Phil Petty immortalized inside South Carolina’s QB room

Dwayne Mclemore
·2 min read
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Future meetings inside the South Carolina Gamecocks’ quarterback room will now include a visual reminder of one of the program’s all-time greats.

A new graphic of the late Phil Petty was added to the wall this week in the QBs meeting room at the Cyndi and Kenneth Long Family Football Operations Center. The wall now includes images of former Gamecock quarterbacks Petty, Connor Shaw, Todd Ellis, Tommy Suggs, Steve Taneyhill, Jeff Grantz and Anthony Wright.

The reveal of the wall graphic coincided with a visit to the football facility and South Carolina practice Friday from Petty’s wife, Morgan, and their two children, Sage and McCoy. Head coach Shane Beamer has indicated that the USC program will continue to honor Petty and his family.

“They are family here in Gamecock Nation,” Beamer said ahead of preseason camp, “and we ask that everyone please continue to wrap their arms around that family and help them during this really, really, really tough time.”

Former Gamecock running back Ryan Brewer delivered an inspirational speech to the current South Carolina players in remembrance of Petty. A video of Brewer’s message to the team in which he praised Petty’s leadership qualities was shared to social media Saturday.

The two were teammates under coach Lou Holtz at South Carolina and were big parts of the Gamecocks’ back-to-back Outback Bowl victories against Ohio State during the 2000 and 2001 seasons.

“One thing I hope is you all never have to go through what this family has to go through, what our brothers had to go through with losing one so young,” Brewer said to the Gamecocks. “I hope that never has to happen to you. I do hope, if it does happen, it hurts so hard because you love that man so much.

“Everybody in this room, look to the left and right of you. These guys are going to be your brother forever. Forever.”

Petty died July 21 at 43 years old.

“Phil was rushed to the hospital for internal bleeding and hemorrhaged,” Morgan Petty indicated in a Facebook post.

The family also started the Phil Petty Scholarship foundation “to benefit a future Gamecock Football player. Funds raised in Phil’s name will go directly towards supporting a Gamecock Football student-athlete in their drive to personify Phil’s legacy as a Gamecock legend.”