COLUMBIA, SC – Former South Carolina State coach Willie Simon will be among seven individuals to be forever enshrined with the state's highest athletic honor, being inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame Monday (May.15) at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.
The affair, which includes a reception and dinner, will begin at 5:30 p.m.
The event, which includes a host of returning past inductees, is the largest annual celebration of Palmetto State sports stars under one roof.
The class includes, two former NFL defensive backs in Andre Goodman of the University of South Carolina and Donnell Woolford of Clemson, former Furman and Vanderbilt head football coach Bobby Johnson, Clemson pitcher Kris Benson, Coastal Carolina basketball standout Tony Dunkin, Benedict College basketball star Bob McCullough and Willie Simon of South Carolina State. Simon will be enshrined posthumously.
In addition to the inductees donning of the symbolic blue jackets, recognition will be extended to the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers for their NCAA Baseball Championship, Clemson Tigers for capturing the National Football Championship and the University of South Carolina Lady Gamecocks for winning the 2017 Women's National Basketball Championship.
WILLIE SIMON: Willie Simon, a West Columbia native and an Allen University graduate, began his collegiate coaching career as head football coach at his alma mater in the mid-1960s. When Allen discontinued its football program after the 1967 campaign, Simon moved to South Carolina State in 1968 as an assistant football coach and head baseball coach. When the Bulldogs discontinued their baseball program after the 1973-74 campaign and started a women's basketball program, Simon was tabbed as women's head coach. He went on to guide the Lady Bulldogs to a 305-91 mark from 1974-88. In 1979, the SCSU women captured the AIAW Division II national championship with a 72-67 victory over Dayton at Fargo, ND. The Lady Bulldogs had been runners-up the year before, losing in the title game to High Point. As an assistant under legendary football coach Willie Jeffries, who took over the SCSU program in 1973, Simon helped the Bulldogs to a 50-13-4 record from 1973-78. SCSU also captured five MEAC titles and made five postseason appearances during that period. As baseball coach, his teams captured conference championships in both the SIAC and the MEAC. On the high school level, he coached at Lexington Rosenwald High School, where he amassed a 95-15-4 record. During his tenure, he won seven Class A titles in football, nine conference titles and one state championship in boys' basketball. He also won four conference titles in girls' basketball. In addition to teaching, he was head coach in every sport during his 11 years at Rosenwald. His playing career was just as spectacular as he was voted the Best Athlete Ever at West Columbia's Lakeview High, before going to Allen where he was a standout in football and baseball. He later served as head football coach at Allen. Simon, who died in 2004, was inducted into the SCSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 1998 and the Wildcat (Lexington High) Athletic Hall of Fame (posthumous) in 2013.
