1953 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

The 1953 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 1953 college football season. Led by 13th-year head coach Rex Enright, the Gamecocks compiled an overall record of 7–3 with a mark of 2–3 in conference play, placing in a three-way tie for third in the ACC. The team played home games at Carolina Stadium in Columbia, South Carolina.

1953 South Carolina Gamecocks football
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Record7–3 (2–3 ACC)
Head coach
CaptainGene Wilson
Home stadiumCarolina Stadium
Seasons
← 1952
1954 →
1953 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 1 Maryland + 3 0 0 10 1 0
No. 18 Duke + 4 0 0 7 2 1
South Carolina 2 3 0 7 3 0
North Carolina 2 3 0 4 6 0
Wake Forest 2 3 0 3 6 1
Clemson 1 2 0 3 5 1
NC State 0 3 0 1 9 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll[1]

1953 was the ACC's inaugural year of competition. South Carolina and six other schools from the Southern Conference (SoCon) broke off to form the new conference in 1953.

Also this year, South Carolina entered the AP Poll for the first time in school history, though it would be another five years before it would finish a season ranked in that poll.[2]

Schedule

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DateTimeOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 19No. 10 DukeL 7–2030,000[3]
September 28The Citadel*
  • Carolina Stadium
  • Columbia, SC
W 25–015,000[4]
October 3at Virginia*W 19–012,000[5]
October 10Furman*
  • Carolina Stadium
  • Columbia, SC
W 27–1315,000[6]
October 22Clemson
  • Carolina Stadium
  • Columbia, SC (rivalry)
W 14–735,000[7]
October 31at No. 2 MarylandL 6–2422,000[8]
November 7North Carolina
  • Carolina Stadium
  • Columbia, SC (rivalry)
W 18–023,000[9]
November 14at No. 8 West Virginia*W 20–1431,000[10]
November 21Wofford*No. 18
  • Carolina Stadium
  • Columbia, SC
W 49–08,000[11]
November 262:00 p.m.vs. Wake ForestNo. 15L 13–1911,000[12]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

References

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  1. ^ "1953 Atlantic Coast Conference Year Summary". sports-reference.com. Retrieved January 16, 2013.
  2. ^ "South Carolina Gamecocks Poll History". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 29, 2023.
  3. ^ "Devils beat Gamecocks". The Rocky Mount Telegram. September 20, 1953. Retrieved January 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. ^ "South Carolina Overpowers The Citadel, 25-0". The Greenville News. Greenville, South Carolina. September 29, 1953. p. 11. Retrieved September 5, 2022 – via Newspapers.com  .
  5. ^ "Virginia loses and fails to score for first time in 64 games". The News and Observer. October 4, 1953. Retrieved January 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  6. ^ "South Carolina coasts to easy win over Furman, 27–13". Rocky Mount Telegram. October 11, 1951. Retrieved September 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ Jim Anderson (October 23, 1953). "Carolina Captures Thriller From Clemson, 14-7". The Greenville News. pp. 1, 17 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Maryland makes Gamecocks 7th victim, 24–6". The News and Observer. November 1, 1953. Retrieved January 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "South Carolina thumps NC". The Orlando Sentinel. November 8, 1953. Retrieved January 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "South Carolina upends West Virginia, 20 to 14". Durham Morning Herald. November 15, 1953. Retrieved January 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Carolina wallops Wofford, 49–0". The Times and Democrat. November 22, 1953. Retrieved January 4, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Pierce, Dick (November 26, 1953). "Favored Role Goes To South Carolina". The Charlotte Observer. Charlotte, North Carolina. p. 4B. Retrieved May 14, 2021 – via Newspapers.com  .