The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the

NCAA Division I NCAA Division I (D-I) is the highest level of intercollegiate athletics sanctioned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) in the United States, which accepts players globally. D-I schools include the major collegiate athleti ...

. The University of South Carolina uses "Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. While the men's teams were traditionally known as the Fighting Gamecocks and the women's teams were previously known as the Lady Gamecocks, this distinction was discontinued in part to eliminate any gender bias in the athletic department and in part to counter misconceptions about the gamecock mascot endorsing bloodsport. All of the University's varsity teams compete at the Division I level of the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges ...

, and all but men's

soccer Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...

and women's

beach volleyball Beach volleyball is a team sport played by two teams of two or more players on a sand court divided by a net. Similar to indoor volleyball, the objective of the game is to send the ball over the net and to ground it on the opponent's side of th ...

compete in the

Southeastern Conference The Southeastern Conference (SEC) is an American college athletic conference whose member institutions are located primarily in the South Central and Southeastern United States. Its fourteen members include the flagship public universities o ...

. Men's soccer competes in the

Sun Belt Conference The Sun Belt Conference (SBC) is a collegiate athletic conference that has been affiliated with the NCAA's Division I since 1976. Originally a non-football conference, the Sun Belt began sponsoring football in 2001. Its football teams particip ...

and women's beach volleyball competes in the

Coastal Collegiate Sports Association The Coastal Collegiate Sports Association is an NCAA Division I college athletic conference. Established in 2008, the Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association (CCSA) was originally developed by four regional Division I conferences — the AS ...

because the SEC does not sponsor those sports. The athletic 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 athletic programs from privately raised funds. The university's athletic programs have earned eleven national team titles and produced many Olympians. Tim Brando (formerly of

CBS Sports CBS Sports is the sports division of the American television network CBS. Its headquarters are in the CBS Building on W 52nd Street in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, with programs produced out of Studio 43 at the CBS Broadcast Center on W ...

) was quoted as saying, "You won't find any more loyal fans in the country than those who follow the South Carolina Gamecocks."

Athletics history

Nickname and colors

"Garnet and black" have been used by the University of South Carolina as its colors ever since the family of J. William Flinn presented a banner composed of those colors to the football team in November 1895, although there was no official adoption of the colors at that time. In 1900, the football team was first referred to as the "Gamecocks" by ''The State'' newspaper. The nickname was a reference to the fighting tactics of General

Thomas Sumter Thomas Sumter (August 14, 1734June 1, 1832) was a soldier in the Colony of Virginia militia; a brigadier general in the South Carolina militia during the American Revolution, a planter, and a politician. After the United States gained independe ...

, the Revolutionary War hero known as the Fighting Gamecock. Given that garnet and black were already in use and also the dominant colors on a gamecock, the university gradually adopted "Gamecocks" and "garnet and black" as the official nickname and colors for its athletic teams.

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 The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Assoc ...

in 1953. The Gamecocks officially withdrew from the ACC on June 30, 1971, the result of football head coach Paul Dietzel opposing a conference rule that required a minimum 800 Scholastic Aptitude Test ( SAT) score when awarding

athletic scholarship An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university or a private high school awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport. Athletic scholarships are common in the United ...

s. USC then competed as an independent until 1983 when it joined the

Metro Conference The Metropolitan Collegiate Athletic Conference, popularly known as the Metro Conference, was an NCAA Division I athletics conference, so named because its six charter members were all in urban metropolitan areas, though its later members did ...

for all sports except football (which the Metro did not sponsor) and men's soccer. In 1991, the Gamecocks joined the

when it increased its membership to 12 schools and split into two divisions. Since joining the SEC, the Gamecocks have been part of the league's East Division. Men's soccer continued to compete as an independent since the SEC does not sponsor men's soccer, but joined the

for the 1993 and 1994 seasons and competed in

Conference USA Conference USA (C-USA or CUSA) is an intercollegiate athletic conference whose current member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports. C-USA's offices are ...

from 2005 to 2021. After that season, South Carolina, along with fellow SEC member

Kentucky Kentucky ( , ), officially the Commonwealth of Kentucky, is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States and one of the states of the Upper South. It borders Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio to the north; West Virginia and Virginia ...

(the only other SEC member with varsity men's soccer), moved that sport to the

. Women's beach volleyball competed as an independent before joining the

for the 2016 season (2015–16 school year).

Sports sponsored

South Carolina sponsors team in 8 men's and 11 women's NCAA sanctioned sports. All programs compete in the

with the exception of the men's soccer program which competes in the

and the women's beach volleyball program competes in the

Football

The

South Carolina Gamecocks football The South Carolina Gamecocks football program represents the University of South Carolina. The Gamecocks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern ...

team represents the University of South Carolina and competes in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the NCAA and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference. The team plays its home games at Williams-Brice Stadium, the 20th largest stadium in college football. Accomplishments include the 2010 SEC East title, the 1969 ACC championship, and numerous bowl victories and top 25 rankings. In 1980, George Rogers won the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy (usually known colloquially as the Heisman Trophy or The Heisman) is awarded annually to the most outstanding player in college football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and har ...

. Players inducted into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vo ...

include George Rogers and Sterling Sharpe. The current head coach is Shane Beamer.

Men's basketball

The South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team represents the University of South Carolina and competes in the

(SEC). The Gamecocks won Southern Conference titles in 1927, 1933, 1934, and 1945, and then they gained national attention under hall of fame coach

Frank McGuire Frank Joseph McGuire (November 8, 1913 – October 11, 1994) was an American basketball coach. At the collegiate level, he was head coach for three major programs: St. John's, North Carolina, and South Carolina, winning over a hundred games at e ...

, posting a 205–65 record from 1967 to 1976, which included the 1970

(ACC) championship, 1971 ACC Tournament title, and four consecutive NCAA tournament appearances from 1971 to 1974. The program also won the 1997 SEC championship,

National Invitation Tournament The National Invitational Tournament (NIT) is a men's college basketball tournament operated by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). Played at regional sites and traditionally at Madison Square Garden (Final Four) in New York Cit ...

(NIT) titles in 2005 and 2006, and a share of the 2009 SEC Eastern division title. Most recently, the Gamecocks won the 2017 NCAA East Regional Championship, reaching the Final Four for the first time in school history.

Lamont Paris Lamont Paris (born November 11, 1974) is an American college basketball coach and is currently the head coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Playing career Paris played college basketball at The College of Wooster, Ohio, where he was captain ...

is the current head coach, and the team plays at the 18,000-seat

Colonial Life Arena The Colonial Life Arena is a multi-purpose arena in Columbia, South Carolina, primarily home to the University of South Carolina men's and women's basketball teams. Opened as a replacement for the Carolina Coliseum with the name Carolina Center ...

Women's basketball

The South Carolina Gamecocks women's

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

team represents the University of South Carolina and competes in the Southeastern Conference. During the 1980s, the Gamecocks won five regular season

championships and three conference tournament championships. Under their current head coach, 3-time olympic gold medalist

Dawn Staley Dawn Michelle Staley (born May 4, 1970) is an American basketball Hall of Fame player and coach, who is currently the head coach for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Staley won three Olympic gold medals with Team USA as a player and later was head c ...

, the program continues to build on their accomplishments, winning the SEC regular season championship 4 years in a row (2014–2017) and the SEC tournament championship 3 years in a row (2015–2017). Under Staley, the Gamecocks have earned a #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament 4 consecutive seasons (2014–2017). The 2015 season also saw the team win its first out of two NCAA regional championships (2015, 2017) and advance to the Final Four for the first time in school history. Most recently, the Gamecocks won the 2017 NCAA Division I women's basketball tournament National Championship, marking the first ever National Championship that the men's or women's program has ever won in school history. The Gamecocks share a home with the South Carolina men's basketball team at the 18,000-seat Colonial Life Arena.

Baseball

The South Carolina Gamecocks baseball team represents the University of South Carolina in

Division I

college baseball College baseball is baseball that is played on the intercollegiate level at institutions of higher education. In comparison to football and basketball, college competition in the United States plays a smaller role in developing professional pl ...

. South Carolina has posted 29 NCAA Tournament appearances, 11 College World Series berths, and two National Championships:

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

and

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrates ...

. Since joining the

in 1992, the team has competed in the Eastern division, where they have won seven divisional titles, three regular season conference championships (2000, 2002, 2011) and one SEC Tournament championship (2004).

Mark Kingston Mark Kingston (18 April 1934 – 9 October 2011) was an English actor who made many television and stage appearances over his 50-year career. Biography Kingston's father was a blacksmith and he attended Greenwich Central School and traine ...

is the current head coach. Between 2010 and 2012 the Gamecocks set two NCAA records for postseason success: the most consecutive NCAA tournament wins (22) and the most consecutive wins in the College World Series (12). The team plays its home games at

Carolina Stadium Founders Park, formerly known as Carolina Stadium, is a stadium in Columbia, South Carolina on the banks of the Congaree River. The facility was built for a cost of $35.6 million and is used for college baseball as home to the University of Sou ...

(Founders Park), which opened on February 21, 2009.

Women's track and field

The South Carolina Gamecocks women's

track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping eve ...

team represents the University of South Carolina and competes in the SEC, where they have won three conference championships (1999, 2002, 2005). The team has been coached by Curtis Frye since 1997, won the 2002 NCAA Women's Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championship, and includes many Olympic medalists, such as Aleen Bailey,

Natasha Hastings Natasha Monique Hastings (born July 23, 1986) is an American 400 meter track and field sprinter. Career Hastings began her track career at a very early age and made a first place win at the USATF Junior Olympics in the 400 metres in the Youth Gi ...

, and Tonique Williams-Darling. † ''ordered by revenue contribution to USC Athletic Department in FY2012.''

Notable non-varsity sports

Club Rugby

Founded in 1967, the University of South Carolina rugby team is the oldest club sport at the school. The team plays Division 1

college rugby College rugby is played by men and women throughout colleges and universities in the United States of America. Seven-a-side and fifteen-a-side variants of rugby union are most commonly played. Most collegiate rugby programs do not fall under the ...

in the Southeastern Collegiate Rugby Conference against its SEC rivals. The rugby team finished second in the SCRC conference in 2013 and reached the national playoffs. The team improved and finished first in the SCRC conference in 2014, again qualifying for the national playoffs. South Carolina rugby offers scholarships to certain athletes of up to $60,000 over a four-year period. The rugby team is supported by the Carolina Rugby Foundation and by the Carolina Men's Rugby Endowment Fund. The rugby team has been led since 2011 by head coach Mark Morris.

Men's Club Lacrosse

The Gamecocks Men's Club Lacrosse team won the MCLA Division 1 National Championships in 2019 and 2022.

Club Baseball

Founded in 2015, the South Carolina Club Baseball team competes in Division 1 of the National Club Baseball Association. The team finished first in the South Atlantic Conference's Eastern Region in 2020 and 2022. In 2020, then-school president Robert Caslen recognized the team, and pledged to host an ice cream party for the team as a reward for sweeping rival

Clemson University Clemson University () is a public land-grant research university in Clemson, South Carolina. Founded in 1889, Clemson is the second-largest university in the student population in South Carolina. For the fall 2019 semester, the university enr ...

in a two-game series in Columbia.

Titles, coaches, and facilities

The Gamecocks have won eleven national team championships: 2017 & 2022 NCAA Championship in women's basketball;

NCAA Championships in baseball;

2002 File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...

NCAA Championship in women's outdoor track & field; 2005, 2007, and 2015 National Championships in women's equestrian; and 2005, 2006, and 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 baseball and basketball teams have also produced Olympic medalists. Other significant accomplishments include 2010 SEC Eastern Division Champions in football, NCAA runner-up four times in women's track & field (2000, 2001, 2003, 2005), NCAA runner-up four times in baseball (1975, 1977, 2002, 2012), 1993 NCAA runner-up in men's soccer, 2005 & 2006 NIT champions in men's basketball, and the 1980

winner George Rogers.

Gamecocks in the Olympics

Baseball * Adam Everett (2000, United States, Shortstop, Gold Medal) Men's Basketball * Kevin Joyce (1972, United States, Guard, Silver Medal) * Marijonas Petravicius (2008, Lithuanian, Center) Women's Basketball * Laeticia Amihere (2020, Canada) * Ilona Burgrova (2012, Czech Republic, Center) *

Allisha Gray Allisha Gray (born January 12, 1995) is an American professional basketball player for the Dallas Wings of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and Elitzur Ramla of Israel. She won a gold medal in Women's 3x3 basketball, at the 2 ...

(2020, United States, 3x3) * Shannon Johnson (2004, United States, Point Guard, Gold Medal) * Iva Sliskovic (2012, Croatia) * A'ja Wilson (2020, United States) Men's Swimming & Diving * Alex Alexander (1964, Australia, Individual Medley) * Jean-Marie Arnould (1988, Belgium, Freestyle) * István Batházi (1996, 2000, & 2004; Hungary; Individual Medley) * Tamas Batházi (2004, Hungary) * Gary Binfield (1988, Great Britain) * Javier Botello (2000, Spain) * Zsolt Gaspar (2000 & 2004, Hungary, Butterfly) * Rik Leishman (1992, Great Britain, Butterfly) * Tamás Szűcs (2004, Hungary, Freestyle) * Akaram Mahmoud (2016, Egypt, Freestyle) Women's Swimming & Diving * Vivian Alberty (1996, Puerto Rico, Diving) *

Isabelle Arnould Isabelle Arnould (born 6 December 1970) is a retired female freestyle and butterfly swimmer from Belgium. Arnould was born in Liège, and represented her native country at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in Seoul, South Korea (198 ...

(1988, Belgium, Freestyle) * Shelly Cramer (1976 & 1980, Virgin Islands) * Michelle Davison (2000, United States, Diving) * Sharntelle McLean (2004 & 2008, Trinidad and Tobago, Freestyle) * Anna Nyiry (1996, Hungary) * Tracey Richardson (2004, Great Britain, 3 Meter Springboard) * Heather Roffey (2004, Cayman Islands, Freestyle & Butterfly) * Julia Vincent (2016, South Africa, 3 Meter Springboard) Men's Track & Field *

Leroy Dixon Leroy Dixon (born June 20, 1983) is an American sprinter who specializes in the 100 metres. He won the gold medal in 4 x 100 metres relay at the 2007 World Championships, together with Darvis Patton, Wallace Spearmon and Tyson Gay. Individuall ...

(2008, United States, 4 × 100 Meter Relay) * Adrian Durant (2004; Virgin Islands; 100 Meters, 200 Meters, & 4 × 100 Meter Relay) *

Otis Harris Otis Harris Jr. (born June 30, 1982, in Edwards, Mississippi) is an American track and field athlete. He won the silver medal in the 400 meters at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Harris attended Hinds Agricultural High School in Utica, Mississippi, a ...

(2004, United States; 400 Meters, Silver Medal; 4 × 400 Meter Relay, Gold Medal) * Rodney Martin (2008, United States, 4 × 100 Meter Relay) * Jason Richardson (2012, United States, 110 Meter Hurdles, Silver Medal) * Brad Snyder (1996, 2000, & 2004; Canada; Shot Put) * Terrence Trammell (2000, 2004, & 2008; United States; 110 Meter Hurdles; 2000 & 2004 Silver Medals) *

Marvin Watts Marvin Watts (born 21 May 1975) is a retired Jamaican athlete who specialised in the 800 metres. He won several medals at the regional level. He competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVI ...

(2000, Jamaica, 800 Meters) Women's Track & Field * Aliyah Abrams (2016, Guyana, 400 Meters) * Aleen Bailey (2004 & 2008, Jamaica, 4 × 100 Meter Relay, 2004 Gold Medal) * Miki Barber (2000, United States, 4 × 400 Meter Relay) * Kierre Beckles (2016, Barbados, 100 Meter Hurdles) *

Lashinda Demus Lashinda Demus (born March 10, 1983 in Inglewood, California) is a retired American hurdler who specialized in the 400 meter hurdles, an event in which she was the 2011 world champion and 2012 Olympic gold medalist, becoming the first woman from ...

(2004 & 2012, United States, 400 Meter Hurdles, 2012 Silver Medal) * Dawn Ellerbe (2000, United States, Hammer Throw) * Michelle Fournier (2000 & 2004, Canada, Hammer Throw) * Chelsea Hammond (2008, Jamaica, Long Jump) *

(2008, 2012, & 2016, United States, 4 × 400 Meter Relay, 2008 Gold Medal) *

Charmaine Howell Charmaine L. Howell (born 13 March 1975 in Trelawny Parish) is a retired Jamaican athlete who specialized in the 800 metres. Career She competed at the 2000 Olympics, being knocked out in the semi final. She also ran for ...

(2000, Jamaica, 4 × 400 Meter Relay, Silver Medal) *

Mechelle Lewis Mechelle Chanai Lewis Freeman (born September 20, 1980) is an American track and field athlete who specializes in the 100 meters and 4x100 meter relay.

(2008, United States, 4 × 100 Meter Relay) * Lisa Misipeka (1996, 2000, & 2004, American Samoa, Hammer Throw & Shot Put) * Jeannelle Scheper (2016, St. Lucia, High Jump) * Shevon Stoddart (2004 & 2008, Jamaica, 400 Meter Hurdles) * Tiffany Williams (2008, United States, 400 Meter Hurdles) * Tonique Williams-Darling (2000 & 2004, The Bahamas, 400 Meters, 2004 Gold Medal)

Championships

NCAA team championships

South Carolina has won 5 NCAA team national championships. *Men's (2) **

Baseball Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each, taking turns batting and fielding. The game occurs over the course of several plays, with each play generally beginning when a player on the fielding t ...

(2): 2010, 2011 *Women's (3) ** Outdoor track and field (1): 2002 **

Basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

(2): 2017, 2022 *see also ** SEC NCAA team championships ** List of NCAA schools with the most NCAA Division I championships

Other national team championships

Below are the 6 National team titles that were not bestowed by the NCAA: * Women's **Equestrian (6): NCEA Hunt Seat National Champions: 3 (2007, 2006, 2005)
NCEA National Champions: 3 (2015, 2007, 2005)

Rivalries

South Carolina's foremost rival is

. The two institutions are separated by just over 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 South Carolina-Clemson football game is the longest uninterrupted series in the

South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...

and the third longest uninterrupted series overall, first played in 1896 (four years after South Carolina's inaugural season), and played every year from 1909 to 2019.NCAA football records
, p. 111. The 2020 football game did not occur due to scheduling amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, but the rivalry is scheduled to continue for the 2021 football season. Their baseball programs consistently qualify for the NCAA playoffs and frequently earn berths to the Men's College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. South Carolina continues to develop rivalries with other members of the SEC's East Division. South Carolina's main SEC rival has been the

University of Georgia , mottoeng = "To teach, to serve, and to inquire into the nature of things.""To serve" was later added to the motto without changing the seal; the Latin motto directly translates as "To teach and to inquire into the nature of things." , establ ...

due to its proximity and the many years of competition before the Gamecocks joined the SEC. The "Halloween Game" against the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th sta ...

has the potential to be a big football game every year. Another notable rivalry within the East Division is the Gamecocks' men's soccer rivalry with the

University of Kentucky The University of Kentucky (UK, UKY, or U of K) is a public land-grant research university in Lexington, Kentucky. Founded in 1865 by John Bryan Bowman as the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Kentucky, the university is one of the state ...

. The only two SEC members that sponsor varsity men's soccer have played in the same conference since 2005, first in

and now in the

, with their games known as the SEC Derby. When South Carolina was a member of the ACC (1953–1971), there was an intense rivalry with the

University of North Carolina The University of North Carolina is the multi-campus public university system for the state of North Carolina. Overseeing the state's 16 public universities and the NC School of Science and Mathematics, it is commonly referred to as the UNC S ...

, particularly in basketball, since

had coached UNC but moved to

Columbia Columbia may refer to: * Columbia (personification), the historical female national personification of the United States, and a poetic name for America Places North America Natural features * Columbia Plateau, a geologic and geographic region i ...

to coach the Gamecocks. The rivalry was renewed in football during the 2007 season, with the Gamecocks defeating the Tar Heels 21–15.

References

External links

* {{Navboxes , titlestyle = {{CollegePrimaryStyle, South Carolina Gamecocks, color=white , list = {{Southeastern Conference navbox {{Sun Belt Conference navbox {{Coastal Collegiate Sports Association navbox {{South Carolina Sports