1945 South Carolina Gamecocks football team

The 1945 South Carolina Gamecocks football team represented the University of South Carolina as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 1945 college football season. In their first and only season under head coach John D. McMillan, the Gamecocks compiled an overall record of 2–4–3 with a mark of 0–2–2 in conference play, placing tenth in the SoCon. South Carolina was invited to the inaugural Gator Bowl, also the first bowl game in program history, where they lost to Wake Forest.^[1][2]

1945 South Carolina Gamecocks football
Gator Bowl, L 14–26 vs. Wake Forest
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	2–4–3 (0–2–2 SoCon)
Head coach	John D. McMillan (1st season)
Captain	Bryant Meeks
Home stadium	Carolina Municipal Stadium
Seasons ← 1944 1946 →

1945 Southern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 13 Duke $	4	–	0	–	0			6	–	2	–	0
No. 19 Wake Forest	4	–	1	–	1			5	–	3	–	1
William & Mary	4	–	2	–	0			6	–	3	–	0
Clemson	2	–	1	–	1			6	–	3	–	1
Maryland	3	–	2	–	0			6	–	2	–	1
VMI	3	–	2	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
North Carolina	2	–	2	–	0			5	–	4	–	0
NC State	2	–	4	–	0			3	–	6	–	0
VPI	2	–	5	–	0			2	–	6	–	0
South Carolina	0	–	3	–	2			2	–	4	–	3
Richmond	0	–	4	–	0			2	–	6	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 22		at Duke	Duke Stadium Durham, NC	L 0–60	12,000	[3]
September 29		Presbyterian*	Carolina Stadium Columbia, SC	W 40–0	6,000	[4]
October 6	3:00 p.m.	Camp Blanding*	Carolina Stadium Columbia, SC	W 20–6	7,000	[5][6]
October 13		at No. 7 Alabama	Cramton Bowl Montgomery, AL	L 0–55	14,000	[7]
October 25		Clemson	Carolina Stadium Columbia, SC (rivalry)	T 0–0	25,000	[8]
November 9		at Miami (FL)*	Burdine Stadium Miami, FL	T 13–13	18,056	[9]
November 22		vs. Wake Forest	American Legion Memorial Stadium Charlotte, NC	T 13–13	16,000	[10]
December 1		Maryland	Carolina Stadium Columbia, SC	L 13–19	8,000	[11]
January 1, 1946		vs. No. 19 Wake Forest	Fairfield Stadium Jacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl)	L 14–26	12,000	[12]
*Non-conference game Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

References

1. "1945 South Carolina Gamecocks Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
2. "South Carolina Gamecocks Bowls". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
3. "Duke wallops South Carolina 60–0". Greensboro Daily News. September 23, 1945. Retrieved December 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "S.C. defeats Presbyterian, 40–0; Scores in each period". Winston-Salem Journal. September 30, 1945. Retrieved December 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
5. "Carolina Plays Camp Blanding Gunners This Afternoon". The State. Columbia, South Carolina. October 7, 1945. p. 3. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
6. Sanders, Charlie (October 7, 1945). "Carolina Defeats Camp Blanding Gunners By 20-6 Score". The State. Columbia, South Carolina. p. 2B. Retrieved April 5, 2023 – via Newspapers.com .
7. "Tide torrent deluges South Carolina, 55–0". The Tuscaloosa News. October 14, 1944. p. 6. Retrieved August 9, 2021 – via Google News Archives.
8. "Tigers, Birds in scoreless tie". The Greenville News. October 26, 1945. pp. 1, 19. Retrieved August 9, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Gamecocks battle Miami U. gridders to 13 to 13 tie". Tampa Sunday Tribune. November 10, 1945. Retrieved December 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Wake Forest held to 13–13 tie by inspired Gamecock eleven". The News and Observer. November 23, 1945. Retrieved December 22, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "U. of Maryland gridders outlast South Carolina to win, 19 To 13: Victors roll to early lead". The Baltimore Sun. December 2, 1945. p. 28. Retrieved August 9, 2021 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Wake Forest in 26–14 victory in Gator Bowl: 12,000 see Deacons win over Gamecocks". Tampa Morning Tribune. January 2, 1946. p. 11 – via Newspapers.com.