Former rivals reunite on Gamecocks staff

— When Kirk Botkin and Everette Sands joined the South Carolina coaching staff as assistants in January, it wasn’t the first time football had brought them together.

Botkin and Sands played in what’s considered one of college football’s greatest upsets, when The Citadel beat Arkansas 10-3 on Sept. 5, 1992, in Fayetteville. Botkin was the Razorbacks’ starting tight end while Sands was the Bulldogs’ starting running back.

Now Botkin is the Gamecocks’ linebackers coach and Sands is their running backs coach.

“Can you believe I’m working with a guy from The Citadel?” Botkin said. “But Everette’s a great person and a heck of a coach. He just had his 20-year reunion with the 1992 Citadel team last weekend when we had an open date.

“We’ve talked about that game a little bit - but not too much.”

Sports, Pages 23 on 11/10/2012