With 37 days until South Carolina football kicks off 2025, a look at No. 37, Steve Wadiak
South Carolina football will take the field for the first time in the 2025 season on August 31st when the Gamecocks take on the Virginia Tech Hokies in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. That means kickoff is just 37 days away.
The number 37 is an important one in South Carolina football history. The late, great Steve Wadiak wore No. 37, and he might be the greatest Gamecock ever during the team’s first 80 years of existence. His jersey number won’t ever be forgotten among USC fans. 37 hangs on the press box at Williams-Brice Stadium, one of just six retired jerseys in program history.
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No. 37 was a special player in garnet and black. Following a US Navy stint in World War II, Wadiak enrolled at USC and became an all-time great. He led the team in yards on the ground for four years, and upon his graduation, he owned every South Carolina rushing record.
Like most backfields of the day, the 1948 Gamecocks split their carries relatively evenly. Wadiak still posted a record of 8.2 yards per carry that still holds today. If not for incomplete statistical records for total carries, he could be the program’s all-time leader in that statistic, too. He remains in the top five in program history in rushing yardage and is one of seven running backs ever to register 3000 career yards from scrimmage. Wadiak also owns the longest-ever Gamecock rushing attempt, a 96-yard scamper in 1950.
Endearing himself to Gamecock fans throughout the ages, Wadiak didn’t lose to Clemson after his freshman season. In 1950, he gashed the Clemson defense for 256 yards on the ground and a pair of touchdowns. That yardage total is the highest-ever for a Gamecock running back against a power conference opponent. In ’51, the team captain fought through broken ribs with late-game carries that iced the Palmetto Bowl victory for Carolina.
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Wadiak owns one of the best nicknames in all Gamecockdom. “The Cadillac” lived up to the moniker by combining smooth running ability with ferocious power. He ran over and through would-be tacklers who made the mistake of getting in his way.
The 1950 Southern Conference Player of the Year, Wadiak earned the honor as a junior back when postseason awards were usually reserved for seniors. He followed that up with All-American honors during his final year in Columbia. Wadiak now has South Carolina’s team MVP award named after him.
Unfortunately, just after his selection in the third round (30th overall) of the 1952 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, a car accident claimed Wadiak’s life. The Gamecock great was the first to have his number/jersey retired, and he was an inaugural University of South Carolina Lettermen’s Hall of Fame inductee in 1967.
