April 2, 2004

Columbia, SC –
The 2004 class of the University of South Carolina Athletics Hall of Fame features eight new inductees with the induction ceremony scheduled for Sept. 17.

This year’s inductees are:

Ray Avant … two-time Southern Conference boxing champion of the late 1940s

J.R. Wilburn … All-ACC performer in track and football in the mid-1960s … went on to play pro football with the Pittsburgh Steelers

Tom Owens … the only USC basketball player to score 1,000 points and grab 1,000 rebounds in three seasons … All-ACC selection who led the league in rebounding for three straight years, averaging 13.3 for his career

Brandon Bennett … USC’s third leading career rusher with 2,983 yards … holds the single game rushing mark of 278 yards in 1991 … finished his career with the most pass receptions (107) for a USC running back

Mac White … All-America baseball player in 1994, he was a two-time All-SEC selection … holds the school record for most hits and doubles and is tied for the career mark in triples and RBIs … also holds the school mark for total bases, putouts by an outfielder and 236 consecutive games played

Shannon Johnson … three-time All-SEC women’s basketball selection … scored 2,230 career points for a career average of 20.5 … went on to have success playing professional basketball

Trinity Johnson … three-time All-America softball pitcher … named the National Player of the Year in 1997 and was the SEC Female Athlete of the Year in 1997

Bobby Richardson … head baseball coach at USC from 1970-76, he helped put Carolina baseball on the map … Won over 70 percent of his games as a coach … Led USC to runner-up finish in the 1975 College World Series … standout second baseman on several New York Yankee World Champion teams

Ticket information for the induction dinner on Sept. 17 will be forthcoming.