The University of South Carolina's 19 varsity sports teams are known as the Gamecocks
. The unique moniker is held in honor of Thomas Sumter, a South Carolina war hero who was given the name "The Carolina Gamecock" during the American Revolution for his fierce fighting tactics, regardless of his physical stature or the size of his regiment. A British General commented that Sumter "fought like a gamecock." While the men have traditionally been the Fighting Gamecocks
and the women were previously the Lady Gamecocks
, this distinction was discontinued in part to help eliminate gender bias in their athletic department, and to discount the oft-held misconception that their mascot is meant to honor/promote animal bloodsport in any way.
All of the University's varsity teams compete at the Division I level of the NCAA, and all but men's soccer compete in the Southeastern Conference. [1] Men's soccer competes in Conference USA because the SEC does not sponsor men's soccer.
The official school colors are garnet and black. However, some officially licensed merchandise also contain gold, which represents the spurs historically worn by gamecocks in cockfights. The colors of garnet and black were chosen by the family of Dr. J. William Flinn when they presented a banner composed of those colors to the football team in November 1895. There was no definite act of adoption of the colors, but an unsuccessful attempt was made shortly after 1900 to change the colors. [2]
The athletics department is supported with private money from the Gamecock Club. It was originally formed as the B.A.M. ("Buck-A-Month") Club in 1939 and 1940 to benefit the athletics programs from privately raised funds. [3]
Although the University's varsity teams have won only a few national titles, many league championships and tournament titles have been won over the years. Tim Brando of CBS Sports has said, "You won't find any more loyal fans in the country than those who follow the South Carolina Gamecocks." [4]
For many years, USC has called itself simply "Carolina" in athletics, much as North Carolina has done.
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SOUTH CAROLINA GAMECOCKS TICKETS
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Conference History
The University of South Carolina was a member of the
Southern Conference for men's basketball and football from 1922 until it became a founding member of the
Atlantic Coast Conference in 1953. The Gamecocks left the ACC in 1971, following numerous disputes over the ACC's recruiting regulations and the political dominance of the conference's four
North Carolina schools.
[5] USC then competed as an independent until 1983 when it joined the
Metro Conference for all sports except football (which the Metro did not sponsor) and men's soccer. In 1991, the Gamecocks joined the
Southeastern Conference when it increased its membership to 12 schools and split into two divisions, adding the
University of Arkansas to its Western Division and the University of South Carolina to its Eastern Division. Men's soccer continued to compete as an independent since the SEC does not sponsor men's soccer, but joined the
Metro Conference for the 1993 and 1994 seasons and has competed in
Conference USA since 2005.
Rivalries
Carolina's foremost rival is
Clemson University. The two institutions are separated by just over 125 miles and have been bitter rivals since Clemson's founding in
1889. 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 annual Carolina-Clemson football game is the longest uninterrupted series in the
South and the third longest uninterrupted series overall, first being played in
1896 (four years after South Carolina's inaugural season), and having been played every year since 1909.
[6] Their baseball programs consistently qualify for the NCAA playoffs and frequently earn berths to the
College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.
When Carolina was a member of the
ACC, there was an intense rivalry with the
University of North Carolina, particularly in basketball since
Frank McGuire had coached UNC but moved to
Columbia to coach the Gamecocks. The rivalry was renewed in football during the 2007 season, with the Gamecocks defeating the Tar Heels 21-15.
UNC and the
University of Southern California use nicknames that are also used by the
University of South Carolina. For example, UNC is sometimes called "Carolina" while Southern California is sometimes called "USC". Sharing nicknames with these schools is an untapped source of rivalry and a rarely exploited opportunity to market competitions with each other.
[7]
On the other hand, Carolina continues to develop rivalries with other members of the SEC's
Eastern Division, which many regard as the most competitive in all of college sports. The "Halloween Game" pitting the Gamecocks against the
University of Tennessee has the potential to be a big football game every year, and of course a rivalry is brewing with the
University of Florida since the Gamecocks hired
Steve Spurrier, Florida's former head football coach. However, Carolina's main SEC rival has been the
University of Georgia due to its proximity and the many years of competition before the Gamecocks joined the SEC.
Championships
The Gamecocks have won six national team championships: 2002 NCAA championship in women's track & field, 2005 & 2007 National Championship in women's equestrian, and 2005-2007 Hunt Seat National Championships in women's equestrian. Also, the men's and women's track & field teams have produced
many
NCAA individual champions, world championship medalists, and Olympic medalists. The men's baseball and basketball teams have also produced Olympic medalists. Other significant accomplishments include: 2005 NCAA runner-up in women's track & field; NCAA runner-up three times in baseball (2002, 1977, 1975); 1993 NCAA runner-up in men's soccer; and 2005 & 2006
NIT championships in men's basketball.
| Sport
| Coach (since)
| Facility
| Titles |
| Baseball
| Ray Tanner (1997)
| Carolina Stadium
| SEC East: 4 (2003, 2002, 2000, 1999)
SEC Championship: 2 (2002,2000)
SEC Tournament: 1 (2004)
NCAA Tournament: 25 appearances
College World Series: 8 appearances
NCAA Runner-Up: 3 (2002, 1977, 1975) [8]
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| Basketball
| Men's
| Darrin Horn (2008)
| Colonial Life Arena
| Southern Conference Champions: 4 (1945, 1934, 1933, 1927)
Southern Conference Tournament: 1 (1933)
ACC Championship: 1 (1971)
ACC Tournament Runner-Up: 2 (1970, 1957)
SEC East: 2 (2009, 1997)
SEC Championship: 1 (1997)
SEC Tournament Runner-Up: 2 (2006, 1998)
NIT Championships: 2 (2006, 2005)
NCAA Tournament: 8 appearances
|
| Women's
| Dawn Staley (2008)
| Colonial Life Arena
| NWIT Tournament: 1 (1979)
Metro Conference Regular Season: 5 (1991, 1990, 1989, 1988, 1986)
Metro Conference Tournament: 3 (1989, 1988, 1986)
NCAA Tournament: 8 appearances
|
| Women's Cross Country
| Stan Rosenthal (2001)
|
| Metro Conference: 3 (1991, 1990, 1989)
|
| Women's Equestrian
| Boo Duncan (1998)
|
| National Champions: 2 (2007, 2005)
Hunt Seat National Champions: 3 (2007, 2006, 2005)
|
| Football
| Steve Spurrier (2004)
| Williams-Brice Stadium
| ACC Championship: 1 (1969)
Bowl Record: 4W-9L
|
| Golf
| Men's
| Bill McDonald (2007)
|
| ACC Championship: 1 (1964)
Metro Conference Championship: 1 (1991)
NCAA Tournament: 19 appearances
2007 NCAA West Regional Champions
|
| Women's
| Kalen Anderson (2007)
|
| Metro Conference: 1 (1990)
SEC Championship: 1 (2002)
NCAA Tournament: 14 appearances
|
| Soccer
| Men's
| Mark Berson (1978)
| Stone Stadium (The Graveyard)
| Metro Conference: 1 (1993)
Conference USA Tournament: 1 (2005)
NCAA Tournament: 17 appearances
NCAA Runner-Up: 1 (1993) [9]
|
| Women's
| Shelley Smith (2001)
| Stone Stadium (The Graveyard)
| NCAA Tournament: 3 appearances
|
| Softball
| Joyce Compton (1987)
|
| SEC Tournament: 2 (2000, 1997)
SEC Regular Season: 1 (1997)
SEC East: 4 (2002, 2001, 1999, 1997)
NCAA Tournament: 14 appearances
|
| Swimming & Diving
| Men's
| McGee Moody (2007)
|
| Metro Conference: 8 (1984, 85, 86, 87, 88, 89, 90, 91)
|
| Women's
| McGee Moody (2007)
|
| Metro Conference: 6 (1984, 85, 86, 88, 89, 90)
NIC: 4 (1986, 87, 88, 89)
|
| Tennis
| Men's
| Kent DeMars (1984)
|
| ACC Regular Season: 1 (1968)
ACC Tournament: 1 (1968)
Metro Tournament: 6 (1991, 90, 89, 87, 86, 85)
NCAA Tournament: 18 appearances
|
| Women's
| Arlo Elkins (1984)
|
| Metro Conference Tournament: 5 (1990, 88, 87, 86, 85)
NCAA Tournament: 16 appearances
|
| Track and Field
| Men's
| (1996)
|
| NCAA Tournament: 12 appearances (indoor), 12 appearances (outdoor)
NCAA Individual Champions: Many
Olympic Medalists: Many
World Championship Medalists: Many
|
| Women's
| (1996)
|
| SEC Championship: 3 (2005, 2002, 1999)
NCAA Tournament: 11 appearances (indoor), 12 appearances (outdoor)
NCAA Championship: 1 (2002)
NCAA Runner-Up: 1 (2005)
NCAA Individual Champions: Many
Olympic Medalists: Many
World Championship Medalists: Many
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| Women's Volleyball
| Ben Somera (2007)
|
| Metro Conference: 1 (1984)
NCAA Tournament: 7 appearances
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See also
- South Carolina Gamecocks football
- South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball
- South Carolina Gamecocks baseball
Footnotes