Former Gamecocks stars picked for SC Athletic Hall of Fame
Former South Carolina baseball star shortstop Drew Meyer and former Gamecocks basketball star Casey Manning highlight the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame’s Class of 2018.
The Class of 2018 also consists of former basketball great Ray Allen of Hillcrest High in Dalzell, Clemson wrestler Sammie Henson, S.C. State athlete Sam Goodwin, UCLA basketball star Kenny Washington of Beaufort and marathon swimmer Kathleen Wilson of Charleston.
The seven will be enshrined on May 14 at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. Tickets and program sponsorships are available by calling the SCAHOF office at 803-779-0905.
DREW MEYER: A graduate of Charleston’s Bishop England High, Meyer was a 2002 All-American at South Carolina and was the first-round pick in the 2002 draft by the Texas Rangers. He played three seasons at South Carolina (from 2000-02) before beginning a nine-year career in professional baseball highlighted by a stint in 2006 with the Texas Rangers.
CASEY MANNING: A native of Dillon, Manning earned his law degree from USC in 1977. Coming to USC in 1969 as the first African-American to play basketball at USC, Manning was the South Carolina High School Player of the Year in his senior season. Manning played for legendary coach Frank McGuire on three NCAA Tournament teams and played alongside USC legends John Roche and Tom Owens.
RAY ALLEN: Allen played 18 seasons in the NBA. After playing three seasons of college basketball for the University of Connecticut, Allen entered the NBA in 1996 and went on to play for the Milwaukee Bucks, Seattle SuperSonics, Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. One of the most accurate 3-point and free throw shooters in NBA history, he was a 10-time NBA All-Star and won two NBA championships (2008, 2013) with the Celtics and Heat. He also won an Olympic gold medal as a member of the 2000 U.S. men’s basketball team.
SAMMIE HENSON: Henson is a former Clemson wrestler and two-time NCAA national champion who was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2015 in Stillwater, Okla. Heis one of just a few wrestlers in USA history to earn three world medals.
SAM GOODWIN: Goodwin was among the top athletes at South Carolina State University during his playing days from 1961-64. Goodwin, a Columbia native who played both football and basketball, was a defensive lineman and offensive guard who earned a number of awards and accolades for outstanding play. In 1983, Goodwin founded Stedfast Christian Center in Columbia, where he still serves as pastor.
KENNY WASHINGTON: Washington was a two-time NCAA basketball champion at UCLA and represented the United States in the 1970 FIBA World Championship. He was also the first head coach in UCLA women’s basketball history. Washington, a 6-3 guard out of Robert Smalls High School in Beaufort, moved to Columbia to play his senior year in at Booker T. Washington High School under coach William Partlow and won the 1962 state 4A championship. He played for coach John Wooden at UCLA from 1963-66, where he was a key member of Wooden’s first two NCAA championship teams in 1964 and 1965.
KATHLEEN WILSON: A James Island resident and former Charleston City Council member. Wilson brought marathon swimming to South Carolina in 1997 with her first long swim around Key West, Fla. Wilson became the 12th swimmer in history to complete the Triple Crown of marathon swimming: Manhattan, English Channel and Catalina Channel.
This story was originally published February 19, 2018 at 12:08 PM with the headline "Former Gamecocks stars picked for SC Athletic Hall of Fame."