Friday, September 24, 2010

The 10 Year Anniversary of "The Fade"

















If you're a Gamecock fan, the name Erik Kimrey brings to mind one thing and one thing only: The Fade.

For a snakebit program that saw its one shot at everlasting glory snuffed out by, of all the possible villians in college football, the Midshipmen of Navy for crying out loud, our grand memories revolve around what other programs may scoff at.


In this case, it is the David-versus-Goliath-like tale of a walk-on QB, getting up off the bench and marching out onto the field against a top-25 football program, for one play, on 4th down, and throwing a perfect pass to win the game, inspire hope in thousands and cement his own legacy in immortality with the utterance of one phrase: "I can throw the fade, Coach."


Do we care learning now, thanks to a great article by David Cloninger, that Kimrey never actually said those exact words? Hell no. Some memories and stories are just too damn good to let facts get in the way. Personally, we're just glad to see Kimrey didn't become a raging alcoholic, because there is no way the man would have had to pay for a single drink in Columbia after that throw.
Thanks for the memories, Erik and Jermale.



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