Eight New Inductees Into USC Athletics Hall of Fame July 20, 2017 It was announced today that the University's Athletics Hall of Fame, sponsored by the Association of Letterman, will be inducting eight former Carolina standouts. The eight include Chuck Allen (football and Board of Trustees), Jennifer (Van Allen) Brunelli (swimming), Bill Currier (football), Larry Davis (basketball), Randy Martz (baseball and football), Jamar Nesbit (football), Eric Norwood (football) and Tricia Popowski (softball).
Chuck Allen (Football, 1977-80) Captain of the 1976 Shrine Bowl squad, Allen was a regular contributor from the time he stepped on to the Carolina campus. He started some as a true freshman in 1977, finishing seventh on the team in tackles and had five tackles and a sack against Miami of Ohio. His best game as a sophomore may have come in a 37-14 win over Wake Forest when he combined with Roger Woolbright on a sack and recovered a fumble. He was fifth on the team in tackles as a junior and had 12 tackles and a sack against Clemson. He also had three tackles for loss and a forced fumble against Oklahoma State. Allen was one of the team captains in 1980 and earned All-South Independent and honorable mention All-America honors. He broke up a Ben Bennett fourth-down pass at the USC 30 to help preserve a 20-7 win over Duke that year. He had a tryout with the Denver Broncos in 1982 before going on to a successful career running a law firm in Anderson. He became a member of the USC Board of Trustees in 2008.
Bill Currier (Football, 1973-76) Named All-County and to the Baltimore Sun’s All-State team in 1972, Currier played with the USC freshman team in 1973. Moving up to the varsity in 1974 he claimed a starting safety role, ranking seventh on the team in tackles. He had an interception off of Georgia and future New York Jets QB Matt Robinson that year. Currier was the starting free safety in 1975 and was named State Defensive Player of the Week for his play against N.C. State, which included 11 tackles, one for a loss, and two passes broken up. He also had 11 tackles and one for a loss against Mississippi. Currier was named honorable mention All-Southern Independent at season’s end. He was one of the captains of the 1976 squad and led the team in passes broken up and fumble recoveries, in addition to being second in tackles. His six fumble recoveries that year are tied for a USC record, and include a fumble recovery in the USC end zone on Mississipi’s final drive with one minute left in the game; the recovery preserved an upset of the 16th ranked Rebels. He was given the team’s Steve Wadiak MVP award and the Ed Guerard Academic Award. Currier played in the Blue-Gray Game after the season and went on to play in the NFL with the Houston Oilers (1977-79), New England Patriots (1980) and New York Giants (1981-85). He was inducted into the Anne Arundel (MD) County Hall of Fame in 1998 and the South Carolina Hall of Fame in 2010. Post-playing career he became head coach at Ben Lippen in Columbia then moved into the athletic director role.
Larry Davis (Basketball, 1995-97) A star at Denmark-Olar where he was named South Carolina's Mr. Basketball, Davis initially left the state and signed with North Carolina. He saw only limited playing time as a freshman, averaging 2.1 points per game in 1992-93. Things didn't change much in 1993-94 (2.4 PPG) so Davis transferred back home to South Carolina. At USC he became a star, averaging 18 PPG as a junior in 1995-96 which led the team. Davis averaged 16 points a game in 1996-97 as a senior and was named second team All-SEC and third team All-American for the team that won the SEC championship. He was head coach at Lewisville High School, leading them to a state championship game, and Rock Hill's Northwestern before signing on as an assistant at Newberry last season.
Randy Martz (Baseball, 1977 and Football, 1974-76) A multi-sport athlete in high school Martz picked USC over Penn State and Virginia Tech for the chance to play quarterback for the Gamecocks. He saw brief playing time in 1974 and 1975 at quarterback then redshirted in 1976. Martz turned his attention to baseball in 1977 and had one of the best seasons in school history. He was 14-0 with a 1.98 ERA and ten complete games for a Carolina squad that made it to the College World Series. Along the way Martz knocked off 26-0 Clemson in a 2-1 win, beat Georgia 8-2 and had wins over Wake Forest, Baylor and Southern Illinois in the NCAA Regionals and CWS. He went on to pitch for the Cubs and White Sox in the majors, winning 17 games with a 3.78 ERA. He got into coaching after retirement and is currently the head coach at Lewis and Clark Community College and the pitching coach for the independent league Gateway Grizzlies.
Jamar Nesbit (Football, 1995-98) Nesbit was a highly rated prospect coming out of Summerville. He was named the Charleston Post & Courier Offensive Lineman of the Year, listed in the Charlotte Observer's Top 25 prospects in South Carolina and played in the Shrine Bowl. He picked USC over Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, UNC and Clemson. Nesbit lined up at left guard and started ten games as a true freshman. He won the team's Scott Sinclair Outstanding Freshman Award and was named to the SEC All-Freshman team. Nesbit started all 22 games in 1996 and 1997 at left tackle and was named first team All-SEC in 1996 and second team in 1997. He moved inside to center for his senior season and was named first team All-SEC again. Nesbit went on to play in the NFL from 1999 through 2009 with the Panthers, Jaguars and Saints.
Eric Norwood (Football, 2006-09) Few could have predicted how important it was to the Carolina program when Norwood decommitted from Oklahoma State and pledged to the Gamecocks. He had 30 tackles and seven sacks as a true freshman and was named Freshman All-America by Rivals.com, the Football Writers Association and The Sporting News. He started all 12 games at defensive end in 2007 and was named second team All-SEC after recording 69 tackles and 19.5 tackles for loss. He set an NCAA record against Kentucky by returning two fumbles for touchdowns, while also breaking up two passes and recording a tackle for loss. In 2008 he moved to weak-side linebacker, starting 13 games and totaling 75 tackles, 14.5 for loss and 9 sacks. He was named first team All-SEC that year. He also had three sacks against Arkansas that year. Norwood finished up strong in 2009, starting 12 games at WLB and finishing with 81 tackles, 11.5 tackles for loss and 7 sacks. He was named first team All-SEC by several outlets and 1st team All-America by the Walter Camp Foundation. Norwood still owns the school record for tackles for loss and sacks. He went on to play with the Panthers for two seasons before going on to a career in the CFL.
Tricia Popowski (Softball, 1988-91) (official bio from GamecocksOnline) - Garnered NSCA All-America recognition in each of her final three seasons, including first-team honors in both 1989 and 1991 as an outfielder... logged 279 base hits during her illustrious career, including an NCAA record 51 triples......led the team in on-base percentage, triples, walks, and slugging percentage in each of her four seasons... was the second-hardest Carolina player to strike out in school history with just one strikeout every 23.7 at-bats.
Jennifer (Van Assen) Brunelli (Swimming, 2001-04) (official bio from GamecocksOnline) - Achieved All-America status seven times during her Gamecock career, including a school-record five recognitions in 2004, earning certificates in the 100 Freestyle, 200 Freestyle, 200 Free relay, 400 Free relay, and 800 Free relay... named first-team All-SEC in 2004... holds Gamecock records in the 200 Freestyle, 200 Free relay, and 400 Free relay.
