The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 21, 2005, Image 12
USC to open doors to former stars on Saturday
Homecoming brings
former Gamecocks
back to Columbia.
Tom Denning
F«R THE GAMECOCK
When the Gamecocks hit the
gridiron Saturday, there will be
an atmosphere of excitement
not usually present for the
Vanderbilt game. While the
Vandy squad has certainly
improved this year, the main
reason for the buzz will be
Homecoming.
“The Homecoming game is
always special,” said George
Rogers, the 1980 winner of the
Heisman trophy. “Even back in
high school, it was one of those
games that meant something
extra.”
Fests, paloozas and dances
aside, the unifying theme of
Homecoming weekend is a
return to the defining
experience of many peoples
lives — college.
“Some of the excitement
comes from the festivities
leading up to the game,” said
Dom Fusci, a USC football star
from the 1940s. “However, the
most amazing aspect of
Homecoming is that
throughout the week, there are
people coming to Columbia
from all over the country.”
Homecoming is a celebration
for the entire Carolina family,
but the week is built around the
football game. Started in 1930,
this will be the 74th
Homecoming celebration.
USC has a 43-29-1 record in
those games, and the
Gamecocks have won four of
the last five contests.
“I can’t remember too many
Homecoming games because
you are supposed to win your
Homecoming game,” Rogers
said. “That might not be the
case this year against
Vanderbilt.”
Rogers should have no
problem remembering this
year’s edition of Homecoming
because he will be honored at
halftime for the 25th
anniversary of his Heisman
Trophy win.
For Jeff Grantz, a star in
football and baseball i'n the
1970s and one of USC’s most
heralded quarterbacks ever, the
Homecoming game held many
great memories.
“Homecoming was good to
me,” he said. “I had 260 yards
against Miami of Ohio and had
an 85-yard kick return for a
touchdown. Another year
against Virginia, 1 had three or
four touchdowns.”
In addition to the game, the
connection among football
players comes to the forefront
during Homecoming week.
“I know players from the
‘40s like Dom (Fusci), and I
know the more recent players
like Ryan Brewer,” Grantz
said. “The players from
- different eras know each other,
and I think that coach Holtz
and coach Spurrier have
encouraged that.
“At schools like Notre Dame
and Southern Cal, there is the
idea of one family and one
team. I think that is where
tradition comes from —- the
interlocking relationships. We
are trying to establish that
here.”
Those relationships have
been built on a bond of similar
experience in the Carolina
football program. For many
players, time spent on the
Gamecock squad was extremely
inflilential.
“Playing at South Carolina
prepared me morally and
physically for the world,” Fusci
said. “Football is about getting
knocked down and getting
back up, and I learned a lot
from that.”
Friendships made at USC
were of an even greater value to
Fusci.
“I am from the North, but I
have met a lot of great Southern
people down here,” he said.
“Dan Ross, A1 Farres, Judge
Frank Epps and Bob McNair
are all friends of mine. It is
those kinds of people that have
kept me down here for 64
years.”
Gfantz went so far as to call
Carolina football and baseball
the greatest impact on his life.
“(The two sports) taught me
how to win and lose, both on
and off the* field,” he said. “I
would not change my decision
to come to USC for anything. I
have made (Columbia) my
home.”
As different generations of
players gather this weekend, the
2005 version of Carolina
football won’t be far from their
minds. Few people are more
qualified to analyze the
Gamecocks than the former
players themselves, and the
players seemed to show strong
support for USC coach Steve
Spurrier.
“We still have a chance to
make a bowl game this season,”
Rogers said. “How many games
did we win in coach Holtz’s
first season? I believe it was
zero! We are ahead of schedule,
and it can’t get anything but
better.”
Fusci shared Rogers’
enthusiasm and made a bold
statement about the future of
Gamecock football.
“Spurrier is the best coach we
could’ve gotten,” Fusci said.
“Give him a couple of years,
and we will be successful. I
think this will be the greatest
era of football in Carolina
history.”
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@gwm. sc. edu
File Photo mIE CAM ECOCK
Various festivities highlight the annual Homecoming weekend, including Saturday’s football game.
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Georgia Tech
Texas
Alabama
Auburn
S. Cal
Ole Miss
Missouri
Virginia
Iowa
USC, 48-14
Miami
Texas
Alabama
LSU
S. Cal
Ole Miss
Nebraska
Virginia
Iowa
USC, 37-14
Miami
Texas
Alabama
Auburn
S. Cal
-i
Kentucky
Missouri
Virginia
Michigan
USC, 28-21
Miami
Texas
Alabama
LSU
S. Cal
Ole Miss
Nebraska
Virginia
Michigan
USC, 24-14
Miami
Texas
Tennessee
LSU
S. Cal
Ole Miss
Missouri
Virginia
Iowa
USC, 31-7
Miami (
Texas
Tennessee
LSU
S. Cal
Ole Miss
Missouri
Virginia
Michigan ■
USC, 28-24
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