Early on Thursday morning, Gamecock fans were rocked with the news of the tragic passing of legendary quarterback Phil Petty at the age of 43. Petty came to South Carolina to play for Brad Scott in 1997 from Boiling Springs High School, redshirting his freshman season. Little did South Carolina fans know at the time that Petty would be one of the most important players in the history of the program.
In Petty’s redshirt freshman season of 1998, he saw limited time at quarterback in what would be Brad Scott’s final season as head coach of the Gamecocks following a 1-10 campaign in which the team lost its final ten games, including all of its SEC contests.