Furman's Stanford Jennings To Be Inducted Into South Carolina Athletic Hall-of-Fame

April 11, 2006

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- Furman football great Stanford Jennings is among six honorees who will comprise the South Carolina Athletic Hall-of-Fame Class of 2006, the organization announced today.

Jennings, who as a tailback rewrote Furman and Southern Conference football record books in the early 1980s, will be enshrined in ceremonies May 22 at the new Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center along with Jimmy Key, LaMarr Hoyt, Katrina McLain, Jim Carlen, and Harold Green.

A native of Summerville, S.C., where he earned 4-A all-state honors under legendary prep coach John McKissick, Jennings became the first player in SoCon history to capture league player-of-the-year honors three times. He helped Furman capture four straight league championships and post a 36-9-2 record during his tenure, including wins over both South Carolina (1982) and Georgia Tech (1983). After garnering SoCon Freshman-of-the-Year accolades in 1981, he rushed for over 1,000 yards as a sophomore, junior, and senior to finish his career as the Furman's all-time leading rusher with 3,686 yards and 39 touchdowns. In addition, he caught 76 passes for 865 yards and four touchdowns during his Paladin career.

A three-time All-South Carolina selection and Associated Press third team All-America honoree, he played in both the Blue-Gray All-Star Game and Senior Bowl and in 1984 and became the highest draft selection in Furman football history when he was selected in the third round by the Cincinnati Bengals. A nine-year NFL career ensued, including seven seasons with the Bengals. In Super Bowl XXIII, he returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown in Cincinnati's eventual 20-16 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

One of only four Furman players to have his jersey (No. 27) retired, he was inducted into the school's athletic hall-of-fame in 1990 and currently serves on the university's Board of Trustees.

Previous Furman inductees into the South Carolina Athletic Hall-of-Fame include Lyles Alley, Pinky Babb, Beth Daniel, Darrell Floyd, Nield Gordon, Betsy King, Bob King, Billy Laval, James "Pepper" Martin, Dewey Proctor, Lee Rhame, June Scott, Frank Selvy, Rhoten Shetley, "Speedy" Speer, and Sam Wyche.