Marcus Lattimore shares what attributed to South Carolina's winning culture under Steve Spurrier
Today, Gamecock great Marcus Lattimore will be inducted into the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame.
In honor of the former All-American running back, we’ll be sharing a throwback story Lattimore once shared with GamecockCentral about playing during the high point of Gamecock football.
For three seasons, Lattimore played for College Football Hall of Fame coach Steve Spurrier. Despite a career filled with injuries, Lattimore managed to rush for 2,677 yards and still holds the program record for rushing touchdowns in a career (38) and overall touchdowns (41). While there were several factors that went into Lattimore’s decision to commit to South Carolina, playing for Spurrier was certainly one of them.
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“His reputation spoke a lot for itself,” said Lattimore. “He brought his swag, himself, (and) a confidence.”
From 2010-13, South Carolina went 42-11. To this day, it remains the best four year stretch in program history. A member of the team for 31 of those wins, Lattimore shared that it truly was a group effort.
“What’s that strength (and conditioning) staff like? Are players holding each other accountable? As a coach, have you done a good job of giving the leaders (on the team) ownership?
But what took place on the field was just a small part of what made the Gamecocks so successful.
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“What’s happening outside the walls when they’re not there? Do they hangout? They don’t have to be best friends but do they have a relationship with each other? Do they trust each other? Trust – it’s what Beamer’s building. That’s for certain. The name of life is responding to adversity so being a resilient team. How do you gel and be resilient? (It’s) trust and being close. Knowing that guy has your back.”
The last two keys Lattimore mentioned seem like a given in order to have success: hard work and some luck with staying healthy.
“Conditioning. From a physical aspect can we endure? Can we endure the trenches of the SEC? I’m speaking directly to culture. I’m speaking directly to a winning culture in the SEC. Can you endure it because it’s grueling. My body couldn’t endure it. That’s something that can be trained in the mind and the body.”
