Morris: New book on Wadiak a must-read for Gamecocks fans

THE STEVE WADIAK STORY is, arguably, the most compelling in the history of South Carolina athletics. If you do not know his story – or even if you do – then Mike Chibbaro’s recently released book “The Cadillac” is must reading.

Chibbaro grew up hearing legendary tales of Wadiak from his father. Chibbaro’s father swore that Wadiak, who played from 1948-51, would forever be the greatest running back in USC history, even after George Rogers won the Heisman Trophy in 1980.

“I was always fascinated by Wadiak’s story and by the passion and reverence with which my father spoke of him,” Chibbaro says.

That got Chibbaro off and running on a two-year project to research and write the tales of Wadiak, whose No. 37 jersey was retired by the USC athletics department shortly after his death in an auto crash outside Aiken months following his final game for the Gamecocks.

“On game days at Williams-Brice Stadium, thousands of fans see the banner on the northwest pedestrian ramp commemorating number 37,” Chibbaro says. “I hope the book will help fans know and appreciate the story behind the number.”

Chibbaro, a 1981 USC graduate who was the sports editor of “The Gamecock” student newspaper, chronicles in great detail Wadiak’s life. Chibbaro’s best research was done in uncovering many of the previously untold stories of Wadiak’s childhood and his life before enrolling as a relative unknown at USC.

Chibbaro connected with many of Wadiak’s surviving relatives and located enough former teammates of Wadiak’s to weave a compelling story about a man who clearly left an impact on the USC community.

One of the highlights for Chibbaro was meeting Wadiak’s sister, Jeanette Korlin, who resides in the Chicago area, where her brother Steve was raised. Korlin was two years older than her brother.

“The best part of writing the book was talking with family, friends and teammates who knew Steve,” Chibbaro says. “They all lit up when they talked about him. To a person, all of them could tell me exactly where they were on March 9, 1952, when they heard about Steve’s tragic death.”

Chibbaro found that two of Wadiak’s teammates named their first-born sons after the deceased hero. That kind of detail, as well as colorful storytelling, makes “The Cadillac” essential reading for anyone who has followed USC athletics.

This story was originally published August 27, 2014 at 10:58 PM with the headline "Morris: New book on Wadiak a must-read for Gamecocks fans."