Biggest Sports Stars to Come From South Carolina

South Carolina is best known for its beaches and historically significant districts. Sports are not among the first things that come to mind when most Americans think of the Palmetto State, as it has no professional teams. Yet, that does not mean that it lacks a rich sporting legacy that stretches beyond athletic programs. Sports betting hubs like betting24.dk like to focus on SC college teams, but outside of them, most of the state’s residents root for North Carolina franchises and minor league clubs. Due to this state of affairs, those not from South Carolina often get shocked to learn what legendary athletes this territory has produced.  We list what many believe are the top four names below.

Joe Jackson

Born in 1887 in Pickens County, Joseph Jefferson Jackson, nicknamed Shoeless Joe, is one of baseball’s most famous players, whose career got halted in his prime due to match-fixing conspiracies. Jackson, an outfielder for the Chicago White Sox, from 1915 to 1920, got accused of playing a role in his team throwing the 1919 World Series against the Cincinnati Reds. His guilt has been a topic of fierce debate, with evidence leaning more in the direction that he did not participate in the scandal. However, despite getting found not guilty, he still got banned from baseball and cannot get his rightful place in the sport’s Hall of Fame.

Joe Frazier

Though Joseph William Frazier mostly gets associated with the city of Philadelphia, where he died in 2011, he was born in Beaufort as the twelfth child of Rubin and Dolly Alston-Frazier. He spent his childhood in the rural community of Laurel Bay, where his family worked as sharecroppers. When Frazier was a boy, his parents would hold boxing parties, charging visitors for drinks whom they let watch matches on their TV, which is where Joe first got the idea to start boxing. After a successful career as an amateur and following an Olympic medal win at the 1964 Tokyo games, Frazier turned pro. He won the WBA belt in 1970 and is pretty much in every boxing Hall of Fame imaginable.

Pete Maravich

Better known as Pistol Pete, Maravich, an American of Serbian descent, was born in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania. Nevertheless, he moved to South Carolina at a young age, where he played varsity basketball at Daniel High School. Maravich played college ball for Louisiana State University before moving to the NBA, where he was a member of the Hawks, Jazz, and the Celtics. He is one of the youngest players to get inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame and widely gets ranked as one of the sport’s best offensive talents.

Art Shell

Hailing from Charleston, Arthur Lee Shell Jr. is a former AFL and NFL offensive tackle, a member of the Pro and College Halls of Fame. He played college ball for Maryland state and spend fifteen years with the Raiders, the second-most in the team’s history. Shell participated in eight Pro Bowls and was a two-time Super Bowl Champion. He played in 207 NFL games and coached the Raiders on two occasions.

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