Fall College Sports in Spartanburg
Friday, September 16, 2022
The start of fall in Spartanburg usually isn’t accompanied, at least not immediately, by cooler weather. The morning air starts cool, but the mercury settles decidedly higher in the afternoon. Despite that off-season warmth, Spartanburg is a great place to take in fall college sports.
Spartanburg’s a College Town, after all.
Spartanburg sits a quick interstate trek from major college sports towns – Columbia and Clemson, to be exact – but this College Town’s fall calendar is bursting with athletic contests of all kinds, and a true sports fan wouldn’t be disappointed by the events Spartanburg has to offer. In terms of the sheer number of sporting events played here, Spartanburg holds its own with just about anywhere in the U.S.
The warm air descended upon Wofford College on a late-September Saturday afternoon as the Terriers hosted the Gardner-Webb Runnin’ Bulldogs. Wofford was coming off a season where the team earned a share of the SoCon championship.
On the way to Gibbs Stadium, you can expect to see a bustling Downtown Spartanburg. Past Wofford’s historic buildings and immaculately-maintained campus, groups of tailgaters began lining the streets and parking lots on campus. A quick glance down Church or Cummings Streets would reveal cars lined up to get to the game.
Families and friends gather under tents emblazoned with Wofford colors. Walking through tailgates, you pick up on conversations ongoing about the team, Spartanburg’s growth, the latest restaurant’s best dish, and much more. Grill masters were hard at work, and the aroma of hamburgers, hot dogs, and ribs filled the air. There was a Wofford branded football wall toss game, ensuring that America’s next great quarterback might be from right here in Spartanburg. Throughout the tailgating area one thing was abundantly clear, excitement was in the air, everyone was ready for a good time.
Elsewhere on campus, guitar riffs and the thump of drums rattled the ground underneath you, as students gathered for live music before the game kicked off. Wofford’s football atmosphere is undisputedly exciting, inviting family, friends, alumni, and visitors the chance to enjoy a few hours’ worth of a party even before players take the field.
But make no mistake, Terriers football isn’t the only fall college sport on Spartanburg’s schedule.
Wofford’s men’s and women’s basketball starts at the end of autumn. USC Upstate, Converse University men’s and women’s basketball, and Spartanburg Methodist College all have basketball teams tipping off in fall, too, with each college offering a different and unique environment for hoops fans to enjoy.
The Converse Valkyries golf, field hockey, soccer and volleyball seasons all get going in the fall.
USC Upstate’s men’s and women’s Spartan soccer, golf, tennis, women’s volleyball and track and field teams all begin their seasons in autumn, too.
SMC’s fall slate includes the start of men’s and women’s soccer and cross-country.
With this many options for you to get your sports fix in-person, Spartanburg is not only a college town, but it’s a college sports town. Now it’s up to you what game you’ll check out.
