The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 21, 1953, Page Page Nine, Image 9
1902 GAMECOCKS ... This ip
Although apparently not fully dresme
phase. This teamtt had a 3-1 recor4l
make up the team that was playing
Gamecock nniform againat Clemso
Big Th
S. C. G
By DEW JAMES
South Carolina-s number one
gridiron rivalry, and one of the
top collegiate football contests in
the nation is "Big Thursday." The
first meeting of the Tigers and
Gamecocks came on Thursday, No
vember 12, 1896, at 11 A.M.-the
early hour being set in order for
the fans to get home before night
fall. The game was inaugurated
by the Agriculture and Mechanical
Society as an added attraction to
the State Fair, and a capacity
crowd of 2,000 fans witnessed the
classic's premiere.
The Gamecocks triumphed 12-6
in the first encounter. However,
the Tigers' pace quickened and
the Gamecocks suffered four
straight defeats.
1902 Explosion
In 1902 Carolina pulled a 12-6
upset over the competent Tigers.
Following the game, Carolina fans
paraded a transparency of a game
cock clawing a bleeding tiger down
Columbia's Main Street. The inci
dent fired the tempers of the sub
dued Clemsonites, and the cadets
armed with rifles and bayonets
marched on Carolina's Sumter
Street entrance.
In the meantime, rumors of the
march had spread over the campus
and Carolina men had rounded up
shotguns, pistols, and any other
weapon at hand. The followving
conversation is recorded as having
occurred betwveen freshman J.
Rion McKissick, later U.S.C. pres
idlent and a senior:
"Mr. McKissick, are you
ar'medl?"
"I have a pistol, sir."
"How many round1(s of ammu
nition ?"
"Eight, sir.''
"Mr. McKissick, make . every
shot count."
Tfhe angeredl Clemson ranks
closed in and only the brick wvall
*
CLEMSON PRO . .. ay Matti
back, is now a memuber of the PittsLi
tion. Carolina fants will long renm
and passing. Matth9ws is now in h
tained the rank of "dangerouu" thu
one of the many past stars of the "
tomorrow at 2 P.M.
the 1902 version of the Universit
d for the game of football, they we
for the season. Th mein pictured al
when the famous riot occurred. In f
im for seven years after the fight.
ursday
'idiron
of the Gamecock campus seemed I
to bar battle. Christie Benet, 22- <
year-old assistant Carolina coach,
probably prevented bloodshed by
climbing on the wall and trying
Laval Coached
At USC from
1928 to 1935
Billy Laval, one of Carolina's
most noted coaches and one of the
"grand old men of sports," coached
the Gamecocks for seven years.
From 1928 to 1935 his teams won
39, lost 26, and tied six.
Laval beat Clemson three times
and lost four to the Tigers, de- i
feated Furman four times, lost <
two, and tied one.
In 1930 the Gamecocks won six
and lost four. Duke was walloped 1
22-0 in the second game of the
season. Georgia Tech then steppedI
over the Birds 45-0. Clemson and
Furman also beat the Gamecocks
that year..
Again, in 1931, the Gamecocks I
trounced Duke. This time 7-0. t
Again, Georgia Tech slapped the 1
Boosters to a 25-13 tune. This i
time, however, the Carolinians i
beat Clemson and Furman and fin- I
ished the season with a 5-4-1 rec
ord, the tie being with Florida.
Laval's best year with Carolina
was 1928. That year his team got
wins over Erskine, Chicago, Vir
ginia, Maryland, Presbyterian, andt
l'urman. Clemson and N. C. State
beat the Gamecocks and The Cita
(de and the Univ. of North Caro
lina tied themi. Thus, in his first
year as Carolina coach, Laval pi
bLoed his team to a 6-2-2 season.
In 1934, Laval's last year as
coach, the Gamecocks finished withI
a 5-4 record. That year Clemsont
rolled over Carolina 19-0.
mews, former Clemson College star
nrgh Steelers pro football organiza
ber him for his dangerous running
ls third year as a pro and has at
oughout his conference. He is just
Big Thursay" classic which begin.
v of South Carolima Canecocks.
re a(leqlujitely prepared ii every
ove, handsome as.4 they ma111y Seem,
act th Was tile last team to don a
Is Top
Rivalr
o reason with the cadets. Reason
lidn't work. Benet then offered to
ettle the issue by personally
ighting any man selected from the
Ilemson ranks. This plan brought
io favorable response and Benet
)roposed that a committee he se
ected from each side to meet and
krbitrate the issue.
This plan was successful and the
,omplete transparency was burned
imid shouts from both camps.
The two teams didn't meet again
intil seven years later in 1909.
since the 1902 "treaty," the rivalry
ias been keen, but not to the ex
.reme of that memorable year.
Hot Tickets
In 1946 a group of racketeers
noved in Columbia with hundreds
>f carefully diuplicated Carolina
Alemson tickets. Suspicion was
roused when the counterfeiters
>egan to sell the "hot tickets."
'olumbia police made a rrests,
ialting the counterfeiters, but not
>efore several people had been
'stuck."
On "Big Thursday," a crowd of
)evildered People gathered at the
rates, many of them unaware that
hey held hogus tickets. The gate
nen denied them entranco, but the
nmetuous fans would not be held
>ack. Gate-crashing was the ulti
nate result, and the impatient
'rowd flowed into the stadium and
etually onto the playing field.
)ften the game had to be delayed
o allow officials to move s.pecta
ors off the field.
'The "Teacup"
The Blue Key National Honorary
"raternity's chapters from the two
c'hools iitiatedl the "teacup"
resentation in 1948. Each year
he victor gains custody of the
oving cup for a year, or until the
eam is dlefeated. 'The Tigers cap
ur'ed the cup the first year of its
xistence. T1he next year, in 1949,
he G;amecocks rallied andl have
emained undefeated and custo
lian of the cup since.
The overall record of wins and
lefea ts for' "Hiug Thursday'' is
'lemison 29; (Carol ina 18; and
here were three ties.
Virginia Is
MVember of
AC League
WVit h the addlit ion of the UnJai
'ers it y of Vi rgi nia Saturday, the
t tlant ic (Coast ('on ference swelled
0 ani eight - membehr uinit. Virginia
ans been i ndependien t since she
('reeded'E from the Sont herin Con
(erence in the early thirties.
At. its last meeting the Atlantic
joast members deCte'rmined' to
perate as a seven-team con ference
mt il May. 195.1. Thliis p)revents
/irgi nia from figuiing in the foot -
>all champ)ionship of this year.
'The question of her possible
articipat ion in the c'onference
>asketball, baseball, anad other
ninor sports tourname'nts will be
lependent upon action b)y the con
erence at its next meeting, Dec. 4
it Sedgefield Inn in Greensboro,
4I. C.," stated Dr. J. T. Penney,
>resident of the Atlantic Coast
lonference.
The prime purpone of the new
5 Native Birds
In Carolina's
Starting Team
Home state representation on
the Carolina and Clemson teams
for the 1953 season is compara
tively high. In fact, the number
tf men naming South Carolina as
heir place of origination is exactly
even on each of the teams.
Clemson's roster finds them with
31 native Carolinians and 19 out
of-state men while the Ganecock
ro"ter portray's 31 men from out
of state and 23 from the surround
ing territories.
The' starting lineups have been
tentatively received by the Game
cock, the Tigers have eight reg
ulars from South Carolina and the
remaining bhree from Georgia.
The Carolina men have five start
ers from Sout i Carolina and the
remaining six from Georgia, New
Jersey, Pennsylvania, and North
Carolina.
The Gamecock'r '53 team is rep
resented by 10 states. These states
are New York, Massachusetts,
Nort.h Carolina, South Carolina,
New Jersey, West Virginia, Flor
ida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and
Michigan.
The '53 edition of the Clemson
Tigers football team is represented
by six states and there is one
player from Canada. These states
and South Carolina, Georgia,
Pennsylvania, New York, New
Jersey, and Tennessee.
unit is to play up the minor sports
as well as football. All members
now field teams in football, basket
ball, golf, and tennis. Wake
Forest and Maryland will add
swimming teams by 1954 and
Clemson, South Carolina, and
Wake Forest will promote wres
tling teams as soon as possible.
Track is participated in by seven
members with Wake Forest plan
ning to field one by 1954. La
crosse, while not a must, may
eventually be employed as a win
ter sport. If started at all, La
crosse, now played at Duke,
North Carolina, and Maryland,
will probably grow out of an
intramural sport.
ID
F(
We ci
Aiway
1909 GAMECOCKS . The 1909 <
against Chemsin after the %evere riot
relations with the Tigers frou far in
Comu1Iitionl not to have to %ibstitute an
Dream rFeam
Lists ligers
Past Greats
The Clemson athletic association
has revealed some "Tiger Facts"
to the effect that they have picked
an All-Clemson team dating from
1931 to 1953.
The following team was selected
as the dream team by the men
from the hills with the years
played following the name.
LE-Glenn Smith, 1949-50-51
LT-George Fritts, 1939-40-41
LG-Frank Gillespie, 1946-47-48
C-Charlie Woods. 1936-37-38
RG-Ray Clanton, 1945-46-47-48
RT-Phil Prince, 1944-46-47-48
RE-JMe Blalock. 19:39-40-41
BB-"Red" Pearson, 1936-37-38
W13-Ray Mathews. 1947-48-49
50.
TB-Banks McFadden, 19.17-38
39.
FB-Fred Cone, 1948-49-50.
Some members of tomorrow's
audienee might not remember all
of the men on this All-Clemson
team, but, the imes of Glenn
Smith, Ray Mathews. Fred Cone.
and Frank Gillespie stand out as
later day stars.
avisolas
OF DIXIE
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Vanity Fair
(inider'ella
Carter'I
Hai
ditiont of the Caroliia Gamecocks. was the first team to take the field
in 1902. Pictured above is this team that renewed their friendly(?)
the hills. These 14-man siads must have been in fair physical
more than the were obvidously capable of doing.
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