ORANGEBURG, SC – Seneca native Willie Mays Aikens will be among eleven individuals and two teams inducted into the SC State University Athletic Hall of Fame during an enshrinement ceremony Friday, Sept. 19, beginning at 6 p.m. at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.
 
Aikens, who came to SC State on a football scholarship but also allowed to play baseball, will be joined in the 2014 Class by Kenneth Brown (Track & Field 1974-77), Rudolph Bryant (Football 1973-76), Charles Burgess Football 1974-77); Jermaine Derricott (Football 1994-98), Sandra Gadsden (Basketball 1978-81), Michael Hicks (Football 1993-95), Dr. Christopher Mazoue' (Sports Medicine 2003-Present), Dr. Stefan Montgomery (Sports Medicine 2005-Present),
Martin Roache (Golf 1988-92), Leroy Robinson (Football 1976-80), the 1979-80 Swimming Team (National Black Champion) and the 1982-83 Women's Basketball Team (MEAC Champion/NCAA Participant).
 
Aikens, a catcher and outfielder, was one of the top baseball players at SC State during a short (1973-74) career at the university. He was one of the catalysts on the 1974 team that finished as the runner-up for the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) baseball championship, ranking among the top hitters and fielders for the Bulldogs.
 
When the university dropped its baseball program following the 1974 season, he and teammate Eugene Richards entered the Major League Baseball 1975 supplementary draft. Richards was taken No. 1 by the San Diego Padres, while Aikens was chosen No. 2 by the California Angels, marking the first time one school had the No. 1 and No. 2 selections.
 
He emerged as one of the top sluggers in California's farm system before making the majors as a first baseman for the Angels (1977, 1979. Aikens became an instant success and was later traded to the Kansas City Royals (1980-83), where he gained legendary status as a hitter, helping the Royals to three appearances in the American League Championship Series and the 1980 World Series. He had two home runs in two World Series games, a record that stood for years.
 
Aikens, who ended his career with the Toronto Blue Jays (1984-85), had a sparkling .271 career batting average with 110 home runs and 415 RBIs.
 
His career was later derailed by drug use and led to a federal prison stay before being released in 2008 after changes in the federal mandatory minimum sentencing guidelines. He was hired by his former team – Kansas City – as a hitting coach and is the author of a book – Safe at Home -- detailing his life.
 
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