When the Gamecocks wreaked havoc in the hill country

Alan Piercy is the author of A Gamecock Odyssey: University of South Carolina Sports in the Independent Era (1971-1991). The following was originally published on Alan’s South By Southeast newsletter.

---

As the SEC welcomes the Longhorns and Sooners, South Carolina has just one prior meeting with either program – a legendary 1957 win in Austin.

“Well, there’s nothing quite like Texas on a Saturday night; Nothin’ can compare to it, no matter how you try” – Willie Nelson

Big things were afoot at the University of South Carolina in 1957. Russell House Student Union and Thomas Cooper Library were completed or under construction (opening in 1955 and 1959, respectively), together transforming the previously sleepy college grounds into a bustling modern campus during a post-war enrollment boom.

In March of that year, USC basketball’s Grady Wallace outpaced Wilt Chamberlain of Kansas to claim the national scoring title. The Gamecocks also made their first-ever appearance in the ACC tournament championship game, ultimately losing to the eventual national champion, Frank McGuire’s North Carolina Tar Heels.

In June of 1957, a 40-year-old US Senator from Massachusetts, John F. Kennedy, gave a high-profile commencement address on the grounds of USC’s historic Horseshoe, just three years before his successful 1960 run for the White House.

Just off campus at Carolina Stadium, crews completed work on new north end zone stands, transforming the formerly horseshoe-shaped facility into a bowl, seating over 43,000.

Second-year coach Warren Giese had briefly flirted with an offer from the University of Houston, and fielded additional interest from Indiana after taking his first Gamecock squad to a 7-3 record in 1956. The 32-year-old Giese ultimately decided to remain in Columbia, wryly noting that his $12,000 salary was not the thing that kept him from leaving. He cited instead the leadership of USC’s “formidable administration” in President Donald Russell and Athletics Director Rex Enright, as well as “the boys we have here.”

No doubt adding to the allure of remaining at Carolina, the board of trustees granted Giese faculty status and tenure, equivalent to a lifetime contract for the handsome young coach.

The Gamecocks’ 1957 schedule offered a familiar serving of ACC rivals, including No. 10-ranked Duke in the opener, Clemson in the traditional Big Thursday matchup of State Fair week, as well as Maryland, UNC, Virginia, NC State, and Wake Forest. Non-conference matchups included a couple of familiar in-state foes in Wofford and Furman. Rounding out the non-conference slate was an intriguing road tilt with Southwest Conference power Texas on Oct. 8 in Austin.

The proud Longhorn program looked to regroup under first-year head coach Darrell Royal following a disastrous 1-9 campaign in 1956. Giese and Royal were college teammates at Oklahoma and scheduled the Gamecock-Longhorn matchup soon after Royal took the reins in Austin.

October surprise

The Gamecocks kicked off the 1957 season at the newly expanded Carolina Stadium versus a powerful tenth-ranked Duke team. The Blue Devils won 26-14, spoiling Carolina’s opener on a rainy afternoon before 40,000 fans, then the largest crowd to ever witness a football game in the state of South Carolina.

Carolina bounced back with a 26-0 shutout over the outmatched Terriers of Wofford before turning their attention to preparation for the Oct. 5 showdown in Austin.

Texas, meanwhile, carried a 2-0 record and a No. 20 national ranking into the contest after wins over Georgia (26-7) and Tulane, then of the SEC (20-6). Pregame prognosticators gave a touchdown advantage to Texas, despite the protests of Longhorn coach Royal, who indulged in some reflexive “aw-shucks” coach speak, drawling to reporters, “It ought to be the other way around.”

As dusk settled around Memorial Stadium for an 8 p.m. start, the Longhorns won the toss and deferred to the second half. The visiting Gamecocks in their road white uniforms prepared to return the opening kickoff as nearly 40,000 Texas partisans rose in a gathering roar.

USC’s King Dixon received a high, tumbling kick deep in Gamecock territory at the two-yard-line. From there, the speedster from Laurens received several key blocks from teammates Don Johnson, Alex Hawkins, and Eddie Beall before streaking into the clear along midfield, taking it 98 yards for an opening touchdown. Hawkins added the extra point, and the Gamecocks took an early 7-0 lead before a stunned Austin crowd.

From there, the Texans settled in, methodically dominating the game through three quarters, out-running, out-passing, out-defending, and simply out-playing the visiting Gamecocks en route to a 21-7 Longhorn lead entering the final period.

Carolina finally showed a spark late in the third quarter when quarterback Bobby Bunch rolled out on a bootleg, connecting with tight end Eddie Beall for 18 yards on a pivotal third-and-14 situation, moving the Gamecocks to the Longhorn 36. Giese later called Bunch’s strike a “tremendous pass” that “set us on fire.”

Indeed, the Gamecocks scored a few plays later on a Hawkins run, trimming the deficit to seven points, 21-14. From there, special teams created opportunities for the Gamecocks, who pressured Longhorn quarterback-turned-punter Bobby Lackey into two consecutive bad punts of 4 and 13 yards, providing Carolina with excellent field position throughout the fourth quarter.

The Gamecocks took advantage with two touchdowns, the final of which was a sensational 18-yard scamper by Hawkins to seal the game, 27-21.

A wild finish, an unlikely win

Shouts and hollers from the celebratory Gamecock sideline pierced an otherwise funereal Memorial Stadium as Longhorn fans filed out and the clock ticked to zero. Giese received a hero’s ride atop the shoulders of players Jerry Frick and W.L. Strickland for the postgame handshake with his old teammate, Royal.

It was the unlikeliest of wins, as Texas outperformed Carolina in nearly every statistical category. The Longhorns out-rushed the Gamecocks 163 yards to 142, out-passed them 161 to 83, and gained 16 first downs to 10 for the visitors.

Speaking with reporters after the game, Giese pointed to the Longhorns’ youth as Texas’ sophomore-laden roster appeared rattled down the stretch. Miscues, particularly in their punting game, ultimately swung momentum irretrievably to the Gamecocks. “I’m not saying we wouldn’t have scored if Lackey had gotten off better punts,” observed the coach, “but I think they had a demoralizing effect on the Texas players.”

Giese applauded his team, singling out Dixon, who led USC rushers with 61 yards on 11 carries for a 5.55-yard average, in addition to his sensational 98-yard touchdown return of the opening kickoff.

The coach also praised Dixon’s backfield mate, Hawkins, who scored the winning touchdown on a magnificent 18-yard run. Hawkins ran for two touchdowns, passed for another, kicked three extra points, intercepted a crucial pass, set Dixon loose with a key block during the opening kickoff, and was a hawk on defense throughout.

Johnny James, sports editor for the San Antonio News, praised Carolina’s pluck, noting,

“Texas carried a 21-7 lead into the last quarter but the Gamecocks – a bunch of kids who really lived up to their nicknames – took advantage of two Longhorn mistakes to barrel to 20 points in the wild last period.”

Rest of ‘57 not so kind, but win over Texas echoes still

Carolina returned home the following weekend and dominated Furman, 58-13, to run their record to 4-1. The three-game win streak and lingering glow of beating Texas sparked talk of post-season bowls and perhaps a run at the ACC championship.

Unfortunately for the Gamecocks, three-straight losses to Clemson, Maryland, and UNC killed the momentum and good feelings. A win over Virginia at Charlottesville preceded a close home loss to eventual ACC champ NC State. The Gamecocks closed out their season with a lightly-attended 26-7 road win at Wake Forest.

Carolina ended the season 5-5 overall (2-5 ACC), finishing seventh in the eight-team conference.

Sixty-seven years on, nobody remembers the disappointment of that 2-4 finish in 1957. What they remember is Texas. That unlikely victory at Austin still rings through the ages as one of the greats in program history.

The Longhorns (and Sooners) are set to begin SEC play this season, and the Gamecocks are poised to travel to Norman for a first-ever matchup between the programs.

What a perfect time to pause to remember the exploits of Giese, Dixon, Hawkins, and their conquering band of Gamecocks on that long-ago Saturday night in Texas. And to embrace the possibility of unlikely wins in strange new places.

Discuss South Carolina football on The Insiders Forum!