 Classic SI photo by Scott K. Brown |
Sweet Lou
It took Lou Holtz one year to turnaround a downtrodden University of South Carolina football program. Holtz was hired in 1999 and the Gamecocks proceeded to go 0-11 that season. However, after a year on the job, Holtz guided the club to an 8-4 finish in 2000, including a win over Ohio State in the Outback Bowl to complete one of the most astonishing turnarounds in college football history.
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FACES IN THE CROWD |
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Allison Feaster Chester
March 9, 1998 -- Feaster, a senior forward for Harvard and three-time Ivy League woman player of the year, led the nation's women in scoring through Sunday, with 28.5 points a game, and had become the first Ivy woman to reach 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in her career.
Career highlight: A six-year WNBA veteran, Feaster ranks in the top 20 of 12 league statistical categories.
Now photo by Allen Einstein/WNBAE/Getty Images
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GREATEST ATHLETES |
Joe Frazier, Beaufont
Won heavyweight gold medal at 1964 Olympics; in boxing's greatest heavyweight rivalry, beat Muhammad Ali in '71, then lost two other bouts.
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"Shoeless" Joe Jackson, Pickens County
His .356 career average is third alltime but involvement in 1919 Black Sox scandal keeps him from Hall of Fame.
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Pete Maravich, Clemson
Averaged NCAA-record 44.2 points over four seasons at Louisiana State (1966 to '70) and 24.2 in 10 years in the NBA.
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FLASHBACK |
1994: A Step Ahead
South Carolina outfoxed Clemson with a razzle-dazzle kickoff return and outplayed the Tigers in most every facet of the gameMoments before Clemson entered Death Valley to take on archrival South Carolina, the Tiger players knelt on the blue carpet in their locker room and listened to coach Tommy West tell them that toughness and conditioning would have much to do with the outcome, and that those were strong areas for them.
FULL STORY
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HARRIS POLL RESULTS |
Who do South Carolinians root for? SI asked the Palmetto State residents to weigh in* on sports.
Favorite major league baseball team
Atlanta Braves | 42% |
New York Yankees | 10% |
No favorite | 18% |
Favorite NFL team
Carolina Panthers | 18% |
Washington Redskins | 9% |
Favorite NBA team
Los Angeles Lakers | 11% |
Boston Celtics | 7% |
No favorite | 49% |
Favorite NHL team
Carolina Hurricanes | 8% |
Detroit Red Wings | 5% |
No favorite | 64% |
Favorite college team?
South Carolina Gamecocks | 20% |
Clemson Tigers | 12% |
Duke Blue Devils | 5% |
North Carolina Tarheels | 4% |
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Favorite pro team
Atlanta Braves | 23% |
Carolina Panthers | 8% |
Los Angeles Lakers | 6% |
State's biggest sports rivalry
State's biggest rival
Georgia | 32% |
North Carolina | 25% |
Florida | 15% |
Tennessee | 15% |
Greatest athlete who ever lived in or played for a team in your state
George Rogers | 21% |
Refrigerator Perry | 10% |
Shoeless Joe Jackson | 8% |
Favorite announcer
John Madden | 18% |
Skip Caray | 6% |
Darrell Waltrip | 6% |
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More a fan of college or pro sports?
Pro | 37% |
College | 35% |
Equal | 28% |
Favorite sports to watch on TV
Football | 73% |
Baseball | 46% |
Basketball | 40% |
Summer Olympics | 37% |
Auto racing | 36% |
Multiple responses allowed. | |
Which is more important to you - sports or sex?
Sports | 12% |
Sex | 56% |
Decline to answer | 32% |
FUN FACT | |
Thirty-three percent of South Carolina respondents have attended a college sporting event during the past 12 months. Twenty-five percent have been to a pro game during that same time span. | |
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*Harris Interactive poll, conducted online, of 406 South Carolina residents who identified themselves as sports fans. Margin of error +/-4.9%.
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Sports Illustrated's 50th Anniversary |
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STATITUDES |
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32-4-1 Career record of Beaufont native Smokin' Joe Frazier. He also tallied 27 TKOs.
.408 Batting average of Pickens County native Shoeless Joe Jackson in 1911, his rookie season. It is the all-time highest average for a first-year player.
17, 112 Sacks and tackles by South Carolina State defensive end Harry Carson in 1975. Both are school and Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference records.
1 School in NCAA history to win its conference championship, NCAA regional title and National Championship in the same year in men's golf -- the 2003 Clemson Tigers.
28 Times since 1983 that crowds at Death Valley (Memorial Stadium) have exceeded 80,000 people for a Clemson football game.
3 All-American honors (1982, '83, '84) for Clemson middle guard William "Refrigerator" Perry -- the first three-time All-American in school history.
63-5 Overall record of the 1997 South Carolina women's softball team, winners of the SEC title that season.
8 Majors won by Spartanburg native Betsy Rawls from 1951 to '75.
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ENEMY OF THE STATE |
Bobby Bowden
The Florida State football coach owns the Palmetto State, with a 9-1 record against South Carolina and a 13-2 mark against Clemson. The respondents' most hated opponents? Georgia (25%), Clemson (18%) and Florida State (10%).
Bobby Bowden | 16% |
Steve Spurrier | 9% |
Lou Holtz | 7% |
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FAST FACTS |
Admission to statehood: May 23, 1788 (8th)
Area: 32,007 square miles
Bird: Great Carolina Wren
Capital: Columbia
Economy: Agriculture: Tobacco, poultry, cattle, dairy products, soybeans, hogs. Industry: Textile goods, chemical products, paper products, machinery, tourism.
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Flower: Yellow Jessamine (Gelsemium sempervirens)
Nickname: Palmetto State
Population: 4,012,012 (26th)
Pro sports teams: None
Major college programs: Clemson Tigers, South Carolina Gamecocks
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