Issue link: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/151812
2013 FURMAN PALADINS FOOTBALL PEARCE-HORTON FOOTBALL COMPLEX Pearce-Horton Furman Football Complex Is Reflection of Family Ties And Lifelong Friendships By Abe Hardesty, www.furmanpaladins.com A t least five times a month, Sonny Horton is reminded that he made a good decision when he enrolled at Furman University in the fall of 1948. As often as is possible, Horton meets with former Furman football teammates at Tommy's Ham House, where they reminisce about college days of 1948-51. One group meets monthly; another group meets weekly. All are part of a network of close friends that Horton has cherished for 65 years, even though the team never experienced a winning season. "I'm glad I went to Furman. It had that closeness about it that you don't have at the big schools," Horton says. "And it's still there in our little group. It's real community." That affection for the school and its athletic department has prompted Keeter – who played an active role in Horton's 1948 decision to attend Furman – and Sonny Horton to provide the major gift that will help make the new Paladin Stadium addition a reality. Construction on the Pearce-Horton Football Complex, and fund-raising for the $12 million facility, is on schedule, thanks in part to a capstone gift from the Hortons. The 44,000-square-foot complex, which will serve as the new home to the Furman football department, Heritage Hall, presidents box, club seating and press box, is expected to open in late fall. The Hortons' gift put the finishing touches on a fundraising project that has already made an impact on the football program. "The capstone gift from Keeter and Sonny allowed Furman to fulfill our dream of providing the football program with facilities comparable to the rest of the Southern Conference and Football Championship Subdivision schools with whom we compete," said associate athletic director for athletic development Ken Pettus, a former assistant football coach who chaired the fund-raising committee. "The new facility shows our fan base, alumni and recruits that we are serious about returning the Paladins to national prominence. This beautiful building could not have been realized without the generosity of devoted alumni such as the Hortons and many others." Second-year coach Bruce Fowler enjoyed a banner recruiting year, and he thinks the excitement generated by the Pearce-Horton Football Complex was a big reason. "It gave recruits a good picture of the future," Fowler says. "We'd take each recruit by the stadium, and seeing the construction seemed to make a huge difference, "I find myself going out there and looking at it. It's super-exciting to me because it's a reminder of a cooperative effort, of people rallying together to make something happen." The Hortons have a history of making things happen – Sonny as a player and Keeter as a fan. That camaraderie,is something that Horton knows he could easily have missed. As the "Mr. Inside" of an undefeated, state-championship Greenwood High team of 1947, Horton was heavily recruited by larger schools. He even signed a letter of intent with one (Tennessee, a perennial top-10 power at the time under legendary coach Robert Neyland). In an era that allowed athletes to sign more than one letter, he also visited the University of Georgia. Many in the Upstate suggested he attend Clemson. The interest from the major-college coaches was warranted. The captain of those Greenwood teams and the captain of the 1948 South Carolina Shrine Bowl team, Horton was a powerful 200-pound fullback, who, according to the writers of the day, "had the speed of a halfback." He could run, throw, catch and kick. And as a prodigy of J.W. "Pinky" Babb, the Furman graduate who was quickly making his mark as Greenwood coach, Horton was a young man of strong leadership skills. Horton insists that Babb, who molded character and leadership well, didn't pressure him to select Furman. Nor did Furman freshman football coach Lyles Alley, a recruiter whom Horton admired. The greatest influence came from the Pearce household in the Greenwood community. Charlie Pearce, a former Furman student and athlete, had earned Horton's admiration. He also had a very attractive daughter, Keeter, who happened to be dating Horton at the time. Keeter admits that when Clemson coaches planned to visit Horton, she and best friend Pat Horton (Sonny's sister) "would take him off and hide him." "Lots of schools wanted him," says Keeter, who began dating Horton in 1945 and married him seven years later. Keeter didn't attend Furman (her father insisted on The 44,000-square foot Pearce-Horton Football Complex at Paladin Stadium will serve as the new operational home for Paladin football. Furman 48 Paladins