Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina's all-time winningest and Hall of Fame head coach Bob Waters and Hall of Fame football player Willie Williams were both named finalists on this year's ballot for the South Carolina Football Hall of Fame (SCFHOF). Nominees and finalists are solicited and selected by the SC Football Hall of Fame committee.
 
Each finalist either was born, grew up, played high school or college in South Carolina, or coached at one of the state's collegiate football programs. This year's finalists include 27 modern era and three legacy nominees. Voting is available online at scfootballhof.org and is open to everyone. The final voting period runs through January 29, 2025, allowing SCFHOF supporting members, football fans, and media outlets to vote for up to four (4) modern era and one (1) legacy finalist.
 
The Class of 2024 will be honored at the organization's 12th Annual Enshrinement Ceremony on April 17, 2025, at Hotel Hartness (120 Halston Ave.) in Greenville, S.C.
 
Serving as Western Carolina's head football coach for 20 years (1969-1989) and the athletics director from 1971 through 1986, the legendary Bob Waters headlines the legacy portion of the SC Football Hall of Fame ballot. Waters is up for consideration based upon his tremendous career and legacy, while also on the ballot having both played and coached at Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C.
   
A Sylvania, Ga. native, Waters started his playing career at Stetson University in Florida until the school dropped its football program following his freshman season. He transferred to Presbyterian where he played quarterback and defensive back, guiding the Blue Hose to the 1960 Tangerine Bowl where he was named the game's most outstanding player despite PC falling to Middle Tennessee State.
 
Waters was drafted in 1960 out of Presbyterian by two professional teams – the San Francisco 49ers in the National Football League and the Los Angeles Chargers of the American Football League prior to the leagues' merger. He played four seasons as quarterback and one in the defensive backfield among his professional career. He is considered the NFL's first-ever "shotgun" quarterback.
 
Exchanging his cleats for a whistle in 1966, Waters returned to Presbyterian to start his legendary coaching career as an assistant at his alma mater. Two seasons later, he returned to the West Coast on staff as the wide receivers coach at Stanford before accepting the Catamount football head coaching job in 1969. He guided the Catamounts to a 9-1 record and a winning season in 1969 as part of winning 116 games over three levels – NAIA, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division I-AA (now FCS). His 1974 and 1983 teams advanced to the D-II and I-AA national playoffs, finishing as the national runner-up in 1983.
 
As an administrator, construction of EJ Whitmire Stadium, the Liston B. Ramsey Regional Activity Center, and Ronnie Childress Field were planned and constructed on campus in Cullowhee. In 1988, the playing surface at Whitmire Stadium was enshrined as Bob Waters Field.
 
His coaching and administrative successes as well as his courage in his fight against amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS or more commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease) were recognized throughout the country as his story was chronicled by every major print and electronic media outlet in the nation.
 
In addition to the WCU Athletics Hall of Fame (Class of 1993), Waters has been inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame (1987), the Florida Citrus Bowl Hall of Fame, and the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame (2014). In 1991-92, the Southern Conference named its Male Athlete of the Year award in honor and memory of Bob Waters.
 
Williams was the first Catamount defensive back to be a three-time All-Southern Conference selection, earning first-team plaudits in 1992 after leading the conference in pass breakups in consecutive seasons in 1991 and 1992. He finished as WCU's all-time leader with 41 career pass breakups.
   
Williams started in every game throughout his three-year career (33 games) as a defensive back and is one of Western Carolina's all-time leading tacklers among defensive backs with 218. Williams was a member of WCU's All-20th Century Football Team. He also holds the distinction of being the first WCU football player selected to play in the Blue-Gray All-Star Classic, while also being selected to play in the All-America Football Classic for the NCAA I-AA All-Stars against the NCAA I-A All-Stars.
 
Drafted in the sixth round (162nd overall pick) by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Williams initially played four seasons, including an appearance in Super Bowl XXX in 1996 – the first Catamount football player to play in the NFL's championship game. He followed his first stint in Pittsburgh with seven seasons with the Seattle Seahawks before returning to the Steelers for his last two years, helping his team to the NFC Championship game and the Super Bowl XL in 2006. Leading up to Super Bowl XXX in 1996, Williams led the American Football Conference (AFC) and ranked third in the NFL with seven interceptions. He was named AFC Defensive Player of the Month after recording 27 tackles and three interceptions also that season. Williams finished the year by posting a career-high 77 tackles.