April 10, 2003

Columbia, SC –

The two squads that have been divided up for this Saturday’s USC Spring Football game will not only represent the Gamecock football program, they will also honor two of the Midlands military installations, as the Garnet squad will honor Ft. Jackson Army Base of Columbia and the White squad will honor Shaw Air Force Base of Sumter. Representatives from each of those installations will also serve as honorary coaches for this Saturday’s game. Col. Tom Heaney, who is the Brigadier Commander of the First Basic Combat Training Unit of Ft. Jackson, will be the honorary coach of the Garnet squad, while Maj. Gen. Larry W. Twitchell, who is the Commander of Headquartersof the 9th Air Force Provisional at Shaw Air Force Base, will be the honorary coach of the White squad. Additionally, those individuals who provide a military identification card will be admitted to the game without charge along with their families. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. at Williams-Brice Stadium.

“There have been hundreds of thousands men and women from the United States military who have sacrificed so much for our country during the War in Iraq, many of whom are stationed here in South Carolina,” said USC head coach Lou Holtz. “We want to pay tribute to these brave Americans and also allow those associated with the military and their families the opportunity to come out to the Spring Game on Saturday and hopefully provide them with an enjoyable and entertaining afternoon of college football.

“It is also our desire to make sure our military personnel know we appreciate them,” continued Coach Holtz. “Whether you agree or disagree with the decision of our President, let’s keep in mind that we can express our thoughts freely because of the sacrifices made by our young men and women who serve in our Armed Services.”

The stadium ticket office will open at 9 a.m. Saturday. Tickets are $5 for adults, $2 for youth and $10 for a family. USC students will be admitted free by showing their ID. Seating will be on the west side of the stadium only, and stadium gates on the west side will open at 11 a.m. Gamecock players will be available to sign autographs from 11:15 a.m. – 12 noon on the playing field. The presentation of pregame awards will begin on the field at 12:50 p.m.