COLUMBIA — Steve Spurrier did a lot in 11 seasons as South Carolina football‘s coach but when asked which signature moment stands out, he immediately thought of 2005.
In his first season as coach of the Gamecocks he went to Knoxville and returned having done something no other Gamecocks coach had: Win a game in Neyland Stadium against Tennessee. South Carolina was 0-12 at Tennessee before that.
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With just under three minutes left, South Carolina failed to convert on third down. Spurrier then decided to send Josh Brown out for a 49-yard field goal. Despite his career-long being just 45, Brown drilled the game-winning kick for a 16-15 victory.
Spurrier reflected on that game ahead of his South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame induction as part of the 2026 class on May 18.
Spurrier is from Johnson City, Tennessee, which is about 100 miles from Knoxville, and was a star at Science Hill High School.
Part of what makes that game so special is that two weeks later, the unthinkable happened yet again.
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South Carolina faced 12th-ranked Florida, where Spurrier won a Heisman Trophy and also coached for 12 seasons with one national championship.
He contributed to the 14-game win streak for the Gators in the series with the Gamecocks, but once Spurrier switched to the home sideline in Williams-Brice Stadium, things changed.
The Gamecocks beat Florida for the first time since 1939, coming away with a 30-22 victory.
Spurrier retired during the 2015 season with a program-high 86 wins.
“I still brag about being a coach that won his first game (at South Carolina) at age 60 and was the winningest coach at that school, so write that down,” Spurrier said.
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Spurrier took the Gamecocks to the SEC East Division championship in 2010 and beat No. 1 Alabama that same season. He had three 11-win seasons and five bowl game victories.
Saudia Roundtree raves about Dawn Staley’s impact
Among the other inductees is Saudia Roundtree, who won three state championships for Westside High School girls basketball in Anderson, South Carolina, before playing at Georgia.
She led the Bulldogs to a Final Four in 1995. In 1996 she was named Naismith College Player of the Year, the USBWA Women’s National Player of the Year, the WBCA Player of the Year, SEC Player of the Year and SEC Female Athlete of the Year. That year, Georgia lost to Pat Summitt’s Tennessee team in the national championship.
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Even though Roundtree played for another SEC team, her admiration for South Carolina coach Dawn Staley is strong.
“Dawn, you can’t even put it into words what she’s done for women’s basketball, not just the state of South Carolina,” Roundtree said. “Back when I played some decades ago, we weren’t staying in state. Look at all these kids now. Dawn has established a program, not only in South Carolina, but nationally, that now you can stay home and play for a great team. Who wouldn’t want to play for Dawn Staley?”
Roundtree is five years Staley’s junior so the two didn’t ever meet on the college level when Staley played for Virginia but did play each other in the ABL.
“I’m proud now to be from the state of South Carolina, and what Dawn is doing in South Carolina, I’m proud. Even though I went to University of Georgia, I still cheer for South Carolina,” Roundtree said.
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In 2025, Staley became the highest-paid women’s basketball coach in the history of the sport, a milestone that Roundtree said seemed impossible when she was a player.
“She’s a Black female, a Black coach and back then we didn’t have those type of opportunities, so I salute Dawn, she’s gonna pave the way for kids coming and coaches, future coaches coming behind her,” Roundtree said. “We didn’t think anyone would make $20 million coaching women’s basketball but now these kids can dream big. So I am proud to be a part of the generation that paved the way, but the sky’s the limit now and I think it started with Dawn Staley.”
Other inductees for the 2026 class are: Clemson pitcher Brian Barnes; Clemson SID Tim Bourret; Coastal Carolina track and field’s Amber Campbell Moore; Clemson women’s basketball coach Jim Davis; Greenwood’s Armanti Edwards, who set NCAA records as Appalachian State quarterback; Orangeburg native and NFL cornerback Dwayne Harper; high school track coach Bob Jenkins; and South Carolina defensive lineman Andrew Provence.
Lulu Kesin covers South Carolina athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email her at LKesin@usatodayco.com. Follow her on X@Lulukesin and Bluesky@bylulukesin.bsky.social
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Steve Spurrier talks South Carolina football 2005 win over Tennessee
