Ultimate at USC - A Brief History

USC Ultimate was first established at the Columbia campus sometime within the 1970's and 1980's; however, the program fell off during the 1990's. Coming into the new decade, however, the club was rejuvenated by a few upstart players who decided that they wanted to take part in a competitive athletic program. The following is a brief history of the USC Ultimate Team.

Year One: The Beginning (2002-2003)

Started in the fall of 2002 by Lee, the USC Ultimate Club Team was a ragtag group of players with little experience and no real coach. Early tournaments consisted of sound drubbings at the hands of other established teams, as USC struggled to understand the basics of competitive ultimate. Towards the middle of its first season, USC experienced a period of enlightenment through the coaching of Tim Ray. The highlight of the season was winning the B Bracket Championship at Southerns against a tough Wisconsin-Whitewater team, the first tournament win of any sort for the club. Playing almost *savage at its first Sectionals Tournament, the team relied on gritty defense and long hucks. That year, USC earned the respect of several teams but failed to make Regionals.

*Savage is a term that refers to playing with just 7 people on one team, also known as "Savage Seven" because there are no substitutes throughout the entire game/tournament.

Year Two: Gaining Experience (2003-2004)

With a year of experience under their belts, the club players began to resemble some sort of a team. The season was a long one with plenty of losses, but any experience proved to be a good thing. The team finished its season with a good showing at Sectionals, but again the squad failed to make Regionals.

Year Three: Experiencing Some Success (2004-2005)

With the great addition of a freshman, two graduate students, and a new coach in Jeff Bischoff, USC began to really train for the first time. The team began to understand the basics of an offense and learned a few new defensive tactics. Tournament success was nothing to speak of until Sectionals. With a plan to succeed, USC knocked off rivals Clemson and Georgia Southern on its way to receving the club's first ever Regionals bid. USC's play at Regionals was uninspired, but the team ended the season with a decisive victory over Emory. For the first time in the team's three year existence, USC finished the season ranked in the top 20% of college teams nationwide.

[2004-2005 Roster & Results]

Year Four: Recruiting Like Crazy (2005-2006)

The 2005-2006 season proved to be a relatively successful one. The club recruited heavily during the fall and actually fielded two men's teams and one women's team at its own USC tournament. The Men's Team beat nationals finalist UGA early in the season, won the Chucktown Throwdown tournament, and barely missed out on semifinals at the Florida Winter Classic. The Men's Team also managed to be ranked as high as #7 in the nation at one point. As expected, the Men's Team qualified out of Sectionals for Regionals. However, for the 2nd year in a row the Men's Team failed to qualify for Nationals.

[2005-2006 Roster & Results]

Year Five: Yet Again, an Unwritten History (2006-2007)

The USC Men's Team returns all but three players from last year's Regionals qualifying team. The Men's Team hopes to continue to build upon last year's success into the new school year by actively recruiting and molding rookie athletes.

In addition, everyone on the team should be improved with another full year under their belt. We're looking to go deep into Regionals and contend for one of the spots to Nationals.

Will you be there?
Practice times can be found here, and contact information here.

Ultimate at USC

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