Former USC football players talk business in the Midlands

Four former USC football players discuss doing business in Columbia.

Syvelle Newton, quarterback/receiver, 2003-06

Bennettsville native Syvelle Newton was one of USC’s most versatile players during his career, taking the field as a quarterback, running back, receiver and safety. He is one of four players in college football history with more than 600 yards rushing, passing and receiving in his career.

After not being drafted by the National Football League following his college football career, Newton, now 31, returned to college to finish his degree and went into automobile sales. “The experience of being a former Gamecock and in business in Columbia is great and it’s fun. It has its ups and it has its downs,” Newton said.

“The ups . . . has been the networking and the (doors) that it opens up and the reception that you receive, not only from Carolina fans, but you receive it from Clemson fans. . . .

“The downs were discussing with them some of the things you don’t like to look back on, like not quite making it to the next level – you know, you should have made it, but you didn’t make it.”

Bobby Bryant, defensive back, 1964-66

When former USC defensive back Bobby Bryant graduated from USC in 1967, he already had offers from Major League Baseball’s New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox. He had also been drafted by the NFL’s Minnesota Vikings.

Bryant, now 71, understood two things: “With football, you go right to a major league (franchise) and either you make the team or you don’t; you don’t have to spend time in the minor leagues.”

After 14 years with the team, he came back to South Carolina to escape the northern winters, going first into real estate, then automobile glass replacement.

Being a former Gamecock and Viking “has really helped me in my job as a sales representative for Quackt Glass because the people I call on are football fans. There are a few who say they don’t care anything football, but ... I found that that’s a real big asset being an ex-Gamecock.”

Ryan Brewer, running back, 1999-2002

Brewer, an Ohio native, didn’t expect his football career to end as soon as it did after he left USC.

“It was a little tough trying to figure out what I wanted to do,” Brewer said. “While playing, I knew I wanted to be an entrepreneur and I knew I wanted to be my own boss. I love Coach (Lou) Holtz, but he was my last boss.

“Being a Gamecock is just special. When I first started (the company), it was kind of difficult because I was a one-man-show. People would call, just to chat, and I was trying to work. I got a lot of calls when I was on the job – and they didn’t want a fence. They just wanted me to come out there and talk, or whatever. But that was a long time ago and things have changed.

“When I first started, a lot of my competitors would say, ‘You’re buying a fence from a football player, and not a fence guy.’ But I’ve been in this for a long time and I know what I’m doing. It’s been a fun, growing experience.”

Langston Moore, lineman, 1999-2002

The Gamecocks went 0-11 in 1999 — Langston Moore’s first season with the Gamecocks — but the former lineman said he learned more about winning and how to conduct himself in life that year than he ever did by the team earning a berth to the Outback Bowl or by being drafted into the NFL.

“One thing football has always taught me is that you can always outwork talent, you can always outwork pretty uniforms, you can always outwork marketing,” Moore said.

Being a former Gamecock in business in Columbia “can get you in the door, it can get people to answer your e-mails, can get people to call you back, but eventually, you’re going to have to (win) them over with your experience, with your professionalism, how you carry yourself, how you do things.”

Familiarity helps, Moore said, but former football stars should be on guard against being defined — or in his words, pigeon-holed — by an on-the-field persona. “The No. 1 question people always ask you is, ‘Did you go to the pros?’ Moore said. “Then, ‘Are you going to be a coach, now?’”

“Football is something you learn. It’s not who you are. So, how can you blend what you’ve learned from football to be an artist, or to be a musician, or to be a mathematician? I always tell kids, there is nothing wrong with having that notoriety, but don’t be afraid to show off (your other talents and skills).

“Let people know that you’re a writer, you’re an artist, you speak multiple languages – whatever it is that you do, because I think it just adds to the fabric of how great the Gamecock Nation is and how many great people have come out of Gamecock Nation.”

This story was originally published September 16, 2016 at 12:07 AM.