South Carolina Gamecocks
The University of South Carolina's 18 collegiate sports teams are known as the Fighting Gamecocks. All 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. Although the University's athletic programs have won only a few national titles, many league championships and tournament titles have been won over the years, giving fans a taste of success that keeps them clamoring for more. 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." [2]
Varsity Sports
| Sport | Coach (since) | Facility | Titles [3] | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseball | Ray Tanner (1997) | Sarge Frye Field | SEC East: 4 (2003, 02, 00, 1999) SEC Regular Season: 2 (2002,00) SEC Tournament: 1 (2004) NCAA Tournament: 22 appearances NCAA Runner-Up: 3 (2002, 1977, 1975) [4] | |
| Basketball | Men's | Dave Odom (2001) | Colonial Center | Southern Conference Tournament: 1 (1933) ACC Tournament: 1 (1971) SEC East: 1 (1997) SEC Regular Season: 1 (1997) SEC Tournament Runner-Up: 2 (2006, 1998) NIT Championships: 2 (2006, 05) NCAA Tournament: 8 appearances |
| Women's | Susan Walvius (1997) | Colonial Center | NWIT Tournament: 1 (1979) Metro Conference Regular Season: 5 (1991, 90, 89, 88, 86) Metro Conference Tournament: 3 (1989, 88, 86) NCAA Tournament: 8 appearances | |
| Women's Cross Country | Stan Rosenthal (2001) | Metro Conference: 3 (1991, 90, 89) | ||
| Women's Equestrian | Boo Duncan (1998) | One Wood Farm | National Champions: 1 (2005) Hunt Seat National Champions: 2 (2006, 05) | |
| Football | Steve Spurrier (2004) | Williams-Brice Stadium | ACC Championship: 1 (1969) Bowl Record: 3W-9L | |
| Golf | Men's | Puggy Blackmon (1995) | The University Club | ACC: 1 (1964) Metro Conference: 1 (1991) NCAA Tournament: 17 appearances |
| Women's | Kristi Coggins (1994) | The University Club | Metro Conference: 1 (1990) SEC: 1 (2002) NCAA Tournament: 13 appearances | |
| Soccer | Men's | Mark Berson (1978) | Eugene E. Stone III Stadium | Metro Conference: 1 (1993) Conference USA Tournament: 1 (2005) NCAA Tournament: 17 appearances NCAA Runner-Up: 1 (1993) [5] |
| Women's | Shelley Smith (2001) | Eugene E. Stone III Stadium | NCAA Tournament: 1 appearance | |
| Softball | Joyce Compton (1987) | Beckham Field | SEC Tournament: 2 (2000, 1997) SEC Regular Season: 1 (1997) SEC East: 4 (2002, 01, 1999, 97) NCAA Tournament: 14 appearances | |
| Swimming & Diving | Men's | Don Gibb (1999) | The Carolina Natatorium | |
| Women's | Don Gibb (1999) | The Carolina Natatorium | ||
| Tennis | Men's | Kent DeMars (1984) | Sam Daniel Tennis Center | ACC Regular Season: 1 (1968) ACC Tournament: 1 (1968) Metro Tournament: 6 (1991, 90, 89, 87, 86, 85) NCAA Tournament: 17 appearances |
| Women's | Arlo Elkins (1984) | Maxcy Gregg Tennis Center | Metro Conference Tournament: 5 (1990, 88, 87, 86, 85) NCAA Tournament: 15 appearances | |
| Track and Field | Men's | Curtis Frye (1996) | Weems Baskin Track Facility | NCAA Tournament: 11 appearances (indoor), 11 appearances (outdoor) NCAA Individual Champions: Many Olympic Medalists: Many World Championship Medalists: Many |
| Women's | Curtis Frye (1996) | Weems Baskin Track Facility | SEC: 3 (2005, 02, 1999) NCAA Tournament: 10 appearances (indoor), 11 appearances (outdoor) NCAA Championship: 1 (2002) NCAA Individual Champions: Many Olympic Medalists: Many World Championship Medalists: Many | |
| Women's Volleyball | Nancy Somera (2005) | Volleyball Competition Facility | NCAA Tournament: 7 appearances | |
Conference History
The South Carolina Gamecocks were originally a member of the Southern Conference for men's basketball from 1922-1953 and for football from 1933-1952. In 1953, USC became a founding member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. However, after many disputes over the ACC's recruiting regulations and the political dominance of the conference's four North Carolina schools, the Gamecocks left the ACC in 1971. USC then competed as an independent until 1983 when it joined the Metro Conference for all sports except football 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 were in Metro Conference in 1993 and 1994 and have been in Conference USA since 2005.[6]
Rivalries
Clemson University is Carolina's in-state rival, and the two schools compete with each other in all but two sports (Clemson does not sponsor softball and equestrian). In football, the Carolina-Clemson game is the third longest uninterrupted series in college football, having played every year since 1909. [7]
Carolina's main rival in the SEC is the University of Georgia due to its proximity and their many years of competing with each other before the Gamecocks joined the SEC in 1991. Subsequently, USC has also developed rivalries with the other members of the Eastern Division, which many experts regard as the most competitive division in all of college sports.
Footnotes
- ^ http://uscsports.cstv.com/trads/scar-history.html
- ^ http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/scar/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/05mg1-recruiting1.pdf, p. 17
- ^ http://uscsports.cstv.com/trads/scar-history.html
- ^ http://www.cwsomaha.com/html/about/champions.asp
- ^ NCAA soccer records, p. 132
- ^ http://uscsports.cstv.com/trads/scar-history.html
- ^ NCAA football records, p. 120