NEWBERRY, S.C. - Newberry College Athletics is proud to recognize its inaugural class into the Newberry College Hall of Master Coaches  the outstanding contributions that Newberry College graduates have made to the coaching profession. 

The class includes Joey Batson ('85), Reed Charpia Jr. ('65), Jerry Faulkner ('67), Steve Hobson ('72), John Smith ('69), Dusty Triplett ('74), and Horace Turbeville ('60). 

Established in 2026, the Newberry College Hall of Master Coaches honors alumni who have demonstrated exemplary dedication, service, and excellence in coaching at the high school, collegiate, or professional level. Nominees are evaluated based on their professional accomplishments, leadership, coaching philosophy, and lasting influence on students and colleagues. 

Hall of Master Coaches 
Class of 2026  

Joey Batson ('86) 
A legend in the collegiate strength and conditioning community, the Travelers Rest native just completed his 40-year career in 2025, retiring after 29 years at Clemson. Batson served as a head strength and conditioning coach 36 of his 40 years of service. After transferring from the Citadel, Batson was an excellent blocking tight end for the 1980, 1981 and 1982 Indian teams coached by Reid Charpia and Clayton Johnson.  Newberry won two out of three Bronze Derby games against Presbyterian during Batson's playing days. 

After graduating from Newberry, Batson earned his master's degree while serving as a graduate assistant at Clemson in 1988. Batson became the first full-time director of strength and conditioning at Bowling Green State University and Furman and spent one year at South Carolina before returning to Clemson in 1997. During his time at Furman he  was named Strength & Conditioning Professional-of-the-Year in the Southern Conference by the National Strength & Conditioning Coaches Association. Batson was named the  National Strength Coach of the Year and a Master Strength and Conditioning Coach by the Collegiate Strength and Conditioning Coaches Association (CSCCa) in 2009.  He served on the CSCCa Board of Directors from 2017-22. In 2025, he was recognized with induction into the South Carolina High School Strength Coaches Association Hall of Fame. 

His competitive weight training experience began in 1987 where he placed fourth in San Jose, Calif., in The American Drug Free Power lifting Association National Championships and fifth the following year in Chicago. From 1985 to 1987, Batson achieved a top 20 ranking in the ADFPA's 275 lb. Class and achieved the Master and Elite lifters classifications. During his time at Clemson, the Tigers won multiple ACC football championships as well as national championships during the 2016 and 2018 seasons. During his time as Clemson's Director of Strength and Conditioning, Batson has coached 78 All-Americans; 247 All-ACC selections; 25 national award winners; 58 Strength and Conditioning All-Americans; 25 NFL first-round draft picks; 129 NFL Draft picks; 31 ACC yearly honorees and 15 Super Bowl champions. He has helped Clemson to 26 bowl games, 19 Top-25 finishes, eight Top-10 finishes, nine ACC Championships, nine ACC Atlantic Division Championships (plus additional championship game berths in division-less seasons in 2020 and 2024), seven College Football Playoff appearances, four National Championship Game appearances and two National Championships. 

In 2020 he joined his father Billy Joe Batson, as the first father and son duo to be inducted into the Travelers Rest High School Athletic Hall of Fame. 

Reed Charpia, Jr. ('65) 
Reed Charpia, Jr., a 2017 Newberry College Hall of Fame and 2019 South Carolina Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee, served as Indians head coach from 1978-81  and won 235 games as a high school coach including leading James Island to the 1974 state title. He played (1957-60)  for and coached (1966-71) with Summerville High School legend John McKissick. 

Charpia lettered three seasons on the gridiron for the Indians and was named Newberry's Outstanding Back as a senior in 1964, leading the team in rushing, receiving, total offense, kick return yardage, and scoring while also lettered four times in baseball. Charpia got his start soon after graduating from Newberry College serving as an assistant coach under McKissick and was a part of the staff that won the 1969 state title. He took his first head coaching job at James Island in 1972, and his three-year stint culminated with the state-title victory over Clinton in the 1974 3A title game. 

Charpia then took over at Irmo High School where he was the head coach for four seasons, taking the Yellow Jackets to the 4A state title game and won a second straight state Coach of the Year award. In 1978, Charpia returned to Newberry College and was named Coach of the Year in both the SAC-8 and NAIA District 6 leading the Indians to a 7-3 finish and third-place finish in the SAC-8 in his first season. He coached the Indians for four seasons in all, winning 21 games enroute to becoming the first Newberry coach since 1916 to finish his career with a winning record. Charpia led the Wolves to a pair of Bronze Derby victories – 28-20 in Clinton in 1980 and 28-23 at Setzler Field in 1981. 

In 1982, Charpia returned to the high school ranks and took over as head coach Midland Valley. He stayed there six seasons before leaving in 1987 to start the program at Marlboro County High School. Charpia then returned to James Island in 1998 as the head coach and athletics director before taking over at Woodland High School.  

He finished his career at Bennettsville High School and during his second stint in the high school ranks he  won two additional state Coach of the Year honors and earning head coaching appointments at both the Shrine Bowl and North-South All-Star Game. He retired from head coaching following the 2010 season to work under his son, Rusty, on the Brookland-Cayce High School staff. Rusty is the winningest coach in Brookland-Cayce history. 

His grandson was the starting quarterback for the Wolves in 2025, leading Newberry to the South Atlantic Conference title and a spot in the NCAA Division II national semifinals. 

Jerry Faulkner ('67)
Legendary high school basketball coach Jerry Faulkner won over 800 games during his amazing career after graduating from Newberry College in 1967. Faulkner coached 1,190 games winning  896 games including eight state championships, five of those with Charlotte Latin High School.  Before becoming a head high school coach, Faulkner served as an assistant coach at Clemson University under Bill Foster from 1980-84. He joined Charlotte Latin in 1985 leading the Hawks for 23 years. During that time Faulkner posted a record of 515-157 (.766), earning five state championships, and had only one losing season. Faulkner's Latin teams won state titles in 1991, 1993, 1994, 2003 and 2004. 

Faulkner started coaching high school in 1967 and worked at three places before landing at Charlotte Latin in 1984. In 2007, he won his 700th career game at Latin, where he coached for 23 years and won five NCISAA 2A or 3A state titles. In 2024 he was named the #2 ranked boys high school coach in the Charlotte area over the previous 40 years by the Charlotte Observer. That same year The Observer also named his 1993-94 Latin team that went 27-1 as the 13th best team during the era from 1984-85 to 2023-24. Latin went a combined 53-4 from 1992-94, won back-to-back state titles and the 1993-94 team was named the top team in the Observer's 151-school coverage area. Coach Faulkner won his 400th game during that season where his team began the season ranked No. 2 in the Sweet 16 and won an NCISAA 2A state title. 

After a brief stint with Hilton Head Christian Academy, Faulkner took over at Hilton Head Prep in 2012 where he captured a SCISA 2A state title in 2019 before retiring in 2022. Faulkner won his 800th game on January 16, 2018 when HHPC defeated his Hilton Head Christian Academy. He has coached many prestigious all-star games, including The Capital Classic in Washington, DC., McDonald's All-American Classic; and the USA vs Russia.  He has made presentations all over the world at Nike basketball camps and corporate events. 

He is a motivational speaker at numerous basketball camps and is the author of the book "If You're Early," as well as podcasts with Coach David Green, "Did I Ever Tell you About...?". 

In 2023, Latin named its Jones Arena basketball court and an endowed scholarship in honor of  Faulkner '67. 

Steve Hobson ('72) 
A former standout basketball player at Newberry College, Hobson won nearly 650 games during his incredible career as head coach at Montgomery College (Md.). The Bethesda, Maryland native, Hobson played at Montgomery County in 1969 and 1970, setting a single game rebounding record of 29. He then transferred to Newberry College, led the team in rebounding his senior season in 1971-72 with 410, which still ranks seventh in single season history and helped Coach Nield Gordon's team to a 21-11 record. 

After graduation, Hobson was the head coach for two seasons at Churchill High School in Potomac, MD. Hobson returned to the Montgomery College Germantown campus in 1981 while also coaching at the Rockville campus. Known for his tough man-to-man pressing style, he accumulated 645 victories, 12 NJCAA Region 20 championships and 11 NJCAA national tournament appearances before retiring in 2009. Hobson placed hundreds of players into four-year college programs including Jerome Williams who went on to finish his college career at Georgetown and was a first-round NBA Draft selection of the Detroit Pistons in 1996. In 1994 he led Montgomery County to a third-place finish in the 1994 NJCAA Division 3 national tournament. Hobson also spent nearly four decades teaching in Montgomery County Public Schools. 

John Smith
John Smith is the winningest high school coach in the state of South Carolina after posting 943 victories in 47 seasons at Great Falls High School. He captured eight state championships and 19 Upper State titles before retiring in 2016 with a career record of 943-267. Smith won at least one state title in four different decades, and his Red Devil teams won three straight titles from 1996-98. 

A native of Lancaster, where he was the school's all-time leading scorer, he lettered for four seasons at Newberry College and served as co-captain in his senior season and earned the best defensive player award in 1967. Smith was named to the S.C. Tip-Off All-Tournament Team, all-Carolinas Conference, all-District Six and all-state squads. John also played tennis at Newberry and was voted as the team's most valuable player in 1968. He was hired as Great Falls head coach straight out of college as a 22-year-old. Smith led the Red Devils to the first of his eight titles in 1977, the school's first state title since 1936. He followed that up with state titles in 1992, 96, 97, 98, 2004, 2011 and 2012. 

He became the winningest coach in the state February 18, 2006  leading the Red Devils to a 74-67 victory over Blacksburg 74-67 in the Class A playoffs. He was far from finished, leading Great Falls on a magical run from 2009 to 2012.  The Red Devils posted a record of 103-8 during that span, made four consecutive trips to the state championship game winning the last of his state titles back-to-back in 2011 and 2012. He also led Great Falls to state runner-up finishes in 1985, 1988, 1989, 1993, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2009, 2010. His boys' teams, at one point, won region titles in 13 of 14 years and advanced to the state title game 17 times in 25 years. He was selected to serve as the assistant coach for the 1978 North-South All-Star game and the head coach of the 1984 High School All-Star game in Columbia. He was also selected as the co-coach of the inaugural Carolinas Classic boys' basketball all-star game in 1998. He was inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2004 and the South Carolina Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2010. 

Smith also was an assistant football coach for 19 years, coached the Great Falls golf team at one point and he had a three-year run as the school's girls' basketball coach, winning region titles all three years. 

Dusty Triplett ('74)
Calvin "Dusty" Triplett Jr. is part of a legendary Triplett coaching family. His father, Calvin Triplett Sr., was a legendary high school football coach and is a member of the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame, and his son Russell Triplett just led Citadel to the 2026 Southern Conference Baseball title after a record setting coaching career at Newberry College. 

For over 40 years, Dusty Triplett was a successful teacher, coach and mentor in high schools in South Carolina and Florida. Triplett graduated from Winter Haven High School (Fla.) in 1968.  He went on to play football at the United States Military Academy at West Point before transferring to Newberry College where he again lettered in both football and baseball graduating in 1974. He began his career at Whitmire High School as an assistant coach and Math teacher. From there he spent two years at Bartow High School (Fla.) as defensive backs coach and was part of a State Championship team in 1978. Triplett returned to the Palmetto state to become defensive coordinator at Strom Thurmond High School and for nine years was involved in numerous conference, regional, and state playoffs.  

He developed the Blue Steel Defense using data and computers well before it became commonplace making their defense one of the most prepared and effective defenses in the state. He was also head baseball coach and in 1982 he led the Rebels to the only state championship in school history. Triplett took his first head football coach position at Aiken High School, leading the Hornets to the 1989 state championship game. In 1990 he returned to his alma mater in Winter Haven (Fla.) to become head football coach.  

While there he turned a program around from a 1-9 record to an 8-2 record in his third season. Triplett returned to South Carolina  serving as head football and baseball coach and athletics director at Brookland-Cayce High School from 1994-2000 where he coached his son Russell with the two winning the state baseball title in 1998. In 2000 he returned to Strom Thurmond HS to lead the football program and return to the classroom.  

Upon his retirement, Triplett continued to teach in the Adult Education program at the Edgefield-McCormick County Adult Education and Family Literacy program. He was inducted into the Strom Thurmond High School Hall of Fame in 2019 and passed away that same year. 

Horace Turbeville
A member of the Newberry College, NAIA and Winthrop University Halls of Fame, Camden native Horace Turbeville played football and baseball for the Indians. He was team captain and quarterback on  the 1958 team that defeated The Citadel 16-0 in Charleston that season. Coach Turbeville compiled a 32-year baseball coaching record of 571-281 while serving as head coach at Newberry College (1969-1988) and Winthrop (1978-89). 

He was the first South Carolina native to take two different teams to a College World Series piloting the 1977 Newberry College and 1981 Winthrop College teams to the NAIA World Series. His 1981 Winthrop team was runner-up for national championship in only its second year of existence, and he was the first South Carolina native to win 500 collegiate baseball games. Coach Turbeville was the Indians head baseball coach from 1967–1978 and also served as an assistant football coach from 1960-1976. He guided the Indians to the 1977 NAIA Area 7 title by defeating Elon 5-2 in the championship game and advanced to the NAIA World Series. That team was led by second team NAIA All-American outfielder Tim Hickman and Newberry College Hall of Fame pitcher, NAIA Player of the Year and MLB draft pick Tim Cook who posted an amazing record of 11 wins and only 1 loss with a 1.72.  

Turbeville also guided the Indians to the 1975 and the 1985 Winthrop squads to the NAIA Area 7 Tournaments. He guided Winthrop from 1978 - 1991, compiling a record of 373-157-1.Turbeville was selected the 1972 South Carolina College Baseball Coach of the Year, was a finalist for the 1980 NAIA National Baseball Coach of the Year and was the 1991 Big South Coach of the Year. Coach Turbeville was inducted into the Newberry College Hall of Fame in 1995 and the NAIA Hall of Fame and the York County Sports Hall of Fame in 2000. He was one of six people inducted into the inaugural class of the Winthrop University Athletics Hall of Fame in 2004. 

Coach Turbeville passed away in February, 2007.