Former Gamecock great Phil Petty has died at the age of 43. The cause of death is unknown at this time.

Petty was at the helm when the Gamecocks engineered one the greatest turnarounds in NCAA history. Petty, the Boiling Spring, SC native, played in ten games for the one-win 1998 Gamecocks and six games for the winless 99' team. Petty took over the starting quarterback role in 2000 and guided the Gamecocks to 17-7 record over his final two seasons.

Petty led the Gamecocks to back-to-back Outback Bowl victories against Ohio State in 2001 and 2002. Petty was MVP of the 2002 Outback Bowl after throwing for 227 yards and two touchdowns in the 31-28 victory over the Buckeyes. He was a finalist for the Johnny Unitas award, given to the top quarterback in the country, during his senior season.

Petty ranks eighth all-time in Carolina history with 5,652 passing yards. He is seventh in program history in passes completed with 454, and tenth in touchdowns with 28. His 17 wins as a starter are seventh-most in school history. After Carolina, Petty signed as a free agent with the Tennessee Titans but was released prior to his rookie season.

Petty was offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Hammond High School during the 2003 season. Petty was then hired at East Carolina in 2004 as quarterbacks coach under former USC assistant Skip Holtz. He spent a total of five seasons with ECU. Petty spent last season on the staff with Gray Collegiate under his former Gamecock teammate Adam Holmes.

Petty is survived by his wife and two children.

**Publisher's note from Caleb Alexander: I don't really have the power to do much here beyond a symbolic gesture, but the front page of Gamecock Scoop is going to wear mourning black for the rest of today in honor of the passing of Gamecock Great Phil Petty. Our thoughts are with his family, friends, and all affected by this morning's awful news.