Francis Marion University athletic officials recently announced that former women’s volleyball player Crystal Poskey Ashley (’02), former women’s soccer standouts Katie Roberts Chapman (‘04) and Kerri Williams (‘00), and former administrator and golf coach Dr. Rufus R. Hackney Jr. are the newest inductees into the FMU Athletic Hall of Fame for 2017.
Hackney served as the university’s first athletic director and was the head golf coach for 11 seasons, in addition to filling roles as an athletic administrator, professor and director of the physical education academic program, and director of intramurals. He also served as the faculty advisor for Omicron Delta Kappa (ODK) honor society. He retired in 1999 and now has the title of Professor Emeriti at Francis Marion.
Between 1984 and 1995, he guided the Patriot golf program to a 1263-539-19 record and a pair of NAIA National Tournament appearances: tying for sixth in 1991 in Oklahoma City, Okla., and finishing 16th in 1992 in Angola, Ind. Under his leadership, FMU captured two NAIA District Six titles (1991, 1992) and three Palmetto State Conference titles (1990, 1991, 1992). He was named the District Six Coach of the Year on three occasions and the PSC Coach of the Year twice. He was the head coach when program transitioned to NCAA Division II affiliation following the 1992 season and during his stint he coached three All-Americans and two Academic All-Americans.
After joining the Francis Marion faculty in 1971, he served as vice president of the college and dean of student affairs (1971-89), assisted with the university’s NCATE accreditation process, and taught nearly 3000 Francis Marion students over 28 years in his first aid training course. He is a past director of the Patriots Brigade Golf Tournament. He consulted on the development and building of the Smith University Center on the Francis Marion campus.
Hackney earned a A.B. degree in physical education and history from the University of North Carolina in 1956 and later a M.Ed. degree in administration and physical education and a Ph.D degree in educational administration – higher education and guidance and counseling – also from Chapel Hill. He did further graduate work at the University of Georgia.
Prior to coming to Florence, he taught and coached at St. Andrews Presbyterian College (10 years) and North Georgia College (4 years) and worked at UNC as graduate student director of intramurals (2 years). He helped organize the Dixie Intercollegiate Athletic Conference – serving as its first president from 1962 to 1964 – and was chairman of NAIA District 29 for three years.
He has worked with various civic groups in the Pee Dee area.
