SC Football Hall selects four, honors Boyd
January 3, 2014
GREENVILLE, SC – January 3, 2014 – William Perry, Deacon Jones, Freddie Solomon and Sterling Sharpe will be entering the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame this February.
In addition, Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd has been named the inaugural 2014 South Carolina Football Hall of Fame Player of the year through a vote of South Carolina media members. They will be honored during the weekend of The College All Star Bowl being played February 14, 2014 at Furman University and being aired nationally on The CBS Sports Network.
Perry, Jones, Solomon and Sharpe were selected from a group of 13 finalists earlier this month. Solomon and Sharpe were 2013 finalists. The other 2014 finalists were Clemson University’s, Terry Kinard, Steve Fuller, Jeff Davis and Bennie Cunningham; the University of South Carolina’s Jeff Grantz; South Carolina State University’s Charlie Brown; Furman University and The Citadel ‘s Art Baker; Georgia Tech’s Clay Matthews Sr., and Michigan State’s George Webster.
About the honorees
A native of Aiken, Perry played collegiality at Clemson where he garnered the nickname, The Refrigerator. A member of the 1981 national championship team, Perry earned All-American honors as a Tiger and was The Chicago Bears’ first round choice in the 1985 NFL Draft. He played 10 years in the NFL as a defensive linemen, and who’s fame explode via scoring a rushing touchdown in Super Bowl XX as well as being a part of the Super Bowl Shuffle.
Jones played collegiately at South Carolina State, and was drafted in the 14th round of the 1961 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s website, the Rams were scouting running backs when then they noticed the 6-4, 272-pound tackle was faster than them. He quickly became a star with the Rams playing 14 years in the NFL, earning eight Pro Bowl births and was twice the league’s defensive player of the year. He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1980.
Solomon grew up in Sumter where first played for the all-black Lincoln High School. When integration occurred in 1970, Solomon went to Sumter High School and became the quarterback leading the team to a state championship. Hailed at the time as the greatest high school football player in state history, Solomon played four years at the University of Tampa. He was chosen in the second round of the 1975 draft and played 11 years in the NFL winning two Super Bowls with San Francisco as a wide receiver.
Sharpe is University of South Carolina’s all-time pass receiving leader with 169 career catches for 2,497 yards and 17 touchdowns and was a two-time All-American. He was selected in the first round of the 1988 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers. He played in five Pro Bowls and was named All-Pro three times in seven seasons with the Packers before a neck injury ended his career.
About the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame:
The South Carolina Football Hall of Fame was created to honor those athletes and coaches from the Palmetto State who created a historic and significant impact on college and professional football. Learn more at www.SCFootballHOF.com.
