Baseball and Tennis Players (Huggins and Thomson) Named to FMU Athletic Hall of Fame

Francis Marion University athletic officials have announced that former baseball All-American Wayne Huggins and former tennis All-American and current Patriot tennis coach Garth Thomson will be inducted into the FMU Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, Jan. 31.

Induction ceremonies will take place between games of the Homecoming basketball double header at approximately 3:45 p.m. Jan. 31 in Smith University Center.  Francis Marion will play Columbus State University on that day, with the women's game starting at 2 p.m. and the men's contest at 4 p.m.

Huggins, a native of Florence and a graduate of Southside High School, was a four-year letterwinner on the first four Patriot baseball teams (1973-76).  He graduated with a B.S. degree in mathematics in 1976.  Still a resident of Florence, he owns and operates Carolina Medical Corp., Lease Associates, Inc., and Greenville Dialysis Center.

The 5'11" right-handed hitting catcher appeared in 125 career games and recorded a .320 career batting average with 61 runs scored, 18 stolen bases (in 26 attempts), 32 doubles, four home runs, and 74 runs batted in.  He was twice named the team most valuable player, was selected to the NAIA District Six All-District Team three times (1973, 1975, 1976), and as a senior was named NAIA honorable mention All-American.

Statistically, he enjoyed his best year in 1975 when he batted .387 with 24 runs scored, 23 RBIs, 15 stolen bases, and a then-record 14 doubles, as Francis Marion posted a 21-14 record.  Following that season, in addition to earning All-District honors, he was named to the All-State Team.  He helped lead the Patriots to the District Six Tournament title and third-place finishes in the area tournament in both 1974 and 1976.  As a senior, he batted .299 with 11 RBIs and earned All-District and All-Area recognition, in addition to the honorable mention All-America honors.

Listed as the first-ever baseball scholarship recipient at Francis Marion, he helped lead the Patriots to a four-year mark of 84-59 and four District Six Tournament appearances.

As a student, he was a member of Tau Upsilon Delta fraternity, and following graduation has been active in the Patriots Brigade and FMU Alumni Association.

Thomson, a native of Avondale, Zimbabwe, was a member of the Patriot tennis team between 1987 and 1990.  He earned the B.B.A. degree in finance in 1991 and the M.B.A. degree in 1997.  He is currently in his sixth year as the university's head men's and women's tennis coach.  He also holds the title of international students adviser.

On the tennis court, he collected four team most valuable player awards, while recording a career singles record of 63-16 and a career doubles mark of 56-21.  In both 1989 and 1990, he won the NAIA District Six number-one singles title, won three matches and advanced to the round of 32 at the NAIA National Tournament, and was named a second-team All-American.  In 1989, he compiled a 17-3 singles record and a 12-5 doubles mark, and in 1990 was 14-2 in singles competition and 12-5 in doubles play.

He was the first men's tennis All-American at Francis Marion and, along with fellow Hall of Famer Pearl Moore, is one of only two Patriot athletes to ever garner four team M.V.P. awards in one sport.  He was also named the Palmetto State Conference "Player of the Year" in 1990, and during March of that year, played on the Zimbabwe Davis Cup team.

Following his graduation, he worked as the assistant club professional at the Florence Country Club, before accepting the Patriot tennis coaching position in the fall of 1992.  In five seasons at FMU, he has guided the men's team to a 68-35 record and the women's team to a 60-37 mark.  Both teams advanced to the NCAA Division II national tournament each of the past three seasons and were ranked in the Top 20 following three of the past four campaigns.  Under his guidance, the women's team set its single-season record for victories with a 14-6 mark and a #13 ranking in 1996.  This past year, the men finished 12-7 and were ranked 16^th, while the women were 12-9 and ranked 20^th.

Huggins and Thomson will join 12 current members in the FMU Athletic Hall of Fame, which was formed in 1991.