3-2-1: SC players in Super Bowl LVIII, a "shoeless" baseball player, and a galloping breakfast
For South Carolina history lovers far and wide! Each weekly "3-2-1" newsletter contains includes (3) upcoming SC history events, (2) SC history fun facts, and (1) quote from an SC historical figure.
Dear reader,
Who else is pumped for Super Bowl Sunday today?! I know I am! I confess…I’ve been caught up in the Swiftie/Kelce magic, but what’s also exciting is that today’s Super Bowl features multiple players who have ties to South Carolina, including:
Deebo Samuel: 49ers wide receiver, from Inman, SC, who also played for University of South Carolina (USC).
Javon Kinlaw: 49ers defensive tackle, originally from Trinidad but raised in Goose Creek, South Carolina, and played for University of South Carolina (USC)
Since sports vibes are in the air, it got me excited to dive into some South Carolina sports history today. We explore hometown sports heroes, negro baseball leagues, gamecocks, and more!
I hope you enjoy today’s newsletter, and as always, please feel free to reply to this email with your ideas and suggestions for future newsletters. I’m only a click away. Additionally, please join us & keep the conversation going by becoming a member of our SC History Newsletter Facebook Community here! I can’t wait to meet you.
And now, let’s learn some South Carolina history!
Yours truly,
Kate
3 ➳ Upcoming SC History Events
In the sports theme of today’s newsletter, I decided to focus on sports-themed exhibitions, events, and museums below.
Please click the following link to visit my 2024 - SC History Newsletter - Ongoing Events List that organizes (by month) all the events that I have featured in the newsletter, as well as others I have discovered. Please let me know if you’d like to add an event to the list! Reply to this email or send me a note at schistorynewsletter@gmail.com.
I.
Open through March 3, 2024 | The 521 All-Stars: A Championship Story of Baseball and Community | South Carolina State Museum | Columbia, SC | Tickets
“This exhibition is based on the 1998 book by Frye Gaillard with photographs by Byron Baldwin, depicts baseball in its purest form: scrap metal bases, rotten wood bleachers, teams made up of brothers, fathers, sons and, most importantly, fellowship within the community.
Until Jackie Robinson broke the color barrier in 1947, major league baseball was the pastime for white players and their fans. Segregated and separated, Black players were forced to form leagues of their own. These largely Black leagues have an unmistakable impact on their local communities and the game of baseball itself.
This exhibition highlights the story of the 521 All-Stars team of Rembert, SC, a Black baseball team with roots going back to the 1920s. Named for Hwy 521 which runs past the field, the 521 All-Stars play for the love of the game and the pride and solidarity it brings. This extends both to those who play and those who gather to watch from the stands.”
II.
Open on Saturdays 10:00 am - 2:00 pm year round | Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum: Ongoing Exhibitions | Greenville, SC | Visitors Information
“The Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum and Baseball Library is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to honoring the life and preserving the legacy of the greatest natural hitter to ever play the game. Through the research, collection, and display of many original artifacts, photos, and countless books in our on-site research library, we provide comprehensive context for Joe’s place in baseball history.
In addition to dispelling myths and educating the public about the truth of Joe’s life and career, our mission is to be an active, contributing member within our local communities, continuing to grow the game of baseball for generations to come.”
III.
Friday, March 15, 2024 (note the year date is wrong on the website) | Breakfast at the Gallops: Watch Aiken's Future Racing Stars Workout | Aiken, SC | Tickets
(While the below is not necessarily a historical lecture, it is an exciting event that celebrates the ongoing tradition of horse racing in Aiken, SC and sounds really fun! I encourage you to also visit the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame & Museum for additional historical adventures!)
“The City of Aiken Parks, Recreation and Tourism will host the sixteenth annual Breakfast at the Gallops on Friday, March 15, 2024 at 8:00 a.m. at the Aiken Training Track. This will be an opportunity to observe juvenile and older campaigners before they leave Aiken for various racetracks throughout the country. This year’s guest speaker is Robbie Davis. He is a retired jockey with 3,382 career wins and $115,751,495 in career earnings. A portion of the proceeds from the event will support the Aiken Thoroughbred Racing Hall of Fame and Museum.”
2 ➳ SC History Fun Facts
I.
Where did the USC “Gamecocks” get their name? The origin of USC’s famous mascot harkens back to the Revolutionary War, when South Carolina War hero General Thomas Sumter was called “The Fighting Gamecock” due to his aggressive military tactics. USC’s Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia is only 44 miles away from the town of Sumter, named after General Sumter. USC later adopted the Gamecock mascot after a famous feud in 1902 with age-old rivals the Clemson Tigers. USC had achieved an upset victory over the Clemson, and at a student parade the following day, lifted up posters of a Gamecock triumphing over a beaten Tiger. Students from Clemson, originally a military school, were so upset by this image of the triumphant Gamecock that they marched onto the USC campus. The two student bodies nearly came to a battle with knives and pistols before, thankfully, the police diffused the skirmish. After the feud, newspapers began to label the USC team as the Gamecocks and the name stuck ever since. So what is a gamecock? It is a domesticated rooster “selectively bred for it’s aggressive and territorial nature” to participate in the sport of cockfighting, a sport banned in many countries. To make things even more exciting, USC debuted a live Gamecock mascot in 1999, who is called Sir Big Spur, with today’s mascot being Sir Big Spur VII. When I checked the USC website, I saw that Sir Big Spur VII’s caretakers are Van & Beth Clark, and it is possible to request his appearance for campus events ($350), public/community events ($500), and private parties & weddings ($500-$1,000)!
II.
At Clemson’s “Death Valley” stadium, what is Howard’s Rock? It’s a longstanding tradition for Clemson players to rub “Howard’s Rock” at the top of The Hill before running down to the field. The rock originally came from Death Valley, California (on the pedestal it reads: “From Death Valley, CA to Death Valley, SC”), and was given to Clemson Coach Frank Howard by his friend S.C. Jones (Clemson ‘19). The rock was first placed on the pedestal at the top of The Hill on September 24th, 1966, and the Tigers went on to win against Virginia that day 40-35. The Tigers started rubbing the rock before the first game of 1967, which they won over Wake Forest 23-6, and it has become tradition ever since.
1 ➳ Quote from an SC historical figure
I.
“Hey, big mouth (yelling out to a heckler), how do you spell triple?”
― “Shoeless Joe” Jackson
Who is Shoeless Joe Jackson? Born in 1887 in Pickens, SC, Joseph Jefferson Jackson, was a famous outfielder who played Major League Baseball in the early 1900s. Jackson’s baseball career had meager beginnings. When his family moved to Greenville, South Carolina to work at Brandon Mill, Jackson played for the mill’s baseball team as their youngest player. At one mill team game, Jackson kicked his new cleats off due to painful blisters on his feet. Watching him play without shoes on, a heckler yelled, “You shoeless son of a gun, you!” and the nickname “Shoeless Joe” stuck with him ever since. Jackson’s star continued to ascend in baseball when he went from playing in local semi-professional teams to the major leagues. His .365 career batting average is the 4th highest in the history of Major League Baseball. However, his career became tarnished after the Black Sox Scandal of 1919, in which members of the Chicago White Sox participated in a conspiracy to fix the World Series. Thereafter, “Shoeless Joe” Jackson was banned from baseball after the 1920 season. He was also excluded from the Baseball Hall of Fame. Other fun facts about “Shoeless Joe”: he holds the Cleveland Guardians and Chicago White Sox records for triples in a season and career batting average, and apparently, baseball legend Babe Ruth modified his swing to be more like Jackson’s.
Sources used in today’s newsletter:
Five players with state of South Carolina ties set for Super Bowl 58 between 49ers, Chiefs
Why is South Carolina called the Gamecocks? History behind the nickname, explained
I always want to improve my work. Answer the poll below to give me your review of today’s newsletter. I also welcome your suggestions for new content! Simply reply to this email with your ideas. Thank you!