Nine former University of South Carolina standout student-athletes have been selected for induction into the USC Lettermen’s Association Hall of Fame as the Class of 2024, it was announced today.
(FROM USC MEDIA RELATIONS)
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The nine who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame include Pharoh Cooper (football), Dana Fulmer (softball), Melvin Ingram (football), Bob Kaczka (men’s track and field/cross country), Tiffany Mitchell (women’s basketball), Tommy Moody (baseball/contributions to the Athletics Department), Jocelyn Penn (women’s basketball), Jason Richardson (men’s track and field) and Shalonda Solomon (women’s track and field).
The class will be officially inducted on Friday, Nov. 1, 2024, and will be recognized at the South Carolina-Texas A&M football game on Saturday, Nov. 2.
More information regarding the Hall of Fame induction will be announced at a later date.
[Win two tickets to the South Carolina-Old Dominion football game]
PHAROH COOPER / FOOTBALL (2013-15)
Pharoh Cooper was a two-time All-SEC recipient at two different positions, wide receiver and all-purpose player. In 2013, he was named to the Freshman All-SEC team as both an all-purpose back and return specialist. He owns the Gamecock single game receiving record with 233 yards against Tennessee during his sophomore season. In the 2014 Independence Bowl against Miami (Fla.), he had nine receptions for 170 yards and a touchdown and was named the game’s offensive MVP. He currently ranks in the top 12 in school career records in receptions (12th-138), receiving yards (10th – 2,163), 100-yard receiving games (4th – 9) and receiving touchdowns (7th-18). He was drafted in the 4th round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. In his seven-year NFL career, he had 61 catches for 545 yards and a touchdown, averaged 23.6 yards on 128 kickoff returns and averaged 9.2 yards on 102 punt returns. In 2017, he earned All-Pro honors and made the Pro Bowl.
DANA FULMER / SOFTBALL (1992-95)
Dana Fulmer was a four-time National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-Region selection, three times on the first team and once on the second team. The catcher/outfielder earned NFCA second-team All-America honors in her senior season, was the team scholar-athlete recipient and team MVP. On the school career records list, she owns the school record for most games played and RBI, second in at-bats, hits and batting average, third in triples, and fifth in runs. She is one of 12 players in program history with 100 runs and 100 RBI. She was drafted in the 10th round of the Women’s Professional Fastpitch League in 1996. She was an assistant coach at Georgia Southern and head coach at Providence College served as athletics director at Mitchell College and has been the Director of Athletics at Johnson & Wales University – Providence since 2019.
MELVIN INGRAM / FOOTBALL (2007-11)
Melvin Ingram was a consensus All-American and All-SEC selection in his senior season. He was selected by the San Diego (now Los Angeles) Chargers with the 18th overall pick in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft. He began his Gamecock career at linebacker before switching to defensive end. As a junior in 2010, he led the team with nine sacks. In 2011, Ingram registered 10 sacks, 15 tackles for loss and two interceptions. In 2011 against Georgia, he scored two touchdowns in a 45-42 win in Athens, which included a 68-yard run on a fake punt and a 5-yard fumble return. Ingram played 12 seasons in the NFL, nine with the Chargers, and played with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs and Miami Dolphins. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection and had 414 career tackles, 58.8 career sacks, forcing 16 fumbles, recovering nine.
BOB KACZKA / MEN’S TRACK & FIELD – CROSS COUNTRY (1968-71)
Bob Kaczka was an eight-time Atlantic Coast Conference track and field champion and a 1970 NCAA outdoor track & Field All-American. He won the ACC Indoor 1,000-Yard Run in 1969 and 1970, the ACC Outdoor 880-Yard Run in 1969 and 1970 and a member of the ACC Outdoor 4×400 meter relay team in 1968, 1969, 1970 and 1971. At the 1970 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, he finished 6th in the 800 meters. Kaczka set the school record in the 1,000 meters in 1969, a mark that stood until Aidan Hatton broke the record this past season. His personal best time in the 800 meters is still ranked fifth in school history. He was ranked 8th in the U.S. in the 800 meters in 1970.
TIFFANY MITCHELL / WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (2012-16)
Tiffany Mitchell was a three-time All-American, the program’s first two-time SEC Player of the Year and a two-time National Player of the Year finalist. She led the Gamecocks to their first-ever Final Four and was the leading scorer on South Carolina’s first SEC regular-season championship team. She is just one of three Gamecocks to finish her career with at least 1,500 points, 300 assists and 200 steals. Her 1,885 career points ranks seventh and her 4,167 minutes played ranks third in school history. She won the Athletics Department’s President’s Award and was one of the NCAA Today’s Top 10 in 2016. Mitchell was a top 10 selection in the 2016 WNBA Draft, being selected 9th by the Indiana Fever and was WNBA All-Rookie Team her first season. On Nov. 12, 2023, her jersey was retired in a ceremony at Colonial Life Arena.
TOMMY MOODY / BASEBALL – CONTRIBUTOR (1970-72 / 1998-2023)
Tommy Moody was born and raised in Columbia, and earned a baseball scholarship at Carolina, wearing the Garnet and Black from 1970-72. That is only the beginning of his contributions to his beloved alma mater. He served as President of the Lettermen’s Association, served as Historian on its Board of Directors and chaired the Hall of Fame Selection Committee from 1998 until his untimely death in October of 2023. He was committed to honoring those who excelled as a Gamecock athlete and coach and giving them a memorable experience as an inductee into the USC Athletics Hall of Fame. Tommy also was a member of the Gamecock baseball radio broadcast team from 2000-23 and was in the booth when Carolina won back-to-back national championships in 2010-11.
JOCELYN PENN / WOMEN’S BASKETBALL (1998-2003)
Jocelyn Penn was a two-time All-SEC selection and named All-American in 2003. She averaged double-figure points and shot better than 50 percent from the floor in each of her four seasons at Carolina. As a senior, she averaged 23.9 points and 8.1 rebounds per game, shooting almost 63 percent from the floor. She was a finalist for the Naismith Trophy and the Wade Trophy her final season at Carolina and earned the Lowe’s Senior Class Award. She ranks sixth in school history with 1,939 career points scored. In 2002, she was named the State of South Carolina Female Amateur Athlete of the Year. She was the ninth overall selection in the 2003 WNBA Draft by the Charlotte Sting and played two seasons in the league.
JASON RICHARDSON / TRACK & FIELD (2005-09)
During his four-year South Carolina athletic career, Jason Richardson earned seven All-America honors and was a four-time SEC champion. In his freshman year, he won the bronze in the NCAA indoor and outdoor 100m hurdles. He took bronze again in the 2006 NCAA 100m hurdles and in 2008, was the NCAA outdoor 110m hurdles champion and placed second in the NCAA 60m hurdles. He also was runner-up in the 2008 Millrose Games, Tyson Invitational and the SEC Indoors. He was the 2008 USTFCCCA Scholar-Athlete of the Year. He claimed the silver medal in the 110m hurdles at the 2012 London Summer Olympics and took gold at the 2011 World Championships. Currently, Richardson’s personal bests are still the second-fastest in school history in the 55m hurdles, 60m hurdles and the 110m hurdles and ninth-fastest in the 400m hurdles.
SHALONDA SOLOMON / TRACK & FIELD (2005-07)
Shalonda Solomon earned 11 NCAA All-America honors and scored in ten different NCAA championship events during her three-year Gamecock athletics career. She won the national championship in the 200 meters in both the 2006 NCAA indoor and outdoors and was a member of the 2005 NCAA champion outdoor 4x400m relay. In 2006, she was the NCAA women’s indoor Scholar-Athlete of the Year by the USTFCCCA and was the SEC women’s indoor runner of the year. She was a member of the 2011 World Championship 4x100m relay team. Currently, Solomon still has the school record in the outdoor 200 meters and her personal bests are still second-fastest in school history in the 55 meters, 60 meters and indoor 200 meters, third-fastest in the 100 meters and fourth-fastest in the 300 meters.
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