Jan. 21, 2003
Former Georgia Tech standouts David Duval, Nomar Garciaparra and Mark Price were named to the Atlantic Coast Conference 50th Anniversary list of the Top 50 Male Athletes in league history, announced Tuesday by Commissioner John Swofford.
The Top 50 Male Athletes and Top 50 Female Athletes were voted on by a 120-member blue-ribbon committee that was selected by the league’s 50th Anniversary Committee.
“The success of the Atlantic Coast Conference in its first 50 years is due in large part to the quality of its student-athletes.” said Swofford. “That quality is represented in these 50 former student-athletes which include Olympic medalists, NCAA national champions, national award winners and many of the famous names in ACC history. There have been so many great athletes in the first 50 years of the ACC, that the accomplishments of those on this list is underscored by the contributions of all of the student-athletes who have competed in the ACC since the league’s inception in 1953.”
Duval, a native of Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla., starred in golf for the Rambling Wreck from 1990-1993 and is one of only four players in NCAA history to earn first-team All-America honors four times (1990-93). He was the consensus National Player of the Year in 1993, winning the Fred Haskins, Jack Nicklaus and Dave Williams Player of the Year Awards, as well as a two-time ACC Champion (1991 & 93) and a four-time All-ACC selection. His eight career wins are tied for the all-time lead in school history and he holds Tech’s records for career top-10 (13) and top-20 (14) finishes. Duval’s professional highlights include the 2001 British Open championship and appearances on the President’s Cup (1998 & 2000) and Ryder Cup (1999 & 2001) teams.
A Whittier, Calif., native, Garciaparra was a consensus first-team all-America shortstop for the Tech baseball team in 1993 and 1994. The 1992 ACC Rookie of the Year, he earned first-team all-ACC honors in 1993 and 1994, when he led the Jackets to the championship game of the College World Series. He was also a two-time first-team academic all-America (1993, 94). A first round draft pick of the Boston Red Sox in 1994, Garciaparra was the 1997 American League Rookie of the Year and has won two AL batting titles.
Price, a sharp-shooting point guard from Enid, Okla., was a three-time all-America basketball standout, including first-team honors in 1985. He was a four-time All-ACC choice, including first-team honors in 1984-1986 and a finalist for Wooden and Naismith awards in 1986. Price was named ACC Player of the Year in 1985 and ACC Rookie of the Year in 1983, when he became the first freshman to lead the ACC in scoring (20.3). He won the Everett Case Award in 1985 in leading Tech to its first ACC Championship and earned ACC All-Tournament accolades three straight years from 1984-1986. Price scored 2,193 points in his career to rank third in Tech history and 14th in ACC annals. His 12-year NBA career was highlighted by four All-Star appearances, selection to USA Basketball’s Dream Team II, and the highest career free throw percentage in NBA history. Price’s No. 25 Georgia Tech jersey was retired March 2, 1986, and his Cleveland Cavaliers’ jersey was retired in 1999.
A complete list of the ACC 50th Anniversary Top 50 Male Athletes and Top 50 Female Athletes is available at www.theacc.com.
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