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U.S.C. Football In The Beginning . . . Since 1896, South Carolina football teams have played their home games on at least five different fields.
Davis Field
In 1890, students were allowed to use approximately four acres of land for intramural games. Some, if not all, of this property was to become known as Davis Field. Located across the street from the Gymnasium (now Longstreet Theater), Davis Field would host track events and baseball games and it was also the site for the earliest Carolina football home games - with the exception of the Clemson game. Today, some of this land has been reclaimed from the asphalt parking area that it had become in later decades. It now serves as a meeting area for students and the site of some on-campus events.
The Old State Fairgrounds
In the late 1800's, the State Fairgrounds were located on Elmwood Avenue across from Gadsden Street (approximately at the point where I-126 currently merges onto Elmwood). It was there that the first game between South Carolina College and Clemson College was played on Thursday, November 12, 1896. (Carolina won 12-6.) This game was set up as another attraction to the State Fair. Approximately 2000 people witnessed that first game, which was to begin a tradition that lasted until 1959 - "Big Thursday." Every year, except for 1901 and 1903-1908, this annual rivalry was played in Columbia on Thursday during the State Fair. In 1960, the games were switched to Saturdays and alternated between Clemson and Columbia.
The "Old Wooden Bowl"
Some time after the State Fair moved to it's present location in 1904, the annual Carolina-Clemson game was moved to a stadium known as the "Old Wooden Bowl." This game continued here until Municipal Stadium (now Williams-Brice Stadium) was completed in 1934.
Melton Field
Prior to the construction of Municipal Stadium in 1934, Carolina played at Melton Field. Melton Field was named in honor of former U.S.C President William Davis Melton, who died in office in 1926. A memorial gate of brick and wrought iron graced the entrance. This stadium was located right next to, and probably occupied a portion of the orignal, Davis Field, which was still used for baseball and track. For several years after the construction of Municipal Stadium, Melton Field served as a practice field. The Russell House currently occupies some of the land that was once Melton Field. Williams-Brice Stadium
Built in 1934 with the help of the federal Works Progress Administration (WPA), Columbia Municipal Stadium originally seated 17,600. The city of Columbia transferred ownership of the stadium to the University of South Carolina in 1941 and it was renamed Carolina Stadium. Through a state appropriation, Carolina Stadium was enlarged (including the addition of the lower South end zone seats) to seat 34,000 in 1949. Since then, it has undergone a number of expansions and renovations. In 1970, renovation began with the addition of astroturf and 14,456 seats, bringing the total capacity to over 43,000. Phase two, completed in 1972, brought about additional seating enlarging the capacity to 53,865. This phase was made possible partly by a gift of $2.75 million from the estate of the late Mrs. Martha Williams Brice of Sumter. Mrs. Brice's husband, Thomas H. Brice, was a Gamecock Football letterman from 1922-24. The stadium was rededicated as Williams-Brice Stadium in dedication ceremonies held during the Sept. 9, 1972, opener with Virginia. The upper East Stands were completed in 1982, further increasing capacity to 72,400. In 1983, master grower Sarge Frye removed the astroturf and returned natural turf to the field. Ten years later, the field was completely resodded with Bermuda grass. Williams-Brice Stadium underwent extensive renovations and improvements in 1995/1996. A $9.9 million construction project on the stadium's west side, which included executive boxes, club seats and a new press box, was completed. In addition, a $1.86 million football office complex in the north end zone was constructed. A state-of-the-art video production facility is also in that complex. Furthermore, a $13.5 million South end zone expansion project was completed in 1996. The project features a large meeting and banquet hall, located behind the premium club seating area, the state's longest escalator, and 7,600 additional seats, including 1,600 premium club seats located "In the Zone" bringing stadium capacity to more than 80,000. Beginning in 1994 and completed in 1995, a new weight room / recruiting / training facility was constructed underneath the south end zone upper deck. Other improvements over the years have included two racquetball courts, an offensive and defensive auditorium, Hall of Captains, Hall of Teams, Hall of Bowl Teams, meeting rooms, the Block "C" Lounge, and a new state-of-the-art programmable scoreboard. All of this makes Williams-Brice Stadium one of the nation's premier football facilities. |
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