Augusta University: A Legacy of Notable Alumni

Augusta University (AU), a public research university and academic medical center in Augusta, Georgia, has a rich history dating back to 1828. Formed in 2013 from the consolidation of Augusta State University and Georgia Health Sciences University, AU has grown into a comprehensive institution with a significant impact on the region and beyond. This article highlights some of the notable alumni who have emerged from Augusta University and its predecessor institutions, making their mark in various fields.

Augusta University: Historical Overview

Augusta University was officially formed January 8, 2013, from the consolidation of Augusta State University and Georgia Health Sciences University in Augusta, Georgia by order of the University System of Georgia Board of Regents. Georgia Health Sciences University was chartered in 1828, upon the request of Milton Antony and Joseph Adams Eve, by the state of Georgia as the Medical Academy of Georgia to offer a single course of lectures leading to a bachelor's degree. Augusta State University traces its roots to 1783, when the Academy of Richmond County was founded as a high school.

The university has four local campuses. The medical college of the university, its oldest and founding college, began as the Medical Academy of Georgia in 1828, moving into the now historic Old Medical College Building in 1835. The present Health Sciences campus was formed in 1913 as the college moved to the Newton building and expanded from there, with the Dugas Building in 1937 marking the earliest building currently on the campus. The Summerville campus was originally used as a United States Army arsenal, established in downtown Augusta in 1816 and relocated to the campus in 1827. By the turn of the twentieth century, the arsenal's prominence waned, beginning with the Spanish-American War in that the arsenal produced manufacturing equipment, seacoast targets, and was a repair station. In 1955, the arsenal was closed, and two years later the land was given to the local Board of Education, which used it to open the Junior College of Augusta. Located on Walton Way, the Summerville campus houses many of the undergraduate programs and the Jaguar Student Activities Center. The Maxwell Performing Arts Theatre, the History Walk, the Mary S. Byrd Gallery of Art, The Honors Program, and the Maxwell Alumni House are all found on this campus. In addition, the James M. The former Georgia Golf Hall of Fame riverfront property in Downtown Augusta has been redeveloped to house the Augusta University Cyber Institute and the Georgia Cyber Innovation and Training Center which opened in July 2018. The Riverfront Campus was named in honor of Georgia Governor Nathan Deal who was on hand for the opening ceremony of the Hull McKnight Building on the campus.

Accomplished Athletes

Augusta University has a strong athletic tradition, and many of its athletes have gone on to achieve success at the professional level. The Augusta athletic teams are called the Jaguars. The men's golf program captured the school's first NCAA Division I Men's Golf National Championship on June 6, 2010, in Ooltewah, Tennessee, when the Jaguars defeated Oklahoma State University. This page is designed to keep Jaguar fans updated on former athletes and their latest achievements. Those currently playing professionally feature a “Currently” section in their bio, which is updated often.

Basketball

Daniel Boodnikoff: Capped his career by averaging 19.5 points a game, shooting 48 percent from the field and 43 percent from behind the arc. He helped ASU to two consecutive NCAA Tournament berths, notching 10 points and five rebounds in a win over Johnson C. Boodnikoff's professional career was marked by longevity, as he racked up over 250 starts in Australia's National Basketball League, primarily with the Cairns Taipans.
A.J. Bowman: Was a two-time All-American forward and was near the top of the nation in field goal percentage and points per game, averaging 20.5 points in the 2006-07 campaign while shooting 53.1% from the floor and grabbing 7.5 rebounds a contest. He also was selected to participate in ESPN’s Slam Dunk contest in consecutive seasons, and was named the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s Georgia College Player of the Year in 2007.
Devon Brathwaite: Helped his team to consecutive Elite Eight appearances, leading the team with 21 points and seven rebounds in the Final Four versus Cal Poly Pomona. Brathwaite headed to Germany out of college for his first professional season before landing in the National Basketball League Canada (NBLCanada) for the 2011-12 year with the Moncton Miracles.
Tommy Fields: Finished his four-year career in the 2017-18 season and earned All-Region and first team All-Conference honors. He came off the bench primarily his first two seasons before developing into an everyday starter. He led the team in field-goal percentage as a junior and senior and ranked second in the conference as a senior in points, points per game, and field goals. Fields’ professional career began in May 2019 when we signed with Reales de Fresnillo in Fresnillo Zacatecas, Mexico. In his first season, Fields averaged 40.0 ppg, 12.0 rpg, 8.0 apg, and 2.1 bps.
Ben Franklin: Averaged 20 points and 5.4 rebounds, nailing 40 percent of three pointers. Franklin began his professional career with the Sydney Kings of Australia’s NBL in 2003, winning the NBL Championship that season.
Keshun Sherrill: Has had a historic career at Augusta, setting multiple school and conference records. Sherrill became the all-time leading scorer in Peach Belt Conference history with 2,333 points. He was so influential on the court that his No.10 jersey was retired by the university at the Athletics Awards Banquet on May 3, 2017. Sherril signed a professional basketball contract with New Heroes Basketball out of Den Bosch, Netherlands in July 2018.
Greg Siler: After playing for the Shangai Sharks in the Chinese Basketball Association for one season after college, Siler was invited to the 2010 NBA summer league, where he impressed scouts enough to sign a two-year deal with Suns, making him the first Jaguar to play in the NBA. In his first NBA season, Siler averaged 2.1 points and 1.3 rebounds a game while backing up Robin Lopez, the 15th overall draft pick in the 2008 NBA draft. He scored a career-high eight points in just three minutes against Oklahoma City in March.
Devonte Thomas: A four-year starter for the Jaguars from 2011-2015, Thomas averaged double-figure points for his career and ranks third all-time for Augusta with 258 three pointers and 17th with 1,289 points. Vllaznia Shkodra (Superliga) strengthened their roster with addition of 26-year old American swingman Devonte Thomas (195-93kg-93, college: Augusta). semi-pro league ABA. He helped them to make it to the semifinals. Among other achievements, Thomas won Italian Serie C (Silver) championship title in 2016.
Deane Williams: Was a four-year starter for Augusta and broke 1,000 career points in his career. As a senior in 2018-19, Williams was voted the Peach Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year and Co-Player of the Year, while picking up first-team All-Conference honors as well. He was also named D2CCA All-Region and NACA All-District. He averaged 16.0 ppg and 9.2 rpg in 2018-19. Augusta University four-year men's basketball standout Deane Williams signed a professional contract with the Keflavík Icelandic Basketball Club on June 14, 2019 and will report to Reykjanesbaer, Iceland in September. The Keflavík Basketball Club is a subdivision of Keflavík ÍF - an Icelandic sports club based in the town of Reykjanesbaer.
KJ Wright-Nelson: Graduated in 2015 and was a four-year starter for Augusta from 2010-2015. He ranks 11th all-time with 660 rebounds, 16th with 1,308 points, and 39th with 74 three points. He was a two-time Peach Belt All-Conference selection and helped the Jaguars reach two NCAA Regionals and four PBC Tournaments during his tenure. After graduation, Wright-Nelson signed to play for Valentino Basket Castellaneta in Castellaneta, Italy in July 2016. In the 2016-17 season, Wright-Nelson led his team in scoring and posted double-figure points in every contest.
Garrett Madgen: Compiled an astounding career that saw a national title game appearance and three straight Elite Eight appearances in the NCAA Tournament. He ended his college career as the all-time leading scorer in the Peach Belt Conference and held the title until 2017. His No. Madgen went straight to Australia’s Sydney Kings of the NBL out of college and has risen up the league ranks ever since. He did one better in the 2012-13 season, leading the league in scoring while finishing second in Most Valuable Player voting and earning All-NBL First Team honor.
Fred Hire: In the 2012-2013 season, Hire was named the NBL’s Most Improved Player while averaging 5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.4 assists.

Golf

Oliver Wilson: Put together one of the best careers in school history his senior year, earning four wins, 14 top-5s, and 30 top-20 results. He became the… He has enjoyed professional success, with nine second-place finishes on tour. In 2009, he finished 24th in The 138th Open Championship, marking his best major championship finish in what became a banner year with three top-11 finishes on the PGA Tour. Wilson headed for the Challenge Tour in Europe out of college in 2004 and earned his first European Tour card the next year. Open.
Patrick Reed: Led Augusta to back-to-back National Championships in 2010 and 2011 and garnered two first team All-American selections along the way. He finished third individually in the 2011 NCAA Championships. Now a steady threat on the PGA Tour, Reed won The Masters in 2018 at 15-under-par to hold off fellow Americans Rickie Fowler and Jordan Spieth. He has six wins on tour and one on the European Tour. Reed showed potential on Tour early, making the cut in two PGA Tour events before earning his Tour card in 2012 Q-school. He compiled a 3-0-1 record to lead the United States in the 2014 Ryder cup for points earned, and stood as the only American without a loss on his record once the competition was over. In early 2015, Reed notched his fourth career PGA Tour victory in the Hyundai Tournament of Champions, joining Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy, Sergio Garcia, and Phil Mickelson as the only golfers since 1991 to win four times before turning 25 years old. He is best known for being disqualified in the Walt Disney World/Oldsmobile Classic for having the grips on his long putter too close together, breaking a little-known PGA Tour rule.
** Vaughn Taylor:** Earned honorable mention All-America honors as a senior, carding ten top-20 finishes. He led the team to two NCAA Championship appearances, and three NCAA Regionals, including a No. 15 ranking in 1998. Taylor began playing on the PGA Tour full-time in 2004, and has carded two wins (2004/2005 Reno-Tahoe Open), eight top-three finishes, and 28 top-ten results. In 2013, he had a solid three-week stretch that netted finishes of T-25, T-14, and T-21 on the PGA Tour as he finished No. 155 in the FedEx cup standings, and he has also participated in Web.com Tour events.
Henrik Norlander: Was a three-time All-American, won four tournaments, and had a career stroke average below 72. Open Qualifying, winning his sectional to earn a place in his first major tournament.
Mitchell Murphy: Carded what was then the fifth-best season in school history, tying for 13th in the NCAA East Regional as a freshman with a 73.8 stroke average. Murphy made his way into the big time in 2000, and enjoyed a career year in 2003 after earning his way back with a 4th-place finish in the Scottish Open for a payday of over 100,000 Euros, his career best.
TaylorManning: Earned two All-American selections and shooting an eight-under 208 in the NCAA West Regional. Manning finished a career-best tied for fifth at the South Georgia Classic in 2011 on what was then known as the Nationwide Tour, and placed 103rd on the Tour money list.
Carter Kountakis: Was a two-year player for the Jaguars after transferring in 2015. He was named a Cleveland Golf/Srixon All-America Scholar and earned a starting spot in 2015-16. He finally broke through in 2013, winning The Sedgefield Classic in May for his first professional victory.
Casey Kennedy: Competed for the Jaguars from 2010-2014. Kennedy recorded 123 rounds in 43 events played as a Jaguar, with a 74.66 average score. Daughter of William and Ann Kennedy, Casey has four siblings: Christine, Katie, Blair, and Brent. After battling through her first year on the Symetra Tour, Kennedy qualified and earned full-tour status on the Symetra Tour after stage three of qualifying. Casey Kennedy announced she would go pro in 2014.
Knut Kaske: Helped the Jaguars to a spot in the top-25, and won The Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate in 2009. Kaske struggled in his first few seasons professionally before beginning to make headway in his 2013 season.
Jamie Johnson: Won the Nationwide Tour money title in 2007, winning the Mark Christopher Charity Classic and Nationwide Championship. He made a hole-in-one on a 374-yard par four in the New Zealand Open, the second player in Nationwide Tour history to do, and won a pallet of beer from the tournament sponsor.
Scott Jamieson: Garnered All-American and NCAA All-Independent Player of the Year honors while firing a team-best 16 rounds of par or better as a senior. Jamieson enjoyed a banner year in 2011, posting five top-ten and seven top-15 finishes after earning a promotion to the European Tour the year prior.
Morten Orum Madsen: Petersson returned to Europe after his collegiate career. Petersson played for Augusta for all four years and started in all but one event as a freshman. He won the MEAC Championship individual title to earn Most Outstanding Player as a junior in 2014-15.
Taylor Floyd: Battled the flu and tough competition to a 1-1-1 record in the NCAA National Championship, helping the Jags to their first National Title. He went on to become the squad’s No. Floyd spent 2013 and 2014 on the eGolf Tour, finishing the 2013 year with four consecutive top-eight finishes.
August Edin: Was a four-year player from Bro, Sweden.
PatrickNewmann: Newman struggled initially on the eGolf Tour, failing to make the cut in his first two tournaments before roaring to a fifth-place finish in The Southern Open, shooting a 14-under 27.
Emmanuel Elson: Was named an All-American twice, once to the second-team and another to the third. Elson has played in Europe ever since leaving Augusta, bouncing between the European Tour and the Challenge Tour throughout his professional career.
Maverick Antcliff: Was a four-year starter for Augusta who competed in 40 total events and 111 rounds. He ended his career with a 72.69 scoring average, while shooting in the 60s 23 times with a low round of 66. Antcliff helped guide Augusta to two MEAC Championships to advance to the NCAA Regional. He led the team with a 72.63 stroke average as a freshman and recorded three top-five finishes. Antcliff turned pro following his senior season in 2015-16.
Robin Petersson: Park gave up playing on the European Tour in 2009, opting to become the charity executive of the Tour Players Foundation in 2009.
Alex Wennstam: A four-year player from 2010-14, Wennstam competed in 36 total tournament and logged 105 rounds of play. He finished with a 74.50 stroke average and shot in the 60s 10 times with a round of 66. He was named an All-American Scholar in 2013 and 2014 and he reached the NCAA Regional all four years, competing as an individual in 2013 and 2014. Wennstam turned pro in June 2014 after a four-year career in Augusta. He joined the PGA of Sweden and started his career on both the Nordea Tour and the Nordea Futures Tour.
Clarine Wille: Enjoyed consistent play, notching double-digit top-20 finishes, including one victory and carding the second-lowest stroke play average score in school history. Following a solid Jaguar career, Wille turned professional and immediately found success by winning her first tournament, the Nordea Tour's Frontwalker Ladies Open.
Payne Haas Jr.: Haas Jr. rode an up-and-down year in 2011, making five of nine cuts on the eGolf Tour.
Patrick Booth: Competed in back-to-back NCAA Regionals, and won the The Hootie at Bulls Bay Intercollegiate in 2007.
Ryan Everett: A four-year player for the Jaguars, Everett capped off a stellar career by winning the individual 2018 NCAA National Championship title. He was named an All-American and was an All-American Scholar as a senior in 2017-18. After winning the individual 2018 NCAA National Championship, Everett turned pro and competed on the Mackenzie Tour - PGA Tour Canada.
Luke Heath: Heath earned his first European Tour card for the 2007 season, making 11 cuts and finishing in a tie for fourth in the TCL Classic.
Henrik Amos: Competed in the NCAA Championships in 2008, and helped lead his squad to a second-place finish in the NCAA East Regional. Amos took to the PGA EuroPro tour in 2011, posting back-to-back top-30 finishes in The Lingfield Golf Park Championship 2011 (T27) and Network Veka Classic (T28). He jumped to the eGolf tour the next year, topping out with a T-48 finish in the Oldfield Open.

Pioneers in Medicine

Augusta University, particularly through the Medical College of Georgia (MCG), has a long history of producing pioneering physicians. MCG has a rich history of graduating female physicians including Dr. Florence, Wilson and Denmark.

Trailblazing Women in Medicine

Florence Charbonnet: Upon graduation, Florence interned at the Women’s Medical College in Philadelphia, and then worked at Smith College in Connecticut and Bellevue Hospital in New York. After a short stint working for the War Department in Washington, D.C., Florence “finally went over and took courses in chemistry, physics and zoology, and then I took one course in psychology and one in sociology and got a BS,” Florence said. “Then I went down to Augusta to see Dr. Lombard Kelly. So many wonderful doors have opened to me and I don’t see why. “I knew some of the boys and had had classes with them the year before I went down there,” Florence said of her classmates. “I had been brought up in a male environment, you know. I had no sisters, and so the boys treated me like a sister and I did my work. I never tried to get out of anything. I thought, ‘Well, if the others can do it, I can do it, too.’ I didn’t work for grades. I worked because I loved it. When Florence was in grade school, there were only 10 grades to complete, and upon graduation, she went to Shorter College at the age of 15 to become a teacher. “While I was at Shorter, they had doctors there and they sort of somehow said I would do well in medicine. They sort of planted a seed,” Florence said in an interview in 1978.
Sarah M. Wilson: In 1929, Wilson opened a practice in the southern portion of Anne Arundel County, Maryland. Wilson continued to open new doors for women during her career. “I always wanted to go into medicine,” Wilson said during an interview in 1984. “We lived on a big plantation in those days with a lot of people living here … and no doctor anywhere close, and all the sick babies and all of the cut hands. My mother did the best she could. “Everybody thought I had lost my mind. They just thought it was something I would probably do for a little while and give it up,” Wilson said. “Dr. Wilson said her class started with two other women, but one left the program after the first year and the second the following year, leaving Wilson as the only woman in her class. Despite being only a year behind Florence, Wilson didn’t have much contact with her contemporary because of the practice of keeping the different classes very separate.
Leila Denmark: After two years at Egleston, she served a six-month internship at Philadelphia’s Children’s Hospital in 1930, and after the birth of her daughter, Mary Alice, Denmark opened her own private pediatric practice in her home. In 1932 during a deadly epidemic of whooping cough in her community, Denmark began to study the disease. She worked with Eli Lily and Emory University in developing the first pertussis vaccine. During her career, Denmark published two books: Every Child Should Have a Chance (1971) and Dr. “As a child, I was always interested in seeing things get well,” Denmark said in an interview in 1984. “I lived on a big farm down in Bullock County. The town of Portal was built on my father’s farm, but all of my life there was a world of animals on the farm, and there was always something that needed to be cared for. While at Tift College, a professor introduced Denmark to dissecting frogs, which she found fun. Denmark’s pursuit of a medical degree began the day she walked into the admissions office at MCG and asked to be admitted. At the time, there were already 52 incoming first-year male students in the class, so it seemed impossible to add another student, but she persisted and was admitted. Like her predecessors, Denmark found her male counterparts welcoming. “They treated me like a queen,” Denmark said. “I went over to see Dr. Hines Roberts at Henrietta Egleston Hospital about doing an internship,” Denmark said. “He told me I could have a job. I don’t know why he did that, but he did. I just walked in.
Mary Kate MacMillan Hires (1931)
Katherine McMillan Hendry (1938)
Katrina Rawls Hawkins (1940)
Kathleen Byers-Lindsey (1943)
Hawkins: Was chair of the Screven County Board of Health from 1965-87 and continued to work with the Screven County Health Department after retirement from her private practice.
Kathleen Byers-Lindsey: Completed a two-year residency in anesthesiology at New York’s Bellevue Hospital under Dr. Emery Rovenstine. She accepted an anesthesiologist position at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta in 1947, becoming Atlanta’s first female anesthesiologist.
O’Neal: Was one of three women to graduate in the MCG Class of 1943. After graduation, she completed her internship and residency at University Hospital. O’Neal and her husband, Dr. John B.

Other Notable Alumni

Robert Benjamin Greenblatt: Physician and medical researcher specializing in endocrinology.
Valera Hudson, MD
Yahaziel “Hazie” Simon (DMD, 2016): In February, Dr. Simon passed the American Board of Orthodontics Scenario-Based Clinical Examination, achieving board certification in orthodontics. This designation signifies his advanced expertise in orthodontics and a commitment to providing the highest quality care.
Angela Hornsby, MBA, BSN, RN, OCN (class of 2016): Is an experienced oncology nurse that has served Augusta University for over 20 years working in both the Emergency Department and Georgia Cancer Center.

Leadership and Public Service

Augusta University alumni have also distinguished themselves in leadership roles and public service, contributing to the betterment of their communities and beyond.

Russell T. Keen: July 1 marks the one-year anniversary of Augusta University President Russell T. Keen and First Lady Karen B. Keen stepping into their new roles. “When I think back over the last year, it is a bit of a whirlwind, but it’s also been a year of real progress. From historic funding for research to record enrollment, we’ve seen the impact of what can happen when people rally around a shared vision,” President Keen said.
Karen B. Keen: AU President Russell T. Keen and First Lady Karen B. Keen had a lot to celebrate during their first year in their new roles at AU, including conferring over 3,200 degrees.

Other Areas

Simona E. Hunyadi Murph: Adjunct Professor, Department of Physics and Astronomy.
Kearney: Was Named Distinguished Alumna at Augusta University.

Read also: Aspiring Professionals at Augusta

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