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Hall of Fame

The Ben Lippen Athletics Hall of Fame exists to recognize, preserve, and honor former student-athletes, coaches, and other significant contributors who have meritoriously served the advancement of Ben Lippen Athletics.

Inductees embody the Ben Lippen Athletics WIN philosophy

WIN on the Scoreboard: They demonstrate a high level of excellence and commitment while a part of Ben Lippen Athletics.

WIN in Life: They display leadership both in their homes and communities, exemplifying the highest standards of sportsmanship, ethical conduct, and moral character.

WIN for Eternity: They actively pursue Christ and point others to the cross.

Ben Lippen Athletics desires to keep alive the rich tradition and spirit of those student-athletes, coaches, and distinguished supporters. We recognize their outstanding achievement in sports, service, dedication, and commitment to athletics.

Each year the recipients will be honored at the annual Hall of Fame Luncheon and during the Homecoming football game.

Hall of Fame 2023

  • Joey Carter: 2010 alumnus and excelled in both baseball and football, earning honors at the school, state, and regional levels.
  • Butch Sursavage: Bible teacher, coach, and mentor. Along with coaching junior varsity and varsity basketball, Sursavage was an integral part of starting the school’s football program on its new Columbia campus.

Hall of Fame 2022

Marie (Hadinger) Coggin was a five-sport letterman at Ben Lippen School, excelling in cross country, track, volleyball, basketball and soccer. She earned Ben Lippen’s Athlete of the Year award each of her high school years from 1993-1997, named to the SCISA All-Academic Team 1994-95 and was SCISA All-Region in basketball, volleyball and soccer for three years from 1994-1997.

Bob Weeber (posthumously) served Ben Lippen School for over 40 years, with half of those years in athletics positions that included athletics director, as well as baseball and basketball coach beginning in Asheville and later on the Columbia campus.

Bobby Richardson grew up in Sumter, South Carolina, and by age 19 he was playing second base for the New York Yankees, the first of 12 outstanding seasons with the Yanks. During his career, the Yankees went to the World Series nine times, winning seven championships. Richardson played in 30 consecutive World Series games, and in 1959, earned MVP honors.

Hall of Fame 2021

Sam played football for Ben Lippen from 1998 to 2001 and was a natural talent. He was named a captain during his sophomore year but broke his leg during a game against Asheville School at the beginning of the season. With a strong desire to get back on the field, Sam devoted the next eight weeks to conditioning and rehabilitation and was able to get back on the field four weeks earlier than expected. 

Coach Currier served as Ben Lippen’s Athletic Director for 22 years, following a nine-year NFL career with the Houston Oilers, New England Patriots, and the New York Giants. He played college football for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks from 1973 to 1976 and was named defensive captain as well as a member of the MVP team. 

Hathaway returned to Ben Lippen School in 1960 to coach soccer. From that time through 1979, he was at the helm of the soccer program at the Asheville campus. In addition to coaching soccer, he taught in the math department. Hathaway and his wife, Bonnie, moved with Ben Lippen when it relocated to Columbia in the late 1980s.

Once known as “The Father of Cross Country” in South Carolina, George Johnson ran track as a student at the University of South Carolina. His love for running led him into a long career of coaching cross country and track.

During his time as a runner at Ben Lippen, Graham set South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) track records in the 800m, 1600m, 3200m, and the 5k in Cross Country. He was a four-time state champion in the 1600m and the 3200m.

From seventh through twelfth grades, Katie Shoemaker was a member of the Ben Lippen Varsity Swim Team. She specialized in the 50 freestyle and 100 butterfly, winning 11 individual gold medals during her swimming career at Ben Lippen. She was also named All-Area Swimmer of the Year and a four-year YMCA National Qualifier. She is one of the most decorated female athletes at Ben Lippen School.