About

The College Sport Collections at the University of South Carolina are dedicated to the preservation, celebration and study of artifacts that are critical to college sport history. The archive of documents and memorabilia was established by USC’s College Sport Research Institute (CSRI) in partnership with University Libraries Irvin Department of Rare Books and Special Collections.

For more information and to view the current list of collections, visit Library.sc.edu/CollegeSportCollections.

Collection Highlights

Jerry and Lois Tarkanian Collection

The Jerry and Lois Tarkanian Collection is the foundational archive of the College Sport Collections. It was donated to USC by the family of the late Hall of Fame coach and player advocate, Jerry Tarkanian. The collection includes NCAA v. Tarkanian U.S. Supreme Court case documents, as well as practice plans, photos, regalia, mementos, children’s books and other material related to Coach Tarkanian’s legacy. Make a donation here to support the continued preservation of the Jerry and Lois Tarkanian Collection.

Mary Willingham Papers

While working at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, Mary Willingham blew the whistle on what has since been documented as the longest running athletic and academic fraud case in the history of college sport.

Willingham knew that the fraud could be confirmed with data found in the transcripts, student work and her research on the athletes low reading levels. Many of the documents were used to write her book Cheated released in 2015. 

For more information, visit Library.sc.edu/CollegeSportCollections.