The University of South Carolina football team is represented by the South Carolina Gamecocks. Known as the Gamecocks, the team has been called simply “Carolina” for many years. They are a member of NCAA Division I college football and have competed in the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference since 1992. The Gamecocks currently play their home games at Williams-Brice Stadium. His latest head coach is Steve Spurrier.
Traditionally, USC sports teams were called the Fighting Gamecocks for the men’s teams and the Lady Gamecocks for the women’s teams, but this distinction was later dropped. The official colors of the USC Gamecocks are black and maroon. Some teams’ merchandise also has the color gold, which represents the spurs of fighting cocks during cockfights. The family of Dr. J. William Flinn chose the colors maroon and black when they presented a banner to the football team sometime in November 1895. Shortly after 1900, there was an attempt to change the team’s colors. But there was no definitive adoption. The Gamecock Club supports the team’s sports department with private money. The club was originally called the “Buck-A-Month” (BAM) Club, formed in 1939. It was a fundraiser solely to benefit athletic programs. Today, according to the SEC, the USC Gamecock Club ranks eighth (out of twelve) when it comes to raising funds for the team.
The Gamecocks have won several league championships over the years. The Gamecocks also have a large following and a wide fan base. A CBS Sports reporter, Tim Brando, commented that there are probably no more loyal fans than the South Carolina Gamecock fans.
The University of South Carolina fielded its first football team in 1892. Their first game was in Charleston on Christmas Eve and they played Furman. At a time when football was not yet recognized as a professional sport or as popular nationally, the Carolina football team was not yet sanctioned by the University. Because of this, the team had to pay their own train fare to go to Charleston, as well as purchase their own uniforms. The News and Courier dubbed them “College Boys” and their fans and supporters wore black and maroon when watching a game. The team lost their first match mainly due to their lack of training and inexperience.
In the third season in 1985, Carolina won its first game against Columbia AA. They also got their first head trainer, which was WH “Dixie” Whaley. In the 1896 season, they played the opening game on November 12 against archrival Clemson. Carolina won that game with a record of 12-6. In the 1906 season, the school’s Board of Trustees banned the team from participation after the faculty protested dirty chants shouted by students during football games. However, the board had to reverse its decision after students and alumni hounded them with petition after petition. By 1907, the Gamecocks were back in the game. The team was hastily put together and competed in an abbreviated season, but ended up winning all three games they played.