Mercer Athletics Announces 55th Hall Of Fame Class

MACON – Student-athletes representing two different sports, a pair of legendary head coaches and an arduent supporter of the Mercer Bears, were officially inducted into the Mercer Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday evening as part of Homecoming Week, athletics department officials announced.

Former men's soccer standout Will Bagrou and men's basketball phenom James Florence joined coaches Susie Gardner (women's basketball) and Bobby Lamb (football) in the department's distinguished fraternity, as did 1999 Mercer graduate Louis Abbott.

Abbott is a 1999 graduate of Mercer's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and, early in his career, served as an admissions counselor in the University's Office of Admissions where he assisted in the recruitment and enrollment of qualified students to Mercer. He is a founding owner in Roland, Abbott, & DeZoort Insurance Agency, an independent agency that offers a complete range of products for all insurance and financial needs.

Louis and wife, Jana, have been married for over 23 years and have two young adult children, Ethan (married to MaryAnsley) and Evie. Originally from South Georgia, they have called Macon home for more than 25 years. While Louis enjoys a round of golf, the whole family is known for sports spectating. Whether annual football weekends for Louis and Ethan, planning game stops on vacations, sitting courtside or standing sideline at Mercer events. The Abbotts have been men's basketball courtside season ticket holders since 2011 and have held football season tickets since the revival of the program in 2013.

In 2021, together with Louis's parents, The Rev. Dr. Gary L. Abbott, Sr., CLAS '69, and Billie Uselton Abbott, CLAS '69, Louis and Jana established the 1892 Fund - an endowed fund that enhances the football team's operating budget.

Bagrou made history as the first Mercer soccer player ever drafted into Major League Soccer, joining Sporting Kansas City in the 2018 MLS Draft. He earned numerous honors across his collegiate career, including Division I All-American, MAC Hermann Trophy Semifinalist, Southern Conference Freshman of the Year, Southern Conference Player of the Year, and two-time Southern Conference Male Athlete of the Year. He was also a 2018 MLS Combine invitee and earned multiple all-region and all-conference selections.

Over the course of his career, the men's soccer program captured three Southern Conference Championships and advanced to the NCAA Tournament twice. In 2017, Will was honored as a Senior CLASS Award Nominee, which recognizes student-athletes in the areas of community, classroom, character and competition. After his time at Mercer, Will played professionally with Orlando City B and later continued his career in Austria. In 2020, he earned a certificate in computer science from Harvard University's edX program, reflecting his passion for continuous learning and innovation. He is currently pursuing his master's in business administration (MBA) at Georgia Tech.

Florence made a lasting impact during his collegiate career from 2006 to 2010. Hailed for his scoring prowess and leadership, he wrapped up his career in the Orange & Black as the program's all-time leading scorer with 2,287 points – a number which still ranks second in Atlantic Sun Conference annals. He was the first player in conference history to score over 500 points in four consecutive seasons, and earned four all-conference laurels, including a pair of first team selections. He also raked in Atlantic Sun Freshman of the Year and later picked up Mercer Male Athlete of the Year and first team NABC All-District honors. His dynamic play earned him an invitation to the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational Tournament, reserved for the top college seniors in the country.

Following his college career, Florence built an impressive professional resume overseas, playing in numerous countries including Bosnia, Ukraine, Hungary, Germany, Croatia, France, Poland, Lebanon, Kazakhstan and Turkey. His international career featured stints with top clubs such as Igokea, Cibona Zagreb, Stelmet Zielona Góra and Arka Gdynia. Florence's professional highlights include being named Finals MVP in 2017, Polish League MVP in 2019, two Polish League championships, and the 2022 Polish Cup title.

Gardner served as Mercer's 10th women's basketball head coach from 2010 to 2024, a career that spanned nearly 1-1/2 decades and included nearly 250 career victories. She logged her 195th win in March 2021 to become the program's all-time winningest coach, cementing her transformation of Mercer into one of the top mid-major programs in the NCAA and the Southeast. Her teams amassed 20-plus wins six times, including a run of five-straight seasons with 20 or more wins from 2014 to 2019. She also coached four Southern Conference Players of the Year, three Freshman of the Year and four Defensive Player of the Year honorees. Her list of accolades also includes 25 all-conference recognitions and seven SoCon All-Freshman Team nods. The Bears excelled in the classroom under her watch as well as 73 student-athletes were named to the SoCon Academic Honor Roll/All-Academic Team. Gardner was named SoCon Coach of the Year four times (2016, 2018, 2019, 2022) and led the Bears to seven postseason tournaments across her 13 seasons at the helm – three NCAA Women's Basketball Tournaments, two Women's National Invitation Tournaments and two Women's Basketball Invitational Tournaments.

Gardner began her coaching career as the assistant coach at San Diego State, where she served from 1992 to 1995. She then served as head coach at Austin Peay State from 1996 to 2003 and head coach at Arkansas from 2003 to 2007. Prior to trekking to Macon, she spent three seasons (2007-10) as an assistant coach at Florida. She authored a children's book in 2016 to help promote children's literacy titled 1, 2, 3 Team!. The book, which touches on teamwork and how to be a good teammate, is geared towards readers ages four to eight. Susie was named a finalist for the Georgia Author of the Year Award in the Children's Book category.

Lamb was hired in 2011 to resurrect Mercer's football program which had not fielded a team in 70 years. Under Coach Lamb, in 2013 the Bears won 10 games, which set an NCAA record for the most wins by an NCAA Division I program in its first season of competition. The win also set a Mercer school record for victories, surpassing the previous mark (7), which was set by the 1931 and 1932 squads. For his efforts, Coach Lamb finished third in the Pioneer Football League Coach of the Year voting and ranked among the top 11 finalists for FCS National Coach of the Year. He earned his 100th career victory amid the 2018 campaign in a 45-3 win over Jacksonville and mentored 55 all[1]conference student-athletes over seven seasons, including a program-record 12 Bears who captured all-conference honors at the conclusion of the 2017 campaign.

A 1982 graduate of Commerce High School, Lamb earned his bachelor's degree in health and exercise science from Furman in 1984 and his master's degree in education from Furman in 1992. As a player at Furman, Lamb was a part of three SoCon championship teams and three NCAA Division I-AA playoff berths. He was named Southern Conference Player of the Year as a senior after leading the nation in passing efficiency and guiding the Paladins to a runner-up finish in the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. He is also a member of Furman's Athletics Hall of Fame.

Lamb's coaching career included nine successful seasons as head coach at Furman and a 29-year overall relationship with the Paladins' football program as a player, assistant coach and head coach. In 2021, he joined Anderson (S.C.) as their first-ever football head coach.

Mercer University Athletics

Mercer Athletics Announces 55th Hall Of Fame Class

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