South Carolina Football: Best and Worst Coaching Hires in Program History

THE WORST

BRAD SCOTT

Scott coached the Gamecocks from 1994-1998, following an 11-year stint as an assistant on Bobby Bowden’s Florida State staff.  It would be his first and only opportunity to be a head coach at the collegiate level.

His tenure started off relatively well, as his teams won 17 games over his first three seasons, including a win in the ’95 Carquest Bowl that was the first bowl win in program history.  But his time in Columbia would come to a bitter end as the Gamecocks went 6-16 in his final two seasons, including losing their last 10 games.

The 1998 season started what would be a 21-game program losing streak.  South Carolina went 0-8 in conference play, and Scott would soon be replaced by Lou Holtz.  Over his five-year head coaching career, Scott was 23-32-1.  After the firing, he took a position on the Clemson staff, where he’d stay for the next decade.

RICHARD BELL

Bell was the head coach of South Carolina’s football program for just one season, sandwiched in between two of the best coaches in school history.  In his single season, he recorded a 4-7 record.

Bell took over after the firing of former head man Jim Carlen following the 1981 season.  He would lead the Gamecocks to wins in his first two games versus Pacific and Richmond.  South Carolina would go on to lose seven of its final nine contests, including losses to Duke and Furman.

Bell was let go when the year ended, and was replaced by Joe Morrison, who’d turn the program around over the next few seasons.

DIXON FOSTER

Foster coached two seasons for the Gamecocks, one in 1917 and the next in 1919.  His first year wasn’t terrible, though the team finished just 3-5.  Of those five losses, four were by eight points or less.  But it was the 1919 season that has him on this list.

That year, South Carolina averaged a dismal 2.8 points per game, good for 97th out of 99 teams.  The Gamecocks went 1-7-1, getting shutout in five games and never scoring more than a touchdown.  The only win came against Erskine, a 6-0 snoozer.

Foster ended his Gamecock coaching career with a 4-12-1 final record.  Sol Metzger would take over the following year, and lead South Carolina to three-straight five-win seasons.