough, aggressive defender, averaging 15.6 points and 6.1 rebounds per game.

Mahaffey was All-ACC and All-Academic ACC in basketball at Clemson, and then went on to play four seasons in the ABA and participate in the inaugural ABA All-Star game while playing for the Kentucky Colonels.

Baker, a Ridgeburg, SC native was the first NASCAR driver to win back-to-back championships. In 1999 he was selected as one of NASCAR’s 50 top drivers as part of the circuit’s 50th anniversary.

Tina Krebs was a track and cross-country competitor at Clemson in the 1980’s. She was a three time NCAA champion, and an eight time All American and holds Clemson records in both categories. She was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1993.

Marion duPont Scott was the first woman to ride astride in horse show competition. She saved the Carolina cup from extinction and started the Camden Training Center. In 1971 she started the Colonial Cup as America’s first $100,000 steeplechase. Prior to her death in 1983, Scott gave the 500-Acre Springdale Race Course in Camden, along with a $1M a year operating fund, to the state of South Carolina.

The SCAHOF is pleased to announce USC head Track & field coach Curtis Frye as the recipient of its 2003 Special Achievement Award. Frye led the USC women to the NCAA Outdoor title and both the men’s and the women’s teams to top 10 finishes and was named National Coach of the year in 2002. He was named to the 2004 USA Olympic Games Track and field staff where he will serve as women’s assistant coach for sprints and hurdles. He is a native of Vass, NC.