Legendary Defensive Line Coach Brad Lawing Passes Away
When people look back at the Steve Spurrier era, they can recall many great players who graced the field in Williams-Brice stadium. Players like legendary quarterback Connor Shaw, future NFL Pro-bowl wide receiver Alshon Jeffery, Marcus Lattimore, Stephon Gilmore, and plenty of others helped South Carolina's Football program reach heights previously never seen.
The position group, however, that became the most renowned throughout those years was South Carolina's defensive line unit, which between the years of 2006 and 2012, was led by legendary Defensive Line coach Brad Lawing. A native of North Carolina, Lawing helped redefine how South Carolina's defense was viewed by the rest of the SEC and all of college football, which, when being on the same staff with the offensive mastermind Steve Spurrier, best known for creating the "Fun N' Gun" at Florida, is quite the remarkable feat.
Between his stint with South Carolina in 1989 through 1998 and his stretch with Steve Spurrier, Lawing produced several future NFL players, including Corey Miller, Gerald Dixon, Devin Taylor, Travian Robertson, and Kelcy Quarles. He helped Eric Norwood break South Carolina's all-time career sack record and recruited notable Gamecocks like Corey Robinson, DJ Swearinger, Clifton Geathers, Chris Culliver, and Dylan Thompson to Columbia.
Lawing's most notable accomplishment is his personal development of Jadeveon Clowney and Melvin Ingram, both of whom became consensus All-Americans in 2011 and 2012 and future first-round draft picks and Pro-Bowlers in the NFL, with Clowney becoming just the second No. 1 overall draft pick in program history.
Brad Lawing played an integral role in changing how South Carolina's Football program was viewed on the national stage, and that's not even counting in all of the lives he touched off the field. He will undoubtedly be dearly missed by Gamecock nation and all of those who knew him well.
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