1976 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

The 1976 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina as an independent during the 1976 NCAA Division I football season. Led by second-year head coach Jim Carlen, the Gamecocks compiled a record of 6–5. The team played its home games at Williams–Brice Stadium.

1976 South Carolina Gamecocks football
Conference	Independent
Record	6–5
Head coach	Jim Carlen (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Richard Bell (2nd season)
Home stadium	Williams–Brice Stadium
Seasons ← 1975 1977 →

1976 NCAA Division I independents football records
v t e	Conf.			Overall
Team	W	L	T	W		L		T
No. 1 Pittsburgh		–		12	–	0	–	0
No. 17 Rutgers		–		11	–	0	–	0
San Diego State		–		10	–	1	–	0
No. 12 Notre Dame		–		9	–	3	–	0
Colgate		–		8	–	2	–	0
Boston College		–		8	–	3	–	0
Cincinnati		–		8	–	3	–	0
Memphis State		–		7	–	4	–	0
North Texas State *		–		7	–	4	–	0
Southern Illinois		–		7	–	4	–	0
Penn State		–		7	–	5	–	0
Villanova		–		6	–	4	–	1
South Carolina		–		6	–	5	–	0
Virginia Tech		–		6	–	5	–	0
Army		–		5	–	6	–	0
Florida State		–		5	–	6	–	0
Illinois State		–		5	–	6	–	0
Richmond		–		5	–	6	–	0
West Virginia		–		5	–	6	–	0
Georgia Tech		–		4	–	6	–	1
Temple		–		4	–	6	–	0
Air Force		–		4	–	7	–	0
Dayton		–		4	–	7	–	0
Louisville		–		4	–	7	–	0
Marshall		–		4	–	7	–	0
Navy		–		4	–	7	–	0
Indiana State		–		3	–	7	–	0
Hawaii		–		3	–	8	–	0
Holy Cross		–		3	–	8	–	0
Miami (FL)		–		3	–	8	–	0
Syracuse		–		3	–	8	–	0
Utah State		–		3	–	8	–	0
Northeast Louisiana		–		2	–	9	–	0
Southern Miss		–		2	–	9	–	0
Tulane		–		2	–	9	–	0

North Texas State (originally 6–5) was awarded a forfeit win after Mississippi State was found to be using an ineligible player. Rankings from AP Poll

After an upset over No. 16 Ole Miss, South Carolina was ranked No. 19 in the country, the program's highest ranking since 1971. It was also the first time the Gamecocks had been ranked in the top twenty in two consecutive seasons since 1959. However, the Gamecocks lost three of their last four games, and finished the season unranked.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 4	Appalachian State		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 21–10	44,536
September 11	at Georgia Tech		Grant Field Atlanta, GA	ABC	W 27–17	38,923
September 18	Duke		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 24–6	52,237
September 25	at No. 7 Georgia		Sanford Stadium Athens, GA (rivalry)		L 12–20	59,925
October 2	at Baylor		Baylor Stadium Waco, TX		L 17–18	34,500
October 9	Virginia		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 35–7	47,239
October 16	No. 16 Ole Miss		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 10–7	53,079
October 23	No. 12 Notre Dame	No. 19	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		L 6–13	56,721
October 30	NC State		Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		W 27–7	50,703
November 13	Wake Forest	No. 20	Williams–Brice Stadium Columbia, SC		L 7–10	49,779
November 20	at Clemson		Memorial Stadium Clemson, South Carolina (rivalry)		L 9–28	54,129
Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game

Roster

1976 South Carolina Gamecocks football team roster

Players

Coaches

Offense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
QB	`10`	Ronnie Bass	Jr
C	`65`	Danny Clancy	So
G	`66`	Steve Courson	Sr
OT	`76`	Mike Fralic	So
OT	`75`	Stan James	Jr
WR	`40`	Philip Logan	Jr
RB	`32`	Kevin Long	Sr
WR	`41`	Zion McKinney	Fr
OT	`78`	Jerome Provence	Jr
G	`61`	Tami Tarbush	Jr
TE	`45`	Brad Thomas	Jr
RB	`33`	Clarence Williams	Sr

Defense

Pos.	#	Name	Class
DT	`71`	Charles Barber	Sr
DE	`80`	Scott Blackman	Jr
DB	`24`	Bill Currier	Sr
LB	`57`	John Green	Jr
DE	`82`	Rus Mangari	Sr
LB	`50`	David Prezioso	Jr
DB	`25`	Rick Sanford	So
LB	`54`	Tim Singleton	Fr

Special teams

Pos.	#	Name	Class
P	`14`	Max Runager	So
K	`15`	Steve Young	Sr

Head coach

Jim Carlen

Coordinators/assistant coaches

Legend

(C) Team captain
(S) Suspended
(I) Ineligible

Injured
Redshirt

Team players in the NFL

Player	Position	Round	Pick	NFL club
Clarence Williams	Running back	5	124	San Diego Chargers
Steve Courson	Guard	5	125	Pittsburgh Steelers
Kevin Long	Running back	7	195	New York Jets
Bill Currier	Safety	9	232	Houston Oilers