The Citadel Athletics | Honored Jerseys

Across more than a century of The Citadel Athletics, only a select few former cadet-athletes and coaches have earned the distinction of an honored jersey or retired number. Thus far, 11 have garnered the recognition across four separate sports, including six for football, five for basketball and one apiece for baseball and volleyball.

The Citadel Football

Jack Douglas | No. 14

Douglas led the Bulldogs to the Southern Conference championship and a No. 1 national ranking during his senior season in 1992. He finished his career with 3,908 rushing yards, the third-highest total in program history and the most ever by a Division I-AA quarterback at the time of his graduation. Douglas continues to hold several school records, including total offense (6,737), total offense attempts (1,225), touchdowns (50), touchdowns responsible for (60) and points scored (302). He capped his career by earning 1992 South Carolina Offensive Player of the Year and State Amateur Athlete of the Year honors before being inducted into The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000.

Lester Smith | No. 15

Smith played for The Citadel from 1988-92 and remains the program’s all-time leader in games played with 48, while ranking fifth in career tackles with 430. He earned All-Southern Conference first-team honors three consecutive seasons and was named a first-team All-American in both 1991 and 1992, capping his career as the 1992 South Carolina Defensive Player of the Year. With Smith anchoring the defense, the Bulldogs led the nation in scoring defense in 1992 and paced the Southern Conference in the category for two consecutive seasons. He was selected to compete in the 1993 Senior Bowl, joining a select group of Citadel players to earn the distinction, and was inducted into The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame in 2000.

Lyvonia 'Stump' Mitchell | No. 35

Mitchell starred at The Citadel from 1977-80 and continues to hold several program rushing records, including single-season marks for rushing attempts (291) and rushing yards (1,647), as well as the career record with 4,062 yards. He earned Associated Press All-America third-team honors in 1980, the same year he was named the Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Year and State Amateur Athlete of the Year. Selected by St. Louis in the ninth round of the 1981 NFL Draft, Mitchell went on to spend nine seasons with the Cardinals, rushing for 4,649 yards. He earned induction into The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame in 1987.

Brian Ruff | No. 51

Ruff was a dominant defensive presence at The Citadel from 1973-76, recording 755 career tackles, a program record that remains far and away the highest total in school history. He became the first player in program history to have his jersey number retired and serves as The Citadel’s first Associated Press first-team All-American, earning Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors in both 1975 and 1976. Following his collegiate career, Ruff was selected by the Baltimore Colts in the 11th round of the 1977 NFL Draft. He was inducted into The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame in 1983 and the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 2006.

Marc Buoniconti | No. 59

The Citadel Board of Visitors voted to honor the jersey of Marc Buoniconti, a member of the Class of 1988, recognizing his lasting impact on the college and the fight against spinal cord injuries. A sophomore linebacker for the Bulldogs in 1985, Buoniconti suffered a spinal cord injury while making a tackle during a game at ETSU, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. Since his injury, Buoniconti and his family have devoted themselves to raising awareness and funds for The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, helping advance research and improve the lives of others affected by spinal cord injuries. The Miami Project has since grown into the world’s largest research center dedicated to spinal cord injuries.

John Small | No. 66

Small enjoyed a distinguished career at The Citadel from 1967-69, earning first-team All-America honors from The Sporting News, Time Magazine and the Newspaper Enterprise Association as a senior after receiving honorable mention All-America recognition in each of his first two seasons. In 1970, he received The Palmetto Award, the highest honor bestowed by The Citadel. Small was selected by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round of the 1970 NFL Draft and also went on to play for the Detroit Lions. He was a member of the inaugural class of The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame in 1977 and was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 1988. That same year, he was named to the first-team defense of the Southern Conference’s 75th Anniversary Team.

The Citadel Basketball

Jake Burrows | No. 3

Col. Burrows serves as the only member of The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame to have served as both Regimental Commander and First Honor Graduate of his class. An accomplished multi-sport athlete, he earned eight varsity letters during his The Citadel career, competing in football for three years, basketball for three years and track for two, as freshmen were ineligible at the time. He was a three-time All-State basketball selection and earned All-Southern Conference honors twice, averaging 11.5 points per game over his three seasons, accounting for 31 percent of the team’s total scoring. During his time on the hardwood, The Citadel defeated South Carolina and Furman in six consecutive games against each opponent. Burrows served as Regimental Commander during the 1939-40 academic year while also acting as the basketball team captain. He was inducted into The Citadel Athletic Hall of Fame in 1980, and a banner honoring his legacy was raised in the rafters of McAlister Field House on Jan. 28, 2012.

Pat Conroy | No. 22

Perhaps the most celebrated graduate in The Citadel’s history, Conroy was a member of the Bulldogs’ basketball program from 1965-67 and earned the team's Most Valuable Player honors as a senior during the 1966-67 season, averaging 11.8 points per game. He appeared in 56 games over three seasons, recording 154 field goals and converting 144-of-207 attempts (.696) from the free-throw line. While best known for his acclaimed novels set in South Carolina’s Lowcountry, including The Prince of Tides, Beach Music and South of Broad, Conroy also explored his athletic experiences in the 2002 release of My Losing Season, which became a popular read among athletes, coaches and sports fans nationwide. He received an honorary degree from The Citadel in 2010 and was inducted into the college’s Athletic Hall of Fame in 2014. Following his passing from pancreatic cancer on March 4, 2016, The Citadel honored his legacy with a commemorative banner raised during a halftime ceremony on Feb. 3, 2018, attended by family, former teammates and fans.

Art Musselman | No. 33

Competing for The Citadel from 1956-60, Musselman helped lead the Bulldogs to a 57-38 (.600) record during his collegiate career. He finished his stint with The Citadel with 1,506 points, good for third on the program’s all-time scoring list, and recorded double-digit scoring in 74 contests, including 28 performances of 20 points or more. Musselman also put together four separate streaks of eight or more consecutive games in double figures, highlighted by a 12-game stretch from Dec. 6 through Feb. 6 during the 1958-59 season. The Bulldogs posted three consecutive winning seasons during his career, compiling records of 16-11 in 1957-58, 15-5 in 1958-59 and 15-8 in 1959-60. All-time, Musselman's 587 career field goals rank second in program history, and he led the team in field-goal percentage three times as well (1956-57, 1958-59 and 1959-60). A banner honoring his accomplishments was raised in the rafters of McAlister Field House on Jan. 31, 2009.

Regan Truesdale | No. 33

During his four-year career at The Citadel, Truesdale & Co. compiled a 58-55 (.513) record on the hardwood as the former established himself as one of the program’s all-time great scorers, finishing second in school history with 1,661 points. He faced five nationally-ranked opponents, including No. 2 overall and eventual national champion North Carolina in 1981-82, and scored a game-high 26 points against the top-ranked Tar Heels on Feb. 4, 1984. Truesdale also posted a career-best 41-point performance against Marshall on Jan. 9, 1984, going 22-for-28 from the free-throw line, and scored 21 points against eventual 1983 national champion North Carolina State. A 1984-85 Associated Press Honorable Mention All-American, he reached double figures 73 times, including 46 games with at least 20 points. Truesdale concluded his career a two-time Southern Conference Player of the Year (1984, 1985) honoree, one of just 10 players in league history to earn the distinction twice, and finished among the conference's top 30 career scorers. A banner to recognize his accomplishments was raised in the McAlister Field House rafters on Jan. 23, 2010.

Les Robinson | Head Coach

Robinson ranks second in The Citadel history with 132 coaching victories and holds the program record with a 23-game home winning streak. He guided the Bulldogs to a 20-7 record in 1978-79, marking the first 20-win season in program history, and recorded 64 regular-season victories against Southern Conference opponents. His teams faced seven nationally-ranked opponents, including No. 2 overall and eventual national champion North Carolina in 1981-82, while advancing to the second round of the SoCon Tournament three times. The 1978-79 squad established a program benchmark by shooting 53.3 percent from the field while his teams also held opponents below 70 points per game for four consecutive seasons (1979-83). In addition to his coaching success, he served as The Citadel Director of Athletics from 2000 to 2008. To honor his contribution to the college, a banner recognizing Robinson was raised to the McAlister Field House rafters on Feb. 28, 2008.

The Citadel Baseball

Fred Jordan | Head Coach

The architect of the most successful era in Bulldog baseball history, Jordan concluded his 26-year tenure at The Citadel as the program’s all-time leader in career victories with 831. A four-time Southern Conference Coach of the Year, Jordan guided the Bulldogs to 12 SoCon championships, including seven tournament titles, and seven NCAA Regional appearances. Under his leadership, 66 players earned All-Southern Conference honors while eight were named SoCon Pitcher of the Year. Additionally, 35 players went on to be selected in the Major League Baseball Draft, reflecting Jordan’s lasting impact on the development of Bulldog baseball talent.

The Citadel Volleyball

Sharlissa de Jesus | No. 11

De Jesus concluded her career as one of the most statistically accomplished players in The Citadel volleyball history. A native of Guayama, Puerto Rico, she competed for the Bulldogs from 2017-21 and established program records in several categories. During her stint in Charleston, de Jesus became The Citadel's all-time leader in kills, kills per set, total attacks and sets played while ranking among the program leaders in service aces (second) and digs (sixth). She finished as one of only five players in school history to record more than 1,000 kills and 1,000 digs during her career.

De Jesus earned Southern Conference All-Freshman team honors in 2017 and received All-SoCon recognition three consecutive seasons. She was named First Team All-SoCon in 2020-21 after leading the Bulldogs in multiple offensive categories. Her final season coincided with one of the most successful campaigns in program history as de Jesus garnered the Most Outstanding Player award of the 2021 Southern Conference Championship after leading The Citadel to the league tournament title and the program's first NCAA Volleyball Championship appearance. Notably, the championship serves as the first women's title in The Citadel Athletics history.

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The Citadel Athletics | Honored Jerseys

The Citadel Football

The Citadel Basketball

The Citadel Baseball

The Citadel Volleyball

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