PICKENS – During Friday night’s win against West Oak, four former Pickens High School greats were inducted into the Athletic Hall of Fame.

Sandy McJunkin Preusz, Sheriff David Stone, Coach Andy Virgil and Coach Bill Isaacs were inducted into the PHS Athletic Hall of Fame during the halftime show.

Sandy McJunkin Preusz lettered in softball, basketball and volleyball at PHS. In 1980, she was honored with All Conference in softball.

That year, she was also voted Most Valuable Player by her teammates.

In basketball, Preusz received the award of All-Star at the Lake Junaluska Team Basketball Camp and was selected All-Star at the Craig Drennon Basketball Camp. In 1979, she was given the Hardest Worker Award in basketball.

In volleyball, Preusz was selected to the All Conference Team in 1979. She was awarded the U.S. Army Athletic Scholastic Achievement Award in 1978.

In 1980, for Senior Superlatives, Preusz was selected as Most Dependable by her peers.

Also in 1980, she signed a full four year scholarship for softball, the first ever for a PHS female athlete.

After PHS, she went on to Central Wesleyan College (CWC) and played for the volleyball and softball teams there. In 1981, she was awarded the MVP award in softball, All Academic Athlete Award and Sportsmanship Award in volleyball. She was also player of the week for CWC at the USC Upstate Tournament.

In 1982, she was honored with All District NAIA softball, and in 1983, she led the CWC volleyball team to the NCCAA Volleyball Tournament in Chicago.

C. David Stone played football for four years at PHS from 1953-1956 and was selected as an “All County All-Star” during his junior and senior years.

At one time, Stone held the PHS record for pass interceptions returned for touchdowns.

During one game, he ran the ball back 102 yards on an interception.

Stone was voted football’s MVP during his senior year. He was also selected to play in the Lunch Bowl game and was selected as team captain.

He was voted MVP in the game.

Stone had 1,060 yards net rushing for the 1956 season.

Stone graduated from PHS in 1957 and enlisted in the United States Army. He played intramural football for the Army in Europe for two years.

Afterwards, Stone began a career in law enforcement.

He attended the FBI National Academy at Quantico, Virginia.

For many years Stone participated in the SC Law Enforcement Officers Association Olympics including track and field events.

He also took up the game of golf and envisioned a scholarship fund to provide educational opportunities for officers and their children.

Now in its 20th year, the Pickens County Sheriff’s Scholarship Foundation has awarded over $180,000 in scholarships.

Stone is now in his fortieth year as Sheriff of Pickens County. He’s a graduate of SC Criminal Justice Academy, FBI National Academy, National Sheriffs’ Institute and Tri-County Technical College.

He was twice the recipient of the SC Sheriffs’ Association Sheriff of the Year.

He is a past president of the SC Law Enforcement Officers’ Association and a past president of the SC Sheriffs’ Association. He is currently the treasurer of the SC Sheriffs’ Association and is the Sheriffs Office Recipient of the Southern Bell Award for Excellence in Law Enforcement.

He is a 2008 recipient of the Order of the Palmetto.

Coach Andy Virgil started his career at PHS in 1965. He, along with college buddy, Bill Isaacs, took over a PHS football team that had lost 21 of 22 games.

Virgil was a coach who didn’t expect anything but the best from his athletes.

He taught the fundamentals of blocking and tackling. Virgil taught by example. Virgil could be found in the weight room working out every morning before class, and he could be seen running around the campus during lunch.

Virgil was known at PHS as a statistician.

Still today, he’s the man to call to find out anything about PHS football over the past 40 years.

Virgil taught at PHS for 35 years.

During his teaching career he taught Economics, Accounting I and II, Introduction to Computers, Personal Fitness, Business Math, Government, Record Keeping, Business Management and Mechanical Drawing.

He coached football for 40 years accumulating 247 wins.

He coached nine Western AAA Conference Championships including the state record of 57 consecutive regular season wins.

Virgil also was honored by coaching the offensive line in the North-South All-Star game in 2001, which was won 39-38 by the North.

Over 40 of his former players went on to play football in college along with three that went on to play professional football.

Virgil was also responsible for designing the original Blue Flame logo in 1970.

Virgil coached J.V. basketball for over 20 years and had one conference championship. He also coached men’s Varsity tennis and men’s Varsity track.

Coach Bill Isaacs became head coach of PHS in 1965 at age 24.

He had already written a bit of football history when he became coach.

Isaacs was a four year starter at Lenior High in North Carolina.

He played in every game.

He lettered in basketball and football each of the four years. As a sophomore and junior, Isaacs also played baseball and ran track.

Isaacs was All Conference in football and basketball his junior and senior years, and All Conference in baseball his junior year.

From Lenoir, Isaacs went to Appalachian State in Boone, N.C. where he played middle linebacker and offensive center.

After he finished his time at Appalachian State, Isaacs became superintendent of a flooring plant in West Jefferson, N.C.

In the fall of 1963, when he was offered the assistant football and track coach job at Mullins High School, he jumped at the opportunity. He stayed there for two years.

He got the Pickens job at age 24.

“I don’t mind admitting it, either,” he said. “I wanted it.”

The team that now faced Isaacs had lost 21 of its last 22 games.

The first few years were tough, but by the end of the 1969 season, things were looking up.

In the early 1970s, Isaacs directed his teams to five straight conference championships and 57 consecutive regular season victories.

Isaacs was at PHS for 28 years from 1965 to 1993.

He was a teacher, athletic director, assistant principal, softball coach, basketball coach, football coach, class sponsor and bus supervisor.

His overall basketball record was 43-17; girl’s softball record was 37-2 and football record was 181-109-5.

In football, he led the team to nine conference championships, 14 state play-off games and won the Conference Coach of the Year for nine years.

Isaacs was named the Area Coach of the Year in 1982 and 1988.

He was an All-Star assistant coach in 1972, the All-Star Head Coach in 1983 and a Shrine Bowl assistant coach in 1988.

Isaacs holds the state record for 57 regular season wins in a row.

He was also named Teacher of the Year during the 1970-71 school year and Jaycees Outstanding Young Educator during the 1969-70 school year.

The Pickens High School Athletic Department wants to thank all new inductees for the contributions to PHS Athletics over the years and welcome each one in the PHS Hall of Fame family.