South Carolina's founding 'Goon Squad' members seek USC's return as DBU
The first of D.J. Swearinger’s 33 starts in a South Carolina football uniform came against Alabama on Oct. 9, 2010.
Of course it did.
That landmark 35-21 win against the Crimson Tide was significant for several reasons. It gave USC its first victory against a top-ranked opponent, it launched the Gamecocks’ run to an SEC East Division title and it cemented a Swearinger-inspired nickname.
“When we were in school, Alabama was the hot team,” said the former Carolina safety. “We didn’t want to be that team that got bullied or beat around. We called ourselves the Goon Squad and took over.
“And ever since that Alabama game, we’ve been the Goon Squad.”
Some Goon Squad originals were at Benedict College last Friday to take part in Swearinger’s charity basketball game. All proceeds went to the Boys and Girls Club of the Midlands.
While promoting the event, Swearinger took time on Instagram last week to recognize his alma mater. More specifically, to shout-out the Goons.
He tagged the likes of Stephon Gilmore, Chris Culliver and Akeem Auguste, added the caption “We Gotta Get Back to Being #GoonSquad #DBU” and posted a highlight video of Carolina-produced big hits — both in Columbia and in the NFL.
“We were the Goon Squad, man,” Swearinger said Friday. “We really didn’t take up as DBU. We wanted to get to DBU when we were here. We called ourselves the Goon Squad. We've got to get back to the Goon Squad days.”
Swearinger, a second-round selection of the Houston Texans, is entering his sixth season in the NFL. The Washington Redskin has 308 tackles, 10 interceptions and has forced six fumbles since he left South Carolina in 2012. He’s the last Gamecock defensive back to be drafted.
USC’s claim as “DBU” was featured in a 2016 study by CBS Sports that landed the Gamecocks behind only Miami as the program that has produced the most NFL talent at corner or safety.
“We've got a lot of DBs in here,” Swearinger said. “Me, Johnathan Joseph, Dunta Robinson, Sheldon Brown, Stephon Gilmore, Antonio Allen, DeVonte Holloman. The list goes on, man. Chis Lammons. We got a lot of guys in the league. We’re going to try to continue to get that.
“I know coach (Will) Muschamp’s doing a great job of getting the guys NFL ready. We’re trying to get back to DBU.”
Muschamp is entering his third season as USC coach. A previous stint as Florida’s head coach from 2011-14 produced a number of DBs to the NFL, including first-round picks Matt Elam (Baltimore Ravens), Vernon Hargreaves (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) and Keanu Neal (Atlanta Falcons).
“I love what coach Muschamp is doing,” Swearinger said. “He’s trying to get us back into the glory days. When we had all these guys here, we were stacked. We’re trying to get back to that same tradition.”
Back when USC had Goons to fill the halls at DBU.
“That’s why we try to be around,” said Victor Hampton, Carolina corner from 2011-13, “so we can keep the culture here that we created.”
This story was originally published June 26, 2018 at 9:13 AM with the headline "South Carolina's founding 'Goon Squad' members seek USC's return as DBU."