COLUMBIA, S.C. – Three former basketball standouts, a football star and a long-time supporter and volunteer have been inducted into the Benedict College Athletic Hall of Fame.
The five honorees were formally inducted at the Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet on October 13 as part of Homecoming Week festivities.
The newest inductees are: Roscoe Wilson Jr. (Class of 1973); James Brown III (Class of 1981); Tommy Mack (Class of 1981); Ronald C. Davis and Bobby Gist (Class of 1969).
James Brown III
Brown was the driving force behind the great Benedict men's basketball teams from 1979-81. He helped lead Benedict to its first NCAA men's basketball tournament appearance in 1980, and then helped the Tigers to the SIAC conference championship in 1981.
He was named all-SIAC in 1980 and 1981, and was named the team's MVP in 1981. During those two seasons, Benedict was consistently ranked in the top 10 among Black Colleges in the Sheridan Poll. Brown was the leading scorer in the 1981 Budweiser Classic against Allen with 23 points. A multi-talented athlete, Brown also was a member of the Benedict baseball team in 1981.
Brown graduated from Benedict in 1981 and returned as a coach for the Tigers, working with men's basketball (1985-86), women's basketball (1985-88) and baseball (1985-89) teams.
Brown serves as executive director of the Richland County Recreation Commission, where he continues to be a strong supporter of Benedict College. He participates as a guest speaker in the classroom and on Career Day in the HPER department, sharing his insights on professionalism and being a leader and motivator. He also has worked with the school to utilize Richland County facilities and equipment for HPER and Athletic Department events.
Ronald C. Davis
Davis was a standout two-way football player for the Tigers from 1960-64. After blocking a field goal against Livingstone as a freshman midway through the season, he moved into the starting lineup and never went back to the bench.
As a sophomore, Davis led the SIAC in receiving for much of the season, and finished as one of the league's top receivers. He is probably best known for his 50-yard catch against Florida A&M.
Despite his success as a receiver, Davis' specialty was on defense. From his left defensive end position, opposing teams could not run to his side. In a 1963 season preview, the end position on both offense and defense was listed as one of the team's strengths, led by the senior Davis.
A native of Anderson, South Carolina, Davis was a three-sport athlete at Westside High School. He received an athletic scholarship to play football at Benedict, where he played for three years under Coach Willis Bracey and his senior year under Coach P.B. Parks.
Following his graduation from Benedict with a Bachelor of Science degree in Health and Physical Education, Davis went on to receive a Master's degree in Administration Supervision from Clemson University. He also studied at Mississippi State University and Brandeis University.
Davis spent six years as a teacher and coach at J.S. Wright High School in Abbeville, S.C. He retired as Chief Operation Officer at GLEAMNS Human Resources Commission in Greenwood, S.C., after more than 40 years of service.
Davis has received many honors and accolades during his lifetime of service to others. He has received the Order of the Palmetto from the Governor of South Carolina, the Presidential Medallion from Piedmont Technical College, the President's Award from Southeastern Employment and Training Association, the Presidential Award from the South Carolina Community Action Partnership, the Donald L. Hollowell Leadership Award from the Atlanta alumni chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity. He also received the Southeastern Region Volunteer Award from the Joint Action in Community Service and the key to the city from the mayor of Abbeville, S.C.
His memberships include Royal Baptist Church, and lifetime memberships to NAACP, Kappa Alpha Psi and Southeastern Employment and Training Association.
Davis currently resides in Fayetteville, Ga., with his wife, Angela Williams Davis.
Bobby Gist
A 1969 graduate of Benedict College, Bobby Gist has been one of the school's leading advocates and volunteers.
Gist is one of the founding members of the Board of Directors for the Palmetto Capital City Classic, and has led the charge to insure the success of the Classic in its mission to provide scholarships to students at HBCU institutions that have participated in the Classic since its inception in 2002. Benedict College has been the host institution for the PCCC.
He is also one of the founding members of the LeRoy Walker Golf Tournament and has served on Benedict's Charter Day President's Cabinet. He also serves as master of ceremony for many Benedict events and banquets.
After receiving his BA degree from Benedict, Gist went on to receive his Masters from the University of South Carolina. He currently serves as the Executive Assistant to the President for Equal Opportunity Programs at USC, a position he has held since 1995. He is responsible for planning, developing and administering the University of South Carolina's equal opportunity/affirmative action policies and practices to ensure compliance with both federal and state statutes relating to non-discrimination in employment and education.
Prior to that, he served as the deputy commissioner for the South Carolina Human Affairs Commission, where he worked with then Commissioner, now Congressman Jim Clyburn.
Gist also serves as a member of the executive training faculty at the University of South Carolina's Daniel Management Center, where he does executive and supervisory management training.
He has received numerous awards and honors, including Advocate of the Year for Access and Equity in Higher Education in South Carolina, and the Whitney M. Young Award for dedicated service from the Indian Waters Boy Scout Council. He has also served on numerous boards and commissioners.
Gist also finds times to host a sports talk show that he and co-host Ernest Robinson have been doing for 23 years. He has also served as a member of the broadcast team for the South Carolina State University Bulldog Football Radio Network for more than 20 years.
Gist serves as a trustee at St. John Baptist Church and is a member of the NAACP and Omega Psi Phi fraternity, Omicron Phi chapter.
He is married to the former Beverley Ann Chavis and they have three daughters and six grandchildren.
Tommy Mack
Mack was also a standout men's basketball player, and was a teammate of James Brown's on the 1979-80 team, which was ranked eighth in the Sheridan Poll. That basketball team returned Benedict College to national prominence, and won a pair of post-season games.
Mack was named the Budweiser Player of the Month in December 1979, and was the MVP of the Budweiser Classic against Allen in 1979. He scored 32 points in an early-season victory over Morris and added 22 points in a season-opening victory over Allen. He was named to the SIAC All-Conference team after the season which saw him among the conference leaders in scoring, rebounding and field-goal percentage. At one point, he ranked second in the country, shooting 72.5 percent from the field.
In the opening-round game of the SIAC Tournament, Mack hit two free throws with 10 seconds left in the game to lift the Tigers to a 68-67 victory over Alabama A&M.
Mack has remained very active in serving Benedict College since graduation, serving on several alumni groups. He is currently president of president of Columbia Alumni Club No. 2.
He is a material handler at SCE&G and is a member of Francis Burns United Methodist Church, where he is a chairman on the trustee board and on the finance committee. He also participates in the Salkehatchie mission project.
He has two sons, Jules Steven Mack and Rodriguez Isom. He was married to Valerie Hughes, class of 1978, who passed away in 1990.
Roscoe Wilson Jr.
Wilson was a dominating big man for the Tigers basketball team and was one of the best-known centers throughout the SIAC and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). He ranked eighth in the nation in rebounding as a sophomore, averaging an astounding 22.5 rebounds per game, and had a game-high 35 in one game. He was a three-time selection to the all-SIAC, all-NAIA teams, and was a Small College All-American after his sophomore season.
Wilson graduated from Benedict with a degree in Physical Education and Biology, and went on to become the first Benedict player to play professional basketball in Europe. He played for more than seven teams in seven countries from 1974 to 1984 after a short preseason stint with the New York Nets.
In Sweden, he averaged 25 points and 20 rebounds per game. He helped his first team in Stockholm remain in the Elite Series, and then helped his second team in Helsingborg, Sweden to the Swedish Cup Championship, which qualified the team for the European Championship. He also played professionally in Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia and Argentina. While in Europe and South American, he also trained and coached players, and coached a women's team to the Swedish national semifinals. He also continued his educational studies, taking graduate classes in Swedish Linguistics and Global Human Behavior at the University of Sweden-Kurverksamheten.
Wilson honed his basketball skills playing for Big Wilt's Smalls Paradise team in the famed Rucker Basketball League in New York, where he played with and against some of the biggest names in basketball – Nate “Tiny” Archibald, Julius “Dr. J” Erving, John Shumate, Connie Hawkins, Tommy Boswell, Charlie Criss, Henry Bibby, Swen Nader, Kevin Joyce, Alex English and many others.
After his professional career, Wilson coached on the college level at Morris College, where he served as head men's basketball coach, head women's basketball coach, track and field coach, softball coach and athletic director. He went on to coach the men's basketball team at his alma mater, Benedict College.
As vice president of AMIkids, a National Youth Services organization, Wilson brought in more than $40,000 per year to Benedict College in contracted services for more than 15 years for a total of more than $700,000. He advanced to Vice President of Program Development at AMIkids, a non-profit alternative education and treatment company for at-risk and troubled youth. During his career, he was a tireless advocate and juvenile justice expert, taking the message of nurturing and quality treatment of troubled youth to state and federal governments. He currently is CEO of the RC Wilson Group, which continues to focus on the needs of troubled youth.
Wilson and is a member of St. John Baptist Church, where his father was pastor for 50 years. His mother, Ethel Wilson, was a professor at Benedict College. He is a mentor for teens in Richland School District One and has participated in the Principal for a Day program at Eau Claire High School and WA Perry Middle School. He also volunteers his time as an AAU girls basketball team coach.
Wilson is married to Eva Rakes Wilson, and they have two children, Renaldo and A'Ja.
