Download This Version in Microsoft Word format
TO CONGRATULATE MACKIE PRICKETT, UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH CAROLINA QUARTERBACK FROM 1954-1956, FOR HIS SIGNIFICANT CONTRIBUTIONS TO GAMECOCK FOOTBALL AND FOR HIS FAMILY'S LONG GAMECOCK TRADITION.
Whereas, enshrined in the University of South Carolina (USC) Athletic Hall of Fame in 1995, Mackie Prickett played football from 1954-1956, winning sixteen games for the Gamecocks; and
Whereas, born into a die-hard Gamecock family, he received a recruiting call from the iconic Clemson Coach Frank Howard, but his father met Coach Howard at the door and told him he was not welcome. He also visited the University of Kentucky to meet with Coach Bear Bryant, but he remained undeterred when the coach told him he was the worst passing quarterback he had ever seen; and
Whereas, as a high school sophomore, Mr. Prickett accepted an invitation to meet with USC's Coach Rex Enright, fondly known as Daddy Rex, who offered him a scholarship, promising that even if he broke his neck, he would still have a scholarship; and
Whereas, as a freshman at USC, he was moved to halfback and played the last three games of the year at that position. In 1954, he was moved back to quarterback with the varsity, but he spiraled from second string to fifth string; and
Whereas, after attending a quarterback clinic in Tallahassee at Florida State, Mackie Prickett found his rhythm as a quarterback with advice from Bobby Layne, the all-pro quarterback, who told him not to drop back and look to find an open receiver after getting the ball from the center. He advised him instead to know what he would do when he left the center, and if his target was not open, he should run the ball without hesitating; and
Whereas, in the USC game against Army, ranked 18 in the nation, Mackie Prickett led the Gamecocks to a come-from-behind victory against the national powerhouse. USC also defeated Clemson 13-8, when he intercepted a long pass that thwarted Clemson's march down the field in the last minutes of the game. After that game, he was set at first-string, and that year, USC went 6-4, the first of two winning seasons he led for the Gamecocks; and
Whereas, in his preteen years, he had ridden horses, and after college he returned to his St. Matthews farm where horses were in training. After racing in New England for ten years, he took up his profession in pharmacy that he had studied at USC; and
Whereas, Mr. Prickett was a pharmacist with Revco for about twelve years and then with a private pharmacy in Elloree. Then he went to work with Horse Necessities, Inc., in St. Matthews for about ten years; and
Whereas, after retiring from horse training, running the family farm in St. Matthews, and being a pharmacist, Mackie and his beloved wife, Shan Prickett, have settled in West Columbia. Their three sons and two grandchildren continued the family's Carolina legacy by attending USC; and
Whereas, the South Carolina House of Representatives appreciates the outstanding career in Gamecock football that Mackie Prickett offered and for the meaningful impact his life and character have had on our State. Now, therefore,
Be it resolved by the House of Representatives:
That the members of the South Carolina House of Representatives, by this resolution, congratulate Mackie Prickett, University of South Carolina quarterback from 1954-1956, for his significant contributions to Gamecock football and for his family's long Gamecock tradition.
Be it further resolved that a copy of this resolution be presented to Mackie Prickett.
This web page was last updated on June 6, 2017 at 3:56 PM