Imagine you’re walking around the University of South Carolina’s campus on a crisp Wednesday evening in the fall, and suddenly, you see a giant wooden tiger on fire.
Then, you head across the state to Clemson University’s campus the following Monday and see a huge paper gamecock on fire. What is going on here? Well, these are one of the biggest traditions for both universities to mark the beginning of rivalry week: Tiger Burn and Cocky’s Funeral.
In 1902, following the upset victory by South Carolina against the Tigers, a drawing of a gamecock crowing over a beaten tiger caused tensions between the two sides. To ease this, everyone agreed to burn the poster. And so, the long-standing tradition was born.
Since then, however, the event has evolved. At South Carolina, it consists of a eulogy, appearances from the football team, cheerleaders, Cocky and other student organizations.
On the other side of the field and state, the Clemson Student Alumni Council spends the whole prior week promoting the event while also pomping the 15-foot bird.
The eulogy from a Clemson celebrity never fails to hype up the crowd, while over a thousand students and alumni can be found cheering louder than ever as the burning Gamecock gets put to rest. After the singing of the alma mater, there is a distribution of Chick-fil-A sandwiches because who doesn’t love a good chicken sandwich?
Billy Guthrie, director of Cocky’s Funeral and Director of Outreach for the Student Alumni Council, describes Cocky’s Funeral as one of Clemson’s oldest traditions, preparing Clemson fans everywhere for an exciting South Carolina vs. Clemson football game.
“This year, Cocky’s Funeral will host guest speaker Coach Erik Bakich, along with Col. Sandy Edge, the cheerleaders, Tigeroar, Tiger Platoon, Pershing Rifles, the Tiger and Central Spirit Flag Flyers!” Guthrie said in an interview with The Tiger. “I cannot wait to see everyone out there on Monday, Nov. 25 at 7 pm for the burning of the 15-foot Cocky!”
Both of these events are simply used to blend humor into the intense rivalry between Clemson University and the University of South Carolina. What screams friendly competition more than the burning of the opposing team’s mascot?
