Former South Carolina QB Phil Petty dies at 43

Nick Bromberg
1 Jan 2002: South Carolina quarterback Phil Petty, #14, is carried off the field by teammates after beating Ohio State 31-28 in the Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. DIGITAL IMAGE. Mandatory Credit: Scott Halleran/Getty Images
Phil Petty was the MVP of the 2002 Outback Bowl after South Carolina beat Ohio State for a second consecutive season. (Scott Halleran/Getty Images (Scott Halleran via Getty Images)

Former South Carolina QB Phil Petty has died. He was 43.

Petty played at South Carolina from 1998-2001 and started 24 games over his last two seasons with the Gamecocks. South Carolina went a combined 17-7 in 2000 and 2001 and ended each of those seasons with Outback Bowl wins over Ohio State.

According to The State, Petty died after a brief illness.

Petty played in six games in 1999 as South Carolina went 0-11 in Lou Holtz’s first season with the Gamecocks. South Carolina then won eight games in 2000 after winning a combined six games in the previous three seasons.

Petty threw for 2,285 yards and eight touchdowns in 2000 as South Carolina rode the heels of a stellar defense to a strong season. The Gamecocks beat Ohio State 24-7 in the Outback Bowl to cap the season.

USC returned to the Outback Bowl a season later and beat the Buckeyes 31-28. Petty was named the Outback Bowl MVP after South Carolina went up 28-3 before Ohio State scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to tie the game ahead of a game-winning South Carolina field goal. Petty threw for 1,926 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2001.

Petty was most recently coaching high school football in South Carolina and also had college coaching experience. He spent five years as an assistant coach at East Carolina in the 2000s under Skip Holtz. Skip Holtz was an assistant on his father’s staff at South Carolina.

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