Eric Norwood voted No. 11 of Top 30 Gamecocks
This summer, 107.5 the Game is honoring the 30th year for Gamecock football in the SEC by counting down the 30 best players during the era. Former South Carolina defensive end Eric Norwood joined the list at No. 11.
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Norwood has his name written all over the Gamecock record books. He owns the school records for tackles for a loss and sacks. Norwood sacked the quarterback a total of 29 times in his career where he ranks 5th all-time in SEC history. He holds the record over the former number one overall NFL Draft pick Jadeveon Clowney.
Norwood played all four seasons for Gamecock football from 2006 through 2009. He made an instant impact when he arrived as a freshman, tallying 7 sacks and 5 tackles for a loss.
He is a unique player because he was listed as 6’1, 252 lbs which is traditionally undersized for an EDGE/OLB. Moreso it was how Norwood played that gave him so much success. Norwood was just an all-around athlete.
“He was a football player that made a monstrous impact on the University of South Carolina and on the culture that Steve Spurrier was trying to build,” Wil Gunter said on the Early Game.
Gunter compared Norwood to current Gamecock football tight end Jaheim Bell in terms of importance to the program. The similarities are uncanny.
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Norwood built the culture of Steve Spurrier at South Carolina when he was getting started. Now Bell is playing the same role for head coach Shane Beamer. Bell plays his part and recruits for Beamer while also hosting players during visit weekends. Both players contributed to getting the program back on its feet and serve as a gauge of team culture.
Norwood ranks first all-time in the SEC for tackles for a loss in addition to ranking 16th in Division I history for the stat.
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Norwood is in the history books forever for his performance against No. 8 Kentucky in 2007. He returned two fumbles for touchdowns and was also all over the backfield.
His second touchdown blew the roof off of Williams-Brice Stadium. It gave the Gamecocks a 23-10 lead against the No. 6 Wildcats en route to a 38-23 victory. The two fumble returns also remain tied for an NCAA record.
The league’s coaches named Norwood a first-team All-SEC player while being named to the second team by the Associated Press in 2007.
In 2008 he was also named to the All-SEC first team, this time by a unanimous vote. Finally, the AP and Walter Camp Foundation named him a first-team All-American in his senior season in 2009.
The Carolina Panthers drafted Norwood in the 4th round (124th overall) in the 2010 NFL Draft. The team released him in 2012 and he bounced around leagues until finding a home in the CFL.
Norwood tallied 113 tackles in 3 seasons for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and started in the Grey Cup championship game. The league named him an East-Division All-Star in the 2014 season. Norwood fell victim to the injury bug and after the 2016 season, he announced his retirement from professional football.
