January 23, 2000

SOUTH CAROLINA GOVERNOR JIM HODGES PROCLAIMS
JANUARY 23 "LOUIS IVORY DAY" IN SOUTH CAROLINA

COLUMBIA, S.C. -- South Carolina governor Jim Hodges today signed a proclamation declaring Tuesday, January 23, "Louis Ivory Day" in South Carolina in a ceremony at the governor's office at the state capitol.

In a ceremony attended by Ivory, head football coach Bobby Johnson, director of athletics Gary Clark, and sports information director Hunter Reid, Hodges greeted his guests and offered congratulations to Ivory, who in December captured the Walter Payton Award as the top offensive player in NCAA I-AA football.

Ivory, a consensus All-America pick and Southern Conference Offensive Player-of-the-Year selection, rushed for a conference single season record 2,079 yards and 16 touchdowns in leading Furman to a 9-3 record and No. 4 final regular season national ranking. Included in his season was a school single game record 301-yard, three-touchdown performance in a 45-10 win over eventual conference and national champion Georgia Southern.

Ivory's invitation to the state capitol marked the second in the recent history of Furman football. In 1988 Furman's national championship football team was honored by a joint session of the legislature and by visiting president George Bush.