Landscape

The State, a newspaper in Columbia, South Carolina, began referring to the University of South Carolina football team as the Gamecocks in the early 1900s. The name came from a South Carolina Revolutionary War hero, General Thomas Sumter. Sumter earned the nickname “The Carolina Gamecock” from British General Banastre Tarleton after a battle during which Sumter “fought like a gamecock.” Soon afterward, the moniker became associated with all South Carolina athletic teams.
Garnet and black were the unofficial colors of the football team in 1895. Those also happen to be the dominant colors on a gamecock. Once the Gamecock nickname became official for the school athletic teams so did the garnet and black colors.