GREENVILLE, S.C. — Four Palmetto State products who played in the NFL and legendary Wofford head football coach Mike Ayers were inducted into the South Carolina Football Hall Of Fame Friday night in Greenville.
Ayers spent 30 years in charge of the Wofford program and retired in 2017 as that program’s all-time wins leader. He guided the Terriers to five Southern Conference titles and 10 playoff trips (two in NCAA Division II, eight in FCS) and is third all-time in SoCon victories and seasons, behind only Jerry Moore (Appalachian State) and Wallace Wade (Alabama, Duke). Overall he posted a 207-139-1 record with the Terriers.
The former players enshrined are:
*John Gilliam, a Greenwood native who played football and ran track at S.C. State. In 1967, he was drafted in the second round (52nd overall) to the then-NFL expansion franchise New Orleans Saints. Over 11 NFL seasons, he would play for the Saints (2 stints, 1967=1968,1977), St. Louis Cardinals (1969-1971), Minnesota Vikings (1972-1975), Atlanta Falcons (1976), and Chicago Bears (1977). He had 382 career receptions and 48 touchdown receptions. He was on Vikings teams that played in the Super Bowl following the 1973 and 1974 seasons.
*Joe Bostic, a Greensboro native who was a four-year starter as an offensive lineman at Clemson University from 1975-1978. In 1977, he was the recipient of the ACC Jacobs Blocking Trophy. By the end of his collegiate career at Clemson, Joe was a two-time first-team All-American and two-time All-ACC player in 1977 and 1978. In 1979, Joe was selected in the third round (64th overall) of the NFL Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals. He would be named to the NFL All-Rookie team and played 10 seasons with the franchise in St. Louis and Phoenix, which is now the Arizona Cardinals. He started 115 games and played in 132 games during his NFL career.
After his playing days, he was selected to Clemson’s All-Centennial team and Hall of Fame in 1996; to the ACC’s 50th Anniversary 50 Greatest Players Team in 2002, and named a Clemson ACC Football Legend at the 2018 ACC Championship Game. Joe was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000. His younger brother Jeff is also a Clemson alum and a South Carolina Football Hall of Fame Class of 2021 inductee.
*Stanford Jennings, a Summerville native who had an All-America career as a Furman running back. He played in the NFL for nine seasons with stints with the Bengals, Saints, and Bucs. He was on the 1988 Cincinnati team that played in the Super Bowl and was coached by the late Sam Wyche, a Furman graduate. In that ’88 season, Jennings had a standout year as a kick returner with 32 return attempts for 684 yards, which included a 98-yard touchdown return – the longest from that NFL season. He also returned a 93-yard kickoff in Super Bowl XXIII.
Throughout his nine-season NFL career, Jennings had 1,250 rushing yards, 116 receptions for 1098 yards, 2,965 yards returning kickoffs, and 20 total touchdowns. As a kick returner, his 2,752 yards stood as the Bengals franchise record until it was surpassed in 2000.
*Brad Edwards, a star defensive back at South Carolina in the mid-’80s, who had interceptions for touchdowns in the Clemson/Carolina game in both 1986 and 1987.
The Minnesota Vikings selected Brad in the second round of the 1988 NFL Draft. He played with the Vikings for two seasons and then went to free agency, where he signed with Washington and played with that franchise for four seasons. He achieved Super Bowl success in the 1991 season as his team won Super Bowl XXVI with Edwards recording two interceptions in the win over Buffalo.
For the final two seasons of his career, Brad played for the Atlanta Falcons. Over the nine seasons and three teams, Brad intercepted 18 passes and had two touchdowns.
After his successful career in the NFL, Brad stepped into collegiate athletics. He served as an assistant athletic director and senior associate director at the University of South Carolina from 1999 to 2006. In 2009, he was named the athletic director at Newberry College. Currently, Brad is the CEO of the NFL Alumni Association. Brad is a 2011 inductee of the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame.