Dallas McPherson Leads List of Six into The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame

CHARLESTON, SC – Third baseman Dallas McPherson, a two-time All-Southern Conference performer who has been playing professional baseball since 2001, highlights a list of six individuals that will be inducted into The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday night, October 28, at the Holliday Alumni Center.

Also entering the Hall as members of the Class of 2011 are track and football speedster Philip Florence ‘90, basketball standout Randy Nesbit ’80, and baseball and football star Tony Skole ’91, while former football coach Charlie Taaffe and supporter Tom McQueeney ‘74 enter as honorary members.

The six increases the membership of the Hall of Fame, which originated in 1977, to 161 individuals.  The Hall is located in the lobby of McAlister Field House on campus.

Dallas McPherson ’02 (Baseball)
A third baseman-pitcher from 1999-01, McPherson earned all-league honors in 2000 and ’01.  He was selected by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in the second round (57th overall) of the 2001 First-Year Player Draft, becoming the college’s second-highest draft pick at the time.  A career .322 hitter, McPherson was tied for seventh on the school’s charts with 21 home runs and continues to rank among the top-10 in slugging percentage.  A well-rounded athlete, he won 17 games on the mound during his three-year career at The Citadel.  After garnering several minor league player of the year honors, McPherson was a September (2004) call-up by the Angels and made his Major League debut on September 10 against the Chicago White Sox. McPherson started 11 games down the stretch and was the Angels' starting third baseman in their playoff series against the Boston Red Sox.  He has since been a member of the Florida Marlins, San Francisco Giants and Oakland Athletics’ organizations, and is currently playing for the White Sox’s AAA affiliate in Charlotte.

Philip Florence ’90 (Track & Football)
A six-time All-Southern Conference pick in outdoor and indoor track and field, Florence was the 1990 league champion in the 100m dash (10.61; outdoors).  Three times he earned all-league honors in the 55m indoors and twice captured all-conference honors in the 200m.  He remains among the school’s top 10 in the 55m and 200m (indoors), the 100m and 200m (outdoors) and is also a member of the sprint medley relay, 4x200 relay and 4x100 relay teams.  He continues to hold second place in the 55m indoors and 100m outdoors.  A Dean’s List student, Florence was a three-year member of the football team as a wide receiver where he twice led the team in receptions and once in kick returns.  At one point, he held the single-game school mark for 160 kickoff return yards and two of the college’s 21 times that a receiver caught 100+ yards in a game.  Coached by Charlie Taaffe, Florence was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in 1990. He is currently an attorney in Charleston.


Randy Nesbit ’80 (Basketball)
A three-year starting point guard on Les Robinson-coached basketball teams, Nesbit was a key member of The Citadel’s 1979 team that won 20 games, a first for the college.  The captain of the ’80 team, Nesbit was selected to the 1979 and ’80 All-Southern Conference second team and paced the ’78 team with a 54.0 field goal percentage and a 92.5 free throw percentage in 1980, which was the second-best in the NCAA.  He tied a school mark with 13 assists in a 1979 game against Marshall, and established the school’s season record of 120 dishes that season.  Holding the school’s record for most career assists (324), Nesbit played only three years having transferred from Gulf Coast Community College.  He later served as an assistant to Robinson, and coached the Bulldogs from 1986-92.  Nesbit is currently the director of athletics and head basketball coach at Roane State Community College in Tennessee.

Tony Skole ‘91 (Baseball & Football)
One of the most popular athletes on campus, Skole, who was considered the “ultimate teammate,” was a baseball player who also played defensive back on the football field.  A third baseman, Skole was a member of The Citadel’ 1990 World Series team and is remembered for recording the game-winning hit in the 12th inning to score Anthony Jenkins in the Bulldogs’ win over Cal State Fullerton.  Skole also slammed a game-clinching home run in The Citadel’s second victory over Miami in Miami during the ’90 NCAA Regionals.  He twice earned second team All-Southern Conference honors (1991, ’92) at third base and when he graduated, he held the school record for most career games (206) and at bats (731).  On the gridiron, he started 35 consecutive games and helped lead the Bulldogs to the 1988 and ’90 I-AA playoffs.  A football team captain, he led the league in interceptions his senior season.  Skole is currently the head baseball coach at East Tennessee State.

Tom McQueeney ‘74 (Honorary)
One of six McQueeney brothers to graduate from The Citadel, this native Charlestonian served as chairman of the Johnson Hagood Stadium Revitalization Committee (2003-08) and worked very closely with governmental agencies to secure the college’s partnership with the South Carolina Army National Guard to complete the project.  A recipient of the Southern Conference Distinguish Service Award, McQueeney has served as chairman of the Charleston Metro Sports Council and was directly involved with his hometown hosting the Southern Conference Basketball Championships. Selected by the SC General Assembly to serve on The Citadel’s Board of Visitors, McQueeney is a 2009 recipient of the Order of the Palmetto, the highest civilian award presented by the SC governor.  A major donor to many, he was the sports editor of The Brigadier, the college’s student newspaper where he was recognized for his journalistic abilities.  He continues to live in Charleston and operates a successful State Farm Insurance agency.

Charlie Taaffe (Honorary)
The Citadel’s winningest football coach in terms of victories (55), Taaffe is credited with resurrecting the football program as he served as coach from 1987-95.  Twice named the Southern Conference Coach of the Year (1988, ’92), the Taaffe-led Bulldogs captured the 1992 SoCon Championship, only the second in school history.  That ’92 team finished with an 11-2 record and tied for No. 1 (with Northeast Louisiana) in the final I-AA national poll.  He was named 1992 I-AA National Coach of the Year by The Sports Network and by the American Football Coaches Association while receiving the Eddie Robinson Award (as the I-AA National Coach of the Year).  His teams defeated I-A programs a total of six times and include memorable victories over Army (twice), Navy (twice), Arkansas and South Carolina. He currently serves as the offensive coordinator at Central Florida University.