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Wildcats Fall Short in Series Finale, 6

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Tyler Cox’s RBI double in the top of the ninth broke a 5-5 tie and handed Houston a 6-5 victory in the series finale Sunday at Tointon Family Stadium. “That was a disappointing game,” head coach Pete Hughes said. “Good fight and battled back. That all sounds good, but in the end, when […]

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Wildcats Fall Short in Series Finale, 6

MANHATTAN, Kan. – Tyler Cox’s RBI double in the top of the ninth broke a 5-5 tie and handed Houston a 6-5 victory in the series finale Sunday at Tointon Family Stadium.
 
“That was a disappointing game,” head coach Pete Hughes said. “Good fight and battled back. That all sounds good, but in the end, when you lose, I really don’t care how it looked. You get beat, you get beat, and we beat ourselves.”
 
K-State (26-18, 12-9 Big 12) erased a four-run deficit in the first inning and rallied to level the score with the help of home runs by Shintaro Inoue, Dee Kennedy and Keegan O’Connor. With the score knotted at 5-all, the Cougars’ (23-20, 7-13 Big 12) second baseman Anthony Avalos was hit by a pitch and scored on Cox’s double down the right-field line.
 
“I think in the last three innings, it might’ve been four, they got the lead off runner on by a hit by pitch or walk. We were dancing around trouble all day long and doing that, we did a great job with damage control the entire game, but eventually you’re going to let up a run,” commented Hughes.
 
James Guyette (4-3) fired five scoreless innings in relief before surrendering the game-winner in the ninth. He scattered two hits in his 5 1/3 innings of work, while striking out three with three walks and four hit batters.
 
Alongside Inoue, Kennedy and O’Connor, Sam Flores and AJ Evasco also tallied a hit. Inoue registered a three-hit day followed by O’Connor with two, while five different players drove in a run.
 
“I am disappointed. I thought we did a good job against Antoine Jean, but still, if you get a chance to tie the game at home in the eighth and ninth inning, you gotta win those games.”
 
Jean, who ranks second in the league with 88 strikeouts, held the Cats to two runs over his 6 2/3 innings in relief before handing the ball over to Richie Ramon. The right-hander limited K-State to one hit in the final two frames to pick up his first win of the season (1-5).
 
K-State has sent out 77 homers this year, including 23 games hitting multiple. The Wildcats’ 77 homers in 2025 ties third all-time in school history.
 
Under Hughes, K-State has produced five of the six top season’s in terms of home run production.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
With a pair of two-out home runs by Avalos and Brandon Bishop, Houston sent nine to the plate and spotted K-State starter Lincoln Sheffield for four runs in the first frame.
 
JJ Slack relieved Sheffield, inheriting runners on second and third. The lefty struck out the first batter he faced to get the Cats out of the jam.
 
Trailing 4-0, Inoue immediately answered with a 421-foot no-doubter over the centerfield wall – his fourth homer in the last four games – until Kennedy belted the team’s 76th home run to left field to pull the game within two.
 
With one out, Houston’s starter Eric Van Valkenburg issued a walk to Seth Dardar to force a pitching change and bring Jean into the game. O’Connor and Flores responded to the change with a pair of singles to make it 4-3.  
 
Cougars’ Cade Climie barreled a 1-1 pitch to right field to extend the lead, but Slack bounced back with his third strikeout of the inning to keep the score within two.
 
Down 5-3, O’Connor recovered the run handed over in the top of the third with his 12th home run.
 
The Cats knotted the score in the fifth, as AJ Evasco led off with a single and advanced to third on a balk and sacrifice bunt, before scoring on a chopper to the shortstop by Maximus Martin.
 
After four scoreless innings, Houston regained the lead after a hit by pitch put the game-winning run on base.
 
INSIDE THE BOX

  • K-State scored five runs on eight hits, committed one error and stranded seven runners on base.
  • Houston scored six runs on eight hits with one error and leaving 12 runners on.
  • Inoue, Kennedy and O’Connor each homered.
  • Guyette (4-3) suffered the loss in relief, allowing the go-ahead run in the ninth.
  • Slack and Guyette combined for nine strikeouts.
  • Roman (1-5) was credited with the victory in relief, holding K-State scoreless in the final two frames.
  • Inoue produced a team-high three hits followed by O’Connor with two, while five different Cats drove in a run.  
  • K-State went 1-for-6 with runners in scoring position, while UH was 1-for-13. Houston scored five runs with two outs.

 TEAM NOTES

  • K-State leads the all-time series, 7-3, with a 5-1 edge in Big 12 games.
  • With the win, Houston snapped its five-game losing streak to K-State.
  • K-State has homered in 33 of 44 games, totaling 77 with 28 in the month of April.
  • The 2025 team’s 77 home runs ties third all-time in school history, alongside the 2023 squad.
  • Under Hughes, K-State has five of the program’s top six seasons in terms of home run production.

 UP NEXT
The Wildcats complete their home-and-home series with the Nebraska Cornhuskers (21-23) on Tuesday at Hawks Field at Haymarket Park in Lincoln, Neb., starting at 6 p.m.
 
Single-game tickets for the Wildcats final week (May 6-11) at Tointon Family Stadium can be purchased by visiting KStateSports.com, call 1-800-221-CATS (2287), or stopping by the K-State Athletics Ticket Office in Bramlage Coliseum.

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UW sues Miami over NIL tampering with football player

Listen to this article IN BRIEF UW and VC Connect file lawsuit alleging Miami tampered with player. Lawsuit centers around former Badger cornerback Xavier Lucas. Claims Miami induced player to break NIL contract for transfer. The University of Wisconsin and its NIL collective VC Connect filed a joint lawsuit on Friday against the University of […]

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June 24, 2025

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IN BRIEF

  • UW and VC Connect file lawsuit alleging Miami tampered with player.
  • Lawsuit centers around former Badger cornerback Xavier Lucas.
  • Claims Miami induced player to break NIL contract for transfer.

The University of Wisconsin and its NIL collective VC Connect filed a joint lawsuit on Friday against the University of Miami alleging it knowingly induced one of the Badgers’ football players to abandon a lucrative name, image and likeness contract to play for the Florida school this upcoming season.

Allegations of tampering rarely get to this level and the 23-page lawsuit, which was filed in state court in Wisconsin and obtained by The Associated Press, is unusual. Depending on its resolution, it could have a a wider impact on future NIL deals across college athletics.

The player in question in the filing is referred to only as “Student-Athlete A.” But the case summary describes facts that line up with the situation involving cornerback Xavier Lucas, who last December announced his plans to enter the transfer portal.

Shortly afterward, Darren Heitner, who has been representing Lucas, indicated that Wisconsin was refusing to put Lucas’ name in the portal and that it was hindering his ability to talk with other schools. In January, Heitner announced that Lucas would be playing for Miami this fall.

The situation is fallout from the rapid changes engulfing college athletics, specifically a combination of two things: Athletes went to court and won the ability to transfer with much more freedom and the 2021 NCAA decision clearing the way for them to strike NIL endorsement deals now worth millions of dollars. That has changed the recruiting landscape and forced the issue of contracts and signed commitments to the fore.

“Indeed, student-athletes’ newfound NIL rights will be rendered meaningless if third parties are allowed to induce student-athletes to abandon their contractual commitments,” a portion of the lawsuit reads.

Wisconsin said in January that it had credible information that Miami and Lucas made impermissible contact with each other before the former Badgers cornerback decided to transfer.

Wisconsin and VC Connect allege that the inducement for Lucas to attend Miami happened within days of him entering his NIL agreement to play for the Badgers, and that they incurred substantial monetary and reputational harm. The lawsuit seeks unspecified monetary damages and “a declaration that Miami’s conduct directed towards Student-Athlete A constituted tampering.”

In a text message, Heitner declined to comment on the lawsuit, but he said that Lucas still plans to attend Miami and play football.

Wisconsin said it had the support of its leadership and the Big Ten Conference in filing the lawsuit, noting its commitment to “ensuring integrity and fundamental fairness in the evolving landscape of college athletics.”

“While we reluctantly bring this case, we stand by our position that respecting and enforcing contractual obligations is essential to maintaining a level playing field,” the statement said. “In addition to our legal action, we will continue to be proactive to protect the interests of our student-athletes, our program and the broader collegiate athletics community.

Lucas, who is from Pompano Beach, Florida, had 12 tackles, an interception and a sack as a freshman for Wisconsin last season.

Heitner said that Lucas hasn’t received any money from Wisconsin and therefore owes no money to the school. Heitner also argued that Wisconsin had violated an NCAA bylaw by not entering Lucas into the transfer database within two business days of the player’s request.

Wisconsin issued a statement at the time saying it hadn’t put Lucas’ name in the portal because he had entered a two-year binding NIL agreement.

In April, the surprise transfers of brothers Nico and Madden Iamaleava from Tennessee to UCLA prompted fresh questions about contracts and buyouts.

Nico Iamaleava, who led Tennessee to the College Football Playoff last season, walked away from a reported $2.4 million NIL contract. Arkansas freshman quarterback Madden Iamaleava entered the portal after spring practices wrapped up.

Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek released a statement indicating he would support efforts by the Razorbacks’ NIL collective to enforce buyout clauses in athlete contracts. Iamaleava reportedly had a contract valued at $500,000 upon signing with Arkansas.



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College Basketball Insider: NC State’s Darrion Williams ‘should unequivocally be the ACC Preseason Player of the Year’

NC State has brought in eight transfers as part of an all-new roster for year one under Will Wade in Raleigh. Among them, though, was the Wolfpacks’ addition of who Jon Rothstein thinks should be the clear favorite as Preseason ACC Player of the Year. Rothstein looked at what the candidates for that recognition could […]

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NC State has brought in eight transfers as part of an all-new roster for year one under Will Wade in Raleigh. Among them, though, was the Wolfpacks’ addition of who Jon Rothstein thinks should be the clear favorite as Preseason ACC Player of the Year.

Rothstein looked at what the candidates for that recognition could look like considering the movement around the league on his show with CBS Sports on Monday. He, after looking around at all the programs, felt that Darrion Williams should “unequivocally” be the choice there as Preseason Player of the Year in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

“I started to dive in last week to the ACC, and you start looking at the personnel of the conference…The bottom line is this. When you’re evaluating next season, returning personnel in the ACC and you’re evaluating the optics of who’s coming into the conference with cachet? It is very difficult to forecast, in some ways, who the best players in the league are going to be entering next season,” said Rothstein. “Duke lost Cooper Flagg, Kon Knueppel, Clemson lost Chase Hunter, Ian Schieffelin. And now you’re looking at what teams have brought in. Louisville did a tremendous job in the transfer portal bringing in Ryan Conwell and Isaac McKneely. Obviously, Duke’s going to bring in a talented freshman class, and also Cam Boozer who I love as a face-up big man.”

“But, I think if you really split the atom, I think if you really look in deep? I think, unequivocally, you look at the personnel, you look at the criteria for the personnel, and then you start looking at the production of the personnel – and Darrion Williams, who transferred from Texas Tech to NC State, should unequivocally be the ACC Preseason Player of the Year,” Rothstein stated.

Williams, who withdrew his name from the 2025 NBA Draft, was the No. 5 player in the portal per On3’s 2025 Top Transfer Portal Players. That’s coming off his career-best season as a junior in Lubbock where he averaged 15.1 points (43.9% FG, 34% 3PT on 1.4 makes), 5.5 rebounds, 3.6 assists, and 1.3 steals per game. He then improved his scoring, rebounding, steals, and three-point makes in their four games of March Madness in reaching the Elite Eight. He did all that while not being the leading contributor in any category for the Red Raiders, which Rothstein expects he’ll now get to be for the Wolfpack.

“Look at what Williams did in the NCAA Tournament last year. Four NCAA Tournament games for the Red Raiders, who advanced all the way to the Elite Eight before losing to Florida in a devastating loss in Northern California. What did Darrion Williams do in those four games? 21 points, seven rebounds, about three assists. That is what you are looking at if you are an NC State fan,” said Rothstein. “This is somebody, again, who was not the focal point for Texas Tech because Texas Tech had the Big 12 Player of the Year and an All-American in JT Toppin. Now Darrion Williams comes to NC State and he gets a bigger bite of the apple. Now Darrion Williams comes to NC State and he gets the opportunity to showcase his ability to be a focal point for Will Wade and the NC State Wolfpack.”

Williams will have to not only produce in a leading role but help NC State, with ten new players led by a Top-30 portal class, to success in their debut under Wade. If Rothstein’s very early projection is right, though, the Wolfpack could have one of the best players in the league, at least based on conference awards, for the first time in around a decade with Williams.

“If you’re looking again at a Preseason All-ACC First Team, I would go with Cam Boozer, I would go with Darrion Williams, I would go with Ryan Conwell…I would also go with Markus Burton, and I would go with Seth Trimble,” said Rothstein.

“It’s really, when you split the atom, based on winning, based on production, and based on the situation that he’s going to find himself in? Darrion Williams from NC State should unequivocally be the ACC Preseason Player of the Year entering the ’25-’26 season – and I don’t think it’s even much of a debate”



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Dabo’s recent one-liner about NCAA, NIL football

I know football season is still a few weeks away, but let’s get the conversation going. First, a confession. As a native of Hickory, N.C., and graduate of NC State, my first college sports loyalty is to the Wolfpack. That is especially true in basketball, as I was lucky enough to be in school there […]

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3 hours ago

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June 24, 2025

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I know football season is still a few weeks away, but let’s get the conversation going.

First, a confession. As a native of Hickory, N.C., and graduate of NC State, my first college sports loyalty is to the Wolfpack.

That is especially true in basketball, as I was lucky enough to be in school there when David Thompson and the Pack took down Bill Walton and UCLA for the national championship in 1974.

But as a very happy and very lucky resident of Columbia since 1978, I have for 47 years pulled hard for the Gamecocks as well. From football glory with Steve Spurrier to basketball glory with Dawn Staley to baseball glory with Ray Tanner, I’ve enjoyed it all.

And by the way, that two-time national championship winning USC baseball coach and retired athletics director is also an NC State grad who came to Columbia from Raleigh. As did Coach Tanner, I liked it here and stayed forever.

That said, this column is not about memorable wins. It’s about memorable words. And sports fans, when it comes to memorable words, it’s hard to beat Dabo.

After all, Swinney is the coach who famously said, “You gotta bring your own guts!”

The legendary comment came in an ESPN on-field interview after Clemson stopped a two-point conversion in the final seconds to defeat Notre Dame in a 2015 nationally televised game. Asked by the reporter what he said to his team at halftime, Dabo replied:

“I told them, ‘We give you scholarships, we give you stipends and meals and a place to live. We give you nice uniforms. But you gotta bring your own guts!’”

Swinney let fly another never to be forgotten (or forgiven) quote after Spurrier had (allegedly) thrown some shade at Clemson before the annual clash with South Carolina, though Spurrier denied there was any insult involved.

But the die was cast, as Dabo had already cut loose with this burn for the ages response about the Gamecocks:

“They ain’t Alabama. They ain’t LSU. And they’re certainly not Clemson. That’s why Carolina is in Chapel Hill and USC is in California and THE university in this state always has been, always will be Clemson.”

While there are many other notable Dabo quotes over the years, I’ll close with one from just a few weeks ago. In a pre-season interview on ESPN, he was discussing the new realities of college football, big money and “amateur” athletics in the NCAA.

Noting that this is his sixteenth season as Clemson’s head coach, Swinney said: “Rules change, and there’s lots of things we can do now that 16 years ago you’d be in jail for.”

It was a great line that drew laughs. But it’s also true. Literally. The NCAA is now both a joke and the joker in the professionalization of college sports.

As always, thanks to Dabo for telling it like he sees it, and doing so with both fire and fun.

And Go Cocks!





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Florida basketball, SEC brace for potential Big East rise due to settlement

Swampcast discusses how Florida football recruiting 2026 class is shaping up so far The Sun’s Kevin Brockway and Noah Ram talk about Florida football recruiting with Nick Wilson of the USA Today Gannett Florida Network. The year was 1985. Patrick Ewing patrolled the paint at Georgetown. Chris Mullin was sinking deep jumpers at St. John’s, […]

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The year was 1985. Patrick Ewing patrolled the paint at Georgetown. Chris Mullin was sinking deep jumpers at St. John’s, a year before the NCAA adopted the three-point line.

Three of four teams from the Big East reached the Final Four at Kentucky’s Rupp Arena, with Villanova pulling off an improbable upset of Georgetown by shooting 78.6% from the floor.

Could those salad days for the Big East return? Possibly, depending on how schools prioritize future revenue share following the House vs. NCAA Settlement.

A revenue share split of 75% for football players, 15% to men’s basketball, 5% to women’s basketball and 5% to other sports has been recommended for power four conference schools to split the $20.5 million available to all athletes beginning July 1.

The Big East, however, gave up on its aspirations of becoming a big-time football conference in 2013, returning to its basketball roots. Connecticut still operates an independent FBS football program, while Butler, Georgetown and Villanova play FCS football. But none of the four schools will likely pay its football players as much as they will in basketball, where the hardwood is now king.

For a power four basketball conference such as the SEC, which had a record 14 teams in the NCAA Tournament in 2025 and four reach the Elite Eight, revenue share presents a tricky dilemma. Football reigns supreme at every school but Kentucky. Will SEC coaches have enough in their coffers to fend off the Big East schools for Blue Chip recruits?

Florida basketball coach Todd Golden, who guided the Florida Gators to their third national title in school history and first basketball national title for the SEC since 2012, said it’s a fair concern.

“Rev share obviously, deservingly so a majority of it goes to football, and that’s something that they don’t have to deal with,” Golden said. “And so, there’s a chance that they have more resources than we do in the rev share model, and that’s something that we’ll have to adjust for.

“But I think we’ve got to let it see how it operates for a little bit. I know there’s already a Title IX lawsuit. I assume there’s going to be other lawsuits that come up in a short period of time. Holistically, I think the rev share model makes sense. I think our guys definitely deserve a piece of the pie. I think the intent behind the House Settlement and the rules are good, and I’m hopeful that they’re able to be executed.”

How Florida basketball, SEC can adjust to revenue share

There’s still no limit to how many Name, Image and Likeness deals schools can offer to student-athletes, though the market value of those will undergo more scrutiny. Per terms of the settlement, all NIL deals of more than $600 will go through a third-party clearinghouse, NIL Go, to review their validity. The clearinghouse system, run by the company Deloitte, is an attempt to crack down on direct payments to athletes from NIL Collectives.

Whether NIL Go will stand up to potential judicial challenges remains to be seen. Some are more skeptical than others.

“I’m not a lawyer, but I have read from multiple attorneys, when you start taking things away, you wind up in court,” said Sporting News national college basketball analyst Mike DeCourcy. “And that’s why I believe this settlement; it will solve a lot of problems that already existed in terms of past athletes, who wanted their share of what came after them. But I don’t see how, at the numbers they are talking, it will solve future problems.”

There’s also questions as to whether schools in the Big East, without big-time football, will have enough resources to pay all athletes up to the full $20.5 million. But some high-level college basketball coaches are already reading the tea leaves. Kevin Willard left Maryland, a Big Ten school, for Villanova after leading the Terrapins to the Sweet 16 due to the potential promise of more resources at his disposal. Richard Pitino left New Mexico for another Big East school, Xavier, despite the prospect of having to play his Hall of Fame father, Rick Pitino, at St. John’s on an annual basis.

Florida already secured NIL deals with impact transfers Boogie Fland and Xaivian Lee before the settlement. With forwards Alex Condon and Thomas Haugh returning for UF as well, the Gators appear poised for another national title run in 2025-26. Beyond that remains more uncharted waters, for Florida and the rest of college basketball.

Kevin Brockway is The Gainesville Sun’s Florida beat writer. Contact him at kbrockway@gannett.com. Follow him on X @KevinBrockwayG1. Read his coverage of the Gators’ national championship basketball season in “CHOMP-IONS!” — a hardcover coffee-table collector’s book from The Sun. Details at Florida.ChampsBook.com



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Dabo’s recent one-liner about NCAA, NIL football

I know football season is still a few weeks away, but let’s get the conversation going. First, a confession. As a native of Hickory, N.C., and graduate of NC State, my first college sports loyalty is to the Wolfpack. That is especially true in basketball, as I was lucky enough to be in school there […]

Published

4 hours ago

on

June 24, 2025

By


I know football season is still a few weeks away, but let’s get the conversation going.

First, a confession. As a native of Hickory, N.C., and graduate of NC State, my first college sports loyalty is to the Wolfpack.

That is especially true in basketball, as I was lucky enough to be in school there when David Thompson and the Pack took down Bill Walton and UCLA for the national championship in 1974.

But as a very happy and very lucky resident of Columbia since 1978, I have for 47 years pulled hard for the Gamecocks as well. From football glory with Steve Spurrier to basketball glory with Dawn Staley to baseball glory with Ray Tanner, I’ve enjoyed it all.

And by the way, that two-time national championship winning USC baseball coach and retired athletics director is also an NC State grad who came to Columbia from Raleigh. As did Coach Tanner, I liked it here and stayed forever.

That said, this column is not about memorable wins. It’s about memorable words. And sports fans, when it comes to memorable words, it’s hard to beat Dabo.

After all, Swinney is the coach who famously said, “You gotta bring your own guts!”

The legendary comment came in an ESPN on-field interview after Clemson stopped a two-point conversion in the final seconds to defeat Notre Dame in a 2015 nationally televised game. Asked by the reporter what he said to his team at halftime, Dabo replied:

“I told them, ‘We give you scholarships, we give you stipends and meals and a place to live. We give you nice uniforms. But you gotta bring your own guts!’”

Swinney let fly another never to be forgotten (or forgiven) quote after Spurrier had (allegedly) thrown some shade at Clemson before the annual clash with South Carolina, though Spurrier denied there was any insult involved.

But the die was cast, as Dabo had already cut loose with this burn for the ages response about the Gamecocks:

“They ain’t Alabama. They ain’t LSU. And they’re certainly not Clemson. That’s why Carolina is in Chapel Hill and USC is in California and THE university in this state always has been, always will be Clemson.”

While there are many other notable Dabo quotes over the years, I’ll close with one from just a few weeks ago. In a pre-season interview on ESPN, he was discussing the new realities of college football, big money and “amateur” athletics in the NCAA.

Noting that this is his sixteenth season as Clemson’s head coach, Swinney said: “Rules change, and there’s lots of things we can do now that 16 years ago you’d be in jail for.”

It was a great line that drew laughs. But it’s also true. Literally. The NCAA is now both a joke and the joker in the professionalization of college sports.

As always, thanks to Dabo for telling it like he sees it, and doing so with both fire and fun.

And Go Cocks!





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City Watch

I know football season is still a few weeks away, but let’s get the conversation going. First, a confession. As a native of Hickory, N.C., and graduate of NC State, my first college sports loyalty is to the Wolfpack. That is especially true in basketball, as I was lucky enough to be in school there […]

Published

4 hours ago

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June 24, 2025

By

City Watch

I know football season is still a few weeks away, but let’s get the conversation going.

First, a confession. As a native of Hickory, N.C., and graduate of NC State, my first college sports loyalty is to the Wolfpack.

That is especially true in basketball, as I was lucky enough to be in school there when David Thompson and the Pack took down Bill Walton and UCLA for the national championship in 1974.

But as a very happy and very lucky resident of Columbia since 1978, I have for 47 years pulled hard for the Gamecocks as well. From football glory with Steve Spurrier to basketball glory with Dawn Staley to baseball glory with Ray Tanner, I’ve enjoyed it all.

And by the way, that two-time national championship winning USC baseball coach and retired athletics director is also an NC State grad who came to Columbia from Raleigh. As did Coach Tanner, I liked it here and stayed forever.

That said, this column is not about memorable wins. It’s about memorable words. And sports fans, when it comes to memorable words, it’s hard to beat Dabo.

After all, Swinney is the coach who famously said, “You gotta bring your own guts!”

The legendary comment came in an ESPN on-field interview after Clemson stopped a two-point conversion in the final seconds to defeat Notre Dame in a 2015 nationally televised game. Asked by the reporter what he said to his team at halftime, Dabo replied:

“I told them, ‘We give you scholarships, we give you stipends and meals and a place to live. We give you nice uniforms. But you gotta bring your own guts!’”

Swinney let fly another never to be forgotten (or forgiven) quote after Spurrier had (allegedly) thrown some shade at Clemson before the annual clash with South Carolina, though Spurrier denied there was any insult involved.

But the die was cast, as Dabo had already cut loose with this burn for the ages response about the Gamecocks:

“They ain’t Alabama. They ain’t LSU. And they’re certainly not Clemson. That’s why Carolina is in Chapel Hill and USC is in California and THE university in this state always has been, always will be Clemson.”

While there are many other notable Dabo quotes over the years, I’ll close with one from just a few weeks ago. In a pre-season interview on ESPN, he was discussing the new realities of college football, big money and “amateur” athletics in the NCAA.

Noting that this is his sixteenth season as Clemson’s head coach, Swinney said: “Rules change, and there’s lots of things we can do now that 16 years ago you’d be in jail for.”

It was a great line that drew laughs. But it’s also true. Literally. The NCAA is now both a joke and the joker in the professionalization of college sports.

As always, thanks to Dabo for telling it like he sees it, and doing so with both fire and fun.

And Go Cocks!

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