Huntingdon College to induct six into Athletic Hall of Fame
MONTGOMERY, Ala. – Six former Huntingdon standouts will be inducted into the Huntingdon College Athletic Hall of Fame this weekend. The ceremony will be held in the Leo J. Drum, Jr. Theater at 10 a.m. on Saturday and is open to the public.
The six inductees represent five sports and two different decades of Huntingdon athletics. This year's inductees are Tiffany Jordan (women's basketball, Class of 2009), Ed Oliver (baseball, Class of 1966), Lauren Podina (women's soccer, Class of 2003), Glenn Rudolph (men's tennis, Class of 2009), Granger Shook (football, Class of 2009) and Fred Simpson (baseball, Class of 1967).
Huntingdon College Athletic Hall of Fame
Class of 2014
Tiffany Jordan '09 -- Born in Nashville, Tenn., Tiffany began playing basketball at age six. She played basketball at every opportunity — including recreation leagues, middle school, AAU and high school. A 2004 graduate of Battle Ground Academy, Tiffany was "pulled up" during her eighth grade year to play on the varsity basketball team, where she continued to play for all four years of high school. She was recognized with awards during each basketball tournament season, including recognition her senior year for scoring more than 1000 points.
While at Huntingdon, Tiffany became the mark by which Huntingdon women's basketball players have been measured during the Lady Hawks' NCAA era. After scoring more than 400 points in each of her first two seasons and earning Great South Athletic Conference Freshman of the Year (2004–2005) and GSAC Player of the Year (2005–2006), Tiffany suffered a season-ending injury in the second game of her junior season. She battled back from injury to become the Lady Hawks' NCAA-era scoring leader with 1,414 points in 109 games (12.97 points per game), career rebounds leader with 863 (7.9 per game), career assists leader (242) and career steals leader (345). She also holds the Lady Hawks' NCAA-era career records for field goals made (525), field goals attempted (1,353) and is second in free throws made (293).
In 2009, Tiffany was named Huntingdon's Female Athlete of the Year. She graduated from Huntingdon in the spring of 2009 with a degree in mathematics and secondary teacher education. Since graduating, Tiffany has served as a math teacher and girls' basketball coach at Smiths Station High School in Russell County.
Ed Oliver '66 -- A native of Fayetteville, Ga., Ed was a standout football, baseball, and basketball star at Fayette County High School, ultimately choosing baseball as his collegiate endeavor when he entered Huntingdon in 1962. Ed was a four-year letterman for the Hawks baseball team, assuming his dual role as a pitcher and third baseman. He was a key member of the team's Small College World Series berth in 1963 under the leadership of Hall of Fame coaches John Mabry and Neal Posey. Ed graduated in 1966 with a major in Physical Education and earned his Master of Education from Middle Tennessee State University in 1967, where he also served as a graduate assistant baseball coach.
After graduating, Ed began a distinguished 30-year career in baseball coaching. He coached many of those years at Columbus High School in Columbus, Ga., and has been a part of six different state championship teams in his tenure. In addition to his many years of coaching, Ed channeled his inner farmhand and ran a herd of registered Angus cattle as a side business. Now in retirement, he continues to manage 100-plus purebred stock originating from Scotland and Ireland. A jack of many trades, Ed writes books and stories that embody his life philosophies. In 2012, he published his first book, Sam In Full, and is writing two other works, Through These Doors and The Boys of Old Massey Hall. Ed resides in West Point, Ga., and is married to Martha Jo Reese Oliver, Huntingdon class of 1967.
Lauren Podina '03 -- Born and raised in Houston, Texas. In 1999, she entered Huntingdon College on the Massey Scholarship to play goalkeeper for the Huntingdon College Women's Soccer Team. Lauren was a starter and four-year letterman, playing every minute of each game. She was a member of the 2000 NSCAA National Championship squad, and a two-time All-American and Scholar Athlete. She was voted MVP her junior year and was named team captain her senior year. Upon completion of her soccer career, she was invited to the 2003 Pro Soccer Combine.
Lauren shared her passion for soccer with others by assisting in coaching the St. James High School Varsity Soccer team during her junior and senior year at Huntingdon. She was a member of Chi Omega women's fraternity and named Model Initiate her first year. Lauren graduated cum laude in 2003 with a major in Human Performance and Kinesiology, as well as a minor in Psychology. She was inducted into Phi Eta Sigma.
After graduating from Huntingdon, Lauren continued her education by attending Texas Women's University School of Physical Therapy located in Dallas, Texas, where she earned a Master of Science degree in physical therapy in 2005. She successfully obtained her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from TWU in 2011. She has been a licensed Certified Kinesio Taping Practitioner since 2009 and became a Board Certified Orthopedic Clinical Specialist in 2014. She works as the director of the physical therapy clinic at Orthopedic Specialists of Dallas.
Lauren continues to stay involved in clinical education as a mentor to future clinicians at various physical therapy and physical therapy assistant schools. She serves on the Academic Advisory Committee at Concorde Career College. Lauren also enjoys volunteering to assist with paratriathletes. She resides in Rockwall, Texas, with her husband, Michael Podina.
Glenn Rudolph '09 -- As a member of the Muscle Shoals High School tennis team, Glenn was part of two state championship teams, as well as both a second and third-place finishing team at state. As a junior, he was an individual state champion in both singles and doubles and finished as the state singles runner-up his senior year. An active participant in USTA tournaments, Glenn rose to the rank of third in the state of Alabama in the 16s division and sixth in the state in the 18s. He was on the Alabama Junior Davis Cup Team his junior year of high school. He also served as the point guard for the Muscle Shoals varsity basketball team.
At Huntingdon, Glenn led the Hawks men's tennis team to Great South Athletic Conference titles in 2008 and 2009. He was a member of the GSAC All-Freshman team in 2006; GSAC Player of the Year in 2009; GSAC Tournament MVP in 2008; GSAC All-Conference in 2007, 2008, and 2009; and a member of the GSAC All-Academic Team in 2007, 2008, and 2009. In 2009 he was named the Huntingdon College Male Scholar Athlete of the Year. During his final three seasons, Glenn compiled a 29-10 record in singles. He also participated on Huntingdon's first cross country team in 2008.
Glenn contributed to so much more than athletics during his time at Huntingdon College. The chemistry major was a resident assistant, member of Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity, active member of Freshman Forum, Orientation Leader, Huntingdon Ambassador, and runner-up for the Mr. Huntingdon title his junior year. He graduated from Huntingdon magna cum laude in 2009 and completed dental school at the University of Alabama-Birmingham in 2013, passing his boards with perfect scores. Today, Glenn is a practicing dentist in Tuscumbia, Alabama, at Singing River Dentistry. He is a member of the Huntingdon Society and he serves on the Board of Directors of the Huntingdon College National Alumni Association. He actively trains for triathlons and is working to qualify for the Ironman World Championships in Kona, Hawaii.
Granger Shook '09 -- Granger is a Montgomery, Alabama, native and a graduate of Trinity Presbyterian School, where he anchored the Wildcats 2003 state championship defense. At Huntingdon, Granger continued to be a force to be reckoned with on defense. Granger holds the Huntingdon record for career tackles (289), solo tackles (158) and assisted tackles (131). He ranks third in career tackles for loss (29) and fourth in yards lost on tackles for loss (126). He is tied for sixth in career sacks with nine for a loss of 73 yards. Granger is one of four defensive players in Huntingdon history to return a fumble for a touchdown. He recorded a career-high 15 tackles against Maryville in 2007 and had 14 tackles in a game twice, against Maryville in 2005 and Wesley in 2007. He is one of just two players in Huntingdon history to have five tackles for loss in a game (vs. Sewanee in 2006).
Following the completion of his degree from Huntingdon with a major in physical education, Granger began his coaching career at The Montgomery Academy. He joined the Huntingdon football coaching staff in 2010 and was promoted to linebackers coach in 2011. In May 2014, Granger accepted a new opportunity to join legendary coach Rush Propst on the coaching staff at Colquitt County High School in Moultrie, Georgia. Granger and his wife, Mallory, are expecting their first child.
Fred Simpson '67 -- Fred grew up near Gainesville, Georgia, in the mill village of Chicopee. Fred made his mark at South Hall High School as a four-sport standout, lettering in football, basketball, baseball, and track. He also served as a class officer while sporting a perfect school attendance record. Upon graduation from high school Fred had many opportunities to play professional baseball; however, his interest in a college education landed him with a full scholarship on the Huntingdon Hawks baseball team as a pitcher and outfielder. He was a contributor to the District 27 Championship in 1965 and the team's runner-up performance at the NAIA National Championship tournament. Fred graduated in 1967 with a major in physical education.
Upon graduating from Huntingdon, Fred took up teaching and coaching as a history/physical education teacher in Georgia at Manchester High School and Cook County High School. In 1969, Fred joined the United States Secret Service as a Special Agent. Fred's tenure as a Special Agent took him to every continent, including more than 200 countries and many remote locations. He was a team leader for foreign dignitaries, national conventions, and leadership summits throughout the world. He also served domestically under the administrations of presidents Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. Fred's final assignment was with the USSS Atlanta Field Office, where he served as assistant to the Special Agent in Charge. He was later recognized as an Outstanding Federal Officer in the Metro Atlanta area before retiring from the field in 1999, after which he continued background investigation work for the Secret Service. Fred also worked as a security consultant for Home Depot, Coca-Cola, CNN, Omni Hotels, and the New York Mets.
Fred continues to be active in the community as a member of the Recreation Association Board and has led his A-2 tennis teams to several Atlanta Lawn and Tennis Association City Championships. He is a member of the Roswell United Methodist Church, the Roswell Historical Society, and the Association of Federal Agents of the United States Secret Service. Fred takes pride in caning old chairs, loves watching his grandchildren play ball, and is an avid fan of Braves baseball. He and Lisa, his wife of 47 years, reside in Rockwell, Georgia, and have four daughters and five grandchildren.