South Carolina Gamecocks Football Countdown: 76 Days

Our countdown to the 2014 college football season continues as just 76 days separate us from kickoff between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Texas A&M Aggies at Williams-Brice Stadium on August 28.

Who wears #76?
Mike Matulis wears #76 as a redshirt junior. With 10 career starts, playing both left and right offensive tackle in previous seasons, he has had shoulder surgery to both shoulders between the 2012 and 2013 seasons. According to an interview on gogamecocks.com, Matulis dropped 60 pounds, down to 240 lbs, after his recent surgery and briefly considered not returning to football this year, but after a conversation with offensive line coach, Shawn Elliott, Matulis decided that football was a sport he couldn’t give up. At 6-5, he now weighs 304 lbs and says that he feels back at full strength, leading O-line coach Shawn Elliott to call him “a healthy monster”.

Gamecock football in 1976
Record: 6-5
Conference: Independent
Head Coach: Jim Carlen in his 2nd season
Big Win: Duke

The Gamecocks won games against Appalachian State, Georgia Tech, Duke, Virginia, Mississippi, and North Carolina State. They closed their season with a loss at Clemson, 28-9.

Also in 1976:
Bruce Jenner, of the Kardashian clan fame, won the Olympic decathalon.
Apple was founded by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak.
Rocky was the top film of the year.
The #1 song of the year was “Silly Love Songs” by Wings.