A History of College Football in South Carolina: Glory on the Gridiron (Regional Histories)

The Medicos, the Purple Hurricane, the Seceders- all South Carolina football mascots that long ago drifted into history. From as early as 1889, college football began to take hold of South Carolina. The fans of the state's first intercollegiate game could hardly have foreseen how it would steadily grow from a competition between amateurs into tightly organized teams with well-paid coaches and demanding alumni, all with a passionate desire to win. This volume goes beyond Clemson and Carolina to trace the history of college teams from all over the state, including Wofford, Furman, SC State, Presbyterian College, Erskine, Claflin, The Citadel, MUSC, the College of Charleston, Newberry College, Benedict College and Allen University. Join museum curator Fritz Hamer and longtime South Carolina high school football coach John Daye as they celebrate the state's most notable coaches, players and rivalries, as well as the many unsung heroes who have helped to make the sport a statewide obsession.

Fritz Hamer holds a PhD in history from University of South Carolina and is the chief curator of history at the South Carolina State Museum. He edited Forward Together: South Carolinians in the Great War and authored Charleston Reborn: A Southern City, its Navy Yard and World War II, both titles also from The History Press. He holds a PhD in History from University of South Carolina. He recently curated an exhibit on the history of South Carolina Football at the State Museum.
John Daye is a retired high school football coach who has coached championship high school teams in Columbia, Irmo, Hartsville, Orangeburg and Cayce. He is a devoted follower of South Carolina football history and offers a wealth of knowledge of the sport's past.