Former Limestone Baseball Coach Gaylord Perry Headlines SCAHOF Class

Former Limestone College baseball coach Gaylord Perry headlines the seven-member class of the 2020 South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame, it was announced today.

A legendary pitcher for eight different Major League Baseball teams, Perry is going into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame (SCAHOF) for his accomplishments as the head coach of the Saints baseball team. 

Baseball highlights the SCAHOF Induction Class of 2020. In addition to Perry, University of South Carolina pitcher Ed Lynch and Hilton Head infielder Dan Driessen lead the class, and the baseball trio is joined by Clemson running back C.J. Spiller, University of South Carolina quarterback Todd Ellis, South Carolina State University basketball standout Roberta Williams, and Columbia defensive end/linebacker Peter Boulware.

Perry founded the Limestone baseball program in 1987 and led the Saints for four seasons, compiling an overall 81-57 (.587) mark and three 20-win seasons. He recruited the first players in program history, including future Limestone Hall of Famers Mike Flaskey and Tracy Sanders.

Perry guided the Saints to a respectable 17-21 record in the inaugural season. His teams posted winning records in each of the following three seasons, while the 1990 team still holds the school record for the highest single-season winning percentage (.697). He mentored three All-NAIA District 6 selections, including Sanders, who was selected by the Cleveland Indians in the 1990 draft.

As part of developing the program, Perry also helped secure the funding for the baseball field still being used by the Saints.

Perry and the other six members of the SCAHOF class will be recognized during the 2020 Induction Ceremony and Banquet on Monday, May 11, at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center.

The mission of the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame is to honor those who, by outstanding achievement or service, have made lasting contributions to the cause of sports in South Carolina, the nation, and the entire world. The non-profit organization in based in Columbia. The annual SCAHOF Banquet is considered the largest annual celebration of Palmetto State sports stars under one roof.

As part of this year’s induction festivities, Perry and the other members of the Class of 2020 will take part in a private SCAHOF President’s Reception in Columbia during the evening of Sunday, May 10. They will also attend an Inductee Luncheon the next day, followed by a press conference at the Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center. The Induction Ceremony and Banquet will begin on Monday, May 11, with a reception at 5:30 p.m. The traditional introduction of past inductees, the Walk of Legends, is one of the event’s highlights. For more information, visit www.scahof.com.

Tickets (table of eight for $800) and program sponsorships are available by securing a table from the SCAHOF office 803-779-0905. Payment and reservations must be made by Friday, April 10.

“What a tremendous honor this is for both Gaylord and Limestone,” said the College’s President Dr. Darrell Parker. “While almost everyone knows that Gaylord was one of the greatest pitchers in Major League Baseball history, it’s truly an privilege for us that he is being inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame not so much for what he did on the mound during his playing career, but for the impact he made at Limestone and the influence he had on the lives of our students. We are truly blessed to count Gaylord Perry as one of our own here at Limestone. He continues to be a special part of this institution.”

Started in 2019, the Gaylord Perry Scholarship is awarded annually by Limestone’s Scholarship Award Committee to one or more members of the Saints baseball team. The yearly scholarship award is being made possible through Limestone’s partnership with Diamond Resorts.

In 1991, Perry was inducted into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame, and seven years later, he was inducted into the Limestone Athletics Hall of Fame.

He played a key role in the $4 million renovation process for Limestone’s Winnie Davis Hall of History. Perry was an honorary chairman of that fundraising campaign because he was instrumental in securing funds to protect the building from deterioration in the late 80s and early 90s.

A native of Williamston, N.C., Perry pitched 22 years in the big leagues and became the first pitcher to win the highly coveted Cy Young Award in both the American and National Leagues. He accomplished that feat in 1972 with the Cleveland Indians and again in 1978 with the San Diego Padres. Those accomplishments, along with his 314 career victories, 3,534 strikeouts, 3.11 earned run average, and five All-Star Game selections, earned him a spot in the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY.

The San Francisco Giants dedicated a nine-foot, bronze statue, weighing 1,400 pounds, in honor of the 6-foot-4 Perry in August of 2016, at one of the major entrances into AT&T Park. The sculpture, which took one year to complete, portrays Perry’s intensity and focus on the mound at the point of his follow through. His number 36 was retired by the Giants in 2005.

Below is more information on the other SCAHOF Class of 2020 inductees:

After a standout career at the University of South Carolina where he pitched from 1974-77 and recorded a career mark of 15-3 including College World Series appearances in 1975 and ’77, Ed Lynch was drafted by the Texas Rangers in the 22nd round of the 1977 Major League Baseball Draft. After three years in their farm system, the Rangers sent him to the New York Mets where he debuted on August 31, 1980. After his career ended, he attended the University of Miami School of Law, and graduated in 1991. Using his law degree and prior baseball experience, he was able to land management positions with the San Diego Padres and Chicago Cubs, where he eventually became the Cubs’ general manager from 1994-2000. He came to USC on a basketball scholarship and was signed by Coach Frank McGuire.

Dan Driessen played for five teams in his 15-year big-league career. He is best known as a member of the Cincinnati Reds “Big Red Machine” of the 1970s. Driessen attended Michael C. Riley High (which did not have a baseball team) until his senior year. He then went to Hardeeville High which also did not have a team, but he made a name for himself as a catcher with the town team, the Hardeeville Boll Weevils. Driessen was signed by the Reds as an amateur free agent in 1969. He made his major-league debut at age 21 on June 9, 1973. In 1976, Driessen became the National League's first-ever designated hitter in a World Series. He hit .357 with five hits (including two doubles and a home run) and two walks in 16 plate appearances as the Reds swept the series for their second consecutive World Series crown.

C.J. Spiller, a two-time first-team all-ACC running back played at Clemson University and was recognized as a unanimous All-American (2009) after being named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year. For his career, Spiller rushed for 3,547 yards and 51 touchdowns (32 rushing, 11 receiving, 8 special teams). Drafted by the Buffalo Bills with the ninth overall pick in the 2010 draft he also played for the New Orleans Saints, Seattle Seahawks, New York Jets and Kansas City Chiefs, and made the 2012 Pro Bowl while playing for the Bills.

Todd Ellis finished his career at the University of South Carolina as the all-time leading passer and winningest quarterback in Gamecock history. He rewrote the school’s passing records where he established more than 20 school passing marks while throwing for 9,953 yards. He ranks second in wins by a starting quarterback with 24 and is one of only two quarterbacks in school history to lead the team in passing yards in four-consecutive seasons. He was selected by the Denver Broncos in the ninth round of the 1990 NFL Draft. A graduate of the USC Law School, Ellis in 2019 worked his 28th season with USC’s radio network and 17th as the play-by-play voice of Carolina football.

In 1976, Roberta Williams became the first female athlete to receive a full scholarship at South Carolina State University when she was signed to play basketball. When her career ended four years later in 1980, the Charleston and Burke High School graduate had become the most prolific scorer in SC State basketball history. Also, she is today the only SC State basketball player whose jersey has been retired.  Williams scored more than 3,000 points during her career and was the team’s leading scorer three times.

Named all-state and a Shrine Bowl participant from Columbia’s Spring Valley High, Peter Boulware, a defensive end at Florida State, earned consensus All-America honors. One of six defensive ends selected to Sports Illustrated's all-20th century college football team, Boulware, who was converted to linebacker, was selected as Football News’ national defensive player of the year. He was the fourth overall pick in the 1997 Draft and spent his entire eight-year NFL career with the Baltimore Ravens. He was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team as the league’s defensive rookie of the year and was selected for four Pro Bowls. A member of the 1999 All-Pro Team, Boulware won a Super Bowl ring with the 2001 Ravens. He is a member of the Ravens’ Ring of Honor and has been enshrined in Florida State’s Athletic Hall of Fame. He was appointed to the State of Florida’s Board of Education and, along with his wife, Kensy, has started the Community Leadership Academy in Tallahassee.