The South Carolina Gamecocks represent the University of South Carolina in the Southeastern Conference. The University of South Carolina is the only major college athletic program in the country that uses "Fighting Gamecocks" as its official nickname and mascot. The University's athletic teams have been known as Gamecocks for almost 100 years. At the turn of the century (1900), after struggling for more than decade under numerous nicknames, the school's football team was first referred to unofficially as "Gamecocks." In 1903, Columbia's morning newspaper, The State, shortened the name to one word and South Carolina teams have been Gamecocks ever since. Those early teams must have been a feisty and spirited group. A gamecock, of course, is a fighting rooster known for its spirit and courage.