COLOMBIA, SC – Shane Beamer called it “an absolute dream that it became reality to be the head coach of the University of South Carolina” on Monday afternoon.
“In my dream, I was not standing here looking at a screen,” he acknowledged. “The room was full and my family was here.”
Despite the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic that stole some of the trappings of the moment, Beamer had to stop and compose himself several times while talking about his new job.
“It is an absolute honor,” he said after being introduced as the school’s 36th football coach.
Beamer, who was Gamecocks’ technical assistant under 2007-10 Steve Spurrier, ended a long list of thanks in his opening comments thanking his wife, a lesson he remembered from his father, the Virginia Tech Hall of Fame head coach, Frank Beamer, who forgot to thank his wife when he took over as Hokies in 1986.
“I…