The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 21, 2005, Page B7, Image 17
Gamecock Greats -
A
(Ilex Riley
ASSISTANT SPORTS EDITOR
“They were paying me,” Alex
Hawkins said with a laugh.
If there ever was a man to
give a straightforward,
unsugarcoated answer, it is Alex
Hawkins. During his heyday,
Hawkins was the epitome of a
“colorful” player. He was
touted as a player who was his
own coach’s nightmare Monday
through Friday and the
opposing team’s coach’s
nightmare Saturday. So when
asked why he came from South
Charleston High in West
Virginia to play for the
Gamecock football squad, he
held no punches as to his real
motives.
“No, that is the truth,”
Hawkins said. “I had a guy
from Kentucky offer me a farm
if I would go there. I wasn’t a
really good farmer. I never even
asked him how big of a farm or
what kind or anything. Every
school that recruited me had
some kind of financial offer.”
Even with promises ranging
from tuition aid to livestock,
Hawkins came to Carolina set
to play for then-coach Rex
Enright. But because or his
failing health, Enright resigned
before Hawkins was promoted
from the freshman team to the
varsity squad, and new coach
Warren Giese ran a much
different ship.
“There were 51 players who
were getting paid more than
your average scholarship,”
Hawkins said. “Giese canceled
everything. I was supposed to
get a car my second year and
whatnot. It was $1,500 a
semester, and then clothes and
trips home. He came in and
said ‘That’s it, no more payoffs.
Anybody that doesn’t like it,
submit three teams that you’d
like me to recommend you to.’
So I said Kentucky and some
other schools that had offered
me some money. It never
dawned on me he wouldn’t call
any of them.”
Not leaving Columbia might
have been one of the best moves
in USC football history, as the
teams from 1956 to 1958
posted a 19-11 overall record,
including two 7-3 seasons with
wins against Georgia, North
Carolina State, Duke and
Clemson.
“We had three good seasons,”
Hawkins said. “We went 7-3
our sophomore year, went 5-5
our second year, we went 7-3
again and we came one missed
ball away from going to the
Orange Bowl our senior year.
But, on that squad that Rex
Enright assembled and Giese
added on to, that was back
when there was only 12 teams
in the NFL. We had 10 athletes
play professional football for
three or more years.”
“We had some good
matchups with North Carolina
State,” Hawkins said. “We had
good, down-to-the-wire games
with them every year. And
Duke used to be a powerhouse,
and I know that’s hard to
believe now.”
There were two halves to the
success of the team — a
flamboyant Hawkins and a
much milder player named
King Dixon. Both backs starred
at USC, even though they
couldn’t have been more
different.
“King and I were
frighteningly unalike,”
Hawkins said. “I was in the
pool room when he was in the
library studying. I was in the
beer joints; he was in church
and going to class. You know
silly things like that. We were
just total opposites except for
when it came to the day of the
game. On the football field, we
just got along beautifully.”
After being selected as a team
captain for his senior campaign,
Hawkins guided the
Gamecocks to a 7-3 finish and
almost a spot in postseason
play. He finished his career with
1,490 yards rushing, good
enough for 21st on the all-time
USC list. His efforts didn’t go
unnoticed, as he earned the
honor of ACC Player of the
Year. Hawkins also earned spots
on the AP third-team All
America squad and Senior Bowl
team.
“I richly deserved it. I’m just
kidding,” Hawkins said,
laughing. “No, I did have a
good senior year. I was as good
as anybody in the conference.
Of course the conference wasn’t
as good then as it is today.”
All the accolades were
enough to earn Hawkins a
selection in the NFL draft, as
the Green Bay Packers picked
the USC standout in the
second round.
“At that time, I was the 13th
person picked in the draft, and
there were only 12 teams in
professional football,” Hawkins
said. “This was Vince
Lombardi’s first year. And he
and I got along about like oil
and water. And of course you
know who’s going to win in a
battle like that.”
The Packers traded Hawkins
to the Baltimore Colts, where he
got along a little better with his
coaches and teammates. What
Hawkins got out of that trade
was a chance at 1959 glory.
“He shipped me off to
Baltimore for the first game of
the season, and (Don) Shula
worked a nothing-for-nothing
trade to get me, as he put it,”
Hawkins said. “I walked right
into a world championship my
first year. It was a thrill. And
playing with the great athletes
that I did: Lenny More,
Raymond Berry, Jim Parker and
just hall of famer after hall of
famer. It was just a thrill to be a
part of a winning organization.
And of course, nine of the 10
years I played, I was always in
to a championship or runner
n
up.
Though he was a solid
reserve for the Colts, Hawkins
wanted to see if he could make
it in the league as a starter. The
opportunity arose when the
Adanta Falcons became the
NFL’s newest expansion team.
“I was a backup halfback,
backup fullback with the Colts;
I was a back wide receiver, both
right and left,” Hawkins said.
“My career was coming to a
close, and I wanted to be a
starter and see if I could play
because I saw teams who had
starters that I thought weren’t as
good as I was. So I asked
(Shula) to put me on the list if
they had an expansion team.
He made good on his word,
and they picked me up.”
Almost as quickly as he
arrived at the Falcons’ preseason
training, he was ready to get
out.
“I never will forget. Tt was
the second day of training
camp, we were training in
Blackville, N.C.,” Hawkins
said. “And there’s just nothing
up there. Nothing whatsoever. I
was used to being in the
nightlife and all that, and I
called Shula and said ‘You’ve
got to get me out of here.’ And
he said ‘Is it tough?’ I said ‘We
haven’t practiced yet, but I can’t
stay here for four months.’ He
said, ‘A deal’s a deal. You’re
there. Goodbye.’
Hawkins only stayed a year
in Atlanta before his pleading
with Shula landed him back in
Baltimore, where he would
finish his career beside one of
the most storied quarterbacks
in NFL history,
“John Unitas, there’s no doubt
in my mind that if he wasn’t the
best quarterback in the world, he
was certainly one of the two or
three best,” Hawkins said. “He’d
play with injuries other people
wouldn’t even dream of playing
with. He couldn’t even lace his
high-top shoes up with a
sprained ankle. He went ahead
and played and never made a
complaint or anything.”
Success kept Hawkins in the
spodight years after his playing
days were finished. He went on
to do commentary work for
Atlanta along with advertising
spots in magazines. He also
showed off his linguistic skill,
writing three books — the
first, of course, called “My
Story and I’m Sticking to It.”
Now, the man his teammates
nicknamed “The Hawk” spends
his time on the links, playing
golf whenever he can, which
tends to be pretty often. He also
attends functions with USC
and South Carolina’s halls of
fame and is a member of both.
“One of the main reasons I
came back to South Carolina
because when I left West
Virginia, the people of South
Carolina adopted me and
accepted me,” Hawkins said.
“The people of South Carolina
do not forget. They have a great
respect for age and some other
areas don’t. They have a
tremendous loyalty to old
people and damn it, I’m old.”
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@gurm.sc.edu
Photos courtesy of Mike Safran
Running back Alex Hawkins played for the NFL’s Baltimore Colts.
♦ 21st highest career rusher, finishing with
1,490 yards
♦ 1958 ACC Player of the Year and third
team All-American
♦ Played for the world champion
Baltimore Colts in 1959
Graphic illustration by Laura-Joyce Gough !THE GAMECOCK
Cocky works as No. 1 fan for USC athletics program
Juan AWTHE GAMECOCK
Cocky appears from behind a black curtain to the tune of “2001.”
i
Mascot consistently
rated among best
in United States
flliquel Jacobs
STAFF WRITER
Think ahead to Saturday
afternoon. Williams-Brice
Stadium is filled with 80,000
screaming fans, the band
creates a tunnel for the football
team on the field and “2001”
blares over the sound system.
At the exact moment that the
horns pick up the intensity, the
crowd screams with a sudden
burst of energy.
But the Gamecocks haven’t
run onto the field yet.
Instead, THE Gamecock is
presented to the crowd. His
name is Cocky.
“I’m the heart and soul of the
Gamecocks,” the mute mascot
wrote in a statement. “I make
sure everyone in the Carolina
community is constantly
laughing when I’m around. If
they aren’t, then something isn’t
right.”
Indeed, Cocky is the face of
Carolina athletics, entertaining
men, women and children as
»
the leader of the Carolina Spirit
Team. His presence on the
sidelines can’t be missed, and
for his part, he enjoys the
attention.
“Women love me and men
want to be me!” Cocky said.
Considering he has been
named to the Capital One All
America Mascot Team for
three consecutive years, it
would be safe to say that other
mascots want to be like him.
The Gamecock’s
responsibilities include
showing good sportsmanship
and supporting the football
team as the No. 1 fan, never
missing a home or away
contest.
His dedication to the
program is what led to his
selection to the Mascot Team.
“The best mascots have to
show that they are funny, a
good ambassador to the team,
they are involved in the
community and to show some
serious skills,” Cocky said. “I
have mad skills. I’ve made it
three years in a row. Crow
about that!”
A panel of judges from
ESPN, Capital One
representatives and the mascot
community select 12 mascots
each year as All-Americans.
Being selected for the team
earns $5,000 for USC’s spirit
program, while winning the
vote as National Mascot of the
Year earns an extra $5,000 for
the mascot.
In the programs three-year
history, Cocky has made a
strong showing in the votes
each time, taking home top
honors in 2003 ahead of the
likes of Georgia’s Hairy Dawg,
Tennessee’s Smoky and Florida’s
Albert. However, after Monte
the Grizzly from the University
of Montana won the award in
2002 and 2004, Cocky has
asked for the help of all
Gamecock fans to vote at
www.capitalonebowl.com and
help him take home the prize
again.
With a schedule that
includes leading cheers at
football games, break-dancing
for the student section,
conducting the band when it
plays “Cocky’s 2001” in the
stands and doing things as crazy
as “running into walls just to
get a laugh,” the bird is also
hard at work before and after
games.
“(Before the games), I get up
and eat a big plate of steak or
BBQ ... NO CHICKEN!”
Cocky said. “I wash it down
*
with some red Gatorade and
head to the stadium. I greet the
fans that tailgate and get them
excited so that our Gamecocks
know we’re behind them. I visit
the president and his guests,
too. Then I meditate and
vanish until the curtain is
dropped to the magical theme
of‘2001.’”
And as for his in-game
responsibilities: “Well, watch
me and you’ll see what I do!
Next question!”
Fans and judges alike have
been watching Cocky since
1980, and the bird doesn’t
intend to stop entertaining
anytime soon. His next
appearance will be at the
Homecoming parade before
cheering the Gamecocks to
victory against Vanderbilt. As a
parting note, he is also quick to
show that not only is he the
football team’s No. 1 fan, but
he is also his own.
Comments on this story? E-mail
gamecocksports@gurm.sc.edu
*