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It’s your freshman year at USC and all you hear about is the rivalry between Clemson and Carolina. Then, right before Thanksgiving, you hear that there is going to be a Tiger Burn days before the Clemson-Carolina football game. You wonder what exactly is the Tiger Burn and when did this tradition start?
“The Tiger Burn is where we burn a huge tiger to symbolize our rivalry with Clemson. It gets everyone pumped for the game. I guess it must have started maybe 60 years ago,” Haley Wininger, a second-year nursing student, said.
While some students believe that the Tiger Burn started many years ago, others believe that it might have been a more recent tradition.
“Honestly I have no idea when the tradition first started. It could have been 20 years ago. All I know is that it is a huge pep rally to get everyone excited,” Lauren Gillespie, a second-year nursing student, said.
According the USC archives, the Tiger Burn started when Carolina beat Clemson in an upset in 1902. Students from Carolina, after the win, paraded around campus with a banner that featured a controversial picture of a gamecock and a tiger.
The Clemson students became very upset and soon a riot broke out on campus. After this incident, the Clemson-Carolina football game was suspended until 1909 but it sparked the idea to have a giant paper tiger and burn it days before the big game.
“Everyone knows that the biggest rivalry ... is the rivalry between us and Clemson. The Tiger Burn shows how big it is,” Allie Smith, a second-year advertising student, said.
The burning of a giant tiger has turned into an annual pep rally. This year the free event is happening today at 5:30 p.m. on the grassy lot at 743 Greene Street.
The 20-foot tall tiger was designed and built by students under the direction of Dr. Abdel Bayoumi, a professor of mechanical engineering.
Along with the burning of the tiger, the pep rally will feature Cocky, the Gamecock cheerleaders and the pep band. The winners of the Homecoming Spurs and Struts dance competition as well as the winners of the Step Show will perform.
It’s your freshman year at USC and all you hear about is the rivalry between Clemson and Carolina. Then right before Thanksgiving, you hear that there is going to be a Tiger Burn days before the Clemson-Carolina football game. You decide to go cheer with your fellow Gamecocks to celebrate a 107-year-old tradition.
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