Beloved alumnus and Scotsman Club supporter leaves a legacy of generosity, friendship and unwavering devotion to the college he called family
When Presbyterian College traveled to Furman University for a football game last season, Irby S. Hipp III ’73 had decided it would be his final road trip to watch his beloved Blue Hose.
It seemed a fitting conclusion to a lifetime of following PC athletics. After all, the first Presbyterian College football game he ever attended, back in 1959, had been against Furman.
But Hipp hadn’t counted on the Blue Hose pulling off an upset victory.
Before the celebration was over, he was on the field with the team, soaking in the moment and reconsidering his decision to retire from traveling to away games.
For Scotsman Club director Emily Hughes, the memory captures the irrepressible enthusiasm of a man whose devotion to Presbyterian College spanned nearly seven decades.
Hipp, a 1973 graduate, died Monday, Oct. 12, 2026, in Clinton. He was 75.
According to Presbyterian College president Dr. Anita Gustafson, Hipp was far more than a familiar face in the stands. He was a friend, mentor and steadfast supporter whose presence touched generations of students, coaches and alumni.
“Irby Hipp was the very definition of a Blue Hose superfan,” Gustafson said. “His love for Presbyterian College was extraordinary, but what made him truly special was the way he expressed that love through his generosity, his friendship and his unwavering support of our students. He understood that PC is more than a place to earn a degree. It is a family, and he and Fran embraced that family with all their hearts. Irby exemplified the very best of what it means to be a Blue Hose, and his legacy will continue to inspire generations of students and alumni.”
For Hipp, supporting PC wasn’t simply something he did. It was part of who he was.
A Lifelong Member of the PC Family
A native of Rock Hill, Hipp was the son of the late Irby Hipp Jr. and Liddie Hipp. He was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Clinton and the Laurens County Touchdown Club, reflecting his enduring connections to his faith, community and athletics.
Hipp’s relationship with Presbyterian College began long before he enrolled as a student.
His father attended PC after World War II, and an uncle played football for the Blue Hose before serving in Europe. Growing up, Hipp listened to family members and friends share stories about the college and its traditions.
“I knew at a very early age that PC was in my future,” he recalled in an earlier interview.
A history major, Hipp joined Pi Kappa Phi fraternity and participated in the Highlander Battalion’s advanced ROTC program.
But what remained with him most vividly from his college years wasn’t a particular class, activity, or achievement. It was the relationships.
“After a week or two on campus, a senior would speak and call you by name. Not many schools can offer this experience,” he recalled.
He remembered professors who took a personal interest in their students, particularly Dr. Tom Stallworth, whom Hipp considered both a mentor and a friend.
“Dr. Tom Stallworth—he knew when to pat you on the back, when to kick you in the behind, and, most important, when to just listen,” Hipp said. “If you needed him to be, he was your dad away from home.”
That spirit of belonging shaped his relationship with PC for the rest of his life.
“From administration to professors to classmates, I quickly realized I had left my birth family to enter a lifelong family,” he said.
After earning his bachelor’s degree in history from Presbyterian College in 1973, Hipp continued his education at Winthrop University, where he earned a Master of Business Administration degree. He went on to become the owner and operator of CNT Building Supply in Columbia before retiring from the business, but his attachment to Presbyterian College never diminished.
Instead, it grew stronger.
PC gave me more than I can ever give back. Sometimes paying back is the same as paying forward.”
Irby Hipp ’73
Always There for the Blue Hose
To those who knew him through PC athletics, Hipp’s loyalty was legendary.
Athletic director Dee Nichols remembered years of conversations with Hipp about recruiting, opponents, coaches, and upcoming team trips, along with the shared joy of celebrating victories.
“Two of my favorite things about Irby were his consistency and reliability,” Nichols shared on social media. “He loved loving the Blue Hose and everything that came with it. Win, lose, or draw, he always had compassionate words for our players and coaches. And if Irby said he was going to be at a game or an event, he WAS going to show up. You could set your watch by it.”
Hipp’s support extended far beyond football or basketball.
He attended practices, team send-offs, graduations, academic presentations, and athletic competitions across campus. His presence was so dependable that Hughes sometimes joked he attended more athletic events than the players and coaches themselves.
“The first thing that comes to mind when I think of Irby is the fact that he and Fran moved up to Clinton for the sole purpose of being closer to PC as they aged,” Hughes said. “This is where he wanted to be and I find peace in knowing he was living his dream.”
For head men’s basketball coach Quinton Ferrell, Hipp’s generosity was equally evident in the personal relationships he cultivated.
Ferrell first met Hipp as a PC freshman in 2003. Over his four-year playing career, his family developed a friendship with Irby and Fran that endured.
“I can also remember how genuine of a person Irby was,” Ferrell recalled. “Over the course of my four-year playing career at PC my family ended up meeting Irby and Fran and developing a friendship with them.”
Hipp made a point of knowing student-athletes and their families, providing encouragement whether the Blue Hose were winning or losing.
“Irby had of way of making you feel good and that you had a support system away from home at PC,” Ferrell said.
A Partnership Built on Love for PC
Irby’s devotion to Presbyterian College became a shared passion with Fran, whom Ferrell remembered as nearly inseparable from her husband at athletic events.
Their commitment eventually led them to move to Clinton, bringing them closer to the college and the community they loved.
Fran’s own relationship with PC deepened over the years, culminating in her recognition as an honorary alumna in 2024 — an honor Irby described as the greatest memory of her life.
Together, they embraced opportunities to support PC students and student-athletes.
Earlier this year, the couple established legacy plans benefiting Presbyterian College and the Scotsman Club, ensuring their generosity would continue making a difference for future generations.
“PC gave me more than I can ever give back,” Hipp said in an earlier interview.
“Sometimes paying back is the same as paying forward.”
Their dedication also earned them recognition as this year’s recipients of the Mike Turner Scotsman Club Award, which honors individuals or couples who exemplify exceptional commitment and leadership in supporting the club’s mission.
Hughes said the upcoming Alumni Awards program will be different without Irby, but she takes comfort in knowing he learned of the recognition before his death.
A Legacy of Showing Up
For Ferrell, Hipp embodied Presbyterian College’s enduring motto, “While We Live, We Serve.”
His example, Ferrell said, demonstrated to generations of students and alumni what it means to remain engaged with the college long after graduation.
Nichols hopes the PC community will honor Hipp by extending the same loyalty and compassion to Fran and the Hipp family that Irby so faithfully showed others.
“Just as he always showed up for us, let’s make sure we show up for them,” Nichols said.
Perhaps Hipp himself best explained the motivation behind his decades of devotion.
“We simply want more young men and women to have the opportunity to experience being a part of the PC family,” he said in an earlier interview. “It truly can be life changing.”
For the generations of Blue Hose who knew him, Irby Hipp’s life was a testament to that belief — and a reminder that the strongest college loyalties are measured not merely in years, but in the lives they touch.
In addition to his wife, Fran Starr Hipp, Hipp is survived by three children, Lisa Hipp McNutt (Terry) of Collierville, Tennessee; John Hipp (Lucy) of Charlotte, North Carolina; and Greg Hipp (Jill) of Chicago; five grandchildren, Brittany McNutt, Erin McNutt, Jackson Hipp, Ella Hipp and Lydia Hipp; a sister-in-law, Mary Hipp of Columbia; and a nephew, Bennett Hipp, and niece, Sarah Hipp.
He was preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Jim Hipp.
A memorial service will be held Sunday, Oct. 18, at 2 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church of Clinton, with the Rev. Andy Chambers officiating. The family will greet friends in the Fellowship Hall following the service.
