Program Profile: Clemson

ACC since 1896
Colors: Orange and Purple
Mascot: Tiger

Oh, Clemson. I’ve grown to kind of like them, mostly because they play a lot teams I really don’t like so I just got used to rooting for them. Even though they steal a lot from their SEC superiors. Their first coach out right stole their mascot from Auburn in 1896 and only Heaven knows why they got to nickname their plain ol’ stadium Death Valley when LSU clearly has a better call on it. I also don’t understand why Running Down the Hill is listed so often in the lists of top college football traditions. For those of you unfamiliar with this practice, before the game the players run down a hill. Yeah, real impressive. Ok, I admit there’s more to it. At the bottom of the hill, they rub a rock. Man, I’m really starting to dislike Clemson now.

But not as much Clemson dislikes South Carolina. The origins start with pecuniary tusslings in the 1890’s when Clemson was founded, so throw in something where you’re actually expected to compete hardcore and it’s no wonder they’re annual match-up, the longest continuous rivalry in the south, is called “The Battle for Palmetto State.” Until recently, they also had the “Bowdon Bowl” against Florida State since their former coach’s daddy coached for the Seminoles. And there’s an unsubstantiated rumor their game against NC State is called the “Textile Bowl”. I don’t blame them for keeping that one under wraps.

You know what Clemson does like? Spelling. Their fight song has no words, except to spell Clemson at the end. Their most famous chant is to count to four, spell Clemson Tigers, then yell “Fight, Tigers, Fight” for a while. Opposing teams invariably quake at Clemson’s intellectual prowess (unless that team happens to have cheerleaders that do the same thing).

The guy that the Heisman trophy is named after coached here (his first name was John). They claim an NC from 1981.