16 YEARS AGO, Byrnes won its 70th straight home game.
Nixon Field, now newly-renovated and refurbished, was a walk-in graveyard for visiting teams in the 2000s.
In 2010, Byrnes’ famous home stadium saw the Rebels win an incredible 70th straight game within its fences, downing Lexington 31-7 in the Class AAAA Upper State Championship.
(The Rebels would go on to beat Dorman, 34-14, in the 2010 Class AAAA State Championship behind 159 rushing yards and three TDs from RB Shakeem Wharton.)
Nixon Field — originally built in 1955 — was named after D.M. Nixon, the first superintendent of Spartanburg District Five. 1980, it received major upgrades, but it stood as is until 2024, when it was torn down and rebuilt bigger and better.
If the walls and gates of old Nixon Field could talk, they’d have a trillion stories to tell.
They’d tell of the Bo Corne era at Byrnes and his multiple championships as an assistant and head coach. They’d recount the ups and downs of the 1990s and the players who helped put Byrnes back in a position among the elites.
And best believe those walls would tell this story: 70 times between 2002-2010, teams stepped onto Nixon Field, vying for a shot to bring down the Rebels.
All 70 times, they missed.
Byrnes’ won 71 in a row total at home, before an OT loss to Myrtle Beach in 2011 snapped the streak. It remains one of the most impressive streaks in SC HS football.
And Nixon Field today — out with the old and in with the new — remains one of the toughest places to play on Friday nights.
This season, the Rebels will welcome fans back to Nixon Field on August 21 vs. NC powerhouse Independence.
“We always joked, if you’re ever going to rob someone in Duncan, SC, Friday night is the time to do it,” said former Byrnes DE Corey Miller. “Because everybody, I mean everybody, is out there on Fridays wanting to watch those Rebels.”
16 days until high school football.
