Wednesday,
March 19, 2008
FORMER
TUSCULUM ATHLETIC DIRECTOR ED HOFFMEYER
ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Former Tusculum College athletic director Ed Hoffmeyer
has been selected for induction to The South Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame,
announced SAC Commissioner Doug Echols
on Wednesday.
Joining Hoffmeyer
in the 2007-08 induction class are: Newberry College
men’s basketball All-American Brandon
Hughes; Wingate University baseball player Alvin Norman; SAC Football Officials Coordinator Don Safrit;
Carson-Newman quarterback Danny Sanders;
and Catawba College football All-American Curtis
Walker.
They will be inducted into the
SAC Hall of Fame as part of the South Atlantic Conference Annual Meeting in
Greenville, S.C., on June 5, 2008 at the Westin Poinsett Hotel.
During
his nine years at Tusculum (1998-2007), he emphasized the term student-athlete,
which resulted in the Pioneers being one of the leaders in the South Atlantic
Conference in honorees to the League’s Academic Honor Roll since officially
joining the conference in 1998. The Pioneers have enjoyed success both on and
off the field, including 15 SAC regular season championships, nine SAC
Tournament titles and 20 NCAA Tournament appearances. TC was honored with 18 SAC Scholar-Athletes,
13 Conference Players of the Year and 15 SAC Freshmen of the Year. Also
included are 21 All-Americans and six Academic All-Americans®.
Tusculum's
14 intercollegiate teams posted a .600 winning percentage, accounting for over
60 winning seasons, the most ever by the TC athletic department in a nine-year
period. In all, the Pioneers have won
over 1,400 games or matches since 1998 during his tutelage. In the 2006-07 campaign alone, 11 sports
tallied winning seasons.
Tusculum’s
athletic facilities experienced
major renovations during Hoffmeyer’s watch.
Renovations included: a new press box and grandstand areas for Pioneer Field
(football/soccer), an indoor athletic practice facility and field house, and
lighted soccer fields on the East end of campus. In 2004, the final construction was completed
for Pioneer Park, the 2,400-seat home of Tusculum baseball, giving TC one of
the finest venues of its kind in collegiate sports. The J.C. “Red” Edmonds Softball Field also
received a facelift with the installation of a state-of-the-art playing surface
in 2003 and the installation of lights in the spring of 2006. Coupled with
Pioneer Arena (basketball/volleyball) and the Roger M. Nichols Tennis Complex,
TC has been blessed to have some of the finest facilities of any small college
in the nation.
For
eight years (1991-98) Hoffmeyer served as athletic
director at his alma mater Mars Hill College.
Hoffmeyer oversaw a rapid growth in MHC
athletics, as the number of varsity sports grew from nine to 16. The Lions
claimed four conference titles and boasted 16 South Atlantic Conference
scholar-athletes during his tenure. Like Tusculum, he oversaw MHC’s transition
into the NCAA from the NAIA in 1991.
After
20 years in private business, the 1968 Mars Hill graduate returned to his alma
mater in 1988 where he served as Alumni Director for three years before
accepting the athletic director’s post.
Hoffmeyer was active on a number of national and regional
athletic committees. He served as national chair of the NCAA Division II
Women’s Golf Championship Committee. He was a member of the NCAA Division II
Athletic Directors Association’s Board of Directors and served as chairman of
the South Atlantic Conference Athletic Directors Council. He was also on the
NCAA II Football Southeast Region Selection Committee. In 1994, he was honored
as a member of Who’s Who in Global Business.
Hoffmeyer also served as men’s golf coach at Mars Hill. His
1997-98 linksters set a school record with a 111-61
mark and for his efforts, was honored as SAC Golf Coach of the Year.
While
a student-athlete at Mars Hill, Hoffmeyer was a
member of the Lions’ basketball, and track and field teams. In
track, he ran the intermediate hurdles, 440-yard dash and was on the two relay
teams, where he held the school record in four events.
In
2007, he and his wife Linda, were named co-recipients
of the Tusculum College Sports Benefactor Award, which recognizes those
individuals who make outstanding contributions to Pioneer Athletics.
Hoffmeyer has returned to his alma mater, where he serves
as Director of Admissions at Mars Hill.
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