The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, November 20, 1996, Page 9, Image 9
'Voice ol
ACHIM HUNT Sports Editor
"Wait Til Next Year"
This man has heard and also spoken
this phrase over and over throughout
his storied 43-year career as the "Voice
of the Gamecocks." This man is Bob
Fulton, born in Philadelphia, who has
become synonymous with Gamecock
history in much the same way as Tom
Price and Black Magic are.
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years here at South Carolina because,
in his 43rd and final season of Carolina
football, they finally won the bowl game
that had eluded this program for 102
years.
"The Carquest Bowl win was a big
event for me and for the Carolina family,"
Fulton said in a recent interview. "As
for as me, it enabled me to come out with
more wins than loses in my years here.
It was also the first bowl win for Carolina
in 102 years."
Fulton was lured to Columbia to do
Columbia Reds baseball games for WNOK
radio in 1952. Prior to coming to
Columbia, he did the Mutual Baseball
Game of the Week and also did Arkansas
Razorback radio broadcasts.
"I came to Columbia in 1952 to do
baseball for the Columbia Reds of the
South Atlantic League," Fulton said. "I
had not planned to return to Columbia
in the fall, but WNOK liked my work
and requested that I stay and do Carolina
Fulton puts <
ACHIM HUNT Sports Editor
Bob Fulton, "the Voice of the Garnet
recently released a new book entitled Hi
This Is Bob Fulton.
The book reflects on the 43 years of b:
that Fulton logged as "the Voice of the G
The book affords a behind-the-scenes 1(
of the seasons that Fulton broadcas
basketball, baseball and soccer.
The book also profiles some of the ct
Fulton has known, such as Paul Diet
McGuire and Brad Scott.
Fulton also includes several short
unusual happenings that he has incu
years of broadcasting and traveling v
Carolina's athletic teams.
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football and basketball. I had moved a
around so much that my wife and I F
decided that it was time to settle down." r<
And stay around he did. s<
Throughout the years that Fulton
called Carolina football and basketball a
games, he worked for and befriended c<
several coaches that have special historical fc
significance for Carolina athletics, w
Perhaps none more so than legendary a
basketball coach Frank McGuire, of
whom the basketball arena is named c<
after. Ii
"I met McGuire when he was coach p
at UNC," Fulton said. "We immediately a
struck up a good relationship because I w
was from Philadelphia and he from New oi
York. si
"The first day after he accepted the bi
job, he called me and we had a lengthy li
conversation. From that point on we
were friends for 16 years while he was k
coaching, and 14 years after he stopped." J<
McGuire and Fulton had a good w
relationship when he was actively bi
coaching here because they worked
together to keep Carolina at an all-time n:
high as far as having basketball fever. k<
They were not only co-workers, but they ai
were also best friends. tl
"We always traveled to the games hi
together, and we always stayed in the si
same suites together," Fulton said. "That G
way we could communicate anything
that would help each other out." cc
Fulton also wrote a book last vear ai
Gamecock at!
Don Barton, a former Spor
at USC, helped Fulton co-wi
:ocks," has Barton has authored seven
Everybody! including last year's release c
coaching great Frank McGu:
roadcasting If your blood runs game
ramecocks." trip down memory lane is foi
)ok at each If you want to leam abou
t football, an insider's perspective, the
See what has kept this p:
laches that years, and leam about some i
zel, Frank have become synonymous wi
For example, in this book
; stories of idea it was to play 2001 befoi
rred in his team runs onto the field, or
vith South when Cocky got too close to i
If you are having a hard
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ecocKS
bout the life and coaching career of
rank McGuire. He did it for several
sasons, but he wanted to have some
irt of tribute for his long-time comrade.
"In 1994,1 decided that I would do
videotape," Fulton said. "We would get
caches like Dean Smith and Coach's
irmer players to be on the tape. Before
re could start this, McGuire had a stroke
nd the video was out of the question.
"However, several months later I
jntacted Don Barton, former Sports
^formation Director at USC, and a
erson who had written several books
bout Carolina before. We decided to
rite the history of Frank McGuire. My
ily regret is that he died before he could
re the book. I always said that if no
ookwas done on McGuire, it would be
ke burning down a library."
Another coach that Fulton got to
now very well was the 'man in black',
re Morrison. Fulton said that Morrison
as always a loner who wanted to get
ack to pro football someday.
"Morrison was never anything but
ice to me," Fulton said. "He liked to
rep to his own little group of friends,
ad I certainly was not one of them. I
link that he missed the pros because
3 did not like the extras of college football,
ich as recruiting and going to the
i m i i M
amecocK uiud meetings.
Fulton certainly respected him as a
>ach who had a great amount of success
; Carolina.
lletic memc
ts Information Director up, then yoi
ite the book. football sea;
al books about Carolina, ^ Carolina'
>n the life of basketball Learn w
ire.
t and black, then this found out ?
r y0U Newton ne1
t Carolina sports from Fulton
n this book is for you. occurrence!
rogram going over the in his book,
interesting events that ^
ith Carolina. i ?
or can be o
you can find out who s ... ___
e the Carolina football c " ?
learn what happened Then do
i Memphis duck pond, the Fulton h
day and need to cheer House Book
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JoPjCa Wednesday, November 20, 19!
recalls Ca
"Joe's record speaks for itself," Fulton the
said. "He led the Gamecocks to their
best record ever in 1984, and he was a way
finp mnfiva+nr " nf rf
Since Bob Fulton First arrived in at t]
Columbia, he has seen many things
change, not the least of which is the a ni
football stadium. When he arrived here, hon
it seated 30,000 and they could not sell said
it out, now i'; seats 82,000 and most of at C
the games are either sell-outs or very that
close to it.
Fulton has also been a witness to field
more than 40 editions of the Carolina- mar
Clemson rivalry. He saw the "Big Fra
Thursday" tradition end in 1959 when dow
Clemson coach Frank Howard did not line
like having to play in Columbia every told
year. According to Fulton, when the 1
"Big Thursday' rivalry ended, so did his
much of the spark that the game aske
involved. n T1
"After the rivalry was on a home and me i
home basis, it just seemed to lose some n T
of the intensity it had enjoyed as a "Big Cha
Thursday' game," Fulton said. I also n T1
thought that after 1975, when Carolina new
defeated Clemson in Columbia 56-20, n In
and really poured it on, throwing of Fi
touchdowns in the last seconds of the 1
game, that the Clemson people decided pinp
that it would never happen again. If you his;
check the series since that year, Clemson n T1
has completely dominated it. lost
"However, this year, with so much sho\
hanging on the outcome of this game, n T1
>irs in book
s
a can read about Carolina's historic 1984
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son, or the 1971 ACC Championship won
s last year in that basketball conference. s
'hy George Felton was fired and how he
ibout it.Then read on to see why Steve ^
yer had a chance to succeed,
was close to the action in all of these j.
s, and he tells all about what happened * (
t
k is available ^t all campus bookstores,
rdered directly fr om the publishers by
-0870. Kt
not forget to get your book signed by i
imself on Friday, Nov. 22 at the Russell
store from 1 to 3 p.m. *
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36
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rivalry should be at a fever pitch." c
Hie most intriguing thing about the c
that Fulton retired was the number \
;remonies that he was honored with
tie end of the 1994 football season.
When I retired, Carolina gave me
ce reception at halftime of my final
le game against Tennessee," Fulton
.. "Following that, at my final game
Jlemson, the Tigers gave me a day
; I will never forget.
They had told me I would go to the
1 with Jim Phillips, the Tigers' radio
i, and we were going to honor Coach
nk Howard. After I made my way
n there, I saw my wile at the oU-yard
. I knew then that Phillips had not ^
me the truth."
Fulton has lots of great memories of (
days as a broadcaster,- but when y
sd to highlight a few of them he chose:
le banquet that the University gave' y
and my wife when we left in 1994.
he 197 1 ACC Basketball v
mpionship won by Frank McGuire. ^
le Carquest Bowl win in 1994 under
head coach Brad Scott r
1990 being inducted into S.C. Hall v
ame, t
\nd, not surprisingly, he could also ^
oint quite a few of the lowlights that
years at Carolina had produced,
le fact that nine different times he
the football or basketball coaches ^
v. r
he fact that he worked with ten "
Lady Gamecoc
academic accoi
Staff Reports Proving
she can get it done both in
he classroom and on the volleyball
ourt, USC junior outside hitter Shani
ibshier was named to the District 3
ITE Academic Ail-American Volleyball
earn Tuesday.
Abshier, the only student-athlete
tamed to the first team from the
Southeastern Conference, will now be
tominated for national Academic AllAmerican
honors.
Abshier, a member of the Honors
College, carries 3.918 as a double major
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9
emories
liferent football coaches, nine basketball
10 ^? ? i
/uawica, JLU auiicut uu cvi/Ui a, oiiu eigne
Jniversity presidents.
Even though the programs at USC
lave been through a lot of changes over
he years, Fulton feels that finally the
jamecocks are in the right direction
hey have been looking for for so many
'ears.
This program has come a long way,"
rulton said. "I think that the coaching
las improved immeasurably thanks to
dike McGee. I see a huge improvement
n public relations with coaches like Brad
Jcott, Eddie Fogler and others.
This is the one area that I thought
Carolina had serious problems over the
ears."
Fulton was asked to sum up what
le has learned the most in his 43 years
working with the University of South
Carolina. Fulton responded by saying,
Through 43 years, I can say that the
nosi important ining is tne reiauonsmp
nth the fans. So many of them tell me
hey remember me not for broadcasting
or 43 years, but because I became a
aember of their family."
He also had to learn patience and
lard work in all of his years here, and
tiore than anything he had to learn to
Wait Til Next Year."
k honored for
mplishments
History and Art History.
A native of Tucson, Arizona, she is
a two-time member of the All-SEC
Academic Honor Roll. Abshier is second
in the SEC in digs this year. She is also
very involved in the community.
"It's a real honor to be named to
the first team," Abshier said. Twork
real hard in the classroom, and I guess
this award is proof of this."
To be eligible, one must be a starter
or a key reserve with at least a 3.20
GPA, and must have reached a
sophomore athletic and academic
standing.
k, who will? Do whatever it takes.
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