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The athletic programs are known as the [[South Carolina Gamecocks]] and the [[Clemson Tigers]], and both are members of premier collegiate athletic conferences: South Carolina is in the [[Southeastern Conference]] ([[Conference USA]] for men's soccer since the SEC does not sponsor men's soccer); Clemson is in the [[Atlantic Coast Conference]].
The athletic programs are known as the [[South Carolina Gamecocks]] and the [[Clemson Tigers]], and both are members of premier collegiate athletic conferences: South Carolina is in the [[Southeastern Conference]] ([[Conference USA]] for men's soccer since the SEC does not sponsor men's soccer); Clemson is in the [[Atlantic Coast Conference]].


==Origin==
==History==
===Background===
{| id="toc" style="float:right; margin-left: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center"
{| id="toc" style="float:right; margin-left: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center"
|+ <big>'''College Comparison'''</big>
|+ <big>'''College Comparison'''</big>
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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.
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 experienced a variety of changes after the [[American Civil War|Civil War]]. During [[Reconstruction]], it was the only southern state university to admit and grant degrees to African-American students, as it was forced to do so when it (and the state) was taken over during Reconstruction. When the [[Yankee]]s left, the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] swept the [[Radical Republican (USA)|Radical Republicans]] out of office, and the new state leaders quickly closed the institution in 1877. It was briefly reopened in 1880 as an all-white agricultural school and was reorganized two years later and many more times over the next 25 years, as it became a [[political football]] symbolic of the racial and cultural tensions of the time. However, the greatest threat to the institution's existence came with the [[South Carolina gubernatorial election, 1890|1890 gubernatorial election]] of [[Benjamin Tillman]]. Tillman, a farmer and legislator from [[Edgefield, South Carolina|Edgefield]], advocated closing South Carolina College during his campaign for governor. He was primarily motivated by his dislike for the college's enrollment of African-Americans, which had been restarted after another reorganization, but he also believed that the college did nothing for farmers.<ref>{{cite book | first = Francis Butler | last = Simkins | title = The Tillman movement in South Carolina | year = 1964 | publisher = Duke University Press | page = p. 85}}</ref>
South Carolina College was founded in 1801 to unite and promote harmony between the [[South Carolina Low Country|Lowcountry]] and the [[The Upstate|Backcountry]].<ref>{{Citation | first = Daniel Walker | last = Hollis | title = University of South Carolina | year = 1951 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | volume = I | page = 18}}</ref> It closed during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]] when its [[South Carolina College Cadets|students]] aided the [[Confederate States of America|Southern cause]], but the closure gave the politicians an opportunity to reorganize it to their liking.<ref>{{Citation | first = Daniel Walker | last = Hollis | title = University of South Carolina | year = 1951 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | volume = I | pages = 212-225}}</ref><ref>{{Citation | first = Daniel Walker | last = Hollis | title = University of South Carolina | year = 1956 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | volume = II | page = 32}}</ref> The [[Radical Republican (USA)|Radical Republicans]] in charge of state government during [[Reconstruction]] opened the school to blacks and appropriated generous funds to the University, much of which was embezzled. These actions caused the white citizens of the state to withdraw their support for the University<ref>{{Citation | first = Daniel Walker | last = Hollis | title = University of South Carolina | year = 1956 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | volume = II | page = 79}}</ref> and view it as a symbol of the worst aspects of Reconstruction.


The farmers had become active participants in [[Politics of South Carolina|South Carolina politics]] during the 1880s, and building another agricultural school was already a subject of fierce debate in the [[South Carolina General Assembly]]. South Carolina College had been granted an agricultural department in 1882, but Thomas Greene Clemson bequeathed a considerable sum and devised his [http://south-carolina-plantations.com/pickens/fort-hill.html Fort Hill plantation] to the state in 1888 for an agricultural school. The state legislature accepted the Clemson gift by only one vote, which was a tie-breaking vote cast by [[Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina|Lieutenant Governor]] [[William L. Mauldin]]. Clemson Agricultural College, an all-white male school, was created as a result.<ref>http://www.clemson.edu/caah/cedp/pres_coll/html/Fall%202000/ReelGenRace.htm</ref> Tillman then became governor, and with the opening of this new agricultural school in 1893 came a shift of federal funds for agricultural education. Suddenly two very different schools existed in South Carolina, reviving regional bitterness and dividing the state into two classes of people.<ref>{{cite book | first = Walter B. | last = Edgar | title = South Carolina: A History | year = 1998 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | pages = p. 439}}</ref>
The [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democrats]] returned to power in 1877 following their [[South Carolina gubernatorial election, 1876|decisive electoral victory]] over the Radical Republicans and promptly proceeded to close the University. Sentiment in the state favored opening an agriculture college so the University was reorganized as the '''South Carolina College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts'''.<ref>{{Citation | first = Daniel Walker | last = Hollis | title = University of South Carolina | year = 1956 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | volume = II | page = 89}}</ref> In 1882, the college was renamed to its antebellum name, South Carolina College, which infuriated the farmers because they felt that the politicians had frustrated the will of the people by deemphasizing agriculture education, even though the school still retained the department of agriculture.<ref>{{Citation | first = Daniel Walker | last = Hollis | title = University of South Carolina | year = 1956 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | volume = II | page = 102}}</ref>


Tillman only succeeded in reorganizing South Carolina College as a liberal arts school while in office, and it would eventually be rechartered for the last time in 1906 as the '''University of South Carolina'''. However, Clemson Agricultural College held sway over the state legislature for decades and was awarded appropriations that allowed it to expand academic offerings and eventually become '''Clemson University''' in 1964.<ref>http://president.sc.edu/history.html</ref><ref>http://www.clemson.edu/about/history.html</ref> USC has been the perennial underdog as a result, having gone from being the pride of the [[Old South]] as South Carolina College to being the [[working class]] school in the shadow of favored Clemson. On the other hand, Clemson ironically went from being the school for farmer/soldiers to claiming the elitist status once held by South Carolina College.<ref>{{cite book | first = Henry H. | last = Lesesne | title = A History of the University of South Carolina, 1940-2000 | year = 2001 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | pages = p. 41}}</ref>
===Agitation from the farmers===
[[Benjamin Tillman]] emerged in the 1880's as a leader of the agrarian movement in South Carolina and demanded that the South Carolina College take agricultural education more seriously by expanding the agriculture department.<ref>{{cite book | last = Ball | first = William Watts | title = The State That Forgot; South Carolina's Surrender to Democracy | year = 1932 | publisher = The Bobbs-Merrill Company | page = p. 210}}</ref> In 1885, Tillman was convinced of the superiority of a separate agricultural college by [[Stephen D. Lee]], then the President of the [[Mississippi State University|Agricultural and Mechanical College of the State of Mississippi]], and subsequently Tillman would accept nothing less than a separate agriculture college in South Carolina.<ref name="HollisIIp134">{{Citation | first = Daniel Walker | last = Hollis | title = University of South Carolina | year = 1956 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | volume = II | page = 134}}</ref> He offered the following reasons why he felt that it was necessary to have a separate agriculture college outside the confines of [[Columbia, South Carolina|Columbia]]:


After [[World War II]], these perceptions were never more distinct when the University of South Carolina eagerly enrolled returning veterans whereas Clemson sought to restrict their numbers. Enrollment at USC swelled from the influx of veterans, and it increased its popularity in the 1950s when it created the [[University of South Carolina System]], which is a network of branch campuses across the state. In the 1960s, Clemson tried to compete with this network by establishing branch campuses in [[Greenville, South Carolina|Greenville]] and [[Sumter, South Carolina|Sumter]]. However, [[South Carolina House of Representatives|House]] [[Speaker (politics)|Speaker]] [[Solomon Blatt, Sr.|Sol Blatt]] was alarmed by "the spread of Clemson" and declared that USC "should build as many two-year colleges over the state as rapidly as possible to prevent the expansion of Clemson schools for the Clemson people."<ref>{{cite book | first = Henry H. | last = Lesesne | title = A History of the University of South Carolina, 1940-2000 | year = 2001 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | pages = p. 178}}</ref> As a result, Clemson Extensions, as they were known, never proved to be popular but have become defacto county offices for agricultural businesses. USC would acquire the [[University of South Carolina Sumter|Sumter campus]] in 1973, and the Clemson's Greenville campus would eventually become [[Greenville Technical College|Greenville Tech]].
#Mississippi A&M featured practical training without unnecessary studying of the liberal arts.<ref name="HollisIIp134"/>
#Mississippi A&M provided poor students work-scholarships so that they could attend the college.<ref name="HollisIIp134"/>
#There were too few students who studied agriculture at the College to justify an agriculture college there.<ref name="HollisIIp134"/>
#The College was a place "for the sons of lawyers and of the well-to-do"<ref>{{cite book | last = Ball | first = William Watts | title = The State That Forgot; South Carolina's Surrender to Democracy | year = 1932 | publisher = The Bobbs-Merrill Company | page = p. 212}}</ref> who sneered at the agriculture students as if they were hayseeds.<ref name="HollisIIp138">{{Citation | first = Daniel Walker | last = Hollis | title = University of South Carolina | year = 1956 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | volume = II | page = 138}}</ref>
#The students at the College lived a life of luxury as compared with the sweat and toil endured by students at Mississippi A&M.<ref name="HollisIIp152">{{Citation | first = Daniel Walker | last = Hollis | title = University of South Carolina | year = 1956 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | volume = II | page = 152}}</ref>
#There was not enough farm land near the College to allow for proper agriculture study.<ref>{{Citation | first = Daniel Walker | last = Hollis | title = University of South Carolina | year = 1956 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | volume = II | page = 135}}</ref>


Respective achievements are never acknowledged in this family feud. The turf issues are overlapping and complicated. Competitions on the ballfields become cathartic experiences, as many of these rivals carry the virulence of yesteryear. "There’s a history of bad blood between these institutions," says Jay McCormick, a doctoral candidate at USC. "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." <ref>http://metrobeat.net/gbase/Expedite/Content?oid=oid%3A1647</ref>
The [[Bourbon Democrat|Conservatives]], who held the reigns of power in South Carolina from 1877 to 1890, replied to each point made by Tillman:
#The most advanced agriculture educational research was being conducted at the [[University of California]] and at [[Cornell University]], both of which combined agriculture colleges with liberal arts colleges.<ref>{{Citation | first = Daniel Walker | last = Hollis | title = University of South Carolina | year = 1956 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | volume = II | page = 139}}</ref> Additionally, a separate agriculture college would be more expensive and result in an inferior product.<ref>{{Citation | first = Daniel Walker | last = Hollis | title = University of South Carolina | year = 1956 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | volume = II | page = 140}}</ref>
#The work scholarships attracted the lowest quality of students who only cared about obtaining a college degree, not about an education in agriculture or mechanical studies. Furthermore, there was little advantage of attending a college only to pitch manure and grub stumps.<ref>{{Citation | first = Daniel Walker | last = Hollis | title = University of South Carolina | year = 1956 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | volume = II | pages = 139-140}}</ref>
#The constant attacks by Tillman on the College caused many to doubt whether state support for the institution would continue. As a result, the enrollment numbers were not impressive, although the numbers of students taking agriculture and mechanical classes increased from 34 in 1887 to 83 in 1889.<ref>{{Citation | first = Daniel Walker | last = Hollis | title = University of South Carolina | year = 1956 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | volume = II | page = 150}}</ref>
#Over half of the students at the College were the sons of farmers, though most did not study agriculture as Tillman wished.<ref name="HollisIIp138"/> [[John McLaren McBryde]], [[Presidents of the University of South Carolina|President of the College]], correctly predicted that most students of an agriculture college would not go back to work the farm after graduation.<ref name="HollisIIp138"/>
#While some students at the College were the sons of the well-to-do, the majority were poor.<ref name="HollisIIp152"/>
#The College farm added {{convert|100|acre|sqkm|1}} in 1887, just one mile from campus.<ref>{{Citation | first = Daniel Walker | last = Hollis | title = University of South Carolina | year = 1956 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | volume = II | page = 146}}</ref>

Tillman was bolstered in 1886 when [[Thomas Green Clemson]] agreed to will his [[Fort Hill (Clemson)|Fort Hill estate]] for the establishment of an agriculture college.<ref>{{cite book | last = Simkins | first = Francis Butler | title = Pitchfork Ben Tillman | year = 2002 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | page = p. 122}}</ref> Yet, Tillman did not want to wait until Clemson died to start a separate agriculture college so he pushed the [[South Carolina General Assembly|General Assembly]] to use the [[Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act|Morrill funds]] and [[Hatch Act of 1887|Hatch funds]] for that purpose.<ref>{{Citation | first = Daniel Walker | last = Hollis | title = University of South Carolina | year = 1956 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | volume = II | page = 143}}</ref> Instead, the legislature gave those funds to the South Carolina College in 1887 which would use them along with a greater state appropriation to reorganize itself as the second University of South Carolina and to also greatly expand the agriculture department.<ref>{{Citation | first = Daniel Walker | last = Hollis | title = University of South Carolina | year = 1956 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | volume = II | page = 144}}</ref> After this victory for South Carolina, in January of 1888 Tillman wrote a letter to the ''[[The Post and Courier|News and Courier]]'' that he was retiring from public life.<ref>{{Citation | first = Daniel Walker | last = Hollis | title = University of South Carolina | year = 1956 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | volume = II | page = 148}}</ref><ref>{{cite book | last = Ball | first = William Watts | title = The State That Forgot; South Carolina's Surrender to Democracy | year = 1932 | publisher = The Bobbs-Merrill Company | page = p. 215}}</ref>

===Clemson's death===
{| id="toc" style="float:right; margin-left: 1em; margin-bottom: 1em; text-align: center"
|+ <big>'''Political factions in the 1880's'''</big>
!
| '''Tillmanites'''
| '''Conservatives'''
|-style="background: #e3e3e3;"
| '''Favored college'''
| [[Clemson University|Clemson]]
| [[University of South Carolina|South Carolina]]
|-
| '''Figurehead leader'''
| [[Benjamin Tillman]]
| [[Wade Hampton III]]
|-style="background: #e3e3e3;"
| '''Political ideology'''
| [[Populism|Agrarian populism]]
| [[Conservatism]]
|-
| '''Base of support'''
| [[The Upstate]]; [[rural]]
| [[South Carolina|Statewide]]; [[Urban area|urban]]
|-style="background: #e3e3e3;"
| '''Confederate service'''
| 50.0%<ref name="Cooperp212">{{cite book | last = Cooper | first = William | title = The Conservative Regime: South Carolina, 1877-1890 | year = 2005 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | id = ISBN 1-57003-597-0 | page = p. 212}}</ref>
| 79.1%<ref name="Cooperp212"/>
|-
|}

It was less than ninety days when Tillman reemerged on the scene upon the death of Thomas Green Clemson in April of 1888.<ref>{{cite book | first = Francis Butler | last = Simkins | title = The Tillman movement in South Carolina | year = 1964 | publisher = Duke University Press | page = p. 84}}</ref> Tillman advocated that the state accept the gift by Clemson, but the [[Bourbon Democrat|Conservatives]] in power opposed the move and an all out war for power in the state commenced. The opening salvo was fired by Gideon Lee, the father of Clemson's granddaughter and [[John C. Calhoun]]'s great granddaughter Floride Isabella Lee, who wrote a letter on her behalf to the ''News and Courier'' in May that she was being denied as Calhoun's rightful heir.<ref name="Cooperp164">{{cite book | last = Cooper | first = William | title = The Conservative Regime: South Carolina, 1877-1890 | year = 2005 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | id = ISBN 1-57003-597-0 | page = p. 164}}</ref> Furthermore, he stated that Clemson was egotistical and "only wanted to erect a monument to his own name."<ref name="Cooperp164"/> In November, Lee filed a lawsuit in Federal Court to contest the will which ultimately ruled against him in May of 1889.

The [[South Carolina gubernatorial election, 1888|election of 1888]] afforded Tillman an opportunity to convince the politicians to accept the Clemson bequest or face the possibility of being voted out of office. He demanded that the [[Democratic Party (United States)|Democratic party]] nominate its candidates by the [[Primary election|primary system]], which was denied, but they did accept his request that the candidates for statewide office [[Canvassing|canvass]] the state.<ref name="HollisIIp151">{{Citation | first = Daniel Walker | last = Hollis | title = University of South Carolina | year = 1956 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | volume = II | page = 151}}</ref> Tillman proved excellent on the stump, by far superior than his Conservative opponents, and as the Democratic convention neared there was a clear groundswell of support for the acceptance of Clemson's estate.<ref>{{cite book | last = Cooper | first = William | title = The Conservative Regime: South Carolina, 1877-1890 | year = 2005 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | id = ISBN 1-57003-597-0 | page = p. 163}}</ref> He was so effective because of his "ability to awaken popular passion and prejudice" when the populace by and large mistook "prejudice for truth, passion for reason, and invective for documentation."<ref name="HollisIIp151"/> Tillman pitted "the poor against the rich, tenant against landowner, hireling against employer, country against town, all of South Carolina against Charleston and Columbia, upcountry against lowcountry, white against black, do-somethings against do-nothings, and outs against those in power" so that "he could rile them up and then appear as their champion."<ref>{{cite book | first = Walter B. | last = Edgar | title = South Carolina: A History | year = 1998 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | pages = p. 438}}</ref> In addition, the Conservative leadership was ageing and its appeal to the past glories of South Carolina during the [[Antebellum|antebellum period]] meant little to the emerging younger generation.<ref>{{cite book | last = Cooper | first = William | title = The Conservative Regime: South Carolina, 1877-1890 | year = 2005 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | id = ISBN 1-57003-597-0 | page = p. 205}}</ref>

Tillman explained his justification for an independently controlled agriculture college by pointing to the mismanagement and political interference of the University of South Carolina as had occurred during Reconstruction. The agriculture college, as specified in Clemson's will, was to be privately controlled and thus would be able to prevent any "possible invasion by the negroes".<ref>{{cite book | last = Ball | first = William Watts | title = The State That Forgot; South Carolina's Surrender to Democracy | year = 1932 | publisher = The Bobbs-Merrill Company | page = p. 215}}</ref> With declining cotton prices, Tillman preyed upon the farmer's desperation by stating that the salaries of the college professor's were exorbitant and it must be a sign of corruption.<ref>{{cite book | last = Ball | first = William Watts | title = The State That Forgot; South Carolina's Surrender to Democracy | year = 1932 | publisher = The Bobbs-Merrill Company | page = p. 209}}</ref> Consequently, the legislature was compelled to pass the bill to accept Clemson's bequest in December of 1888, albeit with the tie-breaking vote in the [[South Carolina Senate|state Senate]] from [[Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina|Lieutenant Governor]] [[William L. Mauldin]].<ref>{{cite book | last = Cooper | first = William | title = The Conservative Regime: South Carolina, 1877-1890 | year = 2005 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | id = ISBN 1-57003-597-0 | page = p. 164}}</ref> Thus was reborn the antagonistic feelings of regional bitterness and class division that would plague the state for decades.<ref>{{cite book | last = Cooper | first = William | title = The Conservative Regime: South Carolina, 1877-1890 | year = 2005 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | id = ISBN 1-57003-597-0 | page = p. 167}}</ref>

Having achieved his agriculture college, Tillman was not content to sit idly by because what he really desired was power and political office.<ref>{{cite book | first = Walter B. | last = Edgar | title = South Carolina: A History | year = 1998 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | pages = p. 437}}</ref> After winning the [[South Carolina gubernatorial election, 1890|1890 election]] and becoming [[Governor of South Carolina|Governor]], Tillman renewed the attacks on the Conservatives and those who had thwarted his agriculture college. He saved the coup de grâce for [[United States Senate|Senator]] [[Wade Hampton III]], a South Carolina College graduate and [[Confederate States Army|Confederate]] General during the Civil War, who "invoked Confederate service and honor as a barrier to Tillmanism."<ref name="Cooperp206">{{cite book | last = Cooper | first = William | title = The Conservative Regime: South Carolina, 1877-1890 | year = 2005 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | id = ISBN 1-57003-597-0 | page = p. 206}}</ref> Tillman directed the legislature to defeat Hampton's renomination for another term in December of 1890, thereby finishing what [[William Tecumseh Sherman|Sherman]] had left undone in 1865.<ref name="Cooperp206"/><ref>{{Citation | first = Daniel Walker | last = Hollis | title = University of South Carolina | year = 1956 | publisher = University of South Carolina Press | volume = II | page = 157}}</ref>


==Academics==
==Academics==

Revision as of 15:55, 2 March 2008

South Carolina logo Clemson logo

The Carolina-Clemson Rivalry is an in-state college rivalry between the University of South Carolina and Clemson University. The two institutions are separated by just over 125 miles and have been bitter rivals since the 1880s. A heated rivalry continues to this day for a variety of reasons, including the historic tensions regarding their respective charters along with the passions surrounding their athletic programs.

The athletic programs are known as the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Clemson Tigers, and both are members of premier collegiate athletic conferences: South Carolina is in the Southeastern Conference (Conference USA for men's soccer since the SEC does not sponsor men's soccer); Clemson is in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

History

College Comparison
Category Clemson University University of South Carolina
Location Clemson Columbia
Students 17,309 28,130
School Colors Burnt Orange & Northwestern Purple Garnet & Black
Nickname Tigers Gamecocks
Mascot The Tiger Cocky
National Championships 4[1] 6[2][3]

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 experienced a variety of changes after the Civil War. During Reconstruction, it was the only southern state university to admit and grant degrees to African-American students, as it was forced to do so when it (and the state) was taken over during Reconstruction. When the Yankees left, the Democrats swept the Radical Republicans out of office, and the new state leaders quickly closed the institution in 1877. It was briefly reopened in 1880 as an all-white agricultural school and was reorganized two years later and many more times over the next 25 years, as it became a political football symbolic of the racial and cultural tensions of the time. However, the greatest threat to the institution's existence came with the 1890 gubernatorial election of Benjamin Tillman. Tillman, a farmer and legislator from Edgefield, advocated closing South Carolina College during his campaign for governor. He was primarily motivated by his dislike for the college's enrollment of African-Americans, which had been restarted after another reorganization, but he also believed that the college did nothing for farmers.[4]

The farmers had become active participants in South Carolina politics during the 1880s, and building another agricultural school was already a subject of fierce debate in the South Carolina General Assembly. South Carolina College had been granted an agricultural department in 1882, but Thomas Greene Clemson bequeathed a considerable sum and devised his Fort Hill plantation to the state in 1888 for an agricultural school. The state legislature accepted the Clemson gift by only one vote, which was a tie-breaking vote cast by Lieutenant Governor William L. Mauldin. Clemson Agricultural College, an all-white male school, was created as a result.[5] Tillman then became governor, and with the opening of this new agricultural school in 1893 came a shift of federal funds for agricultural education. Suddenly two very different schools existed in South Carolina, reviving regional bitterness and dividing the state into two classes of people.[6]

Tillman only succeeded in reorganizing South Carolina College as a liberal arts school while in office, and it would eventually be rechartered for the last time in 1906 as the University of South Carolina. However, Clemson Agricultural College held sway over the state legislature for decades and was awarded appropriations that allowed it to expand academic offerings and eventually become Clemson University in 1964.[7][8] USC has been the perennial underdog as a result, having gone from being the pride of the Old South as South Carolina College to being the working class school in the shadow of favored Clemson. On the other hand, Clemson ironically went from being the school for farmer/soldiers to claiming the elitist status once held by South Carolina College.[9]

After World War II, these perceptions were never more distinct when the University of South Carolina eagerly enrolled returning veterans whereas Clemson sought to restrict their numbers. Enrollment at USC swelled from the influx of veterans, and it increased its popularity in the 1950s when it created the University of South Carolina System, which is a network of branch campuses across the state. In the 1960s, Clemson tried to compete with this network by establishing branch campuses in Greenville and Sumter. However, House Speaker Sol Blatt was alarmed by "the spread of Clemson" and declared that USC "should build as many two-year colleges over the state as rapidly as possible to prevent the expansion of Clemson schools for the Clemson people."[10] As a result, Clemson Extensions, as they were known, never proved to be popular but have become defacto county offices for agricultural businesses. USC would acquire the Sumter campus in 1973, and the Clemson's Greenville campus would eventually become Greenville Tech.

Respective achievements are never acknowledged in this family feud. The turf issues are overlapping and complicated. Competitions on the ballfields become cathartic experiences, as many of these rivals carry the virulence of yesteryear. "There’s a history of bad blood between these institutions," says Jay McCormick, a doctoral candidate at USC. "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." [11]

Academics

South Carolina College Enrollment
South Carolina College Enrollment

While campaigning for Governor in 1890, Tillman leveled his harshest criticism towards the University of South Carolina and threatened to close it along with The Citadel, which he called a "dude factory."[12] Despite the rhetoric, Tillman only succeeded in reorganizing the University of South Carolina into a liberal arts college while in office.[13] It would eventually be rechartered for the last time in 1906 as the University of South Carolina. However, Clemson Agricultural College held sway over the state legislature for decades and was generally the more popular college during the first half of the 20th century in South Carolina.[14]

After World War II, the long held perceptions of the two schools switched. Whereas South Carolina was viewed as an elitist institution for much of its existence, it opened its doors to every qualified white veteran. Clemson on the other hand, claimed to have been founded for the common man, sought to restrict entrance to veterans returning from the war. Thus the University of South Carolina was able to achieve exponential growth as a result and reclaim the status as the most popular institution of higher education in South Carolina, a status it retains to this day.[15]

In the 1950s, the University of South Carolina expanded its reach across the state by establish branch campuses under the auspices of the University of South Carolina System.[16] Clemson, having obtained university status in 1964, tried to compete with this network in the 1960s by establishing branch campuses in Greenville and Sumter. House Speaker Sol Blatt was alarmed by the spread of Clemson and declared that USC "should build as many two year colleges over the state as rapidly as possible to prevent the expansion of Clemson schools for the Clemson people."[17] Accordingly, the University of South Carolina began a new wave of expansion across the state and was aided by the fact that the Clemson extensions never proved popular. In 1973, USC acquired the Clemson campus at Sumter due to disappointing enrollment numbers[18] and Clemson's Greenville campus would return to its independent status as Greenville Tech.[19]

Respective achievements are never acknowledged in this family feud. The turf issues are overlapping and complicated. Competitions on the ballfields become cathartic experiences, as many of these rivals carry the virulence of yesteryear. "There’s a history of bad blood between these institutions," says Jay McCormick, a doctoral candidate at USC. "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."[20]

Football

The Hardee's Trophy
Football
Teams South Carolina Gamecocks
Clemson Tigers
Originated 1896
Trophy Series Clemson leads, 64-37-4
Current Holder Clemson
Clemson logo South Carolina logo
Clemson (64)
1897 1898 1899
1900 1909 1910
1911 1913 1914
1916 1917 1918
1919 1922 1923
1927 1928 1929
1930 1934 1935
1936 1937 1938
1939 1940 1942
1944 1948 1955
1956 1957 1959
1960 1962 1963
1966 1967 1971
1972 1974 1976
1977 1978 1980
1981 1982 1983
1985 1988 1989
1990 1991 1993
1995 1997 1998
1999 2000 2002
2003 2004 2005
2007 		South Carolina (37)
1896 1902 1912
1920 1921 1924
1925 1926 1931
1932 1933 1941
1943 1946 1947
1949 1951 1952
1953 1954 1958
1961 1964 1965
1968 1969 1970
1973 1975 1979
1984 1987 1992
1994 1996 2001
2006
Ties (4)
1915 1945 1950 1986

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.[21] The universities maintain college football stadiums in excess of 80,000 seats each, placing both in the top 18 in the United States.[22] Clemson leads the football series 64-37-4, but approximately forty games have been decided by a touchdown or less. Clemson has more wins against South Carolina than any other program,[23] and South Carolina is third behind Georgia Tech and Georgia in most wins against Clemson.[24]

Early Years: 1896-1902

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."[25]

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, and every year, each school burns an object that represents the other.

World War II era

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!"[26] 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.

1961: The Prank

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.

1975: Most Points Scored by Carolina

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.

1977: The "Catch"

On November 19, 1977, Clemson WR Jerry Butler made a diving, backwards, 20-yard touchdown reception on a pass from QB Steve Fuller with 49 seconds left in the fourth quarter to give Clemson the 31-27 victory in Columbia. This play is known as "The Catch" and is one of the most memorable plays in the rivalry.

1980: Orange Pants

In the last regular season game for the 1980 season, a heavily favored Carolina team traveled to Death Valley to take on the Tigers. In a surprise to both the players and the fans, Coach Danny Ford unveiled new orange uniform pants for the Tigers to wear. This was the first time in Clemson's history that they wore orange pants in any combination for a football game. Inspired by the pants, the underdog Tigers defeated the Gamecocks, 27-6.

1981: Clemson wins a National Championship

In 1981, Clemson defeated Carolina 29-13 en route to the National Championship. The next year, Clemson was placed on probation by the NCAA as a result of major infractions leading up to the National Championship season.

1987: Highest Ranked Match-Up

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).

2000: "The Catch II"/"The Push-Off"

In 2000, Trailing late in the game 14-13, Clemson quarterback Woody Dantzler connected with wide-receiver Rod Gardner for a 50-yard reception to South Carolina's 8 with 10 seconds remaining. Carolina fans claim that Gardner pushed-off but Clemson fans contend the contact was mutual and incidental. No penalty flag was thrown on the play leaving Clemson Kicker Aaron Hunt to kick a 15-yard field goal that put Clemson ahead 16-14. Clemson fans remember this game as "The Catch II" while Carolina fans call it "The Push-Off Game".

2003: Most Points Scored by Clemson

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.

2004: The Brawl

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.

2005: A Quarterback Wins 4

In 2005 the two teams showed an unusual gesture of sportsmanship by meeting at midfield before the game to shake hands, putting the melee of 2004 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.

2006: Wide Left

On November 25, 2006, Clemson kicker Jad Dean missed a 39-yard field goal wide left with 18 seconds left on the clock and Carolina scored 17 unanswered points to beat the #24 Tigers 31-28, giving the Gamecocks a memorable victory, their first in Death Valley in a decade. The defeat completed a late season collapse for the Tigers, who lost four out of their last five games and fell from #10 in the AP poll to finish at 8-5 overall. The 2006 game is also notable as USC head coach Steve Spurrier's first win in the series.

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;[27] this was before the current format of a best two out of three title series had been instituted.

Other Varsity Sports

Men's Teams

Sport Leader Series Record Last Meeting Winner Location Score
Basketball South Carolina 86-72 12/01/07 Clemson Littlejohn Coliseum • Clemson, SC 85-74
Soccer Clemson 22-12-1 8/31/07 South Carolina Historic Riggs Field • Clemson, SC 1-0 (OT)
Swimming & Diving South Carolina 32-10 11/03/07 Clemson McHugh Natatorium • Clemson, SC 206-97
Tennis South Carolina 23-15 4/11/07 Clemson Maxcy Gregg Tennis Center • Columbia, SC 6-1
  • Carolina does not sponsor Men's Cross Country.
  • Men's Golf and Men's Track & Field teams do not compete head-to-head.

Women's Teams

Sport Leader Series Record Last Meeting Winner Location Score
Basketball Clemson 31-22 12/22/07 South Carolina Littlejohn Coliseum • Clemson, SC 64-43
Soccer Clemson 9-3 9/21/07 Clemson Historic Riggs Field • Clemson, SC 1-0
Swimming & Diving South Carolina 16-13 11/03/07 South Carolina McHugh Natatorium • Clemson, SC 157-143
Tennis South Carolina 16-13 2/25/07 Clemson Hoke Sloan Tennis Center • Clemson, SC 5-2
Volleyball South Carolina 33-20 8/31/06 South Carolina Jervey Gym • Clemson, SC 3-2
  • Carolina does not sponsor Women's Rowing.
  • Clemson does not sponsor Women's Equestrian, Women's Golf, Women's Lacrosse, or Softball. (Carolina won the only meeting of the Softball teams.)
  • Women's Cross Country and Women's Track and Field teams do not compete head-to-head.

See also

Footnotes

  1. ^ http://clemsontigers.cstv.com/trads/clem-trads-nationalchamps.html
  2. ^ http://uscsports.cstv.com/trads/scar-history.html#Major%20Team%20Championships%20Won%20by%20Carolina%20Teams
  3. ^ http://uscsports.cstv.com/sports/w-equest/recaps/042007aab.html
  4. ^ Simkins, Francis Butler (1964). The Tillman movement in South Carolina. Duke University Press. p. p. 85. {{cite book}}: |page= has extra text (help)
  5. ^ http://www.clemson.edu/caah/cedp/pres_coll/html/Fall%202000/ReelGenRace.htm
  6. ^ Edgar, Walter B. (1998). South Carolina: A History. University of South Carolina Press. pp. p. 439. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  7. ^ http://president.sc.edu/history.html
  8. ^ http://www.clemson.edu/about/history.html
  9. ^ Lesesne, Henry H. (2001). A History of the University of South Carolina, 1940-2000. University of South Carolina Press. pp. p. 41. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  10. ^ Lesesne, Henry H. (2001). A History of the University of South Carolina, 1940-2000. University of South Carolina Press. pp. p. 178. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  11. ^ http://metrobeat.net/gbase/Expedite/Content?oid=oid%3A1647
  12. ^ Edgar, Walter B. (1998). South Carolina: A History. University of South Carolina Press. pp. pp. 437, 439. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  13. ^ Edgar, Walter B. (1998). South Carolina: A History. University of South Carolina Press. pp. p. 439. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  14. ^ Lesesne, Henry H. (2001). A History of the University of South Carolina, 1940-2000. University of South Carolina Press. pp. p. 3. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  15. ^ Lesesne, Henry H. (2001). A History of the University of South Carolina, 1940-2000. University of South Carolina Press. pp. p. 41. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  16. ^ Lesesne, Henry H. (2001). A History of the University of South Carolina, 1940-2000. University of South Carolina Press. pp. p. 109. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  17. ^ Lesesne, Henry H. (2001). A History of the University of South Carolina, 1940-2000. University of South Carolina Press. pp. p. 178. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  18. ^ <http://www.uscsumter.edu/about/history.shtml>
  19. ^ <http://www.gvltec.edu/about_greenvilletech/history.html>
  20. ^ http://metrobeat.net/gbase/Expedite/Content?oid=oid%3A1647
  21. ^ NCAA football records, p. 111.
  22. ^ NCAA football records, p. 118.
  23. ^ http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/all-opp.pl?start=1869&end=2006&team=South+Carolina&sort=l
  24. ^ http://football.stassen.com/cgi-bin/records/all-opp.pl?start=1869&end=2006&team=Clemson&sort=l
  25. ^ http://metrobeat.net/gbase/Expedite/Content?oid=oid%3A1647
  26. ^ Lesesne, Henry H. (2001). A History of the University of South Carolina, 1940-2000. University of South Carolina Press. pp. p. 27. {{cite book}}: |pages= has extra text (help)
  27. ^ South Carolina Baseball Media Guide 2007, p. 111.
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