As out-of-state students, the South Carolina-Clemson rivalry was a foreign concept to us for most of our lives.
We each had our own respective college sports rivalries to worry about, whether that be the Commonwealth Clash between Virginia Tech and Virginia or watching teams such as Rutgers and Penn State face off each year.
But when we both arrived on campus as freshmen, we witnessed the Gamecocks’ and the Tigers’ rivalry and clashing traditions first-hand.
Garnet and black versus orange and purple. Cocky versus the Tiger. Sandstorm versus Tiger Rag. The Cockaboose versus “the most exciting 25 seconds in college football.”
There are so many ways to view this rivalry, making it especially unique and important to each respective fanbase. And these dualities were ingrained into us early in our time as students, as we were taught to support one school and not the other.
Despite these differences, there is one place where common ground can be found: the gridiron. Columbia lives and breathes Gamecock football, and the same can be said for Tiger football in Clemson. Each weekend, tens of thousands of fans crowd into Williams-Brice Stadium and Memorial Stadium to cheer on their respective teams.
South Carolina and Clemson fans may not see eye to eye on who wins each rivalry matchup, but they share a similar intense passion for football. And it was on a football field that the schools’ athletic rivalry was first forged in 1896.
Football stars and generations of students have come and gone in the 128 years that followed that initial meeting. And The Tiger (established in 1907) and The Daily Gamecock (established in 1908) have covered the rivalry since their inceptions, providing a unique student perspective to the in-state clash.
Tapping into this perspective is what makes the South Carolina-Clemson rivalry unique. The rivalry is central to the experiences of students at both schools. As student journalists, it’s our obligation to bring those stories to the forefront.
That is why we discussed a rivalry collaboration for the first time in April. Now, an idea initially inspired by our friends at The Michigan Daily and The Lantern, Michigan and Ohio State’s student newspapers, has come to fruition.
The Daily Gamecock and The Tiger’s first-ever rivalry collaboration features a collection of stories about the rivalry and its importance to the Columbia and Clemson communities.
With the annual Palmetto Bowl around the corner, many of these stories revolve around South Carolina and Clemson’s next meeting on the football field, preparing fans for what to expect come Nov. 30. More stories describe how the rivalry has spilled into other sports, whether they be at the Division I or the club level.
Yet, others discuss the broader impact of the rivalry from its late 19th-century origins to the present day, both within and outside athletics.
A new chapter in the South Carolina-Clemson rivalry is written each year. Both our publications have authored some of these chapters. It’s time that we wrote a new chapter in our newspapers’ histories too.
No matter which side of the rivalry you find yourself on, we hope that you enjoy this special rivalry collaboration and South Carolina and Clemson’s next Palmetto Bowl game on Nov. 30.
Sincerely,
Griffin Goodwyn, sports editor for The Daily Gamecock
Griffin Barfield, sports editor for The Tiger
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