Former Francis Marion University softball player and coachRendy Yates and former Patriot track and field andcross country athlete Mitch Powell were inductedinto the FMU Athletic Hall of Fame on Feb. 6, 1999.
Powell, a native of Wadley, Ga., was afour-time NAIA District Six All-District cross country runner and athree-time All-District track and field performer. Helettered four years in both track and field and cross country(1979-83) before earning the B.A. degree in history in 1984. He currently resides in Milledgeville, Ga., and is a supervisorwith Horton Homes Manufacturing in Eatonton, Ga.
He earned All-District honors in cross country each of his fouryears, was the District Six individual champion in 1981 and 1982,and ran in the 1980, 1981, and 1982 NAIA national championshipmeets. In winning the 1982 district crown, he broke the USCSpartanburg course record by 30 seconds.
Powell was a three-time All-District selection in track andfield and participated in the 1982 South Carolina-North CarolinaAll-Star Track Meet. He finished his career as thethird-leading scorer in Patriot track and field history (319.88points), and set school records that still stand today, in thesix-mile (31:37.77), three-mile (14:38.80), 5,000-meters(15:09.71), and 10,000-meters (32:42.08).
He helped lead the Patriots to three district team titles ineach sport.
