There was nothing about “Sandstorm” that suggested it would become a University of South Carolina football tradition.
It came from a Finnish DJ named Darude and was released more than a decade before fans adopted it.
Yet when it first arrived at Williams-Brice Stadium, nobody knew it would become one of the defining sounds of Gamecocks athletics.
Then came a game against Ole Miss.
On Sept. 24, 2009, the No. 4 Rebels were in Columbia to face the Gamecocks.
South Carolina was leading 16-10 late in the fourth quarter when the stadium DJ played Darude’s song during a timeout.
The reaction was immediate, with nearly 80,000 fans jumping, waving their towels and turning Williams-Brice Stadium into something resembling a dance floor.
ESPN broadcaster Chris Fowler described the scene as “a rave” breaking out in Columbia.
Then the Gamecocks defense went back onto the field.
Ole Miss quarterback Jevan Snead was sacked. The Rebels were hit with a substitution penalty. South Carolina forced an incompletion on fourth down.
The upset was complete.
And “Sandstorm” had found its home.
The song’s backstory
So how did a Finnish techno song end up becoming one of the defining sounds of South Carolina football?
The story starts with Darude, the stage name of Finnish DJ and producer Ville Virtanen, who released “Sandstorm” in 1999.
A decade later, South Carolina marketing director Eric Nichols put the song on the Gamecocks’ game-day playlist.
Nichols said he tried using the song while working at Vanderbilt, but it never caught on.
It did at South Carolina.
The song was played during the 2009 Ole Miss game with the Gamecocks protecting a six-point lead and the defense needing to make a crucial stop.
The crowd reaction was so strong that the song was played again after the defensive stand.
And just like that, a stadium soundtrack had become a tradition.
A new rallying cry
Before long, Gamecocks fans were bringing the “Sandstorm” tradition to other athletic events, with white rally towels becoming part of the ritual.
Fans jump up and down as the song builds, waving the towels over their heads and chanting “USC” along with the beat.
By 2010, local media were calling it the Gamecocks’ second fight song.
South Carolina’s football media guide now lists it among the signature traditions of Gamecocks athletics.
Most college traditions take decades to become part of a school’s identity. This one took only a few years.
Then, in 2023, Darude went to Williams-Brice for the game against Kentucky and got to see the tradition for himself.
He gave an in-game performance of “Sandstorm.”
“I don’t have words to say, but [the fans] are speaking for me, right now. This is insane,” he said.
For Darude, it was a chance to see what “Sandstorm” had become thousands of miles from Finland.
In Columbia, the song wasn’t just a hit from the world of electronic dance music.
It had become part of the identity of the team and its fans.
The State file photos
Quotes of note
“It starts out very slow. It allows everyone to collect their thoughts and understand this is gonna get crazy.” – Ebbie Yazdani, South Carolina’s student body president in 2010
“Anywhere I go, if there are Gamecocks around, and I hear just the first note of ‘Sandstorm,’ everybody just stops, looks around the room trying to find a towel, napkin, something. Because it’s rally time.” – former South Carolina student Clayton Mackenzie
“This place has one of the most crazy environments I’ve ever been in. Once you give the fans something to get excited about, it’s hard to shut them up. I hope I never hear [‘Sandstorm’] again.” – Georgia running back Todd Gurley after a 38-35 loss to South Carolina in 2014 at Williams-Brice Stadium
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Mike Garbett is a content specialist working with McClatchy’s Content Innovation Lab.