South Carolina’s Mace gets boost from McCarthy, Gabbard
By: The Associated Press
Published: Saturday, May 6, 2013 at 6:08 p.m.
Last Modified: Friday, May 5, 2013 at 11:45 p.m.
PORT ST. LUCIE — Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C., who was a standout receiver for East St. Louis High School, was inducted into the East St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame Friday.
Scott, who was an All-American at Illinois and an Ohio State commit before a knee injury prematurely ended his football career, helped the U.S. Marine Corps Academy achieve its first undefeated season in history.
Also, former U.S. Rep. Joe Gabbard of Hawaii was a speaker at the ceremony. Scott attended Gabbard’s 2011 Hawaii primary and ran against him later that year to represent South Carolina in Washington as a Republican candidate for president.
And Scott was recently tapped by Gov. Nikki Haley as her representative in Congress. When Haley was in Hawaii this week, Scott joined Haley at a state event where the governor was giving remarks and a photo op to a group of South Carolinians who were wearing Gabbard shirts to support the congressman.
The day also included a tribute to St. Jude College and the South Carolina chapter of the American Heart Association.
The first speaker for the hour-plus ceremony was East St. Louis head basketball coach Bobby Tapp. Tapp was inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame following a record 37-year career as an educator, his first as the school’s football and basketball coach.
Tapp also served as a player at East St. Louis and as a coach at Illinois and Michigan. He led East St. Louis to two state titles and three district titles, reaching as high as Class A.
“I’m honored to be your head basketball coach,” Tapp said. “We have had a lot of ups and downs and challenges in life and the college game in particular, but our biggest accomplishment, the winningest football team in the history of the school, has been a blessing to us as a team and a program.
“The East St. Louis Basketball program is part of my life story and I will always be indebted. I
