Former South Carolina QB Steve Taneyhill dies at 52

Former South Carolina QB Steve Taneyhill passed away at the age of 52 due to an illness, according to Gamecock Central. He played for the Gamecocks from 1992-95.

Taneyhill is a South Carolina legend as he is most known for his time with the school during his playing days. In 2006, he was inducted into the University of South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame.

Over the course of his playing career, Taneyhill had 8,380 yards of total offense and threw 62 touchdown passes in his career. With his famous mullet, Taneyhill was a rockstar at South Carolina and was named Freshman of the Year by Sports Illustrated in 1992.

Taneyhill concluded his college career by leading South Carolina to a win in the 1995 Carquest Bowl, the first bowl win in program history. They defeated West Virginia 24-21 and Taneyhill went 26-of-36 for 227 yards and one touchdown.

To this day, Tanneyhill is still the school’s all-time leader in touchdown passes and completions, while being second in passing yards. He is tied for third with 20 wins as starting quarterback.

The former Gamecock also achieved fame as a successful high school football coach in South Carolina. In 2006, he led Chesterfield HS to the state championship game, a loss to Carvers Bay. But, they won 13-6 over the same squad the next year and in 2008.

Once Taneyhill got to the 2009 season, he led Chesterfield to their third straight state title with a 36-6 win over Lamar High School. In addition, he coached Cambridge Academy in Greenwood, S.C. and led the 8-man team to back to back state titles and a runner-up finish in Year 3.

If you were in state, and around Columbia or Spartanburg, you knew of Taneyhill’s business exploits. He purchased the bar “Group Therapy,” renaming it “Steve Tanneyhill’s Group Therapy,” in 2016 in Five Points, Columbia. He also had ownership of Prime Restaurant and Whiskey Lounge in Spartanburg, which opened in 2022.