South Carolina fans have the great tradition of
tailgating on a collection of cabooses that sit just 50
yards from the main entrance of Williams-Brice
Stadium. The tradition of tailgating in these decked out
Cockabooses began in 1990.
Gameday T-Shirts, Gear and Traditions
Whether it’s gearing up for a big SEC game or partying the Cokaboose Railroad,
Football Saturdays in Columbia are colored in Garnet and Gold
Although relatively new to the SEC, Gamecock fans bring as much passion if not more to football games
than their conference foes.
What We Love About Football
Saturdays in Columbia!
College Football’s Best Entrance
When the team gathers to take the field at Williams
Brice Stadium, the theme song from 2001 –A Space
Odyssey is played throughout the stadium. As the
music and excitement builds, the Gamecocks storm
the field to great fanfare!
Crowing About!
This South Carolina mascot is a regular at
University football and baseball games. Prior to
gaining his current name, he was known as
Cocky Doodle Lou. When Big Spur is not
pecking away at Williams-Brice Stadium he
lives with the Albertelli family in Aiken, S.C.
South Carolina Nickname Story
This costumed character is the closest thing to
Foghorn Leghorn that college football has. This
costumed character has been rooting for the
Cocks since 1978. However he didn’t become
the official mascot until 1980. Cocky has been a
multiple winner of the National Mascot of the
Year.
After struggling with several nicknames for more than
a decade, the university began identifying itself with
this fowl name in the early 1900s. The Gamecock is a
fighting rooster trained to fight other roosters to the
death. The sport, which once soared in popularity in
many parts of the country, has now been outlawed in
most states.
When considering the gamecock’s traits and historical
significance in South Carolina, it’s easy to see that the
school didn’t pluck the nickname out of thin air. It’s
been suggested that the school’s football teams at the
turn of the century exhibited the aggressive and
spirited characteristics often found in the fighting
roosters. That fact combined with the state’s long
tradition with the breeding and training of the birds
are reasons why the school earned the nickname.
General Thomas Sumter, who gained fame as a
guerilla fighter in the Revolutionary War, was known
as the “Fighting Gamecock.”
The first use of the nickname had “Game Cock” split
into two separate words. Columbia, SC’s morning
newspaper, The State, shortened the term to one
word in 1903.