Jim Petrus Set to Retire After 44 Years with Athletics Dept.
Jim Petrus has been around Williams-Brice Stadium and South Carolina’s other athletics facilities for quite some time. Currently serving as the Director of Parking, “Petie,” as he is known to his friends, will retire after 44 years of working several different jobs for South Carolina Athletics and will be able to relax a little on game day.
“So, I guess I’m now the ‘Parking Czar’ emeritus,” Petrus quipped. “When you have a nickname, I think that shows you some respect. Only your friends who have worked with you call you by your nickname. When you work with all these people from different sports, you just feel like you are part of the program. It has all been fun, but you get to be 68 years old and sometimes you don’t want to wake up to an alarm anymore.
Petrus at his last home football game last fall.
“I’ll miss the people and the comradery. There are a lot of spokes in that wheel when it comes to pulling off a home football game or a home basketball game. That’s what I’ll miss; working with people and working with people who you know that if you have a problem, they’re going to cover your back. It’s like playing sports. When you’re on a team, it’s a team concept. You do what’s good for everybody and you don’t worry about taking credit for it. As long as it’s done well and everybody participates, it’s a good feeling.”
“Jim Petrus has served his University and Gamecock Athletics with distinction for 44 years,” Athletics Director Ray Tanner said. “Jim is the quintessential Gamecock. He came to Carolina on a football scholarship, but because of injuries, had to give up playing. He earned two degrees from the University and continued to serve his school in a wide range of duties in the athletics department. We are very appreciative of his loyalty and service to Carolina and will be missed by all of us.”
Originally from Parma Heights, Ohio, Petrus first came to South Carolina in 1969 on a recruiting visit to play football, and he basically never left.
“I got on an airplane one November with three feet of snow on the ground in Ohio and came down here for the Carolina/Clemson game, and it felt like it was 85 degrees,” Petrus recalled. “That was the year of the 1969 ACC Championship here, and they went to the Peach Bowl. I got to meet all those players, and they were a great group of guys. I was on scholarship for four years and then tore up my knee, and then I was basically on an academic scholarship for the last two.”
He graduated in 1974 and earned his master’s degree the following year. While his playing career ended prematurely, he has worked in several different areas of the Athletics Department ever since.
“I’ve had a lot of different positions since I’ve been here. I was an assistant business manager, an associate business manager, ticket manager, budget director, then I worked over in the (Colonial Life) Arena, and then I did parking (since 2007). I liked that project because they gave it to me without any supervision and just said, ‘run it.’ I thought I did a decent job. It was fun to help in the of designing Gamecock Park, working on that with other people, and implementing it.
“It was fun doing the parking when we built the new baseball stadium (Founders Park). Designing the parking for that meant going out and meeting members of the community to use their property for parking for our club members. There are some really nice people in the community here.
“I enjoyed it when I worked as a ticket manager a well because you had the chance to spend time with the student-athletes, with the faculty and staff, Gamecock Club members, and the athletics staff. It was a good time. I took over that after the ’84 season. Prior to that we hadn’t been selling out, but in ’85 tickets were getting harder to get. People didn’t understand that. That led to some needed changes in how many tickets individuals could have.”
“I’ve met some good people here, and I’ve had some good times.”
With all those years in the department, Petrus has enjoyed witnessing some of the greatest moments in Gamecock history.
“The ’84 football season came out of nowhere,” Petrus said. “Of course, George Rogers winning the Heisman a few years before that was right up there. Then baseball winning the College World Series (2010, 2011) and getting to the championship again (2012); those three seasons were something. The fans just kept coming out to support baseball. Winning solves lots of problems. It’s been a fun time. I’ve really enjoyed it. If I didn’t, I wouldn’t have stayed here! I’ve met some good people here, and I’ve had some good times.”
Petrus with Pope John Paul II
Petrus also met Pope John Paul II when the pontiff visited campus in 1987.
Game day can be hectic when in charge of parking for thousands of fans, but he enjoyed being out from behind a desk.
“For a home football game, I’d be working 12 to 18 hours, depending on when it started,” Petrus said. “It’s a long day, but it’s not a boring day. There’s always something and it’s interesting. Once the game started, I could go inside and watch. At halftime, you have to go out and see what’s going on, and then just before the game is over you have to get back out in the parking lot to make sure things are going right.
“I solve problems. People don’t like the parking space or their tickets, we try to put them in touch with things they can do. We explain why things are the way they are.”
Petrus and his wife, Laurel, have three grown children with his daughter, Ashley, and sons, Brad and Scott. While he is retiring, it doesn’t mean he still won’t be busy.
“I have six grandchildren to occupy my time,” Petrus said proudly. “They’re all in-state. I’ve got six of them, seven (years old) and below. It will be fun spending time with them.
“I want to travel. I want to the see the family. I’m not every good with dead time, when you have nothing to do. I’m a task-person. I need something to do. I have plenty of tasks waiting for me. I like working in the yard. The only bad thing about being retired is you don’t get annual leave and you don’t get a paycheck!”
As for future game days, he won’t have to show up quite as early.
“Now, I might be able to attend a tailgate and have a little toddy once in a while!”
