MUD, SWEAT AND CHEERS

Lou Sossamon, who in 1942 became the University of South Carolina's first All American, went on to play professional football for the New York Yankees in the All American Football League after World War II. In this 1948 game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sossamon lays such a hit on his opponent that he flips the ball carrier upside down. This is one of many photographs, uniforms, film clips and other artifacts to be found in Mud, Sweat and Cheers: Football in the Palmetto State, opening Aug. 1 at the South Carolina State Museum. Sossamon is the former publisher of The Gaffney Ledger.

Photo courtesy Lou Sossamon, West Columbia, S.C. / S.C. State Museum