Ingle Martin Tennessee Titans

Furman University, long noted for its consistent combination of athletic and academic excellence, boasts an impressive number of former student-athletes now in professional sports. In fact, Furman currently counts 39 products competing at the professional level — the most of any Southern Conference member school.

From the National Football League (NFL), to the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, to Major League Soccer (MLS), to the Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour, former Furman student-athletes have distinguished themselves and their alma mater.

Furman’s NFL connection consists of quarterback Ingle Martin ‘06 of the Tennessee Titans and fullback Jerome Felton ‘08 of the Detroit Lions.

Jerome Felton Detroit Lions

Brian Bratton ‘05 is now in his second season with the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes, and linebacker Cam Newton ‘05 plays with the AFL’s Georgia Force.

In baseball, four former Paladin standouts are now active in the professional ranks, including right-handed pitcher Tom Mastny ‘03 of the Cleveland Indians, catcher Tony Maccani ‘07 of the Savannah Sand Gnats, and right-handed pitcher Matt Klinker ‘07 of the Dayton Dragons. This past spring right-handed pitcher Jay Jackson ‘08 was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the ninth round of the MLB Draft.

Furman’s representative on the PGA Tour includes Brad Faxon ‘83, who as a senior captured the Fred Haskins Award as the nation’s top collegiate golfer. Winner of nine professional tournaments and more than $8 million in career earnings, Faxon has twice represented the United States in Ryder Cup competition.

Clint Dempsey Fulham (EPL), U.S. National Team

Few collegiate women’s golf programs have produced more outstanding professionals than Furman, which boasts 11 Lady Paladins on the LPGA Tour, including Hall-of-Famers Betsy King ‘77 (1995 inductee) and Beth Daniel ‘78 (1999 inductee). From 1989-94, King, Daniel, and former Tour star Dottie Pepper ‘87 (currently an analyst with The Golf Channel) combined to capture Rolex LPGA Player-of-the-Year honors five times — a span of dominance rarely equaled by alumni of any college or university in all of professional sport. In an eight-year stretch from 1987-94, the trio took home the LPGA’s Vare Trophy (lowest stroke average) six times. All told, Furman graduates have earned 19 Solheim Cup invitations and claimed 90 tournament titles over the years, including 10 major championships.

Two of Furman soccer’s most successful additions to the professional ranks include soccer standouts Ricardo Clark ‘02 and Clint Dempsey ‘03.

Clark, who stars with the Houston Dynamo, is also a current member of the U.S. National Team. Dempsey, who garnered MLS Rookie-of-the-Year honors in 2004 and was the lone goal scorer for the United States in 2006 World Cup competition, was named 2006 U.S. Soccer Player-of-the-Year. In January of 2007, Fulham of the Premier League paid a record $4 million transfer fee to the New England Revolution for Dempsey’s services. Two of Furman’s most recent additions to the professional soccer ranks include Jon Leathers ‘08 of the Kansas City Wizards and Shea Salinas ‘08 of the San Jose Earthquakes.

Brad Faxon PGA Tour

Beth Daniel LPGA Hall-of-Fame

Betsy King LPGA Hall-of-Fame