The Garden City will once again take center stage in honoring the Palmetto State’s best college players.
For the second straight year, the Orangeburg Touchdown Club will present its All-State College Team as part of its fifth annual banquet set for Friday, Feb. 16, at The Cinema. Much like last year’s banquet, a sizable number of the 27 players selected for the team based on voting by the OTC board and state journalists who cover college football in South Carolina are expected to attend to receive their personalized trophy.
A “who’s who” of state head coaches are also scheduled to be in attendance, headlined by this year’s speaker guest speaker, University of South Carolina head football coach Steve Spurrier. Entering his second season with the Gamecocks, the former Heisman Trophy winner has created mass excitement in Columbia after leading them to an 8-5 record, a win over archrival Clemson and a Liberty Bowl victory.
Joining Spurrier onstage will be former South Carolina State coaching legend Willie Jeffries, who will serve as master of ceremonies as only he knows how. South Carolina State head football coach Oliver “Buddy” Pough will also be there to cap the festivities by presenting his year-end team athletics awards.
The Bulldogs are coming off an 8-4 season in which they finished tied for second place with Delaware State in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference standings despite defeating eventual three-time champion Hampton.
Tickets go on sale this Friday and are $25 in advance, $30 at the door if space is available. Tickets will be sold at the Chamber of Commerce, Community Resource Bank, The Times and Democrat and Hibbits Insurance. The buffet will open at 5:45 p.m. and the program starts at 6:30 p.m.
2006 Orangeburg
Touchdown Club
All-State Team
(OFFENSE)
QUARTERBACKS – Josh Stepp (Newberry) & Tyler Thigpen (Coastal Carolina)
RUNNING BACKS – Deshawn Baker (South Carolina State) & James Davis (Clemson)
WIDE RECEIVERS – Tymere Zimmerman (Newberry), Sidney Rice (University of South Carolina) and Jerome Simpson (Coastal Carolina)
TIGHT END – Thomas Hunter (Clemson)
OFFENSIVE LINE – Nathan Bennett and Dustin Fry (both of Clemson), Brad Poston (Coastal Carolina), Clyde Reed (South Carolina State), Will Rutherford (Wofford) and Chris White (University of South Carolina)
(DEFENSE)
DEFENSIVE LINE – Gaines Adams (Clemson), Casper Brinkley (University of South Carolina), Roy Ravenell (Furman) and Eric Turner (South Carolina State)
LINEBACKERS – Jasper Brinkley (University of South Carolina), Antonio Clay (Clemson) and Jada Ross (Charleston Southern)
DEFENSIVE BACKS – Fred Bennett (University of South Carolina), Chad Burgess (Presbyterian College), Michael Hamlin (Clemson University) and Joshua Lawson (The Citadel)
(SPECIAL TEAMS)
PUNTER/PLACE-KICKER – Ryan Succop (University of South Carolina)
KICK RETURNER – Jacoby Ford (Clemson University)