South Carolina Succumbs To Public Sadness, Brings Back Live Rooster Named 'Sir Big Spur' After Aesthetic Issue

Sir Big Spur is BACK. South Carolina's live rooster mascot, which has been on the sideline since 1999, was set to receive a new name, but that is no longer.

A riff between the mascot's owners and the university over how the rooster should look has been settled and things are back to normal. In the end, it was all much ado about nothing.

The aesthetic issue has been resolved.

While it is easy to assume that South Carolina owns the live rooster, that is not the case. Sir Big Spur is owned by a couple named Beth and Van Clark, who took over from Mary Snelling and Rob Albertelli in 2019. They have a contract with the university.

Well, when the previous contract expired on Aug. 1, a disagreement about appearance began.

For those who aren't familiar, a Gamecock is a fighting rooster. Prior to fighting, traditionally, the comb atop a rooster's head is clipped.

The comb is a red "crest" on top of the bird's head and under its beak that helps the bird's heat regulation systems because chickens cannot sweat. Fun fact.

Regardless of purpose, the comb of a Gamecock is traditionally clipped before a fight.

In turn, Snelling and Albertelli used to remove the comb to make it look like a traditional Gamecock.

The Clarks, however, wanted to break tradition and keep the comb. As a result, the old owners were not willing to relinquish the rights to the name 'Sir Big Spur' unless the comb was clipped.

That created a rather sticky situation for South Carolina. They had lost the rights to 'Sir Big Spur' for their mascot and needed a new name.

A local newspaper asked fans what new name they wanted and nearly 80% of those who voted wanted Cock Commander. It was the obvious choice, because of course.

Ultimately, the university announced earlier this week that it went with a name that wasn't Cock Commander. The live rooster mascot was to be named The General.

Everybody was disappointed. Even starting quarterback Spencer Rattler thought that it was going to be Cock Commander.

As soon as the name was announced, the university received a lot of backlash. The General was a lame choice and nobody was going to call the rooster anything other than Sir Big Spur.

And now they don't have to.

On Thursday afternoon, South Carolina announced in a press release that Sir Big Spur is back.

"Following feedback the Athletics Department received, there was more dialogue made with the owners of the Gamecock live mascot, who had rights to the name. The two families and the administration reconnected and found a solution in the best interest of the University, while respecting the wishes of both families."

Deputy Athletics Director Eric Nichols also commented on the return.

“It was always preferred that we would stay with the ‘Sir Big Spur’ name. I appreciate the passion that the owners, Mary Snelling and Ron Albertelli, and the new handlers Beth and Van Clark, have for the Gamecocks and the live mascot. We are pleased that we are starting the season with the same name as in year’s past.”

To the relief of everybody, and disappointment of Cock Commander fans, Sir Big Spur will be on the sideline on Saturday night as South Carolina hosts Georgia State. It's unclear as to what the "solution" might be, but if I had to guess, some money was likely exchanged.

It will be worth watching to see if the comb remains in tact on the rooster or not.