South Carolina Gamecocks Football Countdown: 52 Days

Our countdown to the 2014 college football season continues as just 52 days separate us from kickoff between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Texas A&M Aggies at Williams-Brice Stadium on August 28.

Who wears #52: Bryce King on offense and Phillip Dukes on defense
Bryce is the redshirt freshman offensive guard who played with DJ Park at Dillon High School. He is listed as the third string left guard on a line filled with talent.  Bryce was highly regarded in high school and one of the top players in the state.

Phillip Dukes is the starting defensive tackle and a redshirt junior from Manning, SC.  He’s listed at 6-3 and 322 lbs and is being asked to fill the shoes of Kelcy Quarles, who left the Gamecocks for the pros.  He played in all 13 games last year, and has played in 18 games overall for the football squad.  Obviously defensive tackle is one of the key spots people are looking at because of the giant holes that have to be filled.

What 52 days left means:
Time to learn more about the new “Bonham Trophy”, which the winner of the annual South Carolina-Texas A&M football game will receive.  The trophy has ties to both schools, as James Bonham was a student of the University of South Carolina, and eventually became a hero at the Alamo.  Texas Governor Rick Perry and South Carolina Nikki Haley came up with the idea for the trophy.  Although the two schools have never played each other in football, the SEC has determined the two should play each other every season, and will alternate home sites each year.

Gamecock football in 1952
Record: 5-5
Conference: Southern (2-4 in the conference)
Coach: This was the last season in the Southern Conference for the Gamecocks and coach Rex Enright.  The team started off 5-2, including a 6-0 win over Clemson, but then closed out by losing three consecutive games.  The team was led by quarterback Johnny Gramling, who was later named to the South Carolina Hall of Fame in 2000.

Also in 1952:

• Rocky Marciano becomes the heavyweight champion
• Diary of Anne Frank is published
• Mad Magazine first issue is released
• KFC opens its first restaurant
• “Singin in the Rain”, “African Queen” and “The Greatest Show on Earth” were big movies this year