The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, September 06, 2000, Image 1
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Celebration time!
Stories by Brock Vergakis
Sean Rayford The Gamecock
A spirited Gamecock fan struggles his way to the top spot on the toppled goalpost in front of the student section. Read about the
the football team’s win in the sports section of The Gamecock.
■ Gamecock victory leads
to toppling of goalposts,
destruction of hedges
For thousands of students, the wait is finally over.
USC has won its first football game in nearly two years
by defeating New Mexico State 31-0 in front of more
than 80,000 fans at Williams-Brice Stadium Saturday
night.
.0^ For Gamecock fans, it provided the opportunity to
do something that had been on their minds since the
end of last year’s winless season- tear down the goal
posts in celebration of snapping the longest losing streak
in the nation.
With four minutes remaining in the game, students
began amassing behind the fence near the south end
zone goalposts, waiting for their opportunity to hop
over at the game’s end.
As the clock ticked down, the chant of "Goalposts!"
echoed throughout the student section, becoming loud
er and louder until it was interrupted by a hailstorm of
boos when a voice came over the public address sys
tem reminding fans lliey were not allowed onto the Geld
alter llie game. The only time during die game Utis many
boos were heard was when the new spirit song was in
troduced.
However, the anticipation of tearing down the posts
was too much and, with 36 seconds remaining in the
game, one fan jumped over the fence and hundreds fol
lowed, scurrying up the goalposts as quickly as they
could while USC Head Coach Lou Holtz yelled at them
to get ofT of the field.
Assistant Athletics Director Kerry Tharp said it
would’ve been possible for the game officials to call an
unsportsmanlike conduct penaky on USC for the dis
ruption, but they decided not to.
"The officials certainly took control of the situa
tion and got the fans back in the stands," Tharp said.
The referees had the assistance of a score of po
lice officers who arrested two men and ushered others
back into the stands.
Once the fans were back in the stands and the game
officially ended, there was no stopping the thousands
who poured onto the field. After the game Holtz ex
pressed his disappointment in the students going after
the goalposts too early.
"Our students don’t understand football as well as
1 thought they did," Holtz said. "1 thought they knew
it was a 60-minule game."
While Holtz was reserved about the win and the
on-field celebration, his players were right in the thick
of the celebration.
Nose guard Cleveland Pinkney ran onto the mid
dle of the field to celebrate will) fans.
"This feels real good. 1 was too tired to jump on the
goalposts, but I just jumped around with my teammates
and the fans to enjoy the moment," Pinkney said. "I
wish they hadn’t come out early like they did, but it
was good to see the excitement."
The excitement was everywhere.
Students ran onto the field high-fiving, screaming,
and jumping up and down in celebration on top of the
goalposts until the posts fell. Even though the fans
reached the goalposts oy the student section first, the
ones across the field fell quicker. Those who couldn’t
get their hands on the goalposts headed for anotlier sou
venir, the hedges lining the field.
The hedges by the student section were complete
ly ripped up as students held them liigh in the air almost
in spontaneous unison as lire band played "Celebration."
Others decided to take a piece of the field home
with them, and began digging up the endz.one and'the
Gamecock on the fiftf yard line as their memento from
USC’s first victory in nearly two years.
While the hedges will have to be replaced, Tharp
said lire field fared well through tire melee that followed
the game. However, Tharp said he hopes victories
will become commonplace and students won’t react
the same way after each game.
But wide receiver James Adkisson has a different
idea than Tharp.
"1 can’t wait until next week," he said. "The cops
won’t be able to do anything to stop them next time,
even if there is time on the clock."
■ Goalposts marched around
campus and Five Points as students
take a piece of history with them
On Saturday night, yellow pieces of aluminum became a highly valuable
commodity as students did everything they possibly could to touch the goal
posts as they were paraded around the stadium. A mass of people crowded
onto the field, pushing, shoving and stepping on others just to get a touch of
the “sacred” posts. During the initial rush after the game, several people
were trampled, and one suffered a broken leg.
The first football player on the scene trying to gel a touch of the goal
post was wide receiver Brian Scott. He was joined by thousands of stu
dents slapping him on his helmet, cheering, and doing everything imagin
able to gel a rare ride on the goalposts around Williams-Brice Stadium.
The night-long celebration lasted into the early hours of the morning
Sunday as each student came up with their own way of celebrating. Some
went back and partied in the dorms, while some went to Five Points. At the
Village Idiot in Five Points, highlights oflhe USC game were shown on ES
PN’s Sportscenter as the crowd cheered at the top of their lungs. When
the final score and the pandemonium on the field was shown, the joyful cries
of “Go Cocks!” rang out as the bartender played “2001.”
The final location of the goalposts was one of the most popular topics
of class discussion Tuesday. Many students pulled out pieces of the field and
the hedges they had took with them to prove to their classmates they were
there for the celebration. Even more students claimed they were one of the
ones who tore down the goalposts, even though no more than 20 people
were spotted on top of them helping tear them down. Hundreds, however,
did get the opportunity to march, with them.
Assistant Athletics Director Kerry Tharp said he wasn’t aware of any
plans the university might have in trying to seek out and press charges against
those who ended up with the goalposts, or in finding the goalposts and
confiscating them.
"I haven't heard we were. What we’re more interested in is the Geor
gia game,” Tharp said.
First year student J. Phillips was one of the fans who marched a piece
Goalposts see page 2
I —-—---;- ■
* Governor convenes domestic violence task force
By Kristin von Karowsky
The Gamecock
Willi South Carolina ranking third in the nation for deaths
of women at the hands of their abusers, Gov. Jim Hodges on
Aug. 24 announced the creation of the Governor's Task Force
on Domestic Violence in an effort to battle the problem.
"In my Stale of the Stale address, I said that we needed
to intensify our effort .igainst domestic violence," Hodges
said. "This Task Force will develop a uniform, coordinated
system that will prevent domestic violence and improve the
^ quality of life for all South Carolinians."
According to a 1999 study by the Department of Pub
lic Safety, approximately 1 million incidents of domestic vi
olence were reported to South Carolina law enforcement
over a three-year period.
One change the Task Force will bring about is that "do
mestic violence" will be defined in the larger sense of the
term, rather than applying to abused women only, said Malis
sa Burnette, a Columbia attorney appointed by Hodges to
chair the Task Force.
"We will be looking at the broad view of domestic vio
lence, which includes household members such as children,
the elderly, and women as well as men," Bumette said.
The Task Force will make recommendations encourag
ing public-private partnerships to raise awareness of and pre
vent domestic violence, as well as facilitate the develop
ment of local domestic violence coordinating councils.
The recommendations will also strive to improve coor
dination, communication and funding among existing do
mestic violence initiatives and utilize relevant data, evidence
and best practices to strengthen community response efforts.
Bumette said that she hopes the recommendations, which
must be submitted to the governor no later than Dec. 1,
"will help educate the public to recognize victims of do
mestic violence so they can respond."
She explained that churches, schools, social organiza
tions, hospitals, and staffs in doctors' offices need to be
able to recognize the signs of domestic violence and respond
appropriately. This includes training staff members to in
quire into the nature of the potential victim's injuries while
the perpetrator is not present to avoid intimidation and gel
to the truth.
Linda Davis, Assistant to the Executive Director of Sis
ter Care, an emergency shelter service, said that 4,947 calls
were receivetWon their crisis line last year, representing a
14% increase over 1998.
She also said conflict resolution should be taught in
schools to help deter violence, beginning in pre-kindcigarten.
Victims of domestic or dating violence are encouraged
to call Sister Care's 24-hour Crisis Line at 765-9428.
. ^ _ _ i
Common characteristics and signs ol men who natter
• Has low self-esteem.
• Believes all the myths about battering relationships (battered women deserve to get beaten; battered women
are masochistic; batterers wiil cease thetr violence “when we get married," etc.)
• Displays cruelty towards animals.
• Blames the victim and others for his actions, which he believes are justified.
• Is pathologically jealous.
• Has severe stress reactions during which he uses alcohol/drugs and battering to cope.
• Presents dual personalities at times.
• Frequently uses sex as an act of aggression to enhance self-esteem in view of waning virility.
• Does not believe his violent behavior should have negative consequences.
• Views his partner as lus "property" or possession.
$w*ce Suras Owe or Coivmbui hwhwmwi wo SAM MttMCS ?_ ,
Weather Inside Datebook Online Poll
Today
72
68
Tomorrow
81
4
66
Read
about
USC’s
^ victory
I Page 12
Wednesday
Volunteer Fair, RH Patio
The Improv Asylum
Comedy Club, 8 p.m.
Epsilon Sigma Alpha ser
vice sorority recruitment
Thursday
Student Organization
renewal and treasurer’s
workshop
Epsilon Sigma Alpha Ser
vice Sorority Recruitment
Can USC beat Georgia
this weekend?
Vote online at wwjv.gamecock.sc.edu.
Results will be pub-ished each Friday.