<P> Warren Giese, who was previously an assistant coach at Maryland, was hired as head coach in 1956, and he led the Gamecocks to a 28--21--1 overall record in his 5 - year tenure . Giese employed a conservative, run - first game strategy, but he enthusiastically adopted the two - point conversion when it was made legal in 1958 . That year, he also correctly predicted the rise of special teams after the NCAA relaxed its player substitution rules . The Giese era included two 7--3 campaigns (1956 and 1958), an 18--15--1 ACC record, and a 27--21 victory over Darrell Royal's 1957 Texas squad in Austin . Griese was replaced after a 3--6 season in 1960 . </P> <P> Marvin Bass was hired away from Georgia Tech, where he served as defensive coordinator, as the Gamecocks head football coach . He posted a 17--29--4 record in his four - year tenure and was replaced after five seasons due to the team's struggles and low fan support . </P> <P> Paul Dietzel arrived in Columbia prior to the 1966 season, having previously coached at LSU, where he won a national championship, and Army . </P> <P> In 1969, he led the Gamecocks to an ACC championship and an appearance in the Peach Bowl . As a result, Dietzel was named ACC Coach of the Year that season . Soon after, South Carolina left the ACC and became an Independent program prior to the 1971 season . Dietzel finished his USC tenure with a 42--53--1 overall record (18--10--1 ACC). In addition to the 1969 ACC title, Dietzel's legacies at Carolina include his improvement of athletic facilities and his penning of a new fight song, which is still used to this day ("The Fighting Gamecocks Lead the Way"). Amid growing fan unrest after an upset loss to Duke, Dietzel announced that he would resign at the end of the season, which ended in a 4--7 record . </P>

When was the last time south carolina won a national championship