(left to right) Gary
Mixon '84, Attala Young '95, Joey Rice '94, Jeff Gephart '83,
and
Norman Chandler '53
Five Inducted Into Flying Fleet Hall Of Fame At Erskine College
Erskine College’s all-time leading basketball scorer was among five outstanding contributors to the school’s athletic program inducted into the Flying Fleet Hall of Fame Saturday night.
Attala Young, Class of 1995, joined pitcher Norman F. “Spud” Chandler, Class of 1953, athletic trainer Jeff Gephart, Class of 1983, stellar third baseman Gary M. Mixon, Class of 1984, and men’s basketball standout Joey Rice, Class of 1994, as the 2003 inductees during a banquet that was part of Erskine’s Homecoming celebration.
Erskine Athletic Director Chip Sherer introduced the inductees and read their citations, and Erskine President Dr. John Carson officially inducted the honorees into the Hall of Fame. Flying Fleet Club President Steve Southwell presided over the proceedings.
Young, of Greenville, is the Erskine women’s basketball team’s all-time leading scorer and first NCAA Division II All-American. She was the first Erskine player — male or female — to score more than 2,000 points. Her record still stands.
“Wow!” Young said to those in attendance at the banquet. “This is a great honor.”
She came out of Woodmont High in Piedmont as a little-known post player and during her first two seasons, her excellent play went unnoticed as the Lady Fleet suffered through difficult campaigns. Things started even worse in 1993-94 as Erskine lost its first 12 games, but then Young embarked on a remarkable scoring binge that moved her and her team from obscurity.
Young averaged almost 30 points per game as Erskine won 7 of its last 15 games, including its last four regular season contests.
She scored 639 points during her junior season, averaging a team record 23.7 points per game. She was 10th in the nation in scoring.
Her spectacular play continued during her senior season, resulting in a 16-11 record, the Lady Fleet’s first winning mark in a decade.
In 1994-95, Young scored 636 points, averaging 23.6 points per game, second only to her own team record.
She was named as second team NCAA Division II All-American.
Young finished her career with 2,048 points and collected 1,100 career rebounds and 10.7 per game rebounding average – third-best ever at Erskine.
Chandler, of Anderson, said induction into the Hall of Fame is “quite an honor.”
“This is a real special night for me,” he said during the banquet. “I did have opportunities to go to other schools, but I ended up at Erskine. I haven’t regretted it a day.”
Chandler, a left-hander from Piedmont, said his college career at Erskine was the catalyst for his five-year professional baseball career that was cut short by injury.
During his career, Chandler posted four consecutive winning seasons, appearing in more than 10 games each season and twice winning All-State honors as a member of the Flying Fleet baseball team.
His credentials included a no-hit, no-run, 16-strikeout win over Piedmont his freshman year. Later that season, he struck out the side in the ninth to save a 6-4 victory over Georgia Teachers.
As a sophomore, he hurled 5 hitless innings in a season-opening victory over Davidson. Against Clemson his junior year, he lost 4-1 despite not surrendering an earned run. His senior season was highlighted by a 2-1 win over Wofford and a 6-0 5-hit shutout of Presbyterian.
He won 28 games during his four-year career, which stands today as Erskine’s record for career wins.
Gephart, of Hixon, Tenn., told the banquet audience at Moffatt Dining Hall that induction into the Hall of Fame is rare for people in his profession.
“This kind of thing doesn’t happen to athletic trainers very often,” he said.
Gephart commended the Erskine administration for “sticking behind” the athletic training program that he recommended in 1981 to Dr. Jim Knight, acting president of the college. He researched and recommended an athletic training curriculum that served as a precursor to the highly successful, nationally accredited program that the college offers today.
Gephart came to Erskine in 1979 from Oklahoma and during the next four years, he volunteered as student athletic trainer.
He became a valuable part of Erskine’s athletic program, often working more than 40 hours a week and earning the respect and admiration of his fellow students and athletes, the faculty and administration.
Gephart also served as co-coach of the 1982 softball team and was head coach of the squad during his senior year. He coached Erskine to its sixth and seventh consecutive winning seasons and first and fourth seedings in the NAIA District 6 tournament.
He is now a professional athletic trainer and during the 1980s, he virtually equipped the Erskine training room with donations, helping to stock it with supplies year after year.
Gephart was also instrumental in the hiring of Erskine men’s basketball coach Robbie Hicklin in 1989.
Mixon, of Sumter, was a standout third baseman for Erskine and a three-time NAIA All-District 6 honoree, and had a batting average of more than .300 during his four years.
His Brooks Robinson-type stops at the hot corner helped him earn District 6 honors in each of three seasons, one of only four Erskine players in history to be so honored.
“This is truly an honor – sort of emotional,” Mixon said during the banquet. “I never regretted a moment of my Erskine career. I received a great education and many other experiences.”
He said professor emeritus and former baseball coach Harry Stille was the reason he came to Erskine.
Mixon established a team career record of 83 RBI. During his senior season in 1984, he batted .345 and led the Fleet in hits (41) and RBI (25).
He led the 1984 baseball team to a 21-11 record, its best in more than a decade, and wins over Coastal Carolina, which played in the NAIA World Series and South Carolina, which at the time was ranked 10th in NCAA Division I.
Mixon went 3-for-5 in a 7-5 win over Coastal and sparkled defensively in the Fleet’s 3-1 victory over the Gamecocks.
For Mixon and other seniors, the 21-victory 1984 season and win over the Gamecocks were sweet revenge for a freshman year in which the Fleet suffered through a 10-17 season, including a 24-2 loss to South Carolina.
Mixon said “Cocky,” the USC mascot, made fun of him during the 22-run loss, but “we did redeem ourselves.”
Rice, the second-leading scorer in Erskine men’s basketball history, told the banquet audience that when he was in high school at Westside in Anderson, he told a newspaper that he was a “diamond in the rough.”
“That diamond is definitely shining tonight,” he said.
Rice, of Columbia, said he developed into a man at Erskine and learned life lessons that he couldn’t learn in a classroom.
He said he is honored to join so many other stellar contributors to the Erskine athletic program.
Rice was the author of what could be considered the greatest shot in Erskine basketball history, giving the Flying Fleet a 52-50 lead with less than 30 seconds remaining in the second round of the 1992 NAIA National Tournament against Wisconsin-Stevens Point.
The winning basket allowed the Fleet to advance to the quarterfinals of the tournament, its highest national finish ever, but was only part of Rice’s outstanding contribution to the Erskine athletic program.
Rice was one of five players recruited in 1989 by Flying Fleet Hall of Fame Coach Robbie Hicklin to rebuild Erskine’s basketball fortunes.
He joined current Hall of Fame members Charles Jordan and Eric Wesley as the Fleet improved from 7 wins in 1989-90 to 14 in 1990-91, then to 27 during the magical 1991-92 season.
Not only did the 1991-92 team set a school record for wins, but also set eight other school records.
The Fleet earned a Palmetto State Conference championship and an NAIA District 6 championship. Rice was named honorable mention NAIA All-American at the end of the year.
By the end of 1992, however, elation had become despair. Hicklin died of cancer in July, and in December, Rice suffered a serious injury that threatened not only his basketball career, but also his life.
He slowly recovered and returned to the classroom, then to the basketball court, where he closed out a stellar career during which Rice amassed 1,839 points. He played in more games (124) and started more (118) than any Flying Fleet player in history.
Rice is Erskine’s career 3-point shooting leader, hitting 139 of 401. In addition, he had 306 assists and 314 steals (second all-time for the Fleet). Though only 6 feet tall, he blocked 112 shots in his career.
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