COLUMBIA, SC—Former Bulldog All-American and NFL standout Edwin Bailey reached another milestone, along with six other great athletes from the Palmetto State being inducted into the 2014 S.C. Athletic Hall of Fame Monday night at the Columbia Convention Center.

The South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame Inductees included Happ Lathrop (Golf), Monique Hennagan (Track & Field), Brian Dawkins (Football), Zam Fredrick Sr.(Basketball), Carl Short (Basketball), Rodney Williams (Football), Randy Martz (Baseball) and Bailey (Football).

As an All-American offensive lineman at South Carolina State, Bailey helped the Bulldogs win three Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference titles. The same year he was drafted in the fifth round by the Seattle Seahawks in 1981, where he played 11 seasons and started 121 of 139 games at left guard.

A member of the AFC West Champions in 1988 with the Seahawks he finished his career ranked first all-time in games played for Seattle, which earned him the nickname "Pearl" by teammates.

"While I was in the NFL, we made sure that everybody knew that we were from South Carolina, that we played football in the state of South Carolina and our football was outstanding," Bailey said.

After Bailey retired from football, he spent several years as an assistant coach. This included a stint at South Carolina State with his college coach and the banquet's master of ceremonies Willie Jeffries as an offensive and defensive line coach.

To add to his post-collegiate accomplishments and illustrious NFL career, this earned him entitlement into enshrinement in the S.C. Athletic Hall of Fame, an accolade Bailey accepted with great pride and humility.

 "I'm representing South Carolina State and the state of South Carolina both," Bailey said. "We've had some great football played in this state and I am proud to be associated with them."