JEB FLESCH
ROD GARDNER
CATHY HOFER
FOOTBALL • 1988-91
FOOTBALL • 1997-00
TENNIS • 1986-89
Jeb Flesch was one of Clemson’s top offensive linemen in the 1980s and early 1990s. He was a starter from his freshman year and made 45 starts in his career, all consecutively. He played 2,657 snaps, an average of 59 per game, and that still is 15th in Clemson history in career snaps. That is quite an accomplishment considering there are more games played today. In his four years as a starter, Clemson won the 1988 and 1991 ACC titles. The offensive guard is one of the few linemen in Clemson history to start four consecutive bowl games. The Tigers won three of them, wins over Oklahoma, West Virginia and Illinois. All three were ranked in the top 20. In the four years Flesch was a starter, Clemson posted a 39-8-1 record for an 82.3 winning percentage, sixth highest in Tiger history. The 39 wins are fifth most in school history. Three times in his career, he was named ACC Offensive Lineman-of-the-Week, against Virginia in 1989 and 1991 versus Georgia Tech and Maryland. In 1991, Clemson led the ACC in total offense. Flesch had 267 knockdown blocks in his career, which is top five in Clemson history. As a senior in 1991, he had a team-high 77 knockdown blocks and was named to first-team All-America squads by AP, UPI, Football News and Walter Camp Foundation. The native of Georgia is one of just four Clemson offensive linemen to be named a first-team consensus All-American. The others are Harry Olszewski (1967), Stacy Long (1990) and Stacy Seegars (1993).
Rod Gardner was a four-year letterman for the Tigers between 1997-00. He had back-to-back 1,000-yard receiving seasons in 1999 and 2000, and is still the only Tiger in history to accomplish that feat. Gardner had 80 catches for 1,084 yards in 1999 as a junior, the first 1,000-yard receiving season in school history. He came back with 58 catches for 1,050 yards as a senior in 2000. He averaged 18.1 yards per catch that senior year when he often faced double coverage. The most famous catch of his career took place against South Carolina in 2000. On the final drive with 10 seconds left, he caught a 50-yard pass from Woodrow Dantzler. That reception set up a game-winning field goal by Aaron Hunt in Clemson’s 16-14 victory. Gardner earned first-team All-America accolades by College & Pro Football Weekly and Gannett News in 2000. He was also one 10 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award. In Gardner’s career, he set the Clemson career record for receptions (166). When he graduated, his 2,498 receiving yards were third most in Clemson history. Gardner was named IPTAY Athlete-of-the-Year for the 2000-01 academic year. He was then the No. 15 overall selection of the 2001 NFL draft. On that day, he was the only ACC player to be a first-team All-American, a first-round draft choice and have his college degree. Gardner played in the NFL from 2001-06 for the Redskins, Panthers, Packers and Chiefs. In his second year with the Redskins, he had 71 catches for 1,006 yards and eight touchdowns.
Cathy Hofer was an ACC champion in singles and was named ACC Player-of-the-Year and ACC Tournament MVP in 1988. She also finished 10th in the ITA singles rankings that year, when she was 7-0 in tiebreakers, the only player in program history with a perfect mark in tiebreakers (minimum of seven). Hofer is still seventh in school history for sets won in a season with 76 as a freshman in 1986. She won 36 matches and lost just seven that year, still the seventh-most victories in a season in Clemson history. Ten of those 36 wins were three-set matches, still tied for fourth in school history. She also reached the Sweet 16 of the NCAA individual singles tournament in 1986. Hofer was just the third player in program history to reach the final 16 of the individual tournament. Her 1986 season is regarded as one of the top freshman seasons in Clemson history. That 1986 Tiger team finished with an overall record of 26-3, including a 7-0 mark in the ACC. Andy Johnston’s Tigers finished eighth in the final poll that year. Clemson then finished 20th in the nation in 1987 with Hofer in the lineup and also won the ACC championship. Hofer is still seventh in Clemson history in sets won (217) and fifth in singles wins (102). She was named to the ACC 50-Year Anniversary team in 2002. It is most fitting that Hofer, one of Johnston’s top players, is going in the same hall of fame class.
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