Founded in 1801, the University of South Carolina is a sprawling campus located in Columbia, South Carolina with a rich history, quality academic program and a top-notch athletic department. When the college first opened its doors, it was home to just nine students. Today, it hosts over 52,000 students and over 2,000 faculty members.
USC is voted as the No. 1 public university in the country for first-year experience according to the U.S. News undergraduate rankings.
The Fighting Gamecocks, as they were nicknamed in 1900, sport a passionate fan base cheering on each team. In the 2023 season, more than 900,000 fans visited Williams-Bryce Stadium to support the football team.
Games are preceded by tailgating at the Cockaboose Railroad, a one-of-a-kind tradition in which 22 cabooses line the railroad along the south side of the stadium to provide amenities that traditional tailgaters are not familiar with, such as running water, electricity, air conditioning, heating and cable television. Featured in multiple magazines and TV shows, Cockaboose Railroad tailgating is a landmark feature of USC football.
With the players preparing to enter the field, “2001-A Space Odyssey” blares over the speakers. The crowd of 80,000 fans goes wild as the team runs out of the tunnel to the beat drop.
As the garnet and black-clad fans prepare for kickoff, their voices raise to sing USC’s alma mater, “We Hail Thee Carolina,” written by English professor George A. Wauchope in 1911. Set to the tune of Robert Burns’ “Flow Gently, Sweet Afton,” the first stanza is sung at the beginning of all athletic events, with fans raising their right hands with fingers cupped as if offering a toast, with the line “Here’s a Health, Carolina.”
As the game-opening festivities begin, white towels are raised in the air. “Sandstorm” is a tradition that started in a 2009 USC-Ole Miss football game. A late 1990s instrumental piece by Finnish DJ and record producer Darude, the students and fans immediately embraced the song as it played over the speakers and incorporated it into their list of beloved traditions.
Nine national team championships have been taken home to South Carolina in total, and all of them have been won within the last 22 years. Since 2010, 15 individual national championships have been brought home by Gamecock students. Of USC’s 21 athletic programs, 19 have had at least one Top 20 national finish since 2010, including nine Top 25 finishes in the 2023-24 season. Most recently, women’s basketball won the 2024 National Championship after a grueling March Madness tournament. Recently, the Gamecocks ranked No. 30 in the Learfield Directors’ Cup standings.
With lengthy records of both academic and athletic excellence, South Carolina brings plenty of competition to the table as Texas prepares for high-caliber contention in the SEC.
