ROCK HILL, S.C. --- Former Tusculum president Dr. Nancy Moody and All-American quarterback Corey Russell have been selected for induction to the 2018 South Atlantic Conference Hall of Fame announced league officials Thursday.
Moody and Russell, along with former Carson-Newman defensive lineman Cedric Killings, former Catawba golfer Nick Sabol and former Wingate volleyball standout Dr. Lindsay Hinson-Knipple, comprise the 2018 SAC Hall of Fame Class.
The honorees will be formally inducted at the SAC Hall of Fame Banquet, May 31, 2018 in Greenville, South Carolina.
"This is an extremely impressive group of inductees," said SAC commissioner Patrick Britz. "We are honored to have them become members of the SAC Hall of Fame, as they are all excellent examples of the outstanding tradition of academic and athletic excellence that the SAC has established."
Dr. Moody served as president of two different South Atlantic Conference institutions, Lincoln Memorial (2002-2009) and Tusculum (2009-2017), and was an active member of the SAC President's Council for more than 12 years. Under Dr. Moody's leadership Lincoln Memorial joined the SAC in 2007. She served as Chair of the SAC Strategic Planning Committee in 2009, was Chair of the SAC President's Council in 2013 and 2014, and was a member of the Executive Committee for six years.
In addition to her service to the SAC, Dr. Moody was a member of several NCAA Committees, including the Division II President's Council (2008-12), the Division II Academic Requirements Task Force (2012-13) and the Budget and Strategic Planning Committee (2011). She also served as the Chair of the Division II Convention Planning Committee (2010).
Dr. Moody was a very active member of the higher education academic community. She was a member of the Board of Directors of the Appalachian Colleges Association from 2008-11, a Board of Trustee member of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) from 2012-14, and she served as President of SACSCOC from 2015-17. Dr. Moody was also Chair of the Tennessee Independent College and University Association (TICUA), and a member of the TICUA Board of Directors from 2004-12.
Russell graduated from Tusculum in 2009, after one of the best playing careers by a quarterback in Tusculum history. He led the Pioneers to three straight winning seasons as a starter, including the 2008 campaign where the Pioneers captured the SAC Championship, and made their first-ever trip to the NCAA Division II Playoffs. His 11,315 career total offensive yards are the second-most in school history, third in the SAC record book and are 27th-most in NCAA Division II history. He passed for 9,887 yards, second in Tusculum history and fourth in SAC history, while also rushing for 1,428 yards, most ever by a Tusculum quarterback and fifth overall. He accounted for 103 career touchdowns (82 passing, 21 rushing), the second most in Tusculum history and third in SAC history.
He smashed the school record books in 2008 as he led the Pioneers to a 9-4 record, a SAC title, advanced to the second round of the NCAA II Playoffs and ended the year with a No. 16 national ranking. In 2008, he was named the Offensive Player of the Year for the both the SAC and the NCAA Super Region 2. He was a consensus All-American and was a national finalist for the Harlon Hill Trophy, where he finished sixth in the national voting. He established 15 Tusculum records in 2008, including a pair of NCAA Division II marks, 674 offensive plays and 13 games with 300 or more total offensive yards. He was selected to play in the 2009 Valero Cactus Bowl and both Tusculum and the SAC named him the Male Athlete of the Year in 2009.
He was inducted to the Tusculum Sports Hall of Fame in 2015.
After graduating from Tusculum he joined the staff at his prep school alma mater, Cumberland Gap High School, where he teaches world history and is the head football coach.
Moody and Russell become the seventh and eighth Tusculum representatives to be selected for induction to the SAC Hall of Fame, joining fellow Pioneers: Ed Hoffmeyer (Inducted in 2008 – Athletic Director), Lesley Murray Hawk (Inducted 2009 – Tennis, Basketball), Ricardo Colclough (Inducted in 2010 – Football), Alan Dunn (Inducted 2014 – Football), Amanda Musick-Hale (Inducted in 2015 – Cross Country) and Bob Dibble (Inducted in 2017 – Golf Coach).
