TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 DIVISION CHAMPIONS 4 2 THE EARLY DAYS 12 3 A VERY GOOD YEAR 18 4 BUILDING THE PROGRAM 26 5 THE PRESENT AND THE FUTURE 34 TIMELINE 42 QUICK STATS 44 QUOTES ANECDOTES 45 GLOSSARY 46 MORE INFORMATION 47 ONLINE RESOURCES 47 INDEX 48 ABOUT THE AUTHOR 48
Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery runs in for the touchdown against Alabama in 2010
1 DIVISION CHAMPIONS STEVE SPURRIER WON THE HEISMAN TROPHY AS A QUARTERBACK AT THE UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA HE ALSO WON A NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP THERE AS HEAD COACH BUT ONE OF HIS TOUGHEST JOBS WAS TURNING SOUTH CAROLINA INTO A WINNER Spurrier took over as the Gamecocks head coach in 2005 South Carolina wasn’t a traditional power by any means Its only conference championship in football came in 1969 in the Atlantic Coast Conference ACC Spurrier faced an uphill battle to turn the program around in the rugged Southeastern Conference SEC But by 2010 he had built a team that he thought was a winner The Gamecocks opened SEC play with a 17 6 win over 22nd-ranked Georgia A 35 27 loss at Auburn was a setback But the Gamecocks were ready when No 1 Alabama visited Columbia South Carolina
