A Gamecock Fan’s Legacy: How Reed Dyches’ Love for South Carolina Football Lives On
Fifty-three Saturdays ago, something unthinkable happened: lifelong South Carolina fan Reed Dyches wasn’t in his usual spot — Section 11, Row 12, Seat 22 at Williams-Brice Stadium. For Reed, missing a Gamecock game simply wasn’t an option.
The week before South Carolina hosted LSU, Reed, then hospitalized at MUSC Health in Charleston, begged his doctors to discharge him in time for kickoff.
“Prescribe some pills. Write a plan. Do whatever you have to … by Friday,” he insisted.
When the medical team told him it wasn’t possible, Reed tried to explain. “This is an emergency.”
“What’s the emergency?” they asked.
“(College) Gameday is going to be in Columbia,” Reed replied. “We’re playing LSU at noon. I have to be at that game. I have not missed a game in 15 years.”
Despite his pleas, Reed was kept in the hospital. Pain medication left him unconscious through most of the game — a mercy, perhaps, since he awoke just in time to see Alex Herrera’s potential game-winning field goal sail wide. It would be the last South Carolina game Reed ever witnessed.
A Private Battle with Liver Disease
Reed was first diagnosed with fatty liver disease in 2010, a year before marrying his wife, Tonya. Over time, it developed into non-alcoholic cirrhosis, requiring frequent monitoring at MUSC.
Yet, Reed rarely shared the full extent of his illness. Friends and family often heard only, “Everything is fine. Nothing to worry about.” Whether it was optimism or his way of shielding loved ones from the burden, Reed kept much of the truth to himself.
Then, in September 2024, his condition worsened. After being bitten by a dog during his sales route, Reed was prescribed NSAIDs — medication unsafe for those with liver disease. Within days, he was in excruciating pain, vomiting blood, and admitted to MUSC.
Doctors inserted a stent in his liver and scheduled a colonoscopy, hoping he’d be discharged in time for the Akron game. He FaceTimed Tonya and their daughter Elise the night before, cheerful and ready to return home. But on Sept. 20, 2024, Reed passed away suddenly at the age of 46.
“His liver just gave out,” Tonya said quietly. “I just think it was too much on his liver.”
Football, Family, and Farewell
Reed’s death left a void that football had always filled. For his daughter Elise, Gamecock Saturdays were her most cherished moments with her dad.
“Does this mean we can’t go to the football game tomorrow?” she asked her mother.
That night, as Tonya returned home, a package sat on the porch. Inside was a throwback garnet South Carolina jersey — the exact one USC was set to wear against Akron. Months earlier, Tonya had mentioned wanting it. Reed had ordered it days before his passing, expediting shipping so it would arrive in time.
“I think he knew,” Tonya admitted. “I don’t think he wanted to worry me.”
For his family, the jersey became more than a gift — it was Reed’s message: keep going to the games.
Honoring Reed’s Legacy at Williams-Brice
The very next day, Tonya and Elise attended the Akron game.
“It was surreal,” Tonya said. “Weird being there without him. But at the same time, I felt like he was there.”
A celebration of Reed’s life was held on Sept. 28 in St. Matthews, followed by another memorial before the Nov. 2 Texas A&M game — held in a tailgating lot near Williams-Brice. Friends shared stories, wore bracelets in his honor, and toasted his memory.
That night, South Carolina stunned No. 10 Texas A&M. Thousands stormed the field in jubilation. Standing on the 50-yard line with family and friends, Brad Polin — Reed’s lifelong companion — quietly opened a small bag and released Reed’s ashes into the stadium soil.
“You talk about emotional,” Brad recalled. “That was emotional.”
Carrying Reed’s Spirit Forward
Reed’s legacy continues to inspire. The second Reed Dyches Memorial Golf Tournament will take place on March 7, 2026, in St. Matthews, with proceeds going to the Elise Dyches Education Fun.
Reed Dyches may be gone, but his love for South Carolina football — and the people who shared it with him — remains woven into the very fabric of Gamecock Nation.
