Former Wofford College student-athletes Noah Dahlman '11, Pat Illig '10, Tim Johnson '11, and Chad Starks '94 have been selected by the Hall of Fame committee of the Wofford College Terrier Club board of directors as the 2016 inductees into the college's Athletics Hall of Fame.
In addition, the Hall of Fame will honor Billy '50 and Betty Wood as the Distinguished Service Award recipients and Wayne Nix as Honorary Letterman.
The Hall of Fame will induct its newest class on October 29 when the Terriers host Mercer in football.
The Hall of Fame recognizes "those former athletes and coaches who, by outstanding athletic achievement and service, have made lasting and significant contributions to the cause of sports at Wofford College, the Spartanburg community, South Carolina and the nation."
Dahlman and Johnson were members of the back-to-back Southern Conference men's basketball championship teams in 2010 and 2011. Chad Starks is second in college history in career interceptions, while Pat Illig was an All-American offensive lineman.
Noah Dahlman '11
Dahlman is the college's leading scorer in the NCAA Division I era with 2,013 points. He ranks fifth in Wofford history. He started 95 of 128 games played and also had 786 rebounds. He was named first team All-Southern Conference three times, earned All-America honors his junior season and was twice named Southern Conference Tournament Most Outstanding Performer. He led the team to back-to-back Southern Conference Tournament Championships and back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 2010 and 2011. As a senior, he averaged 20.1 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game. He was third in the conference in scoring and fifth in the nation in field goal percentage. During his junior year, he averaged 16.6 points per game and 6.3 rebounds per game. Dahlman was named the 2010 Southern Conference Player of the Year by the coaches and became the first Wofford basketball player to earn All-America honors when he was named an Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American. As a sophomore, he was named All-Southern Conference first team by the coaches and media and led the team in scoring with a 17.8 ppg average. In the SoCon record book, Dahlman is third all-time in career accuracy (minimum of 400 made). He made 764 of 1,276 shots over his career for a 59.9 percent mark. In his last 95 games at Wofford, he scored 10 or more points in 94 of them. A native of Braham, Minn., Dahlman graduated with a degree in history in 2011.
Pat Illig '10
Illig started 36 of 49 games played, primarily at left guard. He was a member of two Southern Conference Championship teams (2007 and 2010) and went to the NCAA FCS Playoffs three times. As a senior, he helped pave the way for the nation's top rushing offense at 297.77 yards per game. The offensive line allowed just one sack per game, and the team won the Southern Conference Championship. He led the team with 134 knockdown blocks as he started all 13 games and was the recipient of the Southern Conference Jacobs Blocking Trophy, one of only four Terriers to ever win the award. Illig earned second team All-American honors from the Associated Press, first team All-America from The Sports Network, and first team All-Southern Conference honors. During his junior year, he led the team in knockdown blocks and started all 11 games at left guard as he earned All-Southern Conference first team by the coaches and media. As a sophomore, he started all 12 games at left guard and was third on the team with 117 knockdown blocks. He was named the team's Freshman of the Year in 2007 as Wofford won the Southern Conference Championship and defeated Montana in the NCAA Playoffs. A native of Pittsburgh, Penn., he graduated with a degree in accounting.
Tim Johnson '11
Johnson is Wofford's leading rebounder in the NCAA Division I era with 1,002 and ranks seventh in Wofford history. He started 95 of 129 games played and scored 877 career points. He earned All-Southern Conference honors as a junior and senior. Johnson led the team to back-to-back Southern Conference Tournament Championships and back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Tournament in 2010 and 2011. As a senior, Johnson was the team leader in rebounds with 8.5 per game along with 6.0 points, and led the SoCon in rebounds. During his junior season he was named All-Southern Conference by the coaches and media. He led the team with 276 rebounds (7.9 rpg) and ranked fifth in the SoCon in rebounds. As a sophomore, he was the lone player to start all 30 games and was second in the SoCon in rebounding with 261 (8.7 rpg) and ranked 45th nationally in rebounds. An English major from Memphis, Tenn., he is currently an assistant coach at Wofford.
Chad Starks '94
A four-year starter in the secondary, Starks had 182 total tackles and 15 interceptions in his career. The 15 career interceptions rank second in Wofford history, while his 288 career interception return yards are the most in college history. As a senior, he had 54 total tackles and led the team with seven interceptions, which were returned 90 yards. The seven interceptions in a season are the second most in college history. During his junior season, he had 45 tackles and one interception, along with two tackles for loss. As a sophomore, he had 47 tackles and four interceptions to earn honorable mention All-America honors from the National Football Gazette. His biggest play that season was an intercepted pass with less than a minute left to preserve a 15-12 win over The Citadel. A native of Columbia, S.C., he graduated from Wofford in 1994 and earned a Ph.D. in criminology from the University of Delaware.
Wayne Nix, Honorary Letterman
Wayne Nix is an avid supporter of Wofford and the young people we serve. His good work as a teacher, football coach and successful entrepreneur and businessman, along with his involvement as a Wofford parent and fan, has given him a distinctive perspective on the value and importance of a Wofford education. His daughter, Wendi, is a 1996 graduate of Wofford and is currently working for ESPN, and his son, Kenneth graduated from Wofford in 2003.
Billy and Betty Wood, Distinguished Service Award
The Woods are among the most loyal and dedicated fans, supporters and friends of the college. They have played a key role in the success of Wofford athletics for over three decades, always lending a hand in events such as the Terrier Club phone-a-thon. Their legacy of support for Wofford will live in perpetuity through a recently established endowed scholarship.
by Brent Williamson, Fall 2016