1976 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

1976 South Carolina Gamecocks football
Conference	Independent
Record	6–5
Head coach	Jim Carlen (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Richard Bell (2nd season)
Home stadium	Williams–Brice Stadium
Seasons ←  1975 1977  →

1976 NCAA Division I independents football records

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 1 Pittsburgh			–					12	–	0	–	0
No. 17 Rutgers			–					11	–	0	–	0
San Diego State			–					10	–	1	–	0
No. 12 Notre Dame			–					9	–	3	–	0
Colgate			–					8	–	2	–	0
Boston College			–					8	–	3	–	0
Cincinnati			–					8	–	3	–	0
Memphis State			–					7	–	4	–	0
North Texas State *			–					7	–	4	–	0
Southern Illinois			–					7	–	4	–	0
Penn State			–					7	–	5	–	0
Villanova			–					6	–	4	–	1
South Carolina			–					6	–	5	–	0
Virginia Tech			–					6	–	5	–	0
Army			–					5	–	6	–	0
Florida State			–					5	–	6	–	0
Illinois State			–					5	–	6	–	0
Richmond			–					5	–	6	–	0
West Virginia			–					5	–	6	–	0
Georgia Tech			–					4	–	6	–	1
Temple			–					4	–	6	–	0
Air Force			–					4	–	7	–	0
Dayton			–					4	–	7	–	0
Louisville			–					4	–	7	–	0
Marshall			–					4	–	7	–	0
Navy			–					4	–	7	–	0
Indiana State			–					3	–	7	–	0
Hawaii			–					3	–	8	–	0
Holy Cross			–					3	–	8	–	0
Miami (FL)			–					3	–	8	–	0
Syracuse			–					3	–	8	–	0
Utah State			–					3	–	8	–	0
Northeast Louisiana			–					2	–	9	–	0
Southern Miss			–					2	–	9	–	0
Tulane			–					2	–	9	–	0
North Texas State (originally 6–5) was awarded a forfeit win after Mississippi State was found to be using an ineligible player. [1] Rankings from AP Poll

The 1976 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina as an independent during the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. Led by second-year head coach Jim Carlen, the Gamecocks compiled a record of 6–5. The team played its home games at Williams–Brice Stadium.

After an upset over No. 16 Ole Miss, South Carolina was ranked No. 19 in the country, the program's highest ranking since 1971. It was also the first time the Gamecocks had been ranked in the top twenty in two consecutive seasons since 1959. ^[2] However, the Gamecocks lost three of their last four games, and finished the season unranked. ^[3]

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
September 4	Appalachian State		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 21–10	44,536	[4]
September 11	at Georgia Tech		Grant Field Atlanta, GA	ABC	W 27–17	38,923	[5]
September 18	Duke		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 24–6	52,237	[6]
September 25	at No. 7 Georgia		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)		L 12–20	59,925	[7]
October 2	at Baylor		Baylor Stadium Waco, TX		L 17–18	34,500	[8]
October 9	Virginia		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 35–7	47,239	[9]
October 16	No. 16 Ole Miss		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 10–7	53,079	[10]
October 23	No. 12 Notre Dame	No. 19	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		L 6–13	56,721	[11]
October 30	NC State		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 27–7	50,703	[12]
November 13	Wake Forest	No. 20	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		L 7–10	49,779	[13]
November 20	at Clemson		Memorial Stadium Clemson, South Carolina (rivalry)		L 9–28	54,129	[14]
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

^[15]

Roster

1976 South Carolina Gamecocks football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class QB 10 Ronnie Bass Jr C 65 Danny Clancy So G 66 Steve Courson Sr OT 76 Mike Fralic So OT 75 Stan James Jr WR 40 Philip Logan Jr RB 32 Kevin Long Sr WR 41 Zion McKinney Fr OT 78 Jerome Provence Jr G 61 Tami Tarbush Jr TE 45 Brad Thomas Jr RB 33 Clarence Williams Sr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DT 71 Charles Barber Sr DE 80 Scott Blackman Jr DB 24 Bill Currier Sr LB 57 John Green Jr DE 82 Rus Mangari Sr LB 50 David Prezioso Jr DB 25 Rick Sanford So LB 54 Tim Singleton Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class P 14 Max Runager So K 15 Steve Young Sr	Head coach Jim Carlen Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt

Team players in the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Clarence Williams	Running back	5	124	San Diego Chargers
Steve Courson	Guard	5	125	Pittsburgh Steelers
Kevin Long	Running back	7	195	New York Jets
Bill Currier	Safety	9	232	Houston Oilers

References

1. https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/years/1976-standings.html
2. "South Carolina Gamecocks Poll History". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
3. "1976 South Carolina Gamecocks Schedule and Results". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2024.
4. "Kickers Parker, Runager duel". The Times and Democrat. September 5, 1976. Retrieved December 3, 2021– via Newspapers.com.
5. "South Carolina defense surprises Georgia Tech". The Miami Herald. September 12, 1976. Retrieved January 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Gamecocks down Duke". Salisbury Evening Post. September 19, 1976. Retrieved January 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Bulldogs rally, tip Gamecocks". The Tampa Tribune. September 26, 1976. Retrieved October 29, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
8. "South Carolina struck by Bear miracle". Lubbock Avalanche-Journal. October 3, 1976. Retrieved January 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Roosters rip Virginia, 35–7". Durham Sunday Herald. October 10, 1976. Retrieved January 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
10. "South Carolina Gamecocks nip 14th ranked Ole Miss". Florence Morning News. October 17, 1976. Retrieved October 28, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
11. "3 brothers, Irish stop Gamecocks". The Charlotte Observer. October 24, 1976. Retrieved January 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Gamecocks trounce State, 27–7". Florence Morning News. October 31, 1976. Retrieved January 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
13. "Turnovers aid Deacs in surprising victory". The News and Observer. November 14, 1976. Retrieved January 26, 2024– via Newspapers.com.
14. Frank Vehorn (November 21, 1976). "Tigers upset USC, 28-9". The Greenville News. p. 1E – via Newspapers.com.
15. "1976 Football Schedule". Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved July 6, 2017.