What school has the most bowl losses before its first bowl win
- Thread starter sclawman77
- Start date
I still shop at carquest to this day🤣🤣🤣
Weirdest part of the fact that it took us so long to win a bowl game is that the coach to finally do it also happens to be arguably the worst coach we've ever had.
GandBinNC
GarnetTrust.com Member/Supporter
Interesting tidbits - Carolina played its first bowl game in the inaugural Gator Bowl vs. Wake Forest in 1946 - a loss. This was the only Gamecock squad with a losing record to be invited to a bowl, prior to the 2020 squad. It was 23 years before the second bowl game, which saw the ACC Champion Gamecocks, losing in a rainy, muddy 1969 Peach Bowl to future Carolina HC Jim Carlen and his West Virginia Mountaineers.
During the 24 seasons between 1970 and 1993, Carolina played in six additional bowl games ('75 Tangerine v Miami OH, '79 Hall of Fame v Mizzou, '80 Gator v Pitt, '84 Gator v Oklahoma St, '87 Gator v LSU, '88 Liberty v Indiana). All six resulted in losses for a combined 0-8 bowl record over half a century. Dismal.
During the 24 seasons between 1970 and 1993, Carolina played in six additional bowl games ('75 Tangerine v Miami OH, '79 Hall of Fame v Mizzou, '80 Gator v Pitt, '84 Gator v Oklahoma St, '87 Gator v LSU, '88 Liberty v Indiana). All six resulted in losses for a combined 0-8 bowl record over half a century. Dismal.
Being Independent killed us.
When anyone looks back at our program's woeful history, you just have to over-appreciate all the success that Steve Spurrier accomplished. 5 bowl victories including 4 in a row. 6 victories over Clemson including 5 in a row. Multiple wins over Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee. 2010 upset over Alabama. Despite not winning a SEC or National Championship, what Spurrier did was truly out of this world.
For those who often complain about how being in the SEC has ruined us, it is ironic that about 80% of our football program's successes, including 100% of its bowl wins ) have occurred since we joined the Conference.
Just to follow through on those interesting tidbits from the 1946 bowl team.
Who scored the first TD in Carolina bowl history? None other than Bobby Giles. Ended up coaching Olympia High to some state championships and inducted into SC Hall of Fame. One of his sons ended being a Qb for BYU and later was the golf coach at Dutch Fork when Dustin Johnson came through.
GandBinNC
GarnetTrust.com Member/Supporter
Cool. Did not know that. Another interesting tidbit about that game... South Carolina's only other touchdown (Wake won 26-14) was a 90 yard pick six by Dutch Brembs - still a Gator Bowl record. Brembs also kicked the extra points for both USC touchdowns.
The story about how USC received the invitation to the Gator Bowl despite a losing record that season was recently published by Bob Spear in The State. Rex Enright was stationed in Jacksonville serving out his military obligation. Enright lobbied the organizers of the inaugural bowl on behalf of the Gamecocks and was largely responsible for USC's bid. (Enright coached USC from 1938-42 and again from 1947-56). Coach Johnnie McMillan led that first bowl squad.
Additional trivia: Enright was also head coach of the USC basketball team for a portion of the 1942-43 season (the final 17 games after taking over for Frank Johnson). Enright had also coached basketball at the University of Georgia prior to coming to USC in the 1930s.
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