USC creates shirt to honor Gamecock Jesus. Here’s how to get one

South Carolina has teamed up with Palmetto Shirt Company to raise funds in honor of late superfan Carlton Thompson, known to many as Gamecock Jesus.

Thompson, 70, died on Dec. 6, 2023 after a battle with prostate cancer.

Thompson became an revered figure in the world of South Carolina athletics by manning the baseline at men’s and women’s basketball games, feverishly waving the Gamecock flag he brought to each event without fail. His long hair and beard prompted the Jesus nickname, but his yellow Crocs, Gamecocks bandanna and garnet shirt that read “Believe” were also part of his iconography.

The shirt, which was worn by the women’s basketball team before their game against Morgan State in December, is priced between $15 to $17 depending on the size and available through Columbia-based Palmetto Shirt Company.

All proceeds will benefit the Special Olympics of South Carolina (SOSC), a charitable organization “close to Thompson” and selected by his family as the recipient of donations, per a school release. Sales started Tuesday with a fundraising goal of $15,000.

“We are honored that Carlton’s family has selected the Special Olympics of South Carolina to benefit from the proceeds of the tribute t-shirt,” Sandye Williams, a South Carolina alum and the director of marketing and development for SOSC, said in a statement. “Their support will help us in our mission to provide sports training and competition, along with health and educational programs, to over 30,000 kids and adults with intellectual disabilities in our state.”

The loss of Thompson, a 1982 graduate of USC’s nursing school, as been felt throughout Colonial Life Arena all season. South Carolina placed a sign bearing Thompson’s name and photo in front of a seat he so often occupied. When the Gamecocks men’s basketball team upset No. 6 Kentucky earlier this season, students grabbed the sign and carried it as they stormed the court.

USC women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley said in December that Thompson “always laid his heart on the line for all of Gamecock Nation, all of our sports programs. He was a mainstay.”

“To lose him, to not ever be able to see that flag go up or hear him stomp, we’re gonna miss it,” Staley said. “But his legacy will live on because he was everything that was right in being a giver. He was a great human being. And I hope that we all can take a little bit of what he gave to so many people. If we add that to our lives, we’ll be better people better.”