Mercer Athletics Announces 54th Hall Of Fame Class

MACON – Student-athletes representing two different sports, a legendary head coach and the inaugural entry into the Hall of Honor will be officially inducted into Mercer University's prestigious Athletics Hall of Fame on November 1 as part of Homecoming Week on campus, athletics department officials announced Wednesday evening.

Baseball standout Billy Burns and women's basketball phenom Kahlia Lawrence will be inducted into the prestigious fraternity alongside former men's basketball skipper Bob Hoffman at the Annual Alumni and Friends Awards Reception and Dinner on November 1 in the Presidents Dining Room.

The MU Athletics trio will be joined by ardent MU supporter Ashley Copelan who will be the first inductee into the Hall of Fame's "Hall of Honor" which is reserved for individuals who have made significant contributions to Mercer Athletics outside of playing or coaching.

A limited amount of tickets ($40) will be sold for the annual alumni gala at MercerBears.com/Homecoming and pre-registration is required. The reception for the dinner begins at 6 p.m., with the dinner and program beginning promptly at 6:30 p.m.

The Hall of Fame inductees will also be recognized on November 2 at 3 p.m. during Mercer's Homecoming football game against East Tennessee State.

2024 ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME CLASS

Billy Burns, Baseball (2008-11)

Billy Burns starred for the Bears from 2009-11 and helped them win the A-Sun Tournament title and earn an NCAA Tournament berth in 2010. He posted a career on-base percentage of .449, the best in team history, and recorded 59 steals – including a single-season program record of 30 in 2010 – over a two-year stretch (2010-11). Burns also owned Mercer's single-season runs record of 73, also set in 2010. Following his junior season, he was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Third Team. The year prior, Burns was honored as a CoSIDA ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District Second Team member. Burns earned All-Tournament team honors in 2010 and 2011. Following his junior season at Mercer, Burns was drafted in the 32nd round of the 2011 Major League Baseball Draft by the Washington Nationals. He made his MLB debut on July 28, 2014 for the Oakland Athletics. Burns would continue his Major League Baseball career playing for the Athletics from 2014-2016 and then the Kansas City Royals from 2016-2017.

Bob Hoffman, Men's Basketball Head Coach (2008-19)

Bob Hoffman won 209 games at Mercer from 2008-19, including 119 conference games. He led the Bears to their first ever NCAA Tournament win in 2014 – a major upset of Duke in the opening round of March Madness. The win over the Blue Devils ranks among the top wins in Mercer athletic history. ESPN would present Mercer an ESPY award for recording the biggest upset in all of college athletics for 2013-2014. He also became the first coach in NCAA history to win a tournament game in all four Division I postseason tournaments in a four-year span. Hoffman was also voted Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year three times. In 2014, Hoffman was awarded the FCA National Basketball Coach of the Year.

Kahlia Lawrence, Women's Basketball (2014-18)

Kalia Lawrence played in 133 games (132 starts) for the Bears from 2014-18 before being selected with the 24th pick of the 2018 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx. A two-time Georgia Women's College Player of the Year honoree, Lawrence averaged 17.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game across her career in the Orange & Black and closed out her collegiate career with 2,275 points on 42.7 percent field goal shooting and 78.3 percent shooting from the free throw line. The Columbus, Ga., product scored 10 or more points in 110 career outings for MU, and reached the 20-point scoring plateau 46 times across her illustrious career, including seven games in which she tallied 30 or more points. A three-time Southern Conference Player of the Year, Kahlia also picked up a trio of 1st Team All-SoCon laurels and was celebrated as the 2014-15 SoCon Freshman of the Year as well.

HALL OF HONOR INDUCTEE

Ashley Copelan

Ashley Amos Copelan came to Macon in 1987 from Columbus, GA where she would go onto become a double graduate of Mercer (CLA '91, M.Ed '96). Ashley and her husband Dean, a 1994 graduate of the Walter F. George School of Law, are prominent figures on campus supporting a wide range of Mercer initiatives. On gameday, Ashley and her family can be found in the President's Suite at football or sitting courtside at men's and women's basketball games. Ashley has been an instrumental figure in the growth of athletics across campus and in town. Ashley has played a vital role in the sponsorship of the Mercer Tennis Classic, an ITF Women's Circuit tournament that has been held at in Macon since 2013. Ashley and her family have also funded several projects across a variety of programs including major tennis facility upgrades, the women's basketball film room, and the Amos-Copelan balcony in the Drake Fieldhouse. Ashley, a Presidents Club Life Member, has served as an active member of both the Mercer University Board of Trustees and the Mercer Athletic Foundation Board. Ashley and her husband Dean are the proud parents of Chan and Elizabeth (EDU '20, '22) and can be seen regularly at football and basketball games with their grandson, Will.

Mercer University Athletics

Mercer Athletics Announces 54th Hall Of Fame Class

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