|
Dr. I.M. Ibrahim passes away.......... Dr. I.M. Ibrahim, Born in Haifa, Israel, he entered the United States in 1960 and attended Shorter College in Rome, GA (on a GRSP Scholarship). Dr. I.M. Ibrahim, the Father of Clemson soccer and the only Clemson coach in any sport to win two national championships, died suddenly Saturday afternoon in Seneca, SC. The 67-year-old coached the Clemson men\'s soccer program from its inception in 1967 until his retirement after he 1994 season. Ibrahim collapsed Saturday afternoon while playing golf at Cross Creek Country Club in Seneca, SC, where he was a long time member and regular weekend golfer. He was pronounced dead at 4:45 PM at Oconee Memorial Hospital in Seneca, SC from a sudden cardiac arrest according to the Oconee County Coroner\'s office. Since his retirement from coaching he developed a successful business career that included his ownership of the Tiger Sports Shop in Clemson. Ibrahim coached Clemson to the NCAA Championship in 1984 and 1987 and took Clemson to the NCAA Tournament 17 of his 28 seasons. He led the program to the Final Four of college soccer six times, and won 11 ACC Championships, tied for the most league titles by any coach in Clemson sports history. Born in Haifa, Israel, he entered the United States in 1960 and attended Shorter College in Rome, GA (on a GRSP Scholarship). In his last two ye ars at Shorter, he played and served as the coach of the soccer program. Upon his graduation from Shorter in 1964, he moved to Clemson where he earned his M.S. and Ph.D in chemistry. In 1967 he approached then Assistant Athletic Director Bill McLellan about forming a varsity soccer program. McLellan thought the idea was sound and asked Athletic Director Frank Howard to start the program with Ibrahim as head coach. \"Coach Ibrahim was a true American success story in every sense of the word,\" said McLellan on Saturday evening. \"This is a man who came from another country and achieved success at the highest levels both as a soccer coach and as a businessman.
|
