South Carolina Gamecocks

"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, 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.[6]

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 officially withdrew from the ACC on June 30, 1971,[7] 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 scholarships.[8] 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. 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 Metro Conference for the 1993 and 1994 seasons and competed in Conference USA from 2005 to 2021. After that season, South Carolina, along with fellow SEC member Kentucky (the only other SEC member with varsity men's soccer), moved that sport to the Sun Belt Conference.[9] Women's beach volleyball competed as an independent before joining the Coastal Collegiate Sports Association for the 2016 season (2015–16 school year).[3][10]

The South Carolina Gamecocks football 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. Players inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame include George Rogers and Sterling Sharpe. The current head coach is Shane Beamer.

The South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball team represents the University of South Carolina and competes in the Southeastern Conference (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, posting a 205–65 record from 1967 to 1976, which included the 1970 Atlantic Coast Conference (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 (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 is the current head coach, and the team plays at the 18,000-seat Colonial Life Arena.

The South Carolina Gamecocks women's basketball team represents the University of South Carolina and competes in the Southeastern Conference. During the 1980s, the Gamecocks won five regular season Metro Conference championships and three conference tournament championships. Under their current head coach, 3-time olympic gold medalist Dawn Staley, 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.

The South Carolina Gamecocks baseball team represents the University of South Carolina in NCAA Division I college baseball. South Carolina has posted 29 NCAA Tournament appearances, 11 College World Series berths, and two National Championships: 2010 and 2011. Since joining the Southeastern Conference 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 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), which opened on February 21, 2009.[11]

The South Carolina Gamecocks women's track and field 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, and Tonique Williams-Darling.

† ordered by revenue contribution to USC Athletic Department in FY2012.[12]

Founded in 1967, the University of South Carolina rugby team is the oldest club sport at the school.[13] The team plays Division 1 college rugby 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.[13] The team improved and finished first in the SCRC conference in 2014, again qualifying for the national playoffs.[14]

South Carolina rugby offers scholarships to certain athletes of up to $60,000 over a four-year period.[15][16] The rugby team is supported by the Carolina Rugby Foundation and by the Carolina Men's Rugby Endowment Fund.[17] The rugby team has been led since 2011 by head coach Mark Morris.

The Gamecocks Men's Club Lacrosse team won the MCLA Division 1 National Championships in 2019[18] and 2022.[19]

Founded in 2015, the South Carolina Club Baseball team competes in Division 1 of the National Club Baseball Association.[20] The team finished first in the South Atlantic Conference's Eastern Region in 2020[21] and 2022.[21] 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 in a two-game series in Columbia.[22]

South Carolina has won 5 NCAA team national championships.[23]

• Men's (2)
  • Baseball (2): 2010, 2011
• Women's (3)
  • Outdoor track and field (1): 2002
  • Basketball (2): 2017, 2022
• see also
  • SEC NCAA team championships
  • List of NCAA schools with the most NCAA Division I 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)