Coker inducts pair into Athletics Hall of Fame

The Coker College Athletic Department inducted two new members to their Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday, Elizabeth Gray Cain and Dr. James D. Daniels.

The induction ceremony was held during halftime of the Coker womens' soccer match versus King College as part of the College's 2008 Centennial Homecoming celebration.

Elizabeth Gray Cain graduated from Coker College in 1996 with a Bachelor of Science degree in physical education, fitness programming and a minor in coaching.

She is one of the College's greatest female soccer players of all time.

Cain began her career at Coker in 1992 and had an immediate impact on the field.

As a freshman, Cain earned several awards including CIAC/Independent All-Division Co-Freshman of the Year and CIAC/Independent All-Division First Team honors.

She was also a four-time recipient of Coker's Best Defensive Player Award and two-time winner of Coker's Most Valuable Player Award. She was a two-time All-District Team selection, as well as a two-time selection on the Mid South All-Region Team. Cain was named the to All-Carolina's Conference Team in 1993, while being ranked fourth in the nation in goals against average, and she was one of the top 15 goalkeepers in the nation with the most saves. In 1994, she was named to the Tennessee Wesleyan All-Tournament Team and she was named to the All-American Honorable Mention Team.

Cain set many Coker record's that still stand today, including setting and tying the single season record of 11 shutouts in a season in '93 and '94. She set the career record for shutouts with 33 and the career record for saves with 639. Cain also holds the record for season and career goals against average, with a .61 goals against average in 1993 and a 1.03 average for her career.

Cain was involved in many community activities both as a student and graduate including volunteering as middle school soccer coach at Thomas Hart Academy, helping with the Darlington Raceway Clean-up Project, conducting a Women's Soccer Clinic at Irmo High School and volunteering as an assistant coach at Coker Soccer Camps for four years.

Upon graduation, Cain worked for the Parks and Recreation Department in Tampa, Florida, before moving to Tucson, Arizona, where she was a Certified Medical Technician for two years. She returned to Coker in 2002 to earn her Teaching Certification while and serve as the Assistant Women's Soccer Coach. Currently, Cain resides in South Carolina with her husband and son.

Dr. James D. Daniels served as Coker College's President from 1981 to 2002. During his tenure, the College experienced a remarkable era of growth and success: enrollment increased more than 200%; the number of full-time faculty doubled; and the endowment quadrupled.

It was during his presidency that the College adopted the round table teaching style that has become a cornerstone of a Coker College education. An avid sports enthusiast and a former coach and referee, Dr. Daniels fostered the growth of athletics at Coker. While he was President of the College, Coker Athletics grew to the 12 men's and women's sports it is today. He also guided the Cobras to membership in the Carolinas Intercollegiate Athletics Conference and later the Carolinas-Virginia Athletics Conference. He played a major role in conference leadership, including the move of the Cobras and fellow conference members to NCAA Division II affiliation.

For more than two decades, Dr. Daniels was one of the Cobras' biggest fans and was frequently seen at games cheering-on Coker's student-athletes. Dr. Daniels passed away in June 2007, but his positive impact on the College as a whole and Coker Athletics specifically, lives on.

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