South Carolina in 1984
Their greatest year?
South Carolina in 1984
Arguably, South Carolina’s 1984 season was the best season in the history of the program.
Led by Mike Hold, Ira Hillary, and a few others, South Carolina came close to going undefeated in 1984, and was ranked as high as 2nd in the country at one point in time.
I guess I could say that Hold and Hillary later played in the NFL, though Hold only managed 24 pass attempts in 2 games for Tampa Bay in 1987, and Hillary only lasted three years. In truth, the highlight of their careers was probably that surprise 1984 team.
The highlight of that 1984 season came on November 10, when South Carolina beat 11th ranked Florida State on national television:
And, if you’re so inclined, you can watch the entire game on YouTube:
That victory was a major point for a school that had never had much success in the past. And, with a game at Navy coming up, it looked like South Carolina had a chance to finish undefeated — provided it could beat rival Clemson, that is.
And then came that game against Navy in Annapolis on November 17.
1984 is probably the most interesting season in college football history because of that game.
On the same day that number 1 Nebraska fell to Oklahoma 17-7, South Carolina was absolutely shocked by a Navy team that nobody thought would among to anything.
Now, the shocking thing here isn’t just that Navy won. The shocking thing here is that Navy dominated.
You can watch this game for yourself, too:
South Carolina seemed to limp through the third quarter, and a late surge was far too little, far too late.
And even though the Gamecocks managed a 22-21 upset over Clemson in the final regular game of the season, it wasn’t enough to help with those elusive dreams of a national title.