Mars Hill football great Jonas Randolph, the only player in South Atlantic Conference history to win the Harlon Hill Trophy, will be inducted into the SAC Hall of Fame later this spring, the league announced this week.
Randolph, who played for Mars Hill from 2008-11, remains one of the most dominant running backs in NCAA Division II football history. He holds every major rushing record for both Mars Hill and the South Atlantic Conference, including:
- Career rushing yards: 5,608
- Single-season rushing yards: 2,170
- Single-game rushing yards: 373
- Career touchdowns: 53
- Most 100-yard games: 24
In 2011, Randolph led Mars Hill to a SAC Championship and an NCAA Division II playoff appearance. He remains the only North Carolina player to ever win the Harlon Hill Trophy, the Division II equivalent of the Heisman Trophy. The Harlon Hill honor has been awarded since the mid-1980s.
Randolph also holds Mars Hill records for most carries in a game – 49 – and most in a season (366) and career (982). He had two games with 300+ rushing yards and 10 more with 200+ rushing yards. Randolph once went 12 games in a row eclipsing the 100-yard mark.
Randolph played his entire career for head coach Tim Clifton, who still coaches the Lions in 2025.
His Hall of Fame induction cements his legacy as one of the greatest players in South Atlantic Conference history. The SAC Hall of Fame ceremony will be held May 29 in Charlotte.
