'Chicken Curse' continues to plague Gamecocks
By: Roy Welsh
Issue date: 1/27/06 Section: sports
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Media Credit: Clemson Library Archives
PITCHFORK BEN: Speculation as to the origin of the Curse tends to focus on former South Carolina Senator Ben Tillman.
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Since the University of South Carolina was established in 1801, one of the legacies of the school has been failure on the fields of athletic competition. The schools' most three popular sports, football, baseball and men's basketball, have given Gamecock fans a total of five conference championships on the field and on the court. The Gamecocks' lone conference championship in football, an ACC crown from 1969, was later forfeited due to the fact that Carolina had fielded a team with ineligible players.
There are a number of reasons and excuses frequently given for Carolina's shortcomings on the field, with the "the Chicken Curse" being the most famous. While one who is unfamiliar with sports in the Palmetto State might initially scoff at such a superstition, many believe that some sort of dark cloud hangs over fields of competition in Columbia.
The most common legend concerning the origin of the Chicken Curse centers on Ben Tillman, a former South Carolina Senator and an instrumental figure in the establishment of Clemson University. Legend has it that after the South Carolina State Legislature made its initial effort to prevent Clemson's existence, Tillman slammed a pitchfork into the ground on campus at Carolina, declaring the University to be cursed. Whether the Curse was then born or not is up for debate, but it seems to be a strange coincidence that the Gamecocks subsequently suffered through more than a century of futility.
There could be other explanations for the Curse. Perhaps South Carolina officials invoked the wrath of some orange-clad demon when they refused to play the annual football grudge match on a home-and-home basis. Maybe the Curse has been perpetuated by the ill-fated decisions of players like Steve Tanneyhill, who danced on the Tiger Paw after Carolina's 33-7 victory over Clemson in 1994. Such decisions, which surely provoked the anger of the ghosts of the likes of Thomas Green Clemson, have haunted the Gamecocks ever since. Don't believe it's possible? Check the record books - Carolina has lost nine out of eleven to Clemson since that fateful afternoon in 1994.
Like all Curses and hexes, the Chicken Curse has hobbled the Gamecocks at the worst possible times over the years. The most famous of Carolina's cursed moments came in 1984. After the Gamecocks started off the season 9-0 and earned a No. 1 ranking, they traveled up the Annapolis to take on the Naval Academy in a game which was surely to be a small bump in the road on the way to a national championship season. Enter the Chicken Curse. The Midshipmen delivered one of the biggest upsets in college football history, thrashing the Gamecocks 38-21 in a contest which ranks at the top of the long list of Carolina football debacles.
The Naval Academy is not the only military institution to give the Gamecocks problems in recent years. In 1990, the Citadel Bulldogs paid a visit to Williams-Brice Stadium in a game which would surely bolster the Gamecocks' win total. Just as Carolina faithful settled in for what they assumed would be a relaxing day of football, the Curse reared its ugly head once more, and the Citadel stunned South Carolina 38-35 in Columbia.
Even more damaging than losses to schools like Navy or the Citadel may be the sense of defeatism associated with the Curse. An article about the Chicken Curse published in The Carolina Reporter a few years ago looked deeper into the mindset of the Curse and proved that some Gamecock fans take the hex quite seriously. The piece focused upon Ken Scarlett, a 1976 South Carolina graduate, who urged Gamecock supporters to join him in a movement to change Carolina's mascot back to the jaguar, which was the school's original mascot.
"The Curse says that any team that calls itself a Gamecock will be doomed to a life of athletic mediocrity," Scarlett was quoted as saying in the article. "If we change, we can get rid of the Curse forever." If the Curse is actually somehow related to the school's nickname, Gamecock brass has no intention of buckling to the pressure that has built from years of inferiority. "We've always been the Gamecocks, and we always will," said a somewhat misguided Gamecock Club Director Jeff Barber in response to Scarlett's campaign.
If Gamecock faithful decide to hang on to their mascot for generations, they may have to resort to drastic measures in order exorcise the Curse from the University's athletic teams. Carolina faithful will hope that the remedy comes fast, before they add the tombstones of Steve Spurrier and Dave Odom to their world-renowned coaching graveyard. One thing is clear - few collegiate athletic programs had centuries as bad as the Gamecocks did in the 1900s. If Carolina fans wish to avoid lives filled with depression, sorrow and anger, a solution to the Chicken Curse will have to come before 2100 rolls around
August 26, 1990
THE CHICKEN CURSE
THIS IS PRETTY SILLY BUSINESS, RIGHT?
UTTER NONSENSE. GAMECOCK FANS CAN'T REALLY BELIEVE
THERE'S SOME SINISTER FORCE AT WORK, SABOTAGING ALL THEIR
HOPES AND DREAMS. RIGHT?
Author: Doug Nye, Television Editor
Edition: FINAL
Section: LIVING
Page: 1E
"I DO believe in spooks, I DO, I DO, I DO believe in spooks." -- The Cowardly Lion
During the summer of 1978, the Boston Red Sox were being hailed as one of the best baseball teams of all time. They quickly bolted on top of the American League East race and never looked back.
By mid-July, Boston led the turmoil-plagued New York Yankees by 14$ games. It wasn't so much a question of "if" the Red Sox would win the pennant, but when and by how much.
The Boston called up Gary Hancock.
Almost from the very day Hancock arrived, the Red Sox machine began to sputter and its big lead began to melt. By season's end, Boston found itself tied with the Yankees for first place, which forced a one-game playoff for the division title.
The game was played at Boston's Fenway Park, but that hardly mattered.
Sparked by Bucky Dent's three-run homer, the Yankees prevailed 5-4, went on to win the World Series and left Red Sox fans wondering what had happened.
Long-time followers of University of South Carolina athletic teams could have told them. The Red Sox had just become another victim of The Chicken Curse, the specter that has haunted USC for decades.
In fact, Gamecock historians knew Boston was in trouble the day Hancock joined the team. Hancock, you see, played his college ball at USC, and according to Chicken Curse lore, any team with a former Gamecock on its roster is tempting fate. It's not that Hancock was a bad ballplayer, it just that anytime there's an ex-USC player around, something bad seems to happen.
True Curse fanatics -- and like it or not, there are thousands of them -- go even further. Even the slightest connection to South Carolina can spell T-R-O-U-B-L-E.
Think about it.
Was it just a coincidence that the 1972 U.S. Olympic basketball team -- the first American squad ever to lose a game -- had USC's Kevin Joyce on its roster?
Was it just a coincidence that Dallas Cowboys coach Tom Landry decided to de-activate former USC player Jay Saldi the day before the 1977 Super Bowl, or did someone warn him about The Curse? Without Saldi, the Cowborys won.
Was it just a coincidence that Elvis died only six months after his concert at Carolina Coliseum?
Such observations come from years of watching USC athletic teams come so, so close to the gold ring, only to fall short. In fact, a major weapon of The Curse is its damnable tendency to tease -- to take Gamecock fans to the brink, make them think their team is about to accomplish the ultimate, and then hit 'em with a dream-shattering slam to the gut.
There are those, of course, who laugh at the idea. They say The Curse is nothing more than the invention of frustrated fans trying to fathom their misery.
But when someone in authority acknowledges the existence of The Dark Force, well, it's time to take a closer look. KIng Dixon, director of athletics at USC, did that just last month when he learned that the NCAA would not impose sanctions on the school's athletic program after an investigation into steroid use.
"I'm delighted with the timing (of the report), that it's in July instead of August or later," said the relieved Dixon. "There are a lot of opportunities and options out there for conference affiliation, and by golly, if we continue to go in the direction we're going, we're going to get over this 'Chicken Curse.' "
There you have it. A USC official speaking on the record.
But what is the origin of this pestilence? Where -- and how -- did it begin?
While no one knows for sure, there are theories. One of the most popular has it dating back to 1860, when South Carolina voted to secede from the Union. The Curse, according to this theory, is payback for plunging the U.S. into the Civil War.
(It should be noted that this idea does have its detractors, who argue that The Curse existed as far back as the fall of the Alamo in 1836. The doomed Texas garrison was led by William Travis, a South Carolina native.)
None of these debates matter, of course, to The Curse's ultimate victim: the ever-patient, ever-loyal Gamecock fan. Chicago Cubs fans like to moan and moan because they haven't won a World Series since 1935, but they don't know the meaning of true suffering. When it comes to agony, nobody can touch a Gamecock fan.
Here, then, is the case for The Curse -- a small small sampling of the circumstantial evidence.
FOOTBALL
The 1928 season: The Gamecocks opened with five straight victories, including a much-ballyhooed 6-0 victory over the University of Chicago. USC followers were in the clouds when The Curse slammed them into the dirt. In game six, Big Thursday, USC was routed by Clemson 32-0. The Gamecocks scored only two more touchdowns the rest of the season and finished 6-2-2.
Wake Forest, 1953: South Carolina had one of its best teams, one that handed West Virginia its only loss of the season. With a 7-2 record, ranked 18th, all USC had to do is dispose of lowly Wake Forest in the season finale to assure itself of its highest ranking ever. Guess what? Wake, which earlier had lost to Furman, upset the Gamecocks 19-13. No 8-win season, no national ranking.
Duke, 1961: This was a jewel. Throughout most of the game, underdog South Carolina led 6-0 on the strength of two field goals. Then in the final minutes, Duke mounted a drive, kicked the PAT and won by a point, 7-6.
Georgia, 1968: Actually, several Georgia games qualify as evidence but this one was especially heartbraking. USC jumped out to a 20-0 lead and led throughout much of the game. Gamecock fans were jumping for joy. The Bulldogs rallied to win by (what else?) one point, 21-20.
The 1970 season: Practically everybody was back from the previous year's team, which had won the ACC championship, and preseason polls ranked the Gamecocks as high as 12th. They finished 4-6-1.
Baylor, 1976: USC led 17-0 at halftime in this game played at Waco. The Bears couldn't do anything right until the second half. Baylor rallied to win by (have you heard this one before?) one point, 18-17.
Clemson, 1977: The Gamecocks fell behind 24-0 and were on the verge of being slaughtered when they came to life with a furious second-half rally. With less than three minutes remaining, Carolina went up 27-24 and Williams- Brice Stadium was bedlam. But a major facet of The Curse, remember, is The Big Tease. With only seconds left Clemson drove the length of the field and won 31-27.
Notre Dame, 1979: At South Bend, USC led 17-10 and a great victory was in the making. Then, with time running out, the Irish drove the length of the field, went for two and won by (what else?) one point, 18-17.
The 1980 season: Even eventual Heisman Trophy winner George Rogers proved to be no match for The Curse. After upsetting Michigan and going 6-1, The Gamecocks lost at Georgia 13-10 (thanks to a Rogers fumble) on national television; were upset 27-6 by Clemson; and were mauled by Pittsburgh in the Gator Bowl. Rogers, by the way, was one of just a few Heisman Trophy winners who didn't make the cover of Sports Illustrated.
The 1984 season: Ah, Black Magic. As the USC victory total mounted during the season, no true follower of Gamecock football could relax knowing that somehow, somewhere, The Curse would eventually strike. Still, it took a die- hard Curse aficionado to remain grim-faced after the Gamecocks downed Florida State on national TV to go 9-0 and move to second in the national rankings. Now there was even talk of an Orange Bowl bid and a national championship. But, against a gray November sky in Annapolis, The Chicken Curse rode in again as an injury-riddled Navy team stunned USC 38-21. So long, Orange Bowl. So long, national title. USC ended its season by losing to Oklahoma State in the Gator Bowl.
Still others: Do you really need more proof? The two narrow losses to Nebraska, the 1987 season, another "almost" year in which the Gamecocks played some close games and ended up getting swamped by LSU in the Gator Bowl; USC's bowl victories (there haven't been any); the steroid scandal; and on, and on.
BASKETBALL
The 1934 season: Yep, they played basketball back then. The Gamecocks had won 3 games in a row, were 17-0 during the regular season and favored to win a second straight Southern Conference tournament title. Gamecock center Dana Henderson came down with the mumps, missed the tournament and USC was routed in the first round by N.C. State, a team it thumped during the regular season. Sound familiar? Read on.
The 1970 season: Ranked as high as No. 1 in preseason polls, the Gamecocks put together a fabulous season and won their first two games in the ACC Tournament. But star player John Roche was badly injured in the semifinals and Carolina lost the title 42-39 in double overtime to N.C. State, a team it had soundly beaten the week before during the regular season. Since only the tournament winner went to the NCAAs in those days, the loss stung even more than it would today. And as if that wasn't bad enough, the Gamecocks were locked out of the NIT because USC was hosting the NCAAAEastern Regionals.
Stanley Roberts: Remember all the talk that circulated in Columbia when all-star center Roberts was dazzling crowds at Lower Richland High School? Everybody said that when Roberts went to USC (supposedly that's where he had always wanted to go), the Gamecocks would return to national rankings. But The Curse struck when LSU coach Dale Brown came to town and lured Roberts to bayou country.
Coach Brown isn't smiling any more, though, because on Thursday The Curse reached all the way down to Louisiana and got him, too. The 7-foot Roberts was declared academically ineligible and announced that he would leave LSU to turn pro.
BASEBALL
College World Series: OK, so South Carolina's Gamecocks have made it twice to the College World Series championship game. But that's just the point: The Gamecocks were brought to the brink only to be disappointed.
THE CLASSICS
N.C. State (Football), 1986: Even those who saw this found it hard to believe. South Carolina started slow, fell behind 10-0 but then rallied to take a 22-17 lead with time running out. At last, the final second ticked off the clock and the Gamecocks began celebrating. But, wait just a second. USC's Kenneth Robinson had been flagged for being offsides, and since a game can't end on a defensive penalty, the Wolfpack got one more shot. With the ball on Carolina;s 33-year line, State quarterback Erik Kramer threw up a prayer toward the right corner of the end zone. There teammate Danny Peebles, surrounded by several Gamecock defenders, somehow leaped up and pulled the ball in. With time expired, the Gamecocks had lost (by one point, naturally) 23-22.
Louisville (Basketball), 1988: If you were looking for one game to illustrate what The Curse is all about, this would be it. With 1:20 to play, USC owned the ball and a big 14-point lead 72-58). Even the Gamecocks couldn't find a way to lose a lead like that with so little time left, could they? Of course they could. As Louisville's LaBradford Smith knocked in a three-point shot, suddenly a bench-clearing brawl erupted. When the floor was finally cleared 20 minutes later, Louisville had cut a 14-point deficit t 73-67 by hitting six of eight free throws (a one-and-one by Ellison, plus Kenny Payne's 4-of-6 technicals) to Terry Dozier's 1-4 technicals. Louisville also got the ball, and Ellison's jumper from the lane with 45 seconds left cut the margin to four. A free throw cut it to three. Not long after that, Louisville's Craig Hawley hit a buzzer-beating three-pointer to send the game into overtime. Actually, it went into double overtime, but you know the outcome -- Louisville won 98-88.
MISCELLANEOUS
The Denver Broncos: Former USC quarterback Dan Reeves has coached the Broncos to three Super Bowls only to get swamped, including last season's 55-10 massacre at the hands of the 49ers.
The Lakers and Celtics: Pro basketball's most famous and successful franchises fell on hard times during the 1970s when former USC players -- Brian Winters (Lakers) and Tom Boswell (Celtics) -- were on their rosters.
Alex English: The former USC standout is one of pro basketball's all-time greats and a genuinely nice guy -- who's never won an NBA championship.
Examples of The Chicken Curse's handiwork go on and on.
You think it was just coincidence that presidential candidate Gary Hart's campaign was destroyed by his dalliance with Donna Rice -- a USC grad?
But wait a minute, you say. No sane person really believes such stuff, right?
In 1954, the Cleveland Indians were the best team in baseball. They set a record for wins in a season with 111. With the Yankees, the Indians were one of baseball's dominant franchises.
Then Bob Fulton, who later became "the voice of the Gameocks," broadcast for Mutual Radio the 1954 American League pennant series won by the Indians. In fact, Fulton lists that broadcast as the top athletic event he's covered.
Guess what happened?
In the ensuing '54 World Series, Cleveland was swept in four straight by the New York Giants, and hasn't won a pennant since. That's 36 years during which the Indians weren't even in contention most years.
Just coincidence, right?
And even if the The Curse does exist maybe King Dixon is correct. Maybe escaping the NCAA's wrath is a sign that is being lifted. Maybe a new era has been ushered in at USC.
After all, the fact that Columbia native Doug Broome Jr. headed up the NASA division responsible for developing the Hubble Telescope proably had nothing to do with its ensuing problems. And the fact the Columbia native Charles Bolden was piloting the space shuttle Discovery when they put the Hubble into orbit ...just another coincidence, right?
Epilogue, Editor's note: This past Monday night, Doug Nye and his son were watching the exhibition game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Denver Broncos. When former USC quarterback Todd Ellis trotted into the huddle, the Broncos were up by 14 points. Ellis played only three downs, but Chris Nye, a 49er fan and Curse expert, smiled and said, "The 49ers have a chance now, just because Ellis stepped on the field." Not likely, the elder Nye replied, and went to bed. The next morning, he read in the newspaper that thanks to a freak interception late in the game, San Francisco had come back to win 27-24.
Epilogue II: Ellis was cut by the Broncos on Thursday.
