COLUMBIA, S.C. — There's a new way to honor the life and legacy of the ultimate Gamecock fan known as "Gamecock Jesus," who was a fixture at South Carolina Women's Basketball and other USC games over the years.
Gamecock Athletics and Palmetto Shirt Company have partnered to honor Carlton Thompson, affectionately known as “Gamecock Jesus,” who passed away back in December after cheering on USC for more than 50 years.
The special t-shirt designed to honor "Gamecock Jesus" is the same t-shirt that was worn by the South Carolina women’s basketball team prior to their game vs. Morgan State earlier this season.
All proceeds from the sale of the shirts will be donated to Special Olympics of South Carolina (SOSC), which was important to Thompson and was chosen by his family as the recipient of the donations.
Carlton Thompson was a 1982 graduate of USC’s College of Nursing. He was a Gamecock sports superfan, especially when it came to basketball, and was often seen in Colonial Life Arena waving his USC flag and pumping up the crowd. Thompson was once quoted saying, “My whole purpose is to get the crowd involved. I’ve seen it happen, I know it can win games.”
Thompson was also actively involved in the community, and was a supporter of many local causes, including SDOSC.
“We are honored that Carlton’s family has selected the Special Olympics of South Carolina to benefit from the proceeds of the tribute t-shirt,” said Sandye Williams, USC alumna and Director of Marketing and Development for SOSC. “Their support will help us in our mission to provide sports training and competition, along with health and educational programs, to over 30,000 kids and adults with intellectual disabilities in our state.”
Previously, Palmetto Shirt Co. has donated to SC Nurses Scholarships with the proceeds from their Strong SC shirt campaign, benefiting nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic, and most recently created a USC Band t-shirt to help support their trip to New York City to perform in the 2024 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade.
Sales of the "Gamecock Jesus" t-shirt, which range in price from $15-$17, started on Monday, January 29, with a fundraising goal of $15,000 at palmettoshirtco.com.