BOWMAN - Current St. Louis Rams' defensive back Tye Hill is making a return visit to the T&D Region.

The former two-sport All-State standout at Woodland High School and Clemson All-American will be at Bethune-Bowman High School this Friday as the guest speak for its annual athletics banquet.

In his first season with the Rams after being selected 15th overall in 2006, Hill was seventh in tackles (42) and tied for the team lead in interceptions with three. At Clemson, he was a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award given to the nation's best defensive back, a consensus first-team All-American and was named to the inaugural Orangeburg Touchdown Club's All-State team.

The St. George native first gained statewide attention in college where he helped the Wolverines win the first of two Class 2-A titles in track and was a North-South All-Star running back.

The event starts at 6:30 p.m. in the school gymnasium and tickets for $5 for the general public.

Bethune-Bowman is not the only Orangeburg Consolidated District Five school with a guest speaker at its athletics banquet. At 7 p.m. tonight, South Carolina State athletics director Charlene Johnson will speak at Orangeburg-Wilkinson High School's banquet taking place at The Cinema.

A member of the SCSU Athletics Hall of Fame, the Allendale native was a member of the Lady Bulldogs' basketball team which won the 1979 AIAW (Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women) national championship. Johnson made school history four years later when she became the first woman named to a full-time coaching position.

After serving in various duties at SCSU, Johnson was named school AD for the second time in 2004. In May 2006, Johnson became the first women to serve as chairperson of the MEAC's Director of Athletics. The following month, she received a contract extension in 2006 which runs through June 30, 2009.

The past two weeks have seen Johnson busy in hiring a new men's basketball coach (Tim Carter) and track/cross country coach (Tyree Price) and trying to fill the vacancy in volleyball.

You must be logged in to comment.