Manning man seen USC/Clemson rivalry with own eyes

Eighty-thousand people will pack Williams-Brice Stadium Saturday, but few people have seen the USC Clemson rivalry as much as Ted Gardner.

The Manning man will attend his 65th consecutive duel between the Tigers and the Gamecocks.  Gardner says its his vacation, but it has been much more than that.  Some of the biggest moments of his life have occurred around the big game.

Gardner proposed to his wife the night before the big game, he’s watched as a friend dragged a rooster to midfield before a game, and he sat and watched a friend die from a heart attack after Clemson missed a two point conversion.

Gardner has gone from being a 17 year old student in 1945 to bringing his four grandchildren to the games in 2009.  Through it all, he’s always loved going to watch his Tigers.