Williams–Brice Stadium is a football stadium located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States. It serves primarily as the home of the South Carolina Gamecocks football team, but has also been the site of many concerts, state high school football championships, and various other events, including the annual Palmetto Capital City Classic between the Benedict Tigers and the South Carolina State Bulldogs until the last game in 2005. It is currently the 16th largest on-campus college football stadium in the NCAA and is located on the corner of George Rogers Boulevard and Bluff Road adjacent to the South Carolina State Fairgrounds. Carolina football teams consistently attract standing-room-only crowds to Williams–Brice Stadium. The atmosphere on game days has been voted "the best" by SECsports.com, and has been noted as being among the loudest environments to play in by opposing players.
History The stadium was originally built in 1934 with help of federal Works Progress Administration funds as Columbia Municipal Stadium. It was built to replace Melton Field, an aging wooden structure that was located where USC's Thomas Cooper Library stands today. All USC football games except for the annual Thanksgiving matchup with Clemson had been played at Melton Field. The Clemson game was played at the South Carolina fairgrounds at the location that became Williams–Brice Stadium. Williams–Brice originally seated 17,600 people in what roughly corresponds to the lower level of the current facility's east and west grandstand seats. In 1941, the stadium was deeded to USC and renamed Carolina Stadium.
One end of the stadium was filled in during the 1940s, turning it into a horseshoe. Capacity was almost doubled, to 34,000. More than a decade later, the other end was filled in, turning the stadium into a bowl. Capacity increased to 43,000.
Williams–Brice Stadium was sold out prior to the start of each of the last seven college football seasons and consistently ranks in the top 20 in average attendance and the top 15 in total attendance. For the 2008 season, the stadium was 17th in average attendance and 13th in total attendance.2008 NCAA Attendance Report (FBS)
On October 6, 2012, the stadium's single-game attendance record was set when 85,199 fans watched the #6 Gamecocks beat #5 Georgia by the score of 35–7.
The stadium is considered one of the loudest venues in the country by both opposing players and college football pundits, with Josh Pate of 247Sports noting that "when it's 3rd down and three in Williams-Brice Stadium, you can't hear anything [...] South Carolina fans more than do their part on game day to make that place a really, really intimidating environment". During a game against Florida in 2001, ESPN announcers indicated that they had to shout to hear each other's comments inside the press box.
ESPN's GameDay crew has broadcast its show four times (2001, 2004, 2005, 2006) from the State Fairgrounds across the street from the stadium. (In 2010, 2012, and 2014, GameDay was broadcast from The Horseshoe on campus.) ESPN also used a photo of the stadium in its advertising to promote its GameDay show throughout the 2005 college football season. On September 14, 2024 (vs. LSU) ESPN's College Game Day broadcast from the newly renovated Gamecock Park area across Bluff Road from the stadium. Pat McAfee made several comments about the crowd's enthusiasm.
Renovations The stadium's first major renovation began in 1970, when the grass surface was replaced with AstroTurf. From 1971 to 1972, the west grandstand was completely rebuilt, with the addition of an upper deck. Capacity increased to 54,000. The renovation was funded by the estate of Martha Williams Brice and Thomas Hardin Brice, who left some of their estate to USC for stadium renovation and expansion. Martha Williams Brice was a member of the family who owned Williams Furniture Corporation in Sumter, South Carolina, and for whom the furniture company was named. Her late husband, Thomas Hardin Brice, played football for the Gamecocks from 1922 to 1924. In their honor, the expanded stadium was officially renamed Williams–Brice Stadium on September 8, 1972, by a bequeath from their nephews Tom and Phil Edwards.
In 1982, the east grandstands were finally double-decked, increasing capacity to 72,400. However, unlike the west grandstand, the east grandstand was never rebuilt, and is the only remaining portion of the original 1934 structure. During the 1983–84 offseason, at the urging of new coach Joe Morrison, the university removed the AstroTurf and replaced it with natural grass.
Over the last 10 years, nearly $30 million of renovations and improvements have taken place at Williams–Brice Stadium, bringing the official capacity to 80,250. The addition of the upper deck in the south end zone includes "The Zone," which is an banquet facility located in a prime seating location. The box seats, executive suites, and athletic training facilities at the stadium have also been upgraded. Just prior to the 2008 football season the stadium underwent a complete upgrade to the main sound system. During this upgrade the school added a large array of subwoofers under the scoreboard to enhance the "feel" of their entrance music (the theme song to 2001: A Space Odyssey). Installation of this system was done by local Columbia company ACS Sound and Lighting.
To open the 2012 season, the stadium featured a new Daktronics 36 foot high by 124 foot wide high definition video board, the 3rd largest in the SEC.South Carolina looking forward to upgrades | GoUpstate.com Also unveiled was a new 52 acre tailgating area, landscaped with over 650 trees and featuring a 100 foot wide pathway, called the "Garnet Way", that the team, band, and cheerleaders now walk through as they enter the stadium.Farmers Market Will Become 52 Acre Green Space By Fall 2012 | wltx.com
In 2015, the surface parking lot surrounding the stadium was replaced with a landscaped promenade named "Springs Brooks Plaza", named for the family of Robert H. Brooks. The project included a half-mile of ornamental fencing, planting of 340 trees, and the installation of 220 light poles and 38 benches. Also added were a restroom building and a 12,000-square-foot structure housing ticket sales and a merchandise store in addition to a command center for EMS and police. The project expanded the number of ticket windows from five to eight, enlarged the student entrance and relocated parking for television trucks to improve the flow of pedestrian traffic. In 2020, three club areas were renovated, lowering capacity for the 2020 season to 77,559. In 2022, 250+ LED stadium lights with the capability to display multiple colors were installed. In addition, an expansion of the west main concourse, new elevators and new ribbon display boards were also a part of stadium renovations for that year.
In 2025, it was announced that the stadium would be undergoing a massive renovation through the 2028 football season, focused on adding premium seats and areas, as well as improving the general gameday experience. Due to the removal of the top ten rows on the west side of the stadium for the installation of premium suites, the overall capacity of the stadium is expected to fall by around 4,100.
"If it ain't swayin', we ain't playin'" The new east upper deck created some controversy during the 1983 season. Fans reported it was noticeably swaying—as much as a foot by some accounts. The swaying was especially pronounced during a game in which the Gamecocks routed Southern Cal 38–14. Joe Morrison was subsequently quoted as saying, "If it ain't swayin', we ain't playin'"—a phrase that eventually made it onto bumper stickers and other items, and is still a popular saying today. Giant shock absorbers were installed under the east upper deck for the 1987 season; however, during the 1988 season, many spectators reported seeing a ripple effect across the east upper deck when the marching band played the song "Louie Louie." The university indicated that the sway or ripple was safe. To this day, the east upper deck still sways when fans jump up and down. In addition, several parts of the stadium have been known to vibrate due to the decibel levels generated during a typical game.
Notable games The Gamecocks won their first game at the stadium in 1934, beating Erskine 25–0, and have compiled an overall record at the stadium of 324–211-14 (including a homecoming record of 46–32) through the 2025 college football season. Some of the biggest wins for the Gamecock football program occurred at the stadium, including:
November 22, 1975 – South Carolina beat Clemson 56–20 to set a team record for most points scored in a game against Clemson (South Carolina's in-state rival). September 13, 1980 – South Carolina beat Wichita State 73–0 to set a team record for largest margin of victory. October 1, 1983 – South Carolina beat Southern California 38–14 to win its first game ever against the Trojans (the second and last meeting of these teams). November 10, 1984 – #5 South Carolina beat #11 Florida State 38–26 to move up to #2 in the college football polls (the highest ranking ever achieved by the Gamecock football program). November 21, 1987 – #12 South Carolina beat #8 Clemson 20–7 to win on national television with the highest combined rankings of the two programs entering the game. October 31, 1992 – South Carolina beat #16 Tennessee 24–23 to win its first game ever against the Volunteers. October 7, 1995 – South Carolina beat Kent State 77–14 to set a team record for most points scored in a game against any opponent. September 9, 2000 – South Carolina beat #10 Georgia 21–10 to snap an 18-game losing streak in the SEC. September 29, 2001 – #15 South Carolina beat Alabama 37–36 to win its first game ever against the Crimson Tide. November 12, 2005 – South Carolina beat #12 Florida 30–22 to win its first game against the Gators since joining the SEC. October 4, 2007 – #11 South Carolina beat #8 Kentucky 38–23 on a Thursday night nationally televised ESPN game, winning its first game over a top 10 SEC team. September 24, 2009 – South Carolina beat #4 Ole Miss 16–10 on a Thursday night nationally televised ESPN game, winning its first game over a top 5 team at Williams–Brice. (USC beat #3 North Carolina 31–13 in Chapel Hill, NC on October 24, 1981.) This game also marked the debut of Sandstorm at Gamecock Athletic Events. November 28, 2009 – South Carolina beat #15 Clemson 34–17 on ESPN; the Tigers went on to lose the ACC Championship against Georgia Tech the following week, 34–39. October 9, 2010 – #19 South Carolina beat #1 Alabama 35–21 on CBS; beating the top ranked team in the country for the first time in school history and for the first time, winning a SEC on CBS game (the team had previously won the 1995 Carquest Bowl, which aired on CBS). ESPN Gameday was hosted at South Carolina on the Horseshoe for this game. October 6, 2012 – #6 South Carolina beat #5 Georgia 35–7 on ESPN; the game was the first time Carolina, as a Top-10 team, beat another Top-10 team. ESPN Gameday was hosted at South Carolina on the Horseshoe for this game. November 30, 2013 – #10 South Carolina beat #6 Clemson 31–17. This game was the fifth-consecutive win against Clemson for the Gamecocks. October 22, 2022 - South Carolina beat Texas A&M 30–24. This game was the first time South Carolina had beaten the Aggies since they joined the SEC in the 2014 season. South Carolina also obtained their first four-game winning streak since 2013. November 19, 2022 – South Carolina beat #5 Tennessee 63–38 on ESPN. The Gamecocks scored the most points against a top-five team as an unranked team in the history of the AP poll.
Top-ten crowds at Williams–Brice Stadium