It’s been a wild couple of days for former South Carolina Gamecocks QB Connor Shaw. After a scary medical collapse last week, the Gamecocks’ winningest quarterback made his return to Williams-Brice Stadium for the Week 5 SEC showdown against the Kentucky Wildcats.

On September 27, Gamecocks insider Matt Dowell shared footage of Shaw hitting the field pregame alongside his son. The 77,500 members of Gamecock Nation gave him a massive ovation, showering him with applause and love for a man who had been fighting for his life just a week earlier after collapsing while coaching his son’s flag football game.

Shaw looked in very good spirits too, as he walked into the stadium hand-in-hand with his son Decker and fired up the fans with the famous “GAME! COCKS!” chant before kickoff. Taking the mic, he lifted the stadium even higher, shouting, “Praise Jesus! Gamecocks fight until the very end.” What a turnaround for the homecoming hero!

Connor Shaw’s tragedy went down in Simpson last week. It happened about 15 minutes after kickoff of his son’s game at Gracely Park. Emergency staff rushed in to help before he was taken by ambulance to Prisma Health Greenville Memorial Hospital. By Thursday morning, doctors said Shaw was awake and on the road to recovery. After a brief stay in the ICU, Shaw is back on his feet and ready to take in some Gamecocks football.

Shaw was a menace at South Carolina, leading the Gamecocks during their golden age from 2011 to 2013. Connor never lost a game at Williams-Brice Stadium, finishing with a perfect 17-0 record there. He racked up 27 total victories as a Gamecock, making him the winningest quarterback in school history. He also holds the school record for career completion percentage and is 2nd in passing touchdowns, so he was a pretty big deal.

In his four years, he completed 65.5% of his passes for 6,074 yards and 56 touchdowns, which is pretty solid. He wasn’t afraid to tuck and run either, rushing for 1,683 yards and 17 touchdowns. What makes this even more crazy is he rarely turned over the football. He threw only 16 INTs in 733 attempts. One of his most legendary moments came against Mizzou when he was battling an injury and the flu but still came off the bench to lead the Gamecocks to a comeback victory in double overtime. He even led the team to three straight 11-win seasons, which is no small feat. It won’t be a stretch to say that Connor Shaw played like an MVP for South Carolina during his time there, no doubt about it.

Miracle at Mizzou

Connor Shaw’s legendary “Miracle at Mizzou” in 2013 was a historical event for the Gamecocks. Trailing the undefeated and fifth-ranked Tigers 17-0 in the fourth quarter, things looked grim. But with South Carolina’s offense struggling, an injured and flu-ridden Shaw, who wasn’t even supposed to play, came in to save the day.

He brought a life to that offense, and suddenly, the Gamecocks were making all sort of plays. Shaw led 3 scoring drives in the final frame, including a clutch 2-yard touchdown pass with less than a minute remaining to tie the game and force overtime.

In double overtime, with the score tied again, South Carolina’s kicker Elliott Fry nailed a 40-yard field goal to put the Gamecocks ahead. The game came down to one last kick for Missouri, and their kicker Andrew Baggett’s 24-yard attempt clanged off the left upright, sending the entire South Carolina sideline into a wild frenzy. That dramatic “doink” sealed the insane comeback victory, 27-24, and solidified Shaw’s place in Gamecock lore. Folks in Columbia still talk about the ‘Miracle at Mizzou’ to this day.