Ingle Martin Tennessee Titans

Furman University, long noted for its consistent combination of athletic and academic excellence, boasts an impressive number of former student-athletes now in professional sports. In fact, Furman currently counts 30 products competing at the professional level - the most of any Southern Conference member school.

From the National Football League (NFL), to the Ladies Professional Golf Association (LPGA) Tour, to Major League Soccer (MLS), to the Professional Golf Association (PGA) Tour, former Furman student-athletes have distinguished themselves and their alma mater.

Furman's professional football connection consists of quarterback Ingle Martin '05 of the Tennessee Titans and Brian Bratton '05 of the CFL's Montreal Alouettes.

In baseball, five former Paladin standouts are now active in the professional ranks, including right-handed pitcher Tom Mastny '03 of the Cleveland Indians, infielder Matthew Betsill '05 with the Beloit Sandlappers, left-handed pitcher Ryan Hodinka '06 of the Johnson City Cardinals, catcher Tony Maccani '07 of the Savannah Sand Gnats, and right-handed pitcher Matt Klinker '07, a spring 2007 15th round draft choice of the Cincinanti Reds and now with the Billings Mustangs. Mastny earned the victory in the Indians' Game Two win over of the Boston Red Sox in the 2007 American League Championship Series.

Furman's representative on the PGA Tour includes Brad Faxon '83, who as a senior captured the Fred Haskins Award as the nation's top collegiate golfer. Winner of nine professional tournaments and more than $8 million in career earnings, Faxon has twice represented the United States in Ryder Cup competition.

Moussa Diagne Bonn, Germany (Bundesliga)

Few collegiate women's golf programs have produced more outstanding professionals than Furman, which boasts nine Lady Paladins on the LPGA Tour, including Hall-of-Famers Betsy King '77 (1995 inductee) and Beth Daniel '78 (1999 inductee). From 1989-94, King, Daniel, and former Tour star Dottie Pepper '87 (currently an analyst with The Golf Channel) combined to capture Rolex LPGA Player-of-the-Year honors five times - a span of dominance rarely equaled by alumni of any college or university in all of professional sport. In an eight-year stretch from 1987-94, the trio took home the LPGA's Vare Trophy (lowest stroke average) six times. All told, Furman graduates have earned 19 Solheim Cup invitations and claimed 90 tournament titles over the years, including 10 major championships. This past summer King and Daniel combined to coach the United States to the 2007 Solheim Cup championship.

Two of Furman soccer's most successful additions to the professional ranks include soccer standouts Ricardo Clark '02 and Clint Dempsey '03. Clark, who stars with the Houston Dynamo, is also a current member of the U.S. National Team. Dempsey, who garnered MLS Rookie-of-the-Year honors in 2004 and was the lone goal scorer for the United States in 2006 World Cup competition, was named 2006 U.S. Soccer Player-of-the-Year. In January of 2007, Fulham of the Premier League paid a record $4 million transfer fee to the New England Revolution for Dempsey's services.

Brad Faxon PGA Tour

Beth Daniel LPGA Hall-of-Fame

Betsy King LPGA Hall-of-Fame

Clint Dempsey Fulham (EPL), U.S. National Team

Ricardo Clark Houston Dynamo, U.S. National Team

Tom Mastny Cleveland Indians