South Carolina officially announced on Tuesday afternoon what we’ve known for weeks, which is that the Gamecocks will wear throwback uniforms this season that pay homage to the “Black Magic” and “Black Death” teams of the 1980s.
“The Gamecocks’ uniform design was inspired by those worn in the mid-1980s by standouts Sterling Sharpe, Todd Ellis and Brad Edwards, and include the return of the throwback garnet helmet,” the school said in a press release.
As mentioned, South Carolina will be outfitted in its classic garnet helmet with the Block “C” logo inside a white circle. The Gamecocks have worn this exact helmet design just once (the 2015 meeting with Clemson) since former head coach Lou Holtz moved the program to white helmets in 1999.
The black jersey, meanwhile, features “Gamecocks” on the chest, contrasting striping on the collar and faux-mesh numbers on the shoulders rather than the sleeves, which were much longer back in the day. The sleeves now only feature garnet and white stripes, while the pants have garnet and black stripes down the leg.
South Carolina has not announced the game or games in which these throwback uniforms — which are part of Under Armour’s “School Heritage” line — will be worn.