College football springs games are the place for gimmicks.
It's a way for players to simulate a game-like setting while also having a good time out there before the season ramps up.
The University of South Carolina brought in some in-house help to heighten the fun back in 2014.
Dawn Staley Catches TD Pass in Spring Game
Never forget when @dawnstaley scored a TD in the @GamecockFB spring game ?? pic.twitter.com/2lXQUq4ysL
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) April 28, 2021
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The garnet and black teams faced off in the annual South Carolina spring game in Columbia. The garnet team had the ball at the black 30-yard line with 34 seconds left in the first half. Quarterback Dylan Thompson lined up in shotgun on first and 10.
The center snapped the ball and Thompson had all day to throw. He spotted a wide open receiver in the end zone. He launched it.
The receiver is a familiar face for USC fans. It was South Carolina women's basketball coach Dawn Staley. Staley crept off the bench onto the field at Williams-Brice Stadium and found a hole in the defense.
She hauled in the touchdown and celebrated with a vintage snow angel. The team even joined in to congratulate her.
Then-Gamecock football head coach Steve Spurrier approached Staley about an off-the-bench play earlier in the week, and it's become an annual tradition. Former South Carolina football players Jadeveon Clowney and Deebo Samuel have participated.
Photo by Ron Jenkins/Getty Images
Staley could clearly excel on the gridiron if she wanted, but her forte lies on the basketball court.
She was a six-time WNBA All-Star, three-time Olympic gold medalist and was named one of the league's top 15 players of all time. At the head of the bench, Staley has built the South Carolina Gamecocks into a college basketball powerhouse.
The Basketball Hall of Famer has made the women's basketball team perennial SEC title contenders and NCAA Tournament attendees. She's led the Gamecocks to seven SEC titles, four NCAA Women's Final Four appearances and the 2017 and 2022 NCAA national championships.
If the 2014 spring football game is any indication, Staley should spend her off-seasons torching Alabama, Florida, and Tennessee on the deep ball.
