Information AboutCarolina-clemson Rivalry |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT CAROLINA-CLEMSON RIVALRY | |
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The athletic programs are known as the ; Clemson is in the Atlantic Coast Conference . ORIGIN Unlike most major college rivalries, the Carolina-Clemson rivalry did not start innocently. In fact, the seeds of bitterness were planted even before Clemson became a college. The two institutions were founded 88 years apart: South Carolina College in 1801 and '''Clemson Agricultural College''' in 1889. South Carolina College suffered many setbacks following the Civil War and experienced a variety of changes during the late 1800s, but the greatest threat to the vitality of the institution came in 1890 when . Tillman, a farmer and legislator from Edgefield , advocated closing South Carolina College in the legislature and during his campaign for governor based on his belief that the college was an elitist school and did nothing for farmers. Eventually, the legislature accepted the Clemson gift by only one vote and created Clemson Agricultural College. Tillman then became governor, and with the opening of the new agricultural school in 1893 came a shift of federal funds for agricultural education, leaving the trustees of South Carolina College wondering what would happen next. Fortunately for South Carolina College, Tillman only succeeded in reorganizing the college as a liberal arts school while in office. South Carolina College would eventually be rechartered for the last time in 1906 as the '''University of South Carolina'''. Clemson Agricultural College went on to become '''Clemson University''' in 1964 after expanding its academic offerings.http://president.sc.edu/history.htmlhttp://www.clemson.edu/about/history.html The turf battles continue between the two institutions regarding their respective missions, along with the competition on the athletic fields, but the political and cultural origins set the stage for the bitter rivalry that remains to this day. "There’s a history of bad blood between these institutions," says Jay McCormick, a doctoral candidate at USC who has extensively studied the early years of the series. "So when athletics came to Carolina and to Clemson, it was natural that they should be a rivalry. The rivalry extends back to political and social origins. It’s not just an athletic rivalry. It’s a manifestation of these things." http://metrobeat.net/gbase/Expedite/Content?oid=oid%3A1647 FOOTBALL The annual Carolina-Clemson football game (sometimes dubbed The Battle of the Palmetto State ) is the longest uninterrupted series in the South and the third longest uninterrupted series overall, having been played every year since 1909. NCAA football records , p. 111. The universities maintain college football stadiums in excess of 80,000 seats each, placing both in the top 18 in the United States. NCAA football records , p. 118. Clemson leads the football series 63-37-4, but approximately forty games have been decided by a touchdown or less. When Clemson began its football program in 1896, they scheduled the rival South Carolina College for a Thursday morning game in conjunction with the State Fair. Carolina won that game 12-6 and a new tradition was born — Big Thursday. Interestingly, Clemson was coached that season by Walter Riggs, who brought with him from Auburn the Tiger mascot and the color orange. The Gamecock mascot made its first appearance in 1902. In that first season as the Gamecocks, Carolina defeated a highly favored Clemson team coached by the legendary John Heisman 12-6. But it was the full-scale riot that broke out in the wake of the game that’s remembered most. "The Carolina fans that week were carrying around a poster with the image of a tiger with a gamecock standing on top of it, holding the tiger’s tail as if he was steering the tiger by the tail," says Jay McCormick. "Naturally, the Clemson guys didn’t take too kindly to that, and on Wednesday and again on Thursday, there were sporadic fistfights involving brass knuckles and other objects and so forth, some of which resulted, according to the newspapers, in blood being spilled and persons having to seek medical assistance. After the game on Thursday, the Clemson guys frankly told the Carolina students that if you bring this poster, which is insulting to us, to the big parade on Friday, you’re going to be in trouble. And naturally, of course, the Carolina students brought the poster to the parade. If you give someone an ultimatum and they’re your rival, they’re going to do exactly what you told them not to do."http://metrobeat.net/gbase/Expedite/Content?oid=oid%3A1647 As expected, another brawl broke out before both sides agreed to mutually burn the poster in an effort to diffuse tensions. The immediate aftermath resulted in the stoppage of the rivalry until 1909. The Carolina-Clemson game has been played every year since. World War II produced one of the most bizarre situations in the history of the rivalry. Cary Cox, a football player of the victorious Clemson squad in 1942, signed up for the V-12 Program in 1943 and was placed at USC. The naval instructors at Carolina ordered him to play on the football team and he was named the captain for the Big Thursday game against Clemson. Cox was reluctant to play against his former teammates and he voiced his concerns to coach Lt. James P. Moran who responded "Cox, I can't promise you'll get a Navy commission if you play Thursday, but I can damn well promise that you won't get one if you don't play!"1 Cox then went out and led the Carolina team to a 33-6 win against Clemson. He returned to Clemson after the war and captained the 1947 team in a losing effort to Carolina, but Cox earned his place in history as the only player to captain both schools' football teams. The 1946 game could be the most chaotic in the football series. Counterfeit tickets were sold, and fans with legitimate and fake tickets were not allowed inside once the stadium filled, so many fans stormed the gates and were eventually allowed to stand along the sidelines of the field. To add to the wild scene, a Clemson fan strangled a live chicken at midfield during halftime. It took U.S. Secretary of State James F. Byrnes , who attended the game along with Strom Thurmond , to settle down the hostile crowd. Carolina won the game 26-14. In 1961, the USC fraternity Sigma Nu pulled what some have called the greatest prank in the rivalry's history. A few minutes before Clemson football players entered the field for pre-game warm ups, a group of Sigma Nu fraternity members ran onto the field, jumping up and down and cheering in football uniforms that resembled the ones worn by the Tigers. This caused the Clemson band to start playing "Tiger Rag," which was followed by the pranksters falling down as they attempted to do calisthenics. They would also do football drills where guys would drop passes and miss the ball when trying to kick it... Clemson fans quickly realized that they had been tricked, and some of them angrily ran onto the field. However, security restored order before any blows could be exchanged. Carolina won the game 21-14, although Clemson was on the Gamecock one-yard-line when time expired. On November 22, 1975, Carolina defeated Clemson 56-20 to set a Gamecock record for most points scored in a football game against the Tigers. In 1981, Clemson defeated Carolina 29-13 en route to the National Championship. On November 21, 1987, with the highest combined rankings of the two football programs entering the game (the Gamecocks were No. 12 and the Tigers were No. 8), Carolina beat Clemson 20-7 on national television (ESPN). In 2003, Clemson defeated Carolina 63-17, and Clemson's 63 points are the most scored by either team in the series. However, Clemson beat Carolina 51-0 in 1900 for the widest margin in the series. The South Carolina-Clemson Brawl during the 2004 football game is the most recent eruption of hostilities in this rivalry. It is also the last time Lou Holtz coached, having retired shortly thereafter. Clemson won the game 29-7. Each team had won a total of six games that year and were technically bowl eligible. However, both schools elected to forfeit their postseason because of the shameful nature of the fight. In 2005 the two teams showed an unusual gesture of sportsmanship by meeting at midfield before the game to shake hands, putting the melee behind them. Clemson won this game 13-9, marking quarterback Charlie Whitehurst's 4th win versus the Gamecocks, which is the first time a starting quarterback from either team notched four wins against the other team. On November 25, 2006, Carolina came back from a 14-point deficit to beat Clemson 31-28 at Death Valley. Clemson kicker Jad Dean missed a 39-yard field goal on the last play of the game to end the Tigers' four-game winning streak against the Gamecocks. BASEBALL The teams compete four times during the regular season, and each game almost always affects the national rankings since both teams are usually ranked in the nation's top 10. They both consistently qualify for the NCAA playoffs and frequently earn berths to the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska. Clemson leads the baseball series 163-114-2 (as of 4/26/07). In the 2002 College World Series , the teams met in the semifinals with the Tigers needing only one win to move on to the championship game. Clemson had already won three out of four regular season games against Carolina and was 2-0 in the World Series at the time. However, the Gamecocks beat their rivals soundly, 12-4, and then beat the Tigers again, 10-2, the following day to advance to the national championship game. It is the only time the two athletic programs have met with a shot at the national title on the line. The Gamecocks fell to Texas 12-6 in the championship game; this was before the current format of a best two out of three title series had been instituted. For the record, Carolina played five games to reach the finals, while Texas advanced undefeated through three games. South Carolina Baseball Media Guide 2007 , p. 111. OTHER VARSITY SPORTS Men's Teams Basketball - Gamecocks lead 86-71. Cross Country - Carolina does not sponsor Men's Cross Country. Golf Soccer - Tigers lead 22-12-1. Clemson has won 10 of the last 13 between the two schools, but the Gamecocks upset a ranked Tigers team in the 2007 season opener in front of a crowd of 6,300 at Riggs Field in Clemson. Swimming & Diving - Gamecocks lead 32-10. Tennis - Gamecocks lead 23-15. Track & Field Women's Teams Basketball - Lady Tigers lead 31-21. Cross Country Equestrian - No meetings. Clemson does not sponsor Equestrian. Golf - Clemson does not sponsor Women's Golf. Lacrosse - No meetings. Carolina added Lacrosse as a varsity sport in 2007. Clemson does not sponsor Lacrosse. Rowing - Carolina does not sponsor Rowing. Soccer - Lady Tigers lead 9-3. Softball - Gamecocks lead 1-0 and will remain undefeated since Clemson no longer sponsors Softball. Swimming & Diving - Gamecocks lead 16-13. Tennis - Gamecocks lead 16-13. Track & Field Volleyball - Gamecocks lead 33-20. FOOTNOTES }}} |
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