(Interesting Notes about Patriot athletics)

 

Recent Francis Marion University graduate and former Patriot golfer Victor Garcia is the older brother of 19-year-old golf sensation Sergio Garcia. Victor, a native of Castellon, Spain, earned a bachelor of business administration degree in management this past May. He lettered all four years on the Patriot golf team, although he did not participate in any tournaments as a senior. During his first three years at FMU, he recorded a 76.60 stroke average over 10 rounds as a junior, a 77.50 average over 12 rounds as a sophomore, and a 78.4 average over 20 rounds as a freshman.

Ron Rainey, son of FMU men’s basketball assistant coach Ron Rainey, is the head women’s soccer coach at Ball State University. Ball State begins its inaugural season of women’s soccer this fall. Rainey was formerly the head coach at Towson State University and the University of Wisconsin-Parkside and an assistant coach at the University of Iowa and the University of Cincinnati.

FMU graduates and former Patriot cagers guide the boys’ basketball programs at two of the three Florence high schools: 1973 graduate Tommy Johnson is the head coach at Wilson High School and 1982 graduate Bob Wilson is the head coach at West Florence High School. Wilson also received his M.Ed. degree from Francis Marion in 1991, and is a former assistant coach at FMU.   Another Francis Marion graduate (1974), and also a former Patriot basketball player, Phil Gardner is the division supervisor of the Freedom Florence Softball Complex.