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South Carolina Gamecocks football

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South Carolina Gamecocks Football
2009 South Carolina Gamecocks football team
File:USCGamecocks.png
First season1892
Head coach
4th season, 28–22 (.560)
StadiumWilliams-Brice Stadium
(capacity: 80,250)
Field surfaceGrass
LocationColumbia, South Carolina
DivisionEast
All-time record528–529–44 (.500)
Bowl record4–10–0 (.286)
Conference titles1
Heisman winners1
Consensus All-Americans1
Current uniform
File:SEC-Uniform-USC.PNG
ColorsGarnet and Black
   
Fight songThe Fighting Gamecocks Lead the Way
MascotCocky
RivalClemson Tigers
WebsiteGamecocksOnline.com

The South Carolina Gamecocks football team represents the University of South Carolina in NCAA Division I college football. Since joining the Southeastern Conference in 1992, the team has competed in the Eastern division. Steve Spurrier is the current head coach of the football team. The team plays its home games in Williams-Brice Stadium.

History

Carolina fielded its first football team in 1892 to play against Furman on Christmas Eve in Charleston. The football team was not sanctioned by the University and had to pay their own train fare as well as buy their own uniforms. They were nicknamed the "College Boys" by The News and Courier and their supporters wore garnet and black. The team lost the game because of their inexperience and lack of training.[1]

USC won their first game during the third season of the sport on November 2, 1895 against Columbia AA. The football team got their first head coach, W.H. "Dixie" Whaley, the following year, and the 1896 season also saw the inaugural game against archrival Clemson on November 12, which Carolina won 12–6.

The Board of Trustees banned participation in football for the 1906 season after the faculty complained about the coarseness of chants yelled by the students at football games. However, the board was so harassed by petitions from the students and alumni that it voted to allow the resumption of the sport in 1907. A hastily assembled football team competed in an abbreviated season and won all three games it played.[2]

The Gamecocks have had two head coaches named National Coach of the Year, Joe Morrison in 1984 and Lou Holtz in 2000. Head coach Paul Dietzel was named ACC Coach of the Year in 1969, and current head coach Steve Spurrier was named SEC Coach of the Year in 2005.

Logos and uniforms

File:SEC-Uniform-combination-USC.PNG
South Carolina's 2009 uniform combinations

Head Coaches[3]

Year-by-Year Results

Notable players

College Football Hall of Famers

Inductee Position(s) Class Year(s)
George Rogers Running back 1997 1977–1980
Lou Holtz Head coach 2008 1999–2004

Gamecocks in the NFL

Retired jerseys

Retired jerseys[4]
No. Player Years
37 Steve Wadiak 1948-1951
56 Mike Johnson 1964
38 George Rogers 1977-1980
2 Sterling Sharpe 1983, 85-87


See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ Hollis, Daniel Walker (1956), University of South Carolina, vol. II, University of South Carolina Press, pp. 189–190
  2. ^ Hollis, Daniel Walker (1956), University of South Carolina, vol. II, University of South Carolina Press, pp. 229–230
  3. ^ "2007 Football Media Guide History" (PDF).
  4. ^ "Carolina History".