2001 theme song:
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In 1995, on the eve of a visit to Williams-Brice Stadium with his Florida Gators, Steve Spurrier commented on the Gamecocks’ stirring on-field arrival to the crescendo-building “2001”: “They’ve got one of the best player introductions in the country.”

Then his Gators went out and crushed the Gamecocks 63-7.

As coach of the Gamecocks, Spurrier wants his players to stay focused and not get caught up in the emotion of the “2001” moment. But he has no intention of putting a damper on the fans’ exuberance.

“You know, they played the ‘2001’ theme song last night in Spartanburg before the Gamecock Club meeting,” Spurrier said during a May interview. “And, of course, the fans got excited. And I didn’t mention this, but I already mentioned it to my team: that theme song introduction, it’s nice, and it’s neat, and the fans get riled up, but I said, ‘I don’t think it’s ever won a game for South Carolina.’

“And I’ve watched USC’s players in the years past jump around and act like a bunch of fools before the game when, really, when the ball’s snapped, what are we going to do? That’s going to determine the winner, and not the pregame introduction. So—we’re still going to do it, don’t get me wrong. We’re not going to touch it. I think it’s a wonderful, tremendous tradition here at Carolina—but the players have got to put it aside.

“They can’t be jumping around acting silly, coming through the steam and smoke. They’ve got to just say, ‘Hey, let the fans get all jacked up. Let them yell and scream. We’ve got to play the entire game the best we can,’ and just get out there and start concentrating on play-by-play. We’ve talked about that, and, hopefully, we’ll handle pregame introductions with a lot of class.”

Credit for starting the “2001” introduction at USC is sometimes mistakenly given to former Coach Joe Morrison or one of his assistants, said Tommy Suggs, the former USC quarterback and color commentator on USC radio broadcasts for 32 seasons. Suggs first pitched the idea to Coach Jim Carlen after seeing Elvis Presley use it for his entrance at concerts. “When I saw it, it was very emotional,” Suggs said.

Carlen agreed to try the entrance in 1981, which turned out to be his final season. He insisted, however, that the band play it rather than having it played over the public address system. “I tried to discourage that because I knew no one would hear it,” Suggs said. “We only tried it for a couple of games.”

Suggs pitched the idea again in 1982 to new athletics director Bob Marcum. Marcum loved the idea, but postponed it until 1983 because the sound system at Williams-Brice was in poor condition and needed to be overhauled. By 1983, Morrison had replaced Richard Bell, who lasted only one season as coach; consequently, many assumed the new coach had brought the introduction with him.

Suggs remembers the Thursday night before the 1983 season opener against North Carolina. “Bob Marcum and I were on the practice field before the first game. The band was going off the field, and the team was going on. They played ‘2001,’ and everyone just stopped. They couldn’t believe it, they couldn’t understand what it was. From that point on, the rest is history. It’s just taken off and gone on from there.”

Spurrier will get no argument from Suggs, though, about his approach with the players. “I do think he has a great point. The players shouldn’t get that excited, but the fans can. I have all the confidence in the world that Coach Spurrier will manage the team emotionally. But it is part of the tradition for fans; it is a statement that we make. The fans need to get really riled up and have a big time, but the players need to be under control.”