USC football remembers Emanuel 9 with helmet sticker

COLUMBIA, S.C. — The University of South Carolina Gamecocks will remember the Emanuel 9 during the 2015 football season by wearing a sticker on their helmets of a reimagined South Carolina flag.

The sticker, designed by artist Gil Shuler, shows nine doves forming the characteristic South Carolina palmetto tree. The garnet sticker highlights the state's solidarity after the tragic shooting at Emanuel AME Church that claimed the lives of Cynthia Marie Graham Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lee Lance, Depayne Middleton-Doctor, Clementa C. Pinckney, Tywanza Sanders, Daniel Simmons, Sharonda Coleman-Singleton and Myra Thompson.

Athletics Director Ray Tanner said the school wanted to show its pride in the state, the university reported on its website.

"The tragedy that happened in Charleston doesn't just affect people in Charleston; it affects the entire state. We feel very much a part of that at the university. Coach Steve Spurrier and University President Harris Pastides felt very strongly that the Emanuel 9 should be recognized," Tanner said.

The Gamecocks will debut the stickers at Thursday's season opener against the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Click here to read more about the stickers on the University of South Carolina's website.