 "Photo: File Photo / 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 people's 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 in 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, I 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 influential.
"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, Al 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."
Grantz 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."
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