Williams-Brice Stadium

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Williams-Brice Stadium
The Cockpit
See historical photos at: [1]
Location	George Rogers Blvd Columbia, SC 29201
Opened	September 23, 1934
Owner	University of South Carolina
Operator	University of South Carolina
Surface	Grass
Former names
Municipal Stadium (1934-1940) Carolina Stadium (1941-1972)
Tenants
South Carolina Gamecocks (NCAA) (1934-Present)
Capacity
80,250 (official) 85,000 (record)

Carolina takes the field to the song "2001" at Williams-Brice Stadium, rated the best entrance in college football by The Sporting News. Taken by Randall Stewart.

Williams-Brice Stadium is the home football stadium for the South Carolina Gamecocks, the college football team representing the University of South Carolina in Columbia, South Carolina. It is located on the corner of George Rogers Boulevard and Bluff Road adjacent to the South Carolina State Fairgrounds and State Farmers Market.

Carolina football teams consistently attract standing-room-only crowds to Williams-Brice Stadium. The atmosphere on game days has been voted "the best" by secsports.com. (See 9/15/05 at [2].) Many great athletes have played for the Gamecocks and have become stars in the National Football League. The most famous is Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers. After the retirement of Lou Holtz in 2004, the University hired Steve Spurrier to lead the Gamecock football program.

In addition to serving as the home of the Gamecocks, the stadium has been the site of many concerts, state high school football championships, and various other events. It hosted the the annual Palmetto Capital City Classic between Benedict College and Johnson C. Smith University until the last game in 2005.

Williams-Brice Stadium is currently the 18th largest college football stadium in the United States and 7th largest stadium among the 12-member Southeastern Conference. ^[1] Plans for future expansion include adding an upper deck in the north end zone, which would increase capacity to approximately 88,000 seats and would require the huge video scoreboard to be relocated and the building behind the north end zone containing the football offices to be demolished.

It has been nicknamed "The Cockpit" by Gamecock fans and local media.

1 History
2 Traditions
3 Footnotes
4 External links

[edit] History

The stadium was originally built in 1934 with help of federal Works Progress Administration funds and initially seated 17,600. The stadium was originally named Municipal Stadium but was renamed Carolina Stadium when ownership was transferred to the University of South Carolina in 1941. On September 9, 1972 it was renamed to honor the Williams and Brice families. Mrs. Martha Williams-Brice had left much of her estate to the University for stadium renovations and expansions. Her late husband, Thomas H. Brice, played football for the Gamecocks from 1922 to 1924.

The stadium's west upper deck was added in 1972, but it was the addition of the east upper deck in 1982 that eventually created some controversy. During a 1983 game against Southern California, as many fans celebrated the play of the Gamecocks, the east upper deck began to sway, leading the university to discuss safety measures. Giant shock absorbers were consequently installed under the east upper deck, and head football coach Joe Morrison was subsequently quoted as saying, "If it ain't swaying, we ain't playing." However, during the 1988 season, many spectators reported seeing a ripple effect across the east upper deck when the marching band played the song "Louie Louie." The university indicated that the sway or ripple was safe. To this day the east upper deck sways whenever large groups of fans jump up and down.

The Gamecocks won their first game at the stadium in 1934, beating Erskine 25-0, and have compiled an overall record at the stadium of 241-171-16 (including a homecoming record of 42-29) through the 2006 college football season. Some of the biggest wins for the Gamecock football program occurred at the stadium, including:

Williams-Brice Stadium at night. Taken by Randall Stewart.

11/22/1975 - Carolina beat Clemson 56-20 to set a team record for most points scored in a game against Clemson (Carolina's in-state rival).
9/13/1980 - Carolina beat Wichita State 73-0 to set a team record for largest margin of victory.
10/1/1983 - Carolina beat Southern California 38-14 to win its first game ever against the Trojans (which is the second and last meeting of these teams).
11/10/1984 - Carolina beat Florida State 38-26 to win its ninth game of the season, remain undefeated, and move up to No. 2 in college football polls (which is the highest ranking ever achieved by the Gamecock football program).
11/21/1987 - Carolina beat Clemson 20-7 to win on national television with the highest combined rankings of the two programs entering the game (the Gamecocks were No. 12 and the Tigers were No. 8).
10/31/1992 - Carolina beat Tennessee 24-23 to win its first game ever against the Volunteers.
10/7/1995 - Carolina beat Kent 77-14 to set a team record for most points scored in a game against any opponent.
9/9/2000 - Carolina beat Georgia 21-10 to snap an 18-game losing streak in the SEC.
9/29/2001 - Carolina beat Alabama 37-36 to win its first game ever against the Crimson Tide.
11/12/2005 - Carolina beat Florida 30-22 to win its first game against the Gators since joining the SEC.

Many prominent college football teams have played at Williams-Brice Stadium but have not won at the stadium, including Southern California, Georgia Tech, Kansas State, among many others.

Banners inside Williams-Brice Stadium honor Gamecock greats, including the 1969 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship, 1980 Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers, 1984 National Coach of the Year Joe Morrison, and 1986-87 All-American Sterling Sharpe.

In 1987, Pope John Paul II, during a Papal visit to Columbia, spoke in front of 60,000 people at the stadium. ^[2]

On September 23, 1992, Irish rock band U2 performed at Williams-Brice Stadium on the third leg of their Zoo TV Tour. ^[3]

In 1993, the stadium was the setting for The Program, a college football movie starring James Caan, Halle Berry, Omar Epps, Craig Sheffer, and Kristy Swanson.

In 1995, the Carolina Panthers of the NFL proposed Williams-Brice Stadium as their original home while their permanent stadium was under construction in Charlotte, North Carolina. However, athletic director Mike McGee nixed the idea when he noted that the Gamecocks should be the only major football team in town. Despite the overwhelmingly negative public reaction to his comments, McGee maintained that he was acting in the best interest of the Gamecocks.

Over the last 10 years, nearly $30 million of renovations and improvements have taken place at Williams-Brice Stadium, bringing the official capacity to 80,250. The addition of the upper deck in the south end zone includes "The Zone," which is an 11,000-square foot banquet facility with a great view of the field. The box seats, executive suites, and athletic training facilities at the stadium have also been upgraded and are among the best in college football.

Williams-Brice Stadium was sold out prior to the start of each of the last six college football seasons and consistently ranks in the top 20 in average attendance and the top 10 in total attendance. For the 2005 season, the stadium was 16th in average attendance and 7th in total attendance. ^[4]

On November 17, 2001, the stadium's single game attendance record was set when 85,000 fans watched the Gamecocks beat Clemson by the score of 20-15.

Williams-Brice Stadium is considered one of the loudest venues in the country. During a game against Florida in 2001, ESPN announcers indicated that they had to shout to hear each other's comments. On EA Sports NCAA Football 07 game, Williams-Brice was recognized as the country's 23rd loudest stadium.

ESPN's GameDay crew has broadcast its show from the State Fairgrounds across the street from the stadium. ESPN also used a photo of the stadium in its advertising to promote its GameDay show throughout the 2005 college football season.

[edit] Traditions

Popular gameday traditions include:

The playing of the theme from 2001: A Space Odyssey as the Gamecocks run onto the field at the start of every game, which The Sporting News called "the best entry" in college football.
Nationally recognized mascot, Cocky, roaming around the stadium throughout games with his trademark spirit and attitude. Cocky's "Magic Box" entrance at Williams-Brice Stadium is one of the many things that Cocky does to fire up the fans. Cocky won the UCA (Universal Cheerleading Association) Mascot Championship in 1986 and 1994. ^[5] Cocky was also selected as the Capital One National Mascot of the Year for 2003. ^[6]
Fans joining in on many cheers and chants, including the popular "GAME" (shouted by one side of the stadium) and then "COCKS" (shouted by the other side).
Fans singing and dancing to "Go Carolina," "USC Fight Song," various renditions of "2001," and many other songs played by The University of South Carolina Marching Band. As one of the most well known college bands in the country, the 300 member band, "The Mighty Sound of the Southeast" continually performs fun and exciting music featuring exceptional guard, percussion, and dance units.
The "rooster crow" over the loudspeakers when the Gamecocks score.
Tailgating is a favorite pastime for fans attending games at Williams-Brice, and many tailgaters consider pre-games at the stadium as one of the best atmospheres in the nation. The grounds around the stadium, including the State Fairgrounds and State Farmers Market, provide plenty of real estate for tailgating. Many clubs have also bought private property in the area and erected tailgating shelters. In 1990, a unique form of tailgating called the Cockaboose Railroad arrived in Columbia. Twenty-two immovable cabooses line an unused railroad track outside of the south side of the stadium, and each Cockaboose caters to the serious Gamecock tailgater with amenities such as private party space and cable television.