# List of South Carolina Gamecocks head football coaches

The South Carolina Gamecocks college football team represents the University of South Carolina in the Southeastern Conference (SEC). The Gamecocks compete as part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The school has had 36 head coaches since it began play during the 1892 season. Steve Spurrier, who served as South Carolina's 32nd head coach from 2005 to 2015, is the winningest head coach in program history. South Carolina's 36th and current head coach is Shane Beamer.
Nine coaches have led the Gamecocks to postseason bowl games: John D. McMillan, Paul Dietzel, Jim Carlen, Joe Morrison, Brad Scott, Lou Holtz, Steve Spurrier, Will Muschamp and Shane Beamer. Paul Dietzel led South Carolina to the 1969 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) championship. Joe Morrison won the Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award in 1984. Steve Spurrier is the leader in games won with 86 victories during his 10 years with the Gamecocks. Of all coaches who coached more than one game, Douglas McKay has the highest winning percentage with 1.000, and W. P. Murphy and Mike Bobo have the lowest winning percentage with .000. Steve Spurrier and Lou Holtz have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.

## Key

Key to symbols in coaches list :
| General | General | Overall | Overall | Conference | Conference | Postseason | Postseason |
| No. | Order of coaches | GC | Games coached | CW | Conference wins | PW | Postseason wins |
| DC | Division championships | OW | Overall wins | CL | Conference losses | PL | Postseason losses |
| CC | Conference championships | OL | Overall losses | CT | Conference ties | PT | Postseason ties |
| NC | National championships | OT | Overall ties | C% | Conference winning percentage | | |
| † | Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame | O% | Overall winning percentage | | | | |

## Coaches

List of head football coaches showing season(s) coached, overall records, conference records, postseason records, championships and selected awards :
| No. | Name | Term | GC | OW | OL | OT | O% | CW | CL | CT | C% | PW | PL | PT | DC | CC | NC | Awards |
| 1 | Richard S. Whaley | 1896 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.250 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 2 | Frederick M. Murphy | 1897 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | .000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 3 | Bill Wertenbaker | 1898 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 0.333 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 4 | Irving O. Hunt | 1899–1900 | 12 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0.500 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 5 | Byron W. Dickson | 1901 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 0.429 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 6 | Bob Williams | 1902–1903 | 17 | 14 | 3 | 0 | 0.824 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 7 | Christie Benet | 1904–1905 1908–1909 | 32 | 13 | 16 | 3 | 0.453 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 8 | Douglas McKay | 1907 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1.000 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 9 | John Neff | 1910–1911 | 15 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 0.400 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 10 | Norman B. Edgerton | 1912–1915 | 35 | 19 | 13 | 3 | 0.586 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | 0 | — |
| 11 | W. Rice Warren | 1916 | 9 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 0.222 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 12 | Dixon Foster | 1917 1919 | 17 | 4 | 12 | 1 | 0.265 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 13 | Frank Dobson | 1918 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0.625 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 14 | Sol Metzger | 1920–1924 | 46 | 26 | 18 | 2 | 0.587 | 3 | 8 | 0 | 0.273 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 15 | Branch Bocock | 1925–1926 | 20 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0.650 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0.600 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 16 | Harry Lightsey | 1927 | 9 | 4 | 5 | 0 | 0.444 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0.333 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 17 | Billy Laval | 1928–1934 | 72 | 39 | 26 | 7 | 0.590 | 18 | 18 | 4 | 0.500 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 18 | Don McCallister | 1935–1937 | 34 | 13 | 20 | 1 | 0.397 | 5 | 11 | 1 | 0.324 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 19 | Rex Enright | 1938–1942 1946–1955 | 140 | 64 | 69 | 7 | 0.482 | 36 | 43 | 3 | 0.457 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 20 | James P. Moran | 1943 | 7 | 5 | 2 | 0 | 0.714 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0.667 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 21 | Williams Newton | 1944 | 9 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 0.444 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 0.250 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 22 | John D. McMillan | 1945 | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0.389 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0.200 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 23 | Warren Giese | 1956–1960 | 50 | 28 | 21 | 1 | 0.570 | 19 | 15 | 0 | 0.559 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 24 | Marvin Bass | 1961–1965 | 50 | 17 | 29 | 4 | 0.380 | 13 | 18 | 2 | 0.424 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | — |
| 25 | Paul Dietzel | 1966–1974 | 96 | 42 | 53 | 1 | 0.443 | 18 | 10 | 1 | 0.638 | 0 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 | 0 | ACC Coach of the Year (1969) |
| 26 | Jim Carlen | 1975–1981 | 82 | 45 | 36 | 1 | 0.555 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 27 | Richard Bell | 1982 | 11 | 4 | 7 | 0 | 0.364 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — | — | 0 | — |
| 28 | Joe Morrison | 1983–1988 | 69 | 39 | 28 | 2 | 0.580 | — | — | — | — | 0 | 3 | 0 | — | — | 0 | Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award (1984) |
| 29 | Sparky Woods | 1989–1993 | 55 | 25 | 27 | 3 | 0.482 | 5 | 11 | 0 | 0.313 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 30 | Brad Scott | 1994–1998 | 56 | 23 | 32 | 1 | 0.420 | 13 | 26 | 1 | 0.338 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 31 | Lou Holtz$^†$ | 1999–2004 | 70 | 33 | 37 | — | 0.471 | 19 | 29 | — | 0.396 | 2 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | SEC Coach of the Year (2000) |
| 32 | Steve Spurrier$^†$ | 2005–2015 | 135 | 86 | 49 | — | 0.637 | 44 | 40 | — | 0.524 | 4 | 4 | — | 1 | 0 | 0 | SEC Coach of the Year (2005, 2010) AP SEC Coach of the Year (2005) |
| 33 | Shawn Elliott | 2015 | 6 | 1 | 5 | — | 0.167 | 1 | 3 | — | 0.250 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 34 | Will Muschamp | 2016–2020 | 58 | 28 | 30 | — | 0.483 | 17 | 22 | — | 0.436 | 1 | 2 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 35 | Mike Bobo | 2020 | 3 | 0 | 3 | — | .000 | 0 | 3 | — | .000 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 36 | Shane Beamer | 2021–present | 51 | 29 | 22 | — | 0.569 | 15 | 17 | — | 0.469 | 1 | 2 | — | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |