“In the spirit of honesty and integrity,” Roche replied in an email, “I must confess that it is my opinion that Bobby Cremins, at the urging of Frank McGuire and with the assistance of Corkey Carnevale, burned down the Field House to insure that the Carolina Coliseum would be ready for the opening of the ’68-’69 season.
“You must remember that Cremins grew up on Simpson Street in the South Bronx, where he engaged in conduct far more egregious than the destruction of a building. A belated criminal prosecution is in order.”
Roche punctuated the email with numerous smiley faces. While obviously written in a joking manner and in no way intended to indict either of his friends, Cremins or teammate Carnevale, Roche’s email does speak to what, over the years, has become urban legend at USC and in Columbia: Coach Frank McGuire had a hand in burning down the Field House.
In 15 years of living in the Columbia area, former USC players, Gamecock fans and other interested parties have often mentioned to me – sometimes jokingly – that McGuire was behind the fire.
