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Clemson–South Carolina rivalry

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The Carolina-Clemson Rivalry is an in-state college rivalry between the University of South Carolina and Clemson University. The two institutions are separated by just over 125 miles and have been bitter rivals since the 1880s. A heated rivalry continues to this day for a variety of reasons, including the historic tensions regarding their respective charters along with the passions surrounding their athletic programs.

The athletic programs are known as the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Clemson Tigers, and both are members of premier collegiate athletic conferences: South Carolina is in the Southeastern Conference (Conference USA for soccer since the SEC does not sponsor soccer); Clemson is in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Origin

College Comparison
Category Clemson University University of South Carolina
Location Clemson Columbia
Students 17,309 28,130
School Colors Burnt Orange & Northwestern Purple Garnet & Black
Nickname Tigers Gamecocks
Mascot The Tiger Cocky
National Championships 4 [1] 6 [2][3]

Unlike most major college rivalries, the Carolina-Clemson rivalry did not start innocently. In fact, the seeds of bitterness were planted even before Clemson became a college. The two institutions were founded 88 years apart: South Carolina College in 1801 and Clemson Agricultural College in 1889.

South Carolina College experienced a variety of changes after the Civil War. During Reconstruction, it was the only southern state university to admit and grant degrees to African-American students, as it was forced to do so when it (and the state) was taken over during Reconstruction. When the Yankees left, the Democrats swept the Radical Republicans out of office, and the new state leaders quickly closed the institution in 1877. It was briefly reopened in 1880 as an all-white agricultural school and was reorganized two years later and many more times over the next 25 years, as it became a political football symbolic of the racial and cultural tensions of the time. However, the greatest threat to the institution's existence came with the 1890 gubernatorial election of Benjamin Tillman. Tillman, a farmer and legislator from Edgefield, advocated closing South Carolina College during his campaign for governor. He was primarily motivated by his dislike for the college's enrollment of African-Americans, which had been restarted after another reorganization, but he also believed that the college did nothing for farmers.[4]

The farmers had become active participants in South Carolina politics during the 1880s, and building another agricultural school was already a subject of fierce debate in the South Carolina General Assembly. South Carolina College had been granted an agricultural department in 1882, but Thomas Greene Clemson bequeathed a considerable sum and devised his Fort Hill plantation to the state in 1888 for an agricultural school. The state legislature accepted the Clemson gift by only one vote, which was a tie-breaking vote cast by Lieutenant Governor William L. Mauldin. Clemson Agricultural College, an all-white male school, was created as a result.[5] Tillman then became governor, and with the opening of this new agricultural school in 1893 came a shift of federal funds for agricultural education. Suddenly two very different schools existed in South Carolina, reviving regional bitterness and dividing the state into two classes of people.[6]

Tillman only succeeded in reorganizing South Carolina College as a liberal arts school while in office, and it would eventually be rechartered for the last time in 1906 as the University of South Carolina. However, Clemson Agricultural College held sway over the state legislature for decades and was awarded appropriations that allowed it to expand academic offerings and eventually become Clemson University in 1964.[7][8] USC has been the perennial underdog as a result, having gone from being the pride of the Old South as South Carolina College to being the working class school in the shadow of favored Clemson. On the other hand, Clemson ironically went from being the school for farmer/soldiers to claiming the elitist status once held by South Carolina College.[9]

After World War II, these perceptions were never more distinct when the University of South Carolina eagerly enrolled returning veterans whereas Clemson sought to restrict their numbers. Enrollment at USC swelled from the influx of veterans, and it increased its popularity in the 1950s when it created the University of South Carolina System, which is a network of branch campuses across the state. In the 1960s, Clemson tried to compete with this network by establishing branch campuses in Greenville and Sumter. However, House Speaker Sol Blatt was alarmed by "the spread of Clemson" and declared that USC "should build as many two-year colleges over the state as rapidly as possible to prevent the expansion of Clemson schools for the Clemson people."[10] As a result, Clemson Extensions, as they were known, never proved to be popular but have become defacto county offices for agricultural businesses. USC would acquire the Sumter campus in 1973, and the Clemson's Greenville campus would eventually become Greenville Tech.

Respective achievements are never acknowledged in this family feud. The turf issues are overlapping and complicated. Competitions on the ballfields become cathartic experiences, as many of these rivals carry the virulence of yesteryear. "There’s a history of bad blood between these institutions," says Jay McCormick, a doctoral candidate at USC. "So when athletics came to Carolina and to Clemson, it was natural that they should be a rivalry. The rivalry extends back to political and social origins. It’s not just an athletic rivalry. It’s a manifestation of these things." [11]

Football

The annual Carolina-Clemson football game is the longest uninterrupted series in the South and the third longest uninterrupted series overall, having been played every year since 1909. [12] The universities maintain college football stadiums in excess of 80,000 seats each, placing both in the top 18 in the United States. [13] Clemson leads the football series 64-37-4, but approximately forty games have been decided by a touchdown or less. Clemson has more wins against South Carolina than any other program [14], and South Carolina is third behind Georgia Tech and Georgia in most wins against Clemson. [15]

When Clemson began its football program in 1896, they scheduled the rival South Carolina College for a Thursday morning game in conjunction with the State Fair. Carolina won that game 12-6 and a new tradition was born — Big Thursday. Interestingly, Clemson was coached that season by Walter Riggs, who brought with him from Auburn the Tiger mascot and the color orange.

The Gamecock mascot made its first appearance in 1902. In that first season as the Gamecocks, Carolina defeated a highly favored Clemson team coached by the legendary John Heisman 12-6. But it was the full-scale riot that broke out in the wake of the game that’s remembered most.

"The Carolina fans that week were carrying around a poster with the image of a tiger with a gamecock standing on top of it, holding the tiger’s tail as if he was steering the tiger by the tail," says Jay McCormick. "Naturally, the Clemson guys didn’t take too kindly to that, and on Wednesday and again on Thursday, there were sporadic fistfights involving brass knuckles and other objects and so forth, some of which resulted, according to the newspapers, in blood being spilled and persons having to seek medical assistance. After the game on Thursday, the Clemson guys frankly told the Carolina students that if you bring this poster, which is insulting to us, to the big parade on Friday, you’re going to be in trouble. And naturally, of course, the Carolina students brought the poster to the parade. If you give someone an ultimatum and they’re your rival, they’re going to do exactly what you told them not to do."[16]

As expected, another brawl broke out before both sides agreed to mutually burn the poster in an effort to diffuse tensions. The immediate aftermath resulted in the stoppage of the rivalry until 1909. The Carolina-Clemson game has been played every year since, and every year, each school burns an object that represents the other.

World War II produced one of the most bizarre situations in the history of the rivalry. Cary Cox, a football player of the victorious Clemson squad in 1942, signed up for the V-12 program in 1943 and was placed at USC. The naval instructors at Carolina ordered him to play on the football team and he was named the captain for the Big Thursday game against Clemson. Cox was reluctant to play against his former teammates and he voiced his concerns to coach Lt. James P. Moran who responded "Cox, I can't promise you'll get a Navy commission if you play Thursday, but I can damn well promise that you won't get one if you don't play!"[17] Cox then went out and led the Carolina team to a 33-6 win against Clemson. He returned to Clemson after the war and captained the 1947 team in a losing effort to Carolina, but Cox earned his place in history as the only player to captain both schools' football teams.

The 1946 game could be the most chaotic in the football series. Counterfeit tickets were sold, and fans with legitimate and fake tickets were not allowed inside once the stadium filled, so many fans stormed the gates and were eventually allowed to stand along the sidelines of the field. To add to the wild scene, a Clemson fan strangled a live chicken at midfield during halftime. It took U.S. Secretary of State James F. Byrnes, who attended the game along with Strom Thurmond, to settle down the hostile crowd. Carolina won the game 26-14.

In 1961, the USC fraternity Sigma Nu pulled what some have called the greatest prank in the rivalry's history. A few minutes before Clemson football players entered the field for pre-game warm ups, a group of Sigma Nu fraternity members ran onto the field, jumping up and down and cheering in football uniforms that resembled the ones worn by the Tigers. This caused the Clemson band to start playing "Tiger Rag," which was followed by the pranksters falling down as they attempted to do calisthenics. They would also do football drills where guys would drop passes and miss the ball when trying to kick it... Clemson fans quickly realized that they had been tricked, and some of them angrily ran onto the field. However, security restored order before any blows could be exchanged. Carolina won the game 21-14, although Clemson was on the Gamecock one-yard-line when time expired.

On November 22, 1975, Carolina defeated Clemson 56-20 to set a Gamecock record for most points scored in a football game against the Tigers.

On November 19, 1977, Clemson WR Jerry Butler made a diving, backwards, 20-yard touchdown reception on a pass from QB Steve Fuller with 49 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give Clemson the 31-27 victory in Columbia. This play is known as "The Catch" and is one of the most memorable plays in the rivalry.

In 1981, Clemson defeated Carolina 29-13 en route to the National Championship.

On November 21, 1987, with the highest combined rankings of the two football programs entering the game (the Gamecocks were No. 12 and the Tigers were No. 8), Carolina beat Clemson 20-7 on national television (ESPN).

In 2003, Clemson defeated Carolina 63-17, and Clemson's 63 points are the most scored by either team in the series. However, Clemson beat Carolina 51-0 in 1900 for the widest margin in the series.

The South Carolina-Clemson brawl during the 2004 football game is the most recent eruption of hostilities in this rivalry. It is also the last time Lou Holtz coached, having retired shortly thereafter. Clemson won the game 29-7. Each team had won a total of six games that year and were technically bowl eligible. However, both schools elected to forfeit their postseason because of the shameful nature of the fight. In 2005 the two teams showed an unusual gesture of sportsmanship by meeting at midfield before the game to shake hands, putting the melee behind them. Clemson won this game 13-9, marking quarterback Charlie Whitehurst's 4th win versus the Gamecocks, which is the first time a starting quarterback from either team notched four wins against the other team.

Date Location Winner Score
11/24/2007 Columbia, SC Clemson 23 21
11/25/2006 Clemson, SC South Carolina 31 28
11/19/2005 Columbia, SC Clemson 13 9
11/20/2004 Clemson, SC Clemson 29 7
11/22/2003 Columbia, SC Clemson 63 17
11/23/2002 Clemson, SC Clemson 27 20
11/17/2001 Columbia, SC South Carolina 20 15
11/18/2000 Clemson, SC Clemson 16 14
11/20/1999 Columbia, SC Clemson 31 21
11/21/1998 Clemson, SC Clemson 28 19
11/22/1997 Columbia, SC Clemson 47 21
11/23/1996 Clemson, SC South Carolina 34 31
11/18/1995 Columbia, SC Clemson 38 17
11/19/1994 Clemson, SC South Carolina 33 7
11/20/1993 Columbia, SC Clemson 16 13
11/21/1992 Clemson, SC South Carolina 24 13
11/23/1991 Columbia, SC Clemson 41 24
11/17/1990 Clemson, SC Clemson 24 15
11/18/1989 Columbia, SC Clemson 45 0
11/19/1988 Clemson, SC Clemson 29 10
11/21/1987 Columbia, SC South Carolina 20 7
11/22/1986 Clemson, SC Tie 21 21
11/23/1985 Columbia, SC Clemson 24 17
11/23/1984 Clemson, SC South Carolina 22 21
11/19/1983 Columbia, SC Clemson 22 13
11/20/1982 Clemson, SC Clemson 24 6
11/21/1981 Columbia, SC Clemson 29 13
11/22/1980 Clemson, SC Clemson 27 6
11/24/1979 Columbia, SC South Carolina 13 9
11/25/1978 Clemson, SC Clemson 41 23
11/19/1977 Columbia, SC Clemson 31 27
11/20/1976 Clemson, SC Clemson 28 9
11/22/1975 Columbia, SC South Carolina 56 20
11/23/1974 Clemson, SC Clemson 39 21
11/24/1973 Columbia, SC South Carolina 32 20
11/25/1972 Clemson, SC Clemson 7 6
11/27/1971 Columbia, SC Clemson 17 7
11/21/1970 Clemson, SC South Carolina 38 32
11/22/1969 Columbia, SC South Carolina 27 13
11/23/1968 Clemson, SC South Carolina 7 3
11/25/1967 Columbia, SC Clemson 23 12
11/26/1966 Clemson, SC Clemson 35 10
11/20/1965 Columbia, SC South Carolina 17 16
11/21/1964 Clemson, SC South Carolina 7 3
11/28/1963 Columbia, SC Clemson 24 20
11/24/1962 Clemson, SC Clemson 20 17
11/11/1961 Columbia, SC South Carolina 21 14
11/12/1960 Clemson, SC Clemson 12 2
10/22/1959 Columbia, SC Clemson 27 0
10/23/1958 Columbia, SC South Carolina 26 6
10/24/1957 Columbia, SC Clemson 13 0
10/25/1956 Columbia, SC Clemson 7 0
10/20/1955 Columbia, SC Clemson 28 14
10/21/1954 Columbia, SC South Carolina 13 8
10/22/1953 Columbia, SC South Carolina 14 7
10/23/1952 Columbia, SC South Carolina 6 0
10/25/1951 Columbia, SC South Carolina 20 0
10/19/1950 Columbia, SC Tie 14 14
10/20/1949 Columbia, SC South Carolina 27 13
10/21/1948 Columbia, SC Clemson 13 7
10/23/1947 Columbia, SC South Carolina 21 19
10/24/1946 Columbia, SC South Carolina 26 14
10/25/1945 Columbia, SC Tie 0 0
10/19/1944 Columbia, SC Clemson 20 13
10/21/1943 Columbia, SC South Carolina 33 6
10/22/1942 Columbia, SC Clemson 18 6
10/23/1941 Columbia, SC South Carolina 18 14
10/24/1940 Columbia, SC Clemson 21 13
10/19/1939 Columbia, SC Clemson 27 0
10/20/1938 Columbia, SC Clemson 34 12
10/21/1937 Columbia, SC Clemson 34 6
10/22/1936 Columbia, SC Clemson 19 0
10/24/1935 Columbia, SC Clemson 44 0
10/25/1934 Columbia, SC Clemson 19 0
10/19/1933 Columbia, SC South Carolina 7 0
10/20/1932 Columbia, SC South Carolina 14 0
10/22/1931 Columbia, SC South Carolina 21 0
10/23/1930 Columbia, SC Clemson 20 7
10/24/1929 Columbia, SC Clemson 21 14
10/25/1928 Columbia, SC Clemson 32 0
10/20/1927 Columbia, SC Clemson 20 0
10/21/1926 Columbia, SC South Carolina 24 0
10/22/1925 Columbia, SC South Carolina 33 0
10/23/1924 Columbia, SC South Carolina 3 0
10/25/1923 Columbia, SC Clemson 7 6
10/26/1922 Columbia, SC Clemson 3 0
10/27/1921 Columbia, SC South Carolina 21 0
10/28/1920 Columbia, SC South Carolina 3 0
10/30/1919 Columbia, SC Clemson 19 6
11/2/1918 Columbia, SC Clemson 39 0
10/25/1917 Columbia, SC Clemson 21 13
10/26/1916 Columbia, SC Clemson 27 0
10/28/1915 Columbia, SC Tie 0 0
10/29/1914 Columbia, SC Clemson 29 6
10/30/1913 Columbia, SC Clemson 32 0
10/31/1912 Columbia, SC South Carolina 22 7
11/2/1911 Columbia, SC Clemson 27 0
11/3/1910 Columbia, SC Clemson 24 0
11/4/1909 Columbia, SC Clemson 6 0
10/30/1902 Columbia, SC South Carolina 12 6
11/1/1900 Columbia, SC Clemson 51 0
11/9/1899 Columbia, SC Clemson 34 0
11/17/1898 Columbia, SC Clemson 24 0
11/10/1897 Columbia, SC Clemson 20 6
11/12/1896 Columbia, SC South Carolina 12 6

Baseball

The teams compete four times during the regular season, and each game almost always affects the national rankings since both teams are usually ranked in the nation's top 10. They both consistently qualify for the NCAA playoffs and frequently earn berths to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. Clemson leads the baseball series 163-114-2 (as of 4/26/07).

In the 2002 College World Series, the teams met in the semifinals with the Tigers needing only one win to move on to the championship game. Clemson had already won three out of four regular season games against Carolina and was 2-0 in the World Series at the time. However, the Gamecocks beat their rivals soundly, 12-4, and then beat the Tigers again, 10-2, the following day to advance to the national championship game. It is the only time the two athletic programs have met with a shot at the national title on the line. The Gamecocks fell to Texas 12-6 in the championship game; this was before the current format of a best two out of three title series had been instituted.[18]

Other Varsity Sports

Men's Teams

Basketball - Gamecocks lead 86-72 all-time. Carolina is 53-25 at home, while Clemson is 44-30 on their home court. They are 3-3 at neutral sites. Carolina won their first meeting 39-18 during the 1912-1913 season.

Cross Country - Carolina does not sponsor Men's Cross Country.

Golf

Soccer - Tigers lead 22-12-1.

Swimming & Diving - Gamecocks lead 32-10.

Tennis - Gamecocks lead 23-15.

Track & Field

Women's Teams

Basketball - Lady Tigers lead 31-21.

Cross Country

Equestrian - No meetings. Clemson does not sponsor Equestrian.

Golf - Clemson does not sponsor Women's Golf.

Lacrosse - No meetings. Carolina added Lacrosse as a varsity sport in 2007. Clemson does not sponsor Lacrosse.

Rowing - Carolina does not sponsor Rowing.

Soccer - Lady Tigers lead 9-3.

Softball - Gamecocks lead 1-0 and will remain undefeated since Clemson no longer sponsors Softball.

Swimming & Diving - Gamecocks lead 16-13.

Tennis - Gamecocks lead 16-13.

Track & Field

Volleyball - Gamecocks lead 33-20.

Footnotes

  1. ^ http://clemsontigers.cstv.com/trads/clem-trads-nationalchamps.html
  2. ^ http://uscsports.cstv.com/trads/scar-history.html#Major%20Team%20Championships%20Won%20by%20Carolina%20Teams
  3. ^ http://uscsports.cstv.com/sports/w-equest/recaps/042007aab.html
  4. ^ Simkins, Francis Butler (1964). The Tillman movement in South Carolina. Duke University Press. p. p. 85. {{cite book}}: |page= has extra text (help)
  5. ^ http://www.clemson.edu/caah/cedp/pres_coll/html/Fall%202000/ReelGenRace.htm
  6. ^ Edgar, Walter B. (1998). South Carolina: A History. University of South Carolina Press. pp. p. 439. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  7. ^ http://president.sc.edu/history.html
  8. ^ http://www.clemson.edu/about/history.html
  9. ^ Lesesne, Henry H. (2001). A History of the University of South Carolina, 1940-2000. University of South Carolina Press. pp. p. 41. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  10. ^ Lesesne, Henry H. (2001). A History of the University of South Carolina, 1940-2000. University of South Carolina Press. pp. p. 178. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  11. ^ http://metrobeat.net/gbase/Expedite/Content?oid=oid%3A1647
  12. ^ NCAA football records, p. 111.
  13. ^ NCAA football records, p. 118.
  14. ^ http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/all-opp.pl?start=1869&end=2006&team=South+Carolina&sort=l
  15. ^ http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/all-opp.pl?start=1869&end=2006&team=Clemson&sort=l
  16. ^ http://metrobeat.net/gbase/Expedite/Content?oid=oid%3A1647
  17. ^ Lesesne, Henry H. (2001). A History of the University of South Carolina, 1940-2000. University of South Carolina Press. pp. p. 27. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  18. ^ South Carolina Baseball Media Guide 2007, p. 111.
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