GREENVILLE, S.C. — Furman University's Athletics Hall of Fame has a new home in the newly renovated Timmons Arena that will play host to its first event on Oct. 26 when the University of Alabama provides the opposition in a men's basketball exhibition game to cap Homecoming Weekend at the university.
 
Among the host of attractive features included in the $40M donor-funded Timmons Arena renovation is the Hall of Honor, which serves as a permanent tribute to the proud tradition of Furman Athletics. Visitors are welcomed by championship banners and engaging interactive displays that bring the Paladins' history to life. Developed in partnership with Dimensional Innovations, a searchable digital archive highlights the 240 student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and donors who have earned induction into the Furman Athletics Hall of Fame. 

"Induction into the Furman Athletics Hall of Fame represents the highest honor a Paladin can achieve," said Jason Donnelly, Furman's Vice President of Intercollegiate Athletics. "We are thrilled to unveil significant upgrades to the Hall of Fame that celebrate the remarkable accomplishments of our distinguished alumni and contributors. These enhancements honor Furman's proud athletic legacy and elevate the way we share our story of excellence.

"We extend our deepest gratitude to Hunter Reid and Julie Paré for their exceptional leadership and tireless dedication in bringing this project to life. Their commitment ensures that the achievements of Furman Athletics will continue to inspire generations to come."

The exhibits also feature dynamic timelines, statistics, images, and videos that chronicle the milestones, memorable moments, and lasting impact of the Paladin Athletics program. In addition, the Hall of Honor will serve as an engagement space for prospective students, Furman alumni, and the greater Greenville community.
 
"A longtime goal of ours has been to research, expand, and update the biographical sketches of our hall of fame inductees to a level of quality honoring the greatness they demonstrated on the fields, courts, courses, and beyond, and the digital project was the perfect motivation to get that done," said director of athletics communications Hunter Reid.
 
The project involved a significant amount of research to update and expand the biographical sketches, many of which were outdated and thin on information. Multiple sources were tapped in the process — all regarding Furman and Furman athletics history.
 
Tyler Eckstein with the Furman Athletic Fund contributed a substantial number of portraits of inductees that were converted to digital, and Furman student Ella Harrison assisted by tracking down several older photos. The Furman Library Special Collections staff came through with a half dozen images to ensure every inductee was represented visually.
 
Jordan Caskey and Wesley Herring of the athletics communications staff also contributed to the effort, which is also accessible via FurmanPaladins.com at https://furmanpaladins.com/sports/2019/7/17/athletics-hall-of-fame.aspx.
 
Established in 1981, Furman's Athletics Hall of Fame was located for its first 33 years in the football press box at Paladin Stadium.  Following the press box demolition to make room for the construction of Pearce Horton Football Complex, which opened in 2015, the hall of fame transitioned to Timmons Arena, where it consisted of a wall of pictures representing only a small number of inductees in the now former lobby of Timmons Arena.  The new in-person Hall of Honor experience awaiting fans and visitors is sure to elicit a lasting impression.
 
Among those enshrined in Furman's Hall of Fame are five national players of the year — Frank Selvy (basketball), Brad Faxon (golf), Jeff Blankenship (football), Louis Ivory (football), and Natalie Srinivasan (golf); seven LPGA Players of the Year, including Betsy King, Beth Daniel, and Dottie Pepper; three-time World Cup participant Clint Dempsey; the NCAA Division I all-time winningest tennis coach Paul Scarpa, and legendary NFL head coach Sam Wyche.
 
"We hope the inductees and their families and friends, as well as Furman fans and folks with any connection to Paladin Athletics and our tremendous history, will enjoy the presentation and appreciate our desire to honor our athletic greats in a well-deserved manner," said Reid