Six more earn Hall call as newest Chick-fil-A Florence Athletic Hall of Fame class announced
FLORENCE , S.C.
The majority of the members of the 2025 class for the Chick-fil-A Florence Athletic Hall of Fame can call Florence their hometown.
And for one, its become an adopted hometown after spending almost all of the past 30 years here.
Six new inductees gathered at the Florence Center on Thursday as the board of directors announced the latest class the 19th overall.
The Chick-fil-A Florence Athletic Hall of Fame announced six members for its 2025 class.
The inductees are, from left, Wayne Farmer, Pauline Costas, Darryl Page, Jimmy Miles, Shequita Bacote and Pheobe Clark.
The list features Pauline Costas, Shequita Bacote, Pheobe Clark, Wayne Farmer, Raymond James (Jimmy) Miles Jr.
and Darryl Page.
They will be honored at the annual banquet, which is slated for Jan.
4, 2025, in the Florence Center Ballroom.
The social is set to begin at 5 p.m.
with the ceremony taking place from 6-8 p.m.
Tickets are $35 apiece and can be purchased at the Florence Center or through a Hall of Fame board member.
The guest speaker will be former Clemson and Coastal Carolina University mens basketball coach Cliff Ellis.
Darryl Page Wilson High Schools state championship-winning football coach wasnt born in Florence, but the area is certainly home to him now, he said.
A 1981 graduate of Bennettsville High School, Page went on to attend and graduate from Winston-Salem State in 1986.
He began his Florence journey in 1993 as the head coach of the Tigers.
From 1993-2012, Wilson went 127-90 with 13 playoff appearances, three region crowns (1996, 2003, 2005), 10 Florence City Championships, three lower state final appearances and earned the 2007 3A state title.
A three-time region Coach of the Year (1996, 2003, 2005), Page was the S.C.
Athletic Coaches Association Coach of the Year in 2007.
He went on to coach Lower Richland High School before coming back to the Pee Dee in 2016 as the offensive coordinator at West Florence.
This past season, Page returned to the sidelines for his second stint as head coach of the Tigers.
He was inducted into the S.C.
Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2023.
Quite an honor to be recognized by your adopted hometown, Page said.
...
Came here as a 29-year-old in 1993 and Mr.
(Allie) Brooks interviewed me at Wilson High School and decided I needed to be the head football coach.
It has been quite a journey, but very honored and very humbled by it.
...
I thank God for the people that have been in my life, the people that have been in my families' lives and just the whole Florence community.
Pauline Costas A graduate of Florence High School (McClenaghan) in 1943, Costas was a three-year letter-winner while playing both basketball and tennis.
She attended Winthrop College while competing in field hockey, basketball and dance during her time before graduating in 1947, Costas was the first recipient of the Hellams Award her senior year, which was awarded to the senior in the Physical Education Department that showed character, leadership, professional skills, enthusiasm and social qualities.
After college, she both coached and played slow-pitch and fast-pitch softball at various state, regional and national levels while also staying involved in the Florence Community including as a former board member for the Hall of Fame.
Shes really excited and shes real honored, Costas daughter, Maria, said, on her behalf.
She loves the Florence area and all sports and has been real involved in a lot of different things.
Just a real honor for her.
Wayne Farmer Farmer likely needs no introduction in the Florence area, having taught and coached at various schools over the last 37 years.
A member of West Florence High School's class of 1982, Farmer went on to graduate from S.C.
State College (1988) and also earn degrees from Cambridge College (2005), Gardner-Webb University (2019) and Columbia College (2020).
He began coaching in 1988 at West Florence as the head JV football coach and assistant on the varsity squad.
He also was the head JV girls basketball coach, assistant varsity coach and head varsity girls track coach.
Farmer was inducted into the S.C.
Track Hall of Fame in 2017 after having coached nine 1A state track champions during his tenure.
He was a four-time state Coach of the Year, seven-time 1A Coach of the Year, two-time National Coach of the Year and 20-time region Coach of the Year.
He was also a five-time region football coach of the year and was the head coach for the 2021 North-South All-Star game (Touchstone Energy Bowl) and the 2023 head coach for the Sandlapper squad in the Shrine Bowl of the Carolinas.
Its definitely an honor and I very humbled and appreciated of receiving this award, Farmer said.
This is home for me, this is where I got my start and Im just really overwhelmed for being selected and being thought of, so its a great honor.
....
Reaching the kids, bonding with them and them bonding with us just the respect they had and reaching out to so many kids that I had over 37 years, I think thats my biggest reward.
From the time I started here in 88 to where Im at now in 2024, Ive been to nine schools and all nine schools have been special in some way.
Shequita Bacote Bacote is a 1998 graduate of West Florence High School where she played softball from 1996-98.
She was all-region two years, all-conference one year and all-state during her senior season (1998).
As team captain, Bacote led the Knights in home runs and RBIs that year and was the North-South All-Star game MVP.
She went on to attend S.C.
State University from 1998-2002 and earned MEAC All-Conference 2nd Team honors while leading the team in triples.
She continued her softball career at the amateur level, which has taken her across the country at different points.
Its a great honor, Bacote said of the selection.
...Starting out, softball was just something I wanted to do for fun, recreation.
I never knew I would take it this far.
But once I started learning and getting better at it, it started being more fun and my family wanted to watch me play.
...Its taken me to different states Hawaii, South Carolina, California, Nevada, so softball has really taken me to different places (and allowed me to) meet different people.
Its been a great run.
Pheobe Clark A 1998 graduate of South Florence High School, Clark was a multi-sport standout for the Bruins.
She lettered four years in basketball, three in volleyball and two in track, but it was on the basketball court where she shined the brightest.
Clark earned all-region honors her junior and senior years, was all-state and team MVP her senior season and also was a North-South All-Star.
After high school she earned a scholarship to attend Wofford.
Clark still ranks eighth all-time in blocked shots (101), sixth in blocked shots in a single season (59) and fourth in blocked shots per game (7 in 2001).
She also led the team in blocks in 2001 and 2002.
She also went on to earn a law degree from N.C.
Central University.
It is definitely an honor to be included in the number of great athletes in the Florence and Pee Dee area, Bacote said.
Its also a heart-warming sentiment to be recognized in your hometown the city that raised you and the people that you know and love.
...One of the things that Im most proud of is that I was a student-athlete.
And so believe it or not, one of the best things that ever came out of basketball or my basketball career was the opportunity to get a scholarship to play basketball in college and have a free ride.
So, one of the things that is most memorable to me is having that opportunity to go to Wofford College and grow both personally and athletically and have that opportunity to be on scholarship.
Raymond James Jimmy Miles Jr.
A 1978 graduate of West Florence High, Miles stayed close to home and attended college at Francis Marion, where he graduated in 1982.
He was a two-sport star with the Knights lettering three years in football and four years in baseball.
On the gridiron, he was a starting quarterback and defensive back and earned all-conference and MVP honors his junior and senior years.
On the diamond, Miles was a third baseman and pitcher and earned all-conference honors in his junior and senior seasons as well.
He also played for Florence Post 1 in 1977 and 78.
At FMU, he played every inning of every game for his entire four-year career with the Patriots.
His coaching tenure began in earnest in 1984 where he was an assistant varsity baseball coach for South Florence.
He became the head coach in 1985 and was there until 1988.
He also served as the Bruins JV football coach in 1983 and was an assistant varsity coach from 1984-88.
Miles also started the Florence Christian School football program and was head coach from 2008-2012.
Its very much an honor primarily I think because its my hometown, Miles said.
Been here since birth and decided to stay here and got to college and play baseball at Francis Marion.
Had some opportunities to go off, but decided to stay home.
...
So, in that regard, it just means a lot.
...
I think if I had to pick one thing out, I was fortunate enough to start the football program at Florence Christian School and coached it for two or three years and we handed it off to a very capable coach in Neil Minton.
I think being able to start that program, the way they wanted it started at Florence Christian is probably a highlight in my career.
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