COLUMBIA, S.C. (March 3, 2025) – In addition to enshrining 10 more legends, the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame also will honor three individuals and one striped entity with special awards.
Jim Hudson of Columbia will be recognized with the prestigious Felix “Doc” Blanchard Citizen for Sports Award and Kerry Tharp of Darlington will be honored with the Willie Jeffries Ambassador for Sports Award as part of the 63rd annual South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony and Banquet on May 19 at the Columbia Convention Center. The Bobby Richardson Sportsmanship Award will be presented to the S.C. High School All Sports Officials while Pete Iacobelli of the Associated Press will be bestowed the Herman Helms Excellence in Media Award.
“The three individuals have risen to the top of their respective professions and have made and continue to make positive impacts on countless people around the state and recognition is due,” said Executive Director Andy Solomon. “And we want to recognize positively the work of those who wear the striped shirts, the high school officials, umpires and referees of all sports for what they do and the impact they make.”
Being enshrined in the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame this year are Clint Dempsey (Furman soccer, MLS & World Cup), Gary Gilmore (USC Aiken & Coastal Carolina baseball coach), Susan Hill Whitson (Clemson tennis), Shannon Johnson of Hartsville (USC, WNBA & Olympian), Ralph Lundy (Erskine & College of Charleston men’s soccer coach), Harold Olson (Clemson football), Landon Powell (USC baseball, MLB), Richard Seymour of Columbia (UGA football, NFL) and Don Whitehead of Columbia (Erskine basketball). Nelson Brownlee (Claflin women’s basketball coach) will be enshrined posthumously.
Jim Hudson - The Felix ‘Doc’ Blanchard Citizen for Sports Award
Jim Hudson has served the Midland’s automotive needs for more than 40 years with a strong commitment to the community. A major philanthropist in the region, Hudson and the Jim Hudson Automotive Group have made a significant difference – directly or indirectly – to countless local organizations and events that range from the Harvest Hope Food Bank to Oliver Gospel Mission, the American Heart Association, the S.C. Troopers Association, among many others.
In recognition for all his charitable work, Hudson was presented with the Order of the Palmetto by former Governor Nikki Haley, the state’s highest honor, for his extraordinary work and dedication to the citizens of South Carolina in 2013.
Kerry Tharp - The Willie Jeffries Ambassador for Sports Award
Kerry Tharp enjoyed a 45-year career working in the sports industry, primarily in South Carolina. Prior to serving nearly 20 years at USC as Associate Athletics Director/Media Relations (1985-05), he previously had communications roles at Tennessee and Oklahoma.
Tharp also spent nearly 20 years working in NASCAR, including eight years as president of Darlington Raceway and was at the helm in ‘20 when the track became the nation’s first venue to host a major sporting event following the COVID-19 shutdown and was instrumental in the return of a second NASCAR race weekend to Darlington.
Tharp retired from the racetrack in December ‘23 and was presented the Order of the Palmetto by Governor Henry McMaster. He stayed retired for six weeks and is now co-general manager for marketing at Darlington Country Club.
S.C. High School All Sports Officials - The Bobby Richardson Sportsmanship Award
They are quietly the third team on the various and multiple fields and courts of play and are non-partisanly adorned in a black and white vertical striped shirt. They are the referees, umpires and other sports officials of the Palmetto State’s high school athletic contests – approximately 3,000 of them – and they undertake a critical role in the staging of those competitions.
The “refs” are responsible for conducting more than 40,000 contests in 10 sports annually, making it possible for games to be played by young athletes from middle schools to varsity state championships. Our sports officials are under appreciated significantly and the SCAHOF proudly and rightfully recognizes their major and many contributions to our high school sports.
Pete Iacobelli - Herman Helms Excellence in Media Award
Born and reared on Staten Island, N.Y., and a graduate of St. John’s University, Pete Iacobelli joined the Associated Press in 1985, starting on the agate desk before working as a writer and editor. He transferred to South Carolina in 1993 and covered a multitude of Palmetto State sports year-round for 32 years.
He has been part of press boxes and media rooms for Clemson and South Carolina among many other universities in the state along with NASCAR at Darlington, the PGA Tour on Hilton Head, Kiawah Island and Myrtle Beach and the WTA event at Hilton Head and Daniel Island. He is widely respected and sincerely liked by coaches, administrators and the entire state media corps for his skills and professionalism.
The South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame’s Induction Banquet honoring the class of 2025 and our Special Award winners is set for Monday, May 19, at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. The SCAHOF Banquet is the largest annual celebration of Palmetto State sports stars under one roof. The traditional introduction of past inductees, the “Walk of Legends,” is one of the event’s highlights. The affair, which includes a reception and dinner, begins at 5:30 p.m. Tables of eight may be purchased online at https://scahof.org/Banquet.