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The University of South Carolina's 19 varsity sports teams are known as the Gamecocks, and USC is the only Division I school to use this nickname/mascot. 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. 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.

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.

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."

For many years, USC has called itself simply "Carolina" in athletics, much as North Carolina has done.

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, however, left the ACC in 1971. 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. 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.

According to Jeff Crane, the Sports Marketing Director for South Carolina, South Carolina changed their "official" primary color from PMS 201 to PMS 202 in an attempt to develop a unique identity in the sports marketplace, as the shade being used was seen as "too red" by many observers. Although, "garnet" has been and still remains the official color, along with black.

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.

See also

• South Carolina Gamecocks football
• South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball
• South Carolina Gamecocks baseball

Footnotes

1. ^ University of South Carolina Official Athletic Site - Traditions
2. Green, Edwin Luther (1916). History of the University of South Carolina. The State Company. p. 460.
3. Lesesne, Henry H. (2001). A History of the University of South Carolina, 1940-2000. University of South Carolina Press. p. 66.
4. http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/scar/sports/m-footbl/auto_pdf/05mg1-recruiting1.pdf, p. 17
5. NCAA football records, p. 111.
6. The Real Carolina
7. Jolley, Doug (2008-04-07). "South Carolina Changes Its "Official" Color". GamecockAnthem.com. Retrieved 2009-04-13.
8. NCAA Men's College World Series 2008 - 16 Regional Sites Selected For NCAA Division I Baseball Championship
9. NCAA soccer records, p. 132

External links

• Past and present football team's schedules and results

v t e University of South Carolina
Located in: Columbia, South Carolina
Academics	Darla Moore School of Business Prisma Health Richland Hospital University of South Carolina Press University of South Carolina School of Law University of South Carolina System
Athletics	Teams South Carolina Gamecocks Men's sports Baseball Basketball Football Golf Soccer Swimming and Diving Tennis Track and field Women's sports Basketball Beach Volleyball Golf Soccer Softball Tennis Track and field Volleyball Facilities Carolina Coliseum Colonial Life Arena Eugene E. Stone III Stadium Founders Park Williams–Brice Stadium Sarge Frye Field (former)
Campus	Currell College Horry-Guignard House Koger Center for the Arts McMaster School Melton Memorial Observatory Old Campus District South Carolina Institute of Archaeology and Anthropology Libraries W. Gordon Belser Arboretum
Student life	Carolina Band Clemson–South Carolina rivalry Cocky Congaree Vista The Daily Gamecock "The Fighting Gamecocks Lead the Way" Five Points Lake Murray Riverbanks Zoo "We Hail Thee Carolina" WUSC-FM Sign Guy
Miscellaneous	Notable Gamecocks Presidents Board of Trustees History of the University Clariosophic Society Euphradian Society Innovista South Carolina College Cadets University of South Carolina steroid scandal
Founded: 1801 Students: 34,099 Endowment: $809.9 million

v t e Southeastern Conference
Full members	Alabama Crimson Tide Arkansas Razorbacks Auburn Tigers Florida Gators Georgia Bulldogs Kentucky Wildcats LSU Tigers and Lady Tigers Mississippi State Bulldogs Missouri Tigers Oklahoma Sooners Ole Miss Rebels South Carolina Gamecocks Tennessee Volunteers Texas Longhorns Texas A&M Aggies Vanderbilt Commodores
Championships and awards	National championships Conference champions
Media	SEC Network (SEC Nation - SEC Storied) ESPN
Former media outlets	SEC on CBS CBS Sports Raycom Sports Jefferson Pilot Sports Lincoln Financial Sports SEC TV (defunct) (list of affiliates) Turner Sports Lorimar Sports Network (defunct) TVS Television Network (defunct)
Related articles	2010–12 Southeastern Conference realignment Rugby

v t e Conference USA
Full members	FIU Panthers Jacksonville State Gamecocks Kennesaw State Owls Liberty Flames/Lady Flames Louisiana Tech Bulldogs/Lady Techsters Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders New Mexico State Aggies Sam Houston Bearkats UTEP Miners (leaving in 2026) Western Kentucky Hilltoppers/Lady Toppers
Future full members	Delaware Fightin' Blue Hens (joining in 2025) Missouri State Bears/Lady Bears (joining in 2025)
Baseball affiliate members	Dallas Baptist Patriots
Beach volleyball affiliate members	Florida Atlantic Owls Missouri State Beach Bears (becoming full member in 2025) Tarleton Texans Tulane Green Wave UAB Blazers
Bowling affiliate members	Arkansas State Red Wolves Stephen F. Austin Ladyjacks Tulane Green Wave Valparaiso Beacons Vanderbilt Commodores Wichita State Shockers Youngstown State Penguins
History	Metro Conference Great Midwest Conference 2005 NCAA conference realignment 2010–2013 Conference USA realignment 2021–2026 NCAA conference realignment Southland Bowling League

• University of South Carolina
• South Carolina Gamecocks