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DECEMBER 17, 2012

Volume 4, Issue 4

DEPARTMENTS 6 Terry Don Phillips

‘Clemson is a great place with passionate fans’

SOMETHING IN THESE HILLS 8 Pawsitive Press

Clemson Coaches Weigh in as Radakovich Era Begins

10 Travis Furbee Clemson is molding student-athletes

we can be proud of

12 Where Are They Now?

Dr. Thomas E. Barton

14 New Tiger Cubs 16 IPTAY Representative Spotlight

Bryan Young

18 IPTAY New Donor Spotlight

Phil & Rena Quist

20 End of the Year IPTAY Gifts

INSIDE 22 Bowl Game Preview: BCS Worthy

The ACC Tigers meet the SEC Tigers as No. 14 Clemson squares off against No. 7 LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, GA.

61 Memorials

Rewriting the Record Books: 2012 Football

48 Women’s Track & Field

Director Lawrence Johnson is optimistic for successful season amidst growing expectations of prior seasons.

52 Men’s Track & Field

Sophomore class must grow up fast for one of youngest Tiger basketball teams ever.

Tigers have been consistent and deliberate as they ascend the standings within the Atlantic Coast Conference.

40 Lee Brice

56 NCAA Compliance

44 The Origin of the Name Death Valley at Clemson The history of how Memorial Stadium earned its nickname.

64 The Last Word

A great opportunity

Season in Review

36 Proving Them Wrong

Former Clemson football walk-on is a rising star in country music.

62 IPTAY Donor Photos

Compliance during the bowl season.

Editor: Philip Sikes Assistant Editors Tim Bourret Steven Bradley Lindsey Leonard Graphics Coordinator: Melissa Bradley Contributing Writers Sam Blackman Joey Johns Sanford Rogers Chief Photographer Rex Brown

58 2012 IPTAY Member Appreciation Day

IPTAY thanks members for their support of Clemson and its student-athletes.

IN THE NEXT ISSUE ... An in-depth profile of Clemson’s new athletic director, Dan Radakovich.

Orange: The Experience is published eight times a year exclusively for donors to the IPTAY Scholarship Fund. A minimum priority contribution is $140, although contributions of any amount are welcome. To join IPTAY, call 864.656.2115 or go to www.clemsontigers.com and click on IPTAY. To advertise in Orange: The Experience, call 864.882.2375, fax 864.882.2381 or call 864.656.2975 or e-mail to lsweval@exchange.clemson.edu. If you’ve had an address or phone number change, call the IPTAY office at 864.656.2115; go to www.clemsontigers.com and click on IPTAY; or send your name, IPTAY number, new address, new phone number and e-mail address to: IPTAY, P.O. Box 1529, Clemson, SC 29633.

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Terry Don Phillips reflects: ‘Clemson is a great place with passionate fans’ Terry Don Phillips

retiring clemson athletic director

s Athletic Director Terry Don Phillips packed up his office at the McFadden Building and turned over the reins of Clemson University athletics in the days leading up to the Thanksgiving holiday, he sat down with Orange: The Experience Senior Writer Steven Bradley to reflect upon his career as an administrator, his tenure at Clemson, the changing landscape of college athletics and his retirement, among other topics. What follows is an edited transcript of that interview. Q: Athletic directors are often judged first and foremost by the head coaching hires they make. And you’ve certainly made your share of highprofile hires here: Dabo Swinney to lead the football program, and Brad Brownell and Oliver Purnell before him to lead the men’s basketball program. With the direction those programs appear headed, do you feel pretty good about those hires? Phillips: We do. First of all, all three individuals are good people and very good to work with. All three have great ambition from the standpoint of trying to be as good as they can possibly be. They all worked hard to be a good, quality head coach, and I’ve been very blessed to have had the opportunity to work with all three. Q: Obviously, hiring Coach Swinney is probably the hire you’ll be best remembered for, and it was met with some skepticism at the time. Phillips: It was, and for some people it probably still is. But he’s not the first one that I’ve walked out there with. Obviously at this stage in my career, he’s the last one. But Dabo has some intangibles you look for. Number one, he’s got tremendous passion, a great work ethic and has had the opportunity to be around and under the tutelage of some great coaches. I’ve always been a great admirer of Gene Stallings. Coming out of high school, Coach Stallings was the head coach at Texas A&M. When I was at Arkansas, we played Texas A&M, and I always had great respect for A&M and the type of teams they had because they were tough. As you know, Dabo

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played for him when Alabama won the National Championship and later coached for him. And you don’t play or coach for a person like that and not understand toughness and discipline. That’s why I thoroughly enjoyed watching Dabo coach receivers. I used to go out and watch the linemen, because I like to think I know a little something about that, but I always ended up going over and watching Dabo coach the receivers — and just really enjoyed how he coached. He coached hard, and if they didn’t do things right, they’d keep doing it until they got it right. He had a tough approach to it, and there’s a lot of carryover value when you lead a program if you’ve been under that type of instruction. When you throw in his passion, recruiting ability and representation of the program, I simply believed he had a chance. Now, no one knows until you get in that seat whether they are going to be successful. However, he wasn’t a coordinator. That would have been helpful — there’s no question about it — if he’d been a coordinator, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be successful as a head coach. There’s really no absolute template. But when you look at all the other qualities Dabo brought to the table, I just believed it was worth a shot. With regard to assistant coaches, I had the good fortune as a player and when I started my coaching career to work for Coach (Frank) Broyles at Arkansas. I saw the coaches that went on and won national championships and Super Bowls and were successful that came through as assistant coaches — people such as Joe Gibbs, Jimmy Johnson, Barry Switzer, Johnny Majors and Raymond Berry — and the bottom line is this: They all were assistants at one time. Coach Majors, who went on to Pitt and won a national championship and had a great career at Tennessee, wasn’t a coordinator when he got his first job. Bottom line, I’ve never seen a great head coach start out as a great head coach. Someone had to give them a chance. Q: The football program won its first ACC Championship in 20 years last season and had its first 10-win regular season since 1981 this year. You have to feel vindicated by Coach Swinney’s

success, or at least very satisfied with what he’s accomplished. Phillips: I feel good for the program. Clemson is a great place with passionate fans, and I feel good for the program. I feel good for Dabo and know that the program is on an uptick. I think everybody would agree it’s not where we want it to be. We must continue to work to get better and be consistent in our program. And that’s going to be the challenge because once you have a little bit of success, you become a marked program. Going forward, there are going to be challenges because when you get your program moving in the right direction it’s going to create some additional challenges. But we feel very good with the direction of the program. But it’s a very competitive world we live in, and it’s an extremely competitive world in this state. We know that. I know we don’t want to talk a whole lot about our rival, but for a long period of time South Carolina was wandering in the wilderness. For many years, they were an independent, then in the Metro Conference, and they didn’t have an identity. As their conference has gotten stronger, it’s helped them improve, both on the field and financially. As the SEC has gained more strength, it’s helped them improve. Having been at Arkansas and entering the SEC at the same time with them, I’ve seen their progression through the years. However, we will continue to improve as well. We have a lot of intangibles and tangibles at Clemson that allow us to improve. Also, and most importantly, we know the historical significance of the rivalry. Q: Facility upgrades have become an increasingly larger part of the landscape of college athletics. You have obviously overseen some significant ones, particularly the WestZone and the capital campaign that is currently ongoing. How much more important have facilities became since you became an administrator? Phillips: Facilities have always been important, but now that has been ratcheted up quite a bit because of how highly competitive recruiting is. I do feel good that, over the past 10 years, we have been able to put our football

facilities in a position that’s comparable to any BCS program out there. It took us time to get there. If you step back and realize, we’ve only been in the WestZone facility four years now, and it’s helped us recruit. The indoor facility is going to be very good, and certainly there are things we’re going to do with baseball and at Littlejohn Coliseum with basketball, as well as soccer and tennis. You’ve simply got to keep pushing that envelope. And when you quit pushing it, that’s when you fall behind. It impacts your recruiting. And obviously, that’s going to impact your performance. Facilities are extremely important in the recruiting process as well as having the necessary championship environment in which to put your studentathletes. I feel good about where we are with facilities, but we’ve got to keep going.

TCU that they can pull themselves up and build a good program. Q: Your successor, Dan Radakovich, will have taken over as athletic director by the time anyone reads this interview, but you’re going to be staying on to help him out through this transitional period. Is the idea just to be there when he needs you? Phillips: Dan will do an outstanding job; he is an exceptional administrator. But it’s always good if someone is around that pretty well knows where the potholes are, and I might save him some surprises.

it was before I moved here. And that’s why we’re going to make our home here. It is an outstanding part of America. And I have great love toward Arkansas and the state of Oklahoma. (My wife) Tricia is from Missouri, and we have a great love for that part of the country and the people. But the environment and the people here are second to none. That’s why instead of thinking about moving back over there, we want to stay here.

Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with the Clemson fans and IPTAY members? Phillips: I’d like to sum it up that Trish and I genuinely consider it a privilege to have had the opportunity to work here. I’ve had the opportunity to work under some great presidents. I had a great president at Oklahoma State, and I have a truly great president here. PresiQ: You alluded to South Carodent Barker, of the universities lina and how joining the SouthI’ve had the opportunity to work eastern Conference has impacted with, is as good as any out there its programs. We’ve seen conference and better than most. He has a realignment affect the ACC, as great love for Clemson, and he’s well, with Maryland leaving the a Clemson man. He has a great league and Pittsburgh, Syracuse, love and passion for this uniLouisville and Notre Dame comversity in every respect, on the ing in. How much has conference academic side with the students realignment changed the landscape and certainly on the athletic side. of college athletics? A lot of people have these amPhillips: It was in the process bitions that want to come and of changing when I was at Ardo a great job to help them get kansas, and as I’ve stated, Arkanthat next job. The only ambition sas joined the SEC the same year President Barker has is for ClemSouth Carolina went in. At that son University to be as good as it time, Arkansas was in the Southcan be as a university — and that L to R: Bobby Robinson, Dan Radakovich and Terry Don Phillips west Conference, which was a most assuredly includes athletics. Photo by Rex Brown conference established back in He’s a great president. His heart the ’30s, and when we left, that was the domQ: Is your legacy something you think about as is about Clemson, and I count it a high and ino to things beginning to unravel. And there your time was winding down here? significant privilege to have had the opportuwas a merger with the Big 8, which became Phillips: Not really. You try to do the job nity to work for him. And beyond that, I’m the Big 12 schools, and Texas A&M, Texas, your were hired to do, and hopefully we’ve very appreciative to the supporters of our athTexas Tech and Baylor came in and merged done that reasonably well. That’s always in letic program, our staff and coaches, our IPwith the Big 8 to become the Big 12. And that the eyes of the beholder. I can sit around and TAY board and donors, the University Board really worked out well. One of the schools I think about it all day long, but it comes down of Trustees and our Athletic Advisory Counhave great admiration for is TCU. They got to whoever is looking at the record. Some peo- cil. They certainly have not always agreed with left out in the cold. They were in the WAC ple will say, “Yeah, Phillips has done a pretty what I’ve done, and probably still don’t agree and then they were in the Mountain West, good job.” And there will be some that say, with everything I’ve done. But they are great and now they are back in the Big 12. But, “Ah, he wasn’t worth a darn.” That’s just the people, great supporters of the athletic prowhen bad things happen, and I think TCU way it is. It’s in the eyes of the beholder. gram and great supporters of the university. is probably the best example — they got left out. They were dealt a bad hand, but they did Q: When you think back about the decision to Q: I’d imagine we’ll still see you out at a ball a terrific job of holding it together and put come to Clemson, what’s the biggest thing that’s game from time to time? together a really good football program. Now, surprised you that maybe you didn’t realize about Phillips: Yes. I may take a year off, but I’ll they are back in the Big 12 and in the mix of this place before you came? be back to the stadium. But I told Coach things. At one time, I’m sure the TCU alums Phillips: I was fairly well versed having (Jack) Leggett, I’ve got my seats out in Chapand supporters thought, “We’ll never have been at Virginia Tech and been down here as man Grandstand now and I’ll be in those seats major college football again.” But it happened. a coach on the other sideline. I appreciated watching baseball. I’ll be back watching our Just because some things happened to you in the passion and fervor of the fans, and I al- sports, and that’s going to be fun. And I won’t your history, if your goal is still the same with ways thought this was a beautiful place. But it have any opinions about the coaching or playregard to your program, we see examples like might be even more beautiful than I thought ing. But I’m going to enjoy it. DECEMBEr 2012

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something in these hills PAWSITIVE PRESS Highlighting Clemson’s top performers in athletics Sandra Adeleye Volleyball • Katy, TX Adeleye became the 13th player in Atlantic Coast Conference history to be named All-ACC each of her four seasons. She was fourth in the ACC and tops among middle hitters in kills per set.

Devin Booker Men’s Basketball • Whitmire, SC The 6-foot-8 senior moved into the top 25 in Clemson history in career rebounding and led the Tigers in rebounds per game (7.8) and was third in points per game (11.1) through eight contests.

Kate Borowicz Women’s Cross Country • Greenville, SC The red-shirt junior was one of two all-region runners for the women’s cross country team, along with fellow Upstate native Erin Barker. Borowicz finished 21st to lead the Tigers at the regional meet.

Xavier Brewer Football • Jacksonville, FL Brewer concluded the regular season portion of his career in fine fashion, recording a career-high 12 tackles with two pass breakups, a sack and interception against South Carolina.

Dalton Freeman Football • Pelion, SC The Tigers’ senior center was named a first-team All-American by the American Football Coaches Association and a second-team Capital One Academic All-American.

Danaejah Grant Women’s Basketball • Piscataway, NJ Grant led the Lady Tiger team in scoring at 13.4 points per game through seven contests, while chipping in 5.9 rebounds per game from her guard position.

Clemson coaches weigh in as Radakovich era begins Dan Radakovich was introduced at midcourt at Littlejohn Coliseum during the men’s basketball game against Purdue on Nov. 28, his first day of work as Clemson’s athletic director. The location of that introduction was also fitting because Radakovich takes the helm just as Clemson and IPTAY have launched a campaign to build a $24.5 million facility at Littlejohn designed as a “front door” for Clemson basketball, much like the WestZone is for the football program. According to Head Men’s Basketball Coach Brad Brownell, Radakovich’s experience with such a project — Georgia Tech built its own basketball practice facility, the Zelnak Center, during his tenure — will be a welcome addition at Clemson. “His work at Georgia Tech with their new facility tells me he sees the significance of having first-class facilities for the studentathletes,” Brownell said. “If you want to be successful in the ACC in basketball, you’ve got to provide your student-athletes and coaches with the type of facility that will give them the opportunity to be at their best. The fact he’s done that in the past couple years with both a practice facility and an arena is exciting because he knows what it takes and how to get things done.” Of course, the new planned facility at Littlejohn is being designed not only with the men’s program in mind, but also the Lady Tigers, to allow separate practice spaces for the two teams. “With the experiences that he has, we are looking forward to his leadership,” Head Women’s Basketball Coach Itoro Coleman said. “The practice facility is something that’s high on our agenda right now, and I am looking forward to sitting down to speak with him about it. I would love to see where he could take it.” As for football, Head Coach Dabo Swinney said he is just getting to know Radakovich personally, but acknowledged the team at Georgia Tech has certainly been a thorn in the Tigers’ side during his tenure and also noted his Yellow Jackets counterpart gave his former AD rave reviews. “Paul Johnson has talked to me numerous times about his thoughts on Dan, and they have all been very positive,” Swinney said. “I look forward to spending time with Dan and talking about his experiences and helping him learn about Clemson and our program. He has a good background in raising revenue. There are a lot of positives that he will be able to carry from his career experiences, especially at Georgia Tech. I have a lot of respect for Georgia Tech and what they have been able to do throughout the years.” Georgia Tech has also been one of the ACC’s most successful baseball programs in recent years, as evidenced by the Yellow Jackets’ status as reigning ACC Champions. Tigers Head Coach Jack Leggett also weighed in on Radakovich’s arrival: “I’m very impressed with what Dan has had to say, and I am excited about his enthusiasm for Clemson and his excitement and passion for what this challenge holds for him. I have known him some through his work on the ACC Baseball Committee, and I have always had a lot of respect for the program at Georgia Tech.” — by Steven Bradley

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Clemson is molding student-athletes we can be proud of Travis Furbee

— assistant athletic director/director of iptay annual fund —

aving been fortunate enough to travel with our football team to away games, I often get the chance to interact with Clemson fans who go on the road to support our programs and student-athletes. Recently, I had the good fortune of being involved in a real-life experience that truly touched me, and I wanted to share a quick story about how you can be proud of our student-athletes being great young men and women to the community. After the win at Wake Forest in November, I was standing outside the locker room while the team got ready to board a bus back to the airport and catch a flight home. Usually for away games the players are in a hurry to shower, get dressed, go through security and get on the bus because it is often already the wee hours of the following morning before we get back. A few fans and a group of reporters were waiting for the players to do interviews before they left. A woman approached me outside the locker room and explained that she and her daughter, who was probably eight or nine years old, were huge Clemson fans who had driven up from Columbia to Winston-Salem for the game, and the Ronald McDonald House had given them tickets. Of course, I knew the Ronald McDonald House provided care and comfort to ill or injured children and their families, and the woman informed me her daughter was going into the hospital for her 50th surgery the very next day. She told me her daughter loved Clemson and asked me if there was any way to find a couple of players that she could take a picture with. At that moment, I wanted to do anything I could to help make that happen. The first person I approached was one of our former players in town for the game, Brandon Thompson, who was a great defensive lineman at Clemson and a rookie playing professionally with the Cincinnati Bengals currently, and I explained her situ-

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ation to him. Brandon immediately came over and started talking to the family and took pictures with the little girl. He could not have been happier or more ecstatic to spend time with this family. The next person I saw was our senior center,

Dalton Freeman, who had just finished doing an interview with the media and was heading back to the bus. I gave him a quick synopsis of the story, and you could tell he really took the girl’s story to heart. Dalton immediately went straight over to her and gave her a hug, spent a few minutes talking with her and took pictures with her. I told him, “Thank you for doing that, Dalton.” And he was great. He said to me, “That’s what it’s all about, not football.” And just as the team was boarding the bus, I was also able to grab Jonathan Meeks, a senior

defensive back for our team, and it was the same situation. He took the time after his interviews to go take a picture with the girl, hug her and meet her. This all happened so quickly, but you could really see the joy on the young girl’s face. As we were riding the bus back to the airport, it gave me time to reflect on the kind of great citizens we have here at Clemson, not only in football, but every sport in our athletic department. That mother later emailed me to say how much she appreciated that night and how gracious our players had been. She shared with me that her daughter has been sick since she was four months old, and she wanted to thank our student-athletes for just taking a few moments, even though they were hurrying to get back home, to spend with her daughter. We often get so caught up in the wins and losses that we miss the other ways we can impact our fans and community. Reflecting on that night, I couldn’t be prouder of the compassion our student-athletes showed and how they handled themselves in taking the time to have an experience with this young lady, wish her well and give her a special moment that she can carry with her. That is one incident that stuck out to me, but there are many other examples of our student-athletes making a positive impact on the world around them. Linda White, our director of community relations, does a great job of taking our student-athletes out to visit schools and hospitals, promoting education. As it relates to everyone who helps IPTAY on an annual basis, you are the backbone for making these things happen and allowing these student-athletes to go to class, get an education and be good citizens to the community. IPTAY’s money is hard at work producing the kind of citizens we can all be proud of here at Clemson, and I wanted to share a real-life reminder I recently received of that.

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Where Are They Now?

Dr. Thomas E. Barton

In sports, coaches are often seen as more than just a coach. life-long memories and real-world experiences.” They can be father figures, best friends and mentors. For former One of the things that Barton received from Coach Howard Clemson player Dr. Thomas E. Barton, legendary coach Frank was his famous nickname. ‘Black Cat’ - as he was called - got Howard was all of the above. his nickname from running on the hills during practice. With a Barton was raised in Lancaster, South Carolina, where he “came combination of black hair and nimble feet, the nickname stuck. up the hard way” in the textile mills. After joining the Navy straight “I’m proud of it because it came from Coach Howard,” he said. out of high school, Barton returned one day during the holiday Barton said nearly everyone still refers to him as ‘Black Cat,’ including season. A few of his friends were scheduled to play a pick-up the dozen or so former teammates that he regularly keeps in touch football game in Columbia, but they needed a few more players. with. Whenever he hears someone call him that, he knows “that Barton tagged along, and little did he know it would forever they’re a Clemson person.” change his life. After his days at Clemson, he went on to graduate school at After the game, a man approached Barton and asked what he Peabody College in Nashville and later earned his doctorate from had planned for his future. The man was a recruiter for Coach Duke University in education. This helped lead Barton to what Howard at Clemson, and when he returned to campus, he gave is likely his most well-known achievement, building Greenville him Barton’s contact information. Both the recruiter and Howard Technical College and serving as its president for 47 years until his liked what they had seen and heard, and decided to offer him a retirement in 2008. scholarship. A few days During his tenure, before, Barton had no idea he helped the college what his future would hold, expand to four campuses but suddenly it was clear. and become the thirdHe would be attending largest school system in college at Clemson and be the state behind Clemson a member of the football and the University of team. South Carolina. In 2000, It was this opportunity Greenville Tech honored with Clemson and Coach Dr. Barton by renaming the Howard from 1950-52 that main campus after him. would have an everlasting The task of building impact on Barton. the college was difficult, “Everyone in South but Barton lived for every Carolina knew Coach challenge it presented. Howard,” said Barton, who “I loved it because it earned second-team Allwas a challenge,” he said, Photos courtesy of Clemson Sports Information America honors as a senior incorporating the life offensive guard. lessons that he learned Even his mother told him from Coach Howard to that she wanted him to play for Coach Howard. His scholarship help succeed with his vision for Greenville Tech. offer opened all the doors for the rest of Barton’s life. Barton was elected into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1987, which “Because of Clemson, I went to graduate school,”he said. “Because he notes as a great honor. But to him, being named a member of of Clemson, I was able to play against the World Champion Detroit Coach Howard’s personal all-defensive team was the “top spot for Lions,” which he said was one of his favorite memories. (him) in the athletics area.” To say that Coach Howard was a friend to Barton would be a “Everything was more than football; you had to meet his gross understatement. Just one conversation with Dr. Barton, standards,” Barton said. “The man was a legend who people really and anyone can hear the reverence that he still has for his former respected. It was such an honor (playing for him) that words can’t coach. He was “like a dad” who “expected a lot from his players” describe.” both on and off the field. He was “one great man.” The bond between a player and coach can be a strong one. But Football was just a game for Coach Howard. He wanted his to say that about Coach Howard and “Black Cat” Barton would be players to be successful in life after football. Barton recalls trips selling the relationship short. Even after his playing days, the two to road games as more than football; they were educational. The would keep in touch with each other. team went to the World’s Fair in New York, Fenway Park in Boston “He just loved people so much,” Barton said. As far as his own life and saw champion racehorses in Kentucky. and education are concerned, Barton said “Coach Howard gets all “Those were the best memories,” he said. “It was way more than the credit.” — by Joey Johns just playing someone, it was broadening the players’ minds with

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NEW Tiger Cubs Name City Charlotte Blair Wiggins North Augusta, SC Adam Blake Wiggins Jr North Augusta, SC Linnea Battiloro Cranford, NJ Christopher Battiloro Cranford, NJ Meghan Battiloro Cranford, NJ Savanah Parker Clover, SC Kayley Parker Clover, SC Arabella England Arvada, CO Charlie Rose Barnhill Gaffney, SC Bennett Hurst Seneca, SC Cooper Turner Union, SC Corley Turner Union, SC Reagan Turner Union, SC Owen W Riddle Moncks Corner, SC Ansley M Riddle Moncks Corner, SC Landon Clark* Monroe, SC Noah Clark* Atlanta, GA Elisa Kate Stroup Simpsonville, SC Colt Garrett Cedartown, Ga Kate Putnam Simpsonville, SC Parker Ervin Columbia, SC Logan Payne Chapin, SC Hayden Roberson Canton, GA Haley Roberson Canton, GA Coen Eaddy Savannah, GA Ashley Elizabeth Lee* Spartanburg, SC Miles Parrick Beaufort, SC Collin Crumley Spartanburg, SC Logan Crumley Spartanburg, SC Hayle Lynn Cecil Rock Hill, SC Katherine L Warner* Alpharetta, GA Caroline J Warner* Alpharetta, GA Makenzie Caroline Barnett* Hanahan, SC Ethan Huggin Gaffney, SC Leah Huggin Gaffney, SC Isabella Francis Nalley Easley, SC Ryleigh Ann Nalley Easley, SC Maddison Roberts Rock Hill, SC Ryann Steffy Cumming, GA Connor Vaughn Greenville, SC Hampton Dubose Columbia, SC Bill J Layne Raleigh, NC Noah Summers Branchville, SC Case Davis Barnwell, SC Rocco Walter* Goose Creek, SC Parker Shefield Cauble Clinton, SC Gregory Wintemberg Greer, SC Tyler Cuneo* Mount Pleasant, SC Hunter Smith Seneca, SC Nolan R Dorriety Pickens, SC Russell Lee Charleston, SC Canning Tobey Lark Greenville, SC R Hugh and Patsy Caldwell Lexington, SC Landon Oswald Cartersville, GA Carter Oswald Cartersville, GA Andrew Smith Walterboro, SC 14

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Given by Adam Wiggins Adam Wiggins Chris and Jana Battiloro Chris and Jana Battiloro Chris and Jana Battiloro Van and Karla Parker Van and Karla Parker Kelly Eargle Kristopher Barnhill Daniel Hurst Ashley Turner Ashley Turner Ashley Turner Rodger Riddle Rodger Riddle Christopher Clark David Clark Don and Judy Stroup John Godfrey Jason Putnam Theresa Goff Mom Monica Roberson Monica Roberson Christian Eaddy James H Lee Barbara West Ronda Crumley Ronda Crumley Lynn Hendricks Cecil James Warner James Warner Lara and Jason Barnett Timothy J Huggin Timothy Huggin Grana and Steve Grana and Steve Elizabeth Sartor Jessica Steffy Amanda Buchanan Lillian Dubose Ann Whitsett Matthew Summers Pamela Davis John Walter Mom and Dad Cauble Parents - Bob and Kristen Wintemberg Pete and Jennifer Cuneo Nanny and Poppy Richard Quist Lynn W Lee Michael Lark R Hugh and Patsy Caldwell Keith Oswald Keith Oswald Grammy Kate Borgsted

O r a n g e : T h e E x p e r i e n ce

*Sustaining

Name Addison Murphy* Braylon Saxon Braden Hairston Briggs Coker Abby Siegfried Katie Siegfried Ryan Siegfried Alyssa Faith Townsend Brenna Plemons Alexis Sobocinski Isabella Sobocinski R. Parks Mullikin William J. Sexton Christopher Jesse Smith Kes Fitzgerald* Kenna Roberts Nicholas Roberts Maggie Grace Shytle Taylor Ballard Tucker Ballard Cannon Sightler Jackson Culler Davis Culler Ryan Bolger Charlie Joe Brice* Eliza Hall Barker* Marc McCrary Mason Tucker Vaughn Liam A Bond Paige Elizabeth Bowling* Corey Garrity Carly Garrity Julia Faircloth Tyler V Hallman Ashlyn R Hallman Shaun Eric Wessinger* Claire Elizabeth Parker*

City Clemson, SC Anderson, SC Greer, SC Gilbert, SC Johns Creek, SC Johns Creek, SC Johns Creek, SC Mauldin, SC Hixson, TN Greenville, SC Greenville, SC Greenville, SC Greenville, SC Seneca, SC Seneca, SC Aynor, SC Aynor, SC Blacksburg, SC West Union, SC West Union, SC Taylors, SC Chapin, SC Chapin, SC Clemson, SC Irmo, SC Greenville, SC Myrtle Beach, SC Taylors, SC Killeen, TX Greenwood, SC Clemson, SC Clemson, SC Chester, SC Leesville, SC Leesville, SC Lexington, SC Roswell, GA

Given by Tenley Murphy MD Robin W Jacky (Mimi) Joshua D Smith Hollis and Harriet Coker Keith and Donna Siegfried Keith and Donna Siegfried Keith and Donna Siegfried Wayne and Teri Townsend Donna Plemons Carl S Sobocinski Carl S Sobocinski Mr and Mrs James R Clarkson Mr and Mrs James R Clarkson Cynthia J Smith Charlie and Colleen Timmerman Pepaw and Nanny Pepaw and Nanny Charles M. Banks Tim Ballard Tim Ballard Joel S. Wynn Will and Laura Culler Will and Laura Culler Nancy Bolger Michael and Melissa Brice Jim and Marcia Barker Deborah and Robert McCrary Ross and Cammie Vaughn Mimi and Pop Pop Ronnie and Beth Oliver Dad - Jimmy Garrity Dad - Jimmy Garrity Anna T and James S Faircloth Craig Hallman Craig Hallman J Henry and Shirley S Wessinger Papa and Grandma

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If you suffer from hearing loss, you know what it’s like to miss out on the conversation. To nod in agreement even though you didn’t understand what was said. To laugh at the joke even though you couldn’t hear the punchline. That’s what often brings people to our office. Our comprehensive team approach to hearing evaluation and treatment means that our patients get individualized treatment with outstanding results. Experience you can trust. Individualized evaluation, treatment, and hearing aids matched to your unique needs. Results that get you back in the conversation. Let us help you hear the world in a whole new way. We are accepting new patients. To schedule an appointment or for more information, please call (864) 482-3122.

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Hours: Mon. – Thurs. 8:30 a.m. – 5 p.m. Fri. 8:30 a.m. – 12 p.m. 105 Carter Park Drive • Suite B Seneca, SC 29678 • (864) 482-3122 Fax (864) 482-3152 www.oconeemed.org DECEMBEr 2012

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REPRESEN TATI V E SPOTLI G HT

When did you become a Clemson fan? “I grew up in a family of die-hard Gamecock fans, but thanks to some influential relatives and close family friends who bled orange, I saw the light early and switched allegiances at age 5. I went to my first Clemson game in Death Valley in 1982 for the South Carolina game and have been a proud Tiger ever since.” Why did you get involved with IPTAY? “A childhood friend of mine got the Orange and White, and I wanted my own cool photos of the players and coaches so I saved up my pennies and joined IPTAY at the age of 7. Over the years my involvement has grown much deeper, and IPTAY has been an important part of my life. We are the future of the organization and hold the key to its continued success. I have always loved Clemson athletics, and supporting the IPTAY organization and all of its endeavors has provided me with an avenue to give back and make a difference in other young peoples’ lives.”

Bryan Young

What is your favorite gameday tradition? “Running down The Hill. Whenever I see the buses pull up, the team walk through the gate and down to Howard’s Rock, it gives me chills every time, especially when the stadium is a sea of orange. It’s a unique experience and one not matched anywhere else in the country.” Who is your all-time favorite student-athlete? “There are countless favorites over the years, but mine is a little bit off the beaten path — David Treadwell. He was Mr. Clutch in the big games. Who can forget the 1987 Clemson-Georgia game when he split the uprights and broke the Bulldogs’ hearts yet again? My recent favorite would be C.J. Spiller, always exciting to watch and very humble off the field.” Who is your favorite Clemson coach? “Danny Ford. He set the standard for Clemson athletics on the football field. National rankings, ACC titles, state titles, those were expectations for his programs, and he increased the awareness of Clemson University all over the country. We are also definitely blessed to have several great coaches in our programs now who use athletics as platforms to teach the much bigger lessons in life.” What is one thing you always do when you come to Clemson? “Whenever I have the opportunity to head back up to God’s country, I always try to ride through campus just to enjoy the beauty of the place and see what’s changed or new. I also love going by the stadium, especially at night when the place is lit up. There truly is ‘something in these hills.’ Seeing all the Tiger paws and familiar sites, lets me know that I’m back home.”

Bryan (‘99) and Casey Young with fellow Tiger Alums, Da vid (‘98) and Carey (‘00) Gully at the Clemson vs. South Carolina footba ll game.

Current Hometown:

Aiken, SC

Years of Membership

30 Years

Why should someone who is not an IPTAY member join? “I always tell folks we have Clemson University because we have students. We all share a responsibility and obligation to give back, and for many that avenue of giving back is Clemson athletics. IPTAY is the backbone of financial support for our athletic programs and provides the opportunity for anyone to leave a lasting effect on not only our student-athletes, but also the support staff and entire student body at Clemson. If you believe in Clemson and want that opportunity to help shape a successful future of our university and its students, then joining IPTAY is a no-brainer.” — compiled by Victoria Reid

“I have always loved

Clemson athletics, and supporting the IPTAY organization

and all of its endeavors has provided me with an avenue to give back and make a difference in other young peoples’ lives.” 16

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O r a n g e : T h e E x p e r i e n ce

Homecoming 2012: Tiger Cubs Knox and Granger Young enjoying the floats prior to the game. Bryan and fellow Aiken IPTAY Rep Brad Crain (‘02) with C.J. Spiller before the NC State game.

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NEW DONOR SPOTLIGHT

When did you become a Clemson fan? “Our family’s blood has always run orange. Our love for Clemson only grows every year as we see our first grandchild, Nolan, enjoying the football games and campus. We also see what the university has provided many of our family members including our daughter, Tori, as she enters her sophomore year. As natives to the Upstate it was almost impossible not to fall in love with the Clemson campus, traditions and the amazing community.”

Phil & Rena Quist

What is your favorite gameday tradition? “Our favorite game day tradition is to pack up the car, the food and the kids, and head to Tigertown. We love to tailgate in Lot 1, eat great food and trade old stories with our fellow Clemson fans. We throw the football, walk downtown and head to the stadium to watch our team touch Howard’s Rock and run down The Hill into Memorial Stadium for kickoff.” Who are your all-time favorite student-athletes? “Charles Warren, C.J. Spiller and Horace Grant.” Who are your favorite Clemson coaches? “Cliff Ellis and Dabo Swinney.” What is one thing you always do when you come to Clemson? “As a family there are many activities to do around Clemson. If we aren’t grabbing lunch downtown, sharing memories about our experiences at Clemson or buying orange, we are simply enjoying campus. It’s definitely hard not to be proud of Clemson University.” Why should someone who is not an IPTAY member join? “Our family has long been a supporter of Clemson University, but never stopped to truly understand the family of IPTAY. Not only is IPTAY a great way to support our favorite team, but our gift can make a difference in students’ lives and the economic development of our great state of South Carolina.” — compiled by Victoria Reid

“Our family’s blood has

always run orange.

As natives to the Upstate it was almost impossible not to fall in love with the Clemson campus, traditions and the amazing community.”

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Quist Family: Phil and Rena Quist; daughters Tori White (Collegiate Club) and Morgan Dorriety and husband Aaron Dorriety; grandson Nolan Dorri ety (Tiger Cub Club).

Current Hometown

Pickens, SC

Years of Membership

1 Year

Rain or shine. Hot or cold. Win or lose.

That’s loyalty.

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DECEMBEr 2012

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Make your IPTAY gift before the end of the year Now is the time to make your gift to IPTAY before the end of the calendar year! There are five convenient options for making your gift to IPTAY to meet the Dec. 31, 2012 tax deadline: • Go to www.clemsontigers.com/iptay to make a pledge, gift or to pay an existing pledge online. To meet the calendar year end deadline, online gifts must be made prior to 11:59 p.m. EST on Dec. 31, 2012. • Check and credit card payments should be mailed to IPTAY, PO Box 1529, Clemson, SC 29633. Be sure to include your IPTAY # and donor level with your payment. All gifts must be postmarked on or before Dec. 31, 2012. • To complete your gift by phone, please call 864-656-2115 or 1-800-CLEMSON. The University will be closed for the holidays Monday, Dec. 24, 2012 through Monday, Dec. 31, 2012. • To hand-deliver your gift, please come to the IPTAY office, located at 1 Avenue

of Champions. The IPTAY office is open Monday through Friday 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. For your convenience, there is an after-hours drop box located on the left side of the building. The University will be closed for the holidays, Monday, Dec. 24, 2012 through Monday, Dec. 31, 2012. • To make a gift of stock to IPTAY, please contact Mandy Smith at the Clemson University Foundation. Ms. Smith can be reached at 864-656-2552 or mlehman@ clemson.edu. Gifts of stock must be postmarked or submitted electronically by Dec. 31, 2012. Please plan accordingly, keeping in mind that the transfer process can take several days. You will receive a tax notice from the IPTAY office in late January 2013 for gifts totaling $250 or more that were made in the calendar year 2012. Always check with your tax professional but as a general rule, your IPTAY contribution is 80% tax deductible if you purchase season tickets and 100% deductible if you give to IPTAY without any ticket purchases.

If you should have any questions, please stop by the IPTAY office, call 1-800-CLEMSON, email iptay@clemson.edu or visit www.clemsontigers.com/iptay.

ANNOUNCING THE 2013 PROWL AND GROWL TOUR STOPS Plan to join fellow alumni, IPTAY members and Clemson friends in your area for these exciting events. For more information on dates and locations for the Prowl and Growl in your area, go to clemson.edu/alumni.

Greenwood

Columbia

Greenville

Myrtle Beach

Aiken

Nashville

Lexington

Rock Hill

Charleston

Atlanta

Florence

Charlotte

Raleigh

Spartanburg

For ticket information visit clemsontigers.com

864-656-5896 clemson.edu/giving

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864-656-2345 clemson.edu/alumni

1-800-CLEMSON clemsontigers.com

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BOWL GAME PREVIEW

BCS Worthy Clemson-LSU Clash Gives Chick-fil-A one of the Best Matchups of Bowl Season by Steven Bradley photos by Rex Brown

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ne of the Clemson football team’s professed goals for this season was to return to the Bowl Championship Series. According to Head Coach Dabo Swinney, the Tigers missed out in name only. “I truly believe this is a BCS bowl game here,” he said after being paired with No. 7 LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl in Atlanta, GA on New Year’s Eve at 7:30 p.m. “This is as good a matchup as there is out there.” It’s hard to argue with him. The Clemson-LSU clash will mark the first meeting of 10-win teams in 45 installments of the Chick-fil-A Bowl — both enter with 10-2 records — and of the five BCS bowls, only the National Championship and Fiesta Bowl match teams with better combined rankings in the final BCS standings than the Chick-fil-A. The Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl and Rose Bowl all have higher combined totals when the BCS rankings of the two teams playing are totaled.

“This is like an early Christmas present to open up our packages and see we’ll have the opportunity to host both Clemson and LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl,” President and CEO of the Chick-fil-A Bowl Gary Stokan said. “With the matchup we have, we believe we’ve got one of the top five bowl games in the entire country.” Asked individually, some of Clemson’s players admit they had their collective eye on playing in the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans. But Northern Illinois vaulted into the top 16 of the final BCS standings, making it an automatic qualifier from a nonAQ league, meaning there were no at-large slots available after No. 3 Florida and No. 4 Oregon were selected to the Sugar and Fiesta bowls, respectively. So, while some viewed Clemson’s loss to South Carolina in the regular season finale as the deal breaker in terms of the Tigers’ BCS inclusion, the reality is — had they won and all else remained the same, the Chick-fil-A Bowl would have almost certainly still been their destination. According to senior linebacker Jonathan “Tig” Willard, facing an elite program such as LSU is quite the consolation prize.

“To me, this is a BCS game,” he said. “Clemson against LSU, it’s one of the top bowl games. We feel great about that.” Clemson finished ranked No. 14 in the final BCS standings, while LSU was No. 8 — one of six SEC teams to finish in the top 10 — and both are ranked in the top 14 in the nation in both polls, as Clemson is 13 in the USA Today and 14 in the AP, while LSU ranks seventh and ninth, respectively. It’s also a matchup of teams playing their best football. Clemson comes in winners of seven of its last eight and with a chance to win an 11th game for just the fourth time in school history, while LSU enters as winners of five of its last six and can win an 11th game for the seventh time in its history. “This is a great matchup versus one of the best teams in America, a top-10 team,” Swinney said. “LSU is a team that played for the national championship last year and was just a few plays away from playing for it again this year.” The matchup also pits one of the nation’s most explosive offenses against one of its stingiest defenses. Clemson has scored at least 37 points in 10 of its 12 games, while LSU has allowed more than 22 points just once. “Something has to give on December 31st,” Stokan said. The Tigers of the ACC led their league in both scoring offense and total offense, and are led by ACC Player of the Year Tajh Boyd, who leads the nation in touchdown responsibility with 43 and ranks fourth nationally in passing efficiency (168.5). “He’s as talented a quarterback prospect as we’ve faced in this season,” LSU Head Coach Les Miles said. “He has the ability to extend plays with his feet and then gain ground with his feet. He’s a very talented quarterback, and the offense really speaks to him. It does the things that he does well, and it gets the most out of his talent. And his talent is very capable. I see Tajh Boyd being somebody that we’re going to have to consider when we go to gameplanning, exactly how to contain him.” As a unit, Clemson ranks sixth in the nation in scoring (42.33), ninth in total offense (518.3) and 13th in passing (319.6), all record rates for the program. LSU counters with a defense that ranks 11th nationally in scoring defense (16.92), eighth in total defense (296.2) and ninth in pass efficiency defense (103.43 points) and rushing defense (101.8). “They are as good as it gets,” Swinney said. “This defense is built for championships, that’s the bottom line. We’ll have to figure out how to contain some of these pass rushers that they have, and they have great cover guys that can match up with you.” Kevin Minter leads the LSU defense in total

Andre Ellington (above) and Rod McDowell (at right) spearhead a ground game that has averaged 199 yards per game this season. Ellington rushed for 1,031 yards and eight touchdowns to become just the fourth player in Clemson history with two 1,000-yard rushing seasons. McDowell rushed for 424 yards and five scores.

tackles with 111, including 13.5 for loss and three sacks, but the strength of the Bayou Bengals’ defense is its pass rush, led by Sam Montgomery, Lavar Edwards and Barkevious Mingo, who have combined for 15.5 sacks on the season. “They are a really stout defensive line,” Clemson offensive guard Tyler Shatley said. “We’ve faced some pretty good defensive lines, like South Carolina, but I think LSU is really good and has a lot of depth, too. The biggest thing is they play really hard and are really aggressive.” Clemson’s offensive line is no collective slouch itself. The group features two first-team All-ACC players in senior center Dalton Freeman and junior tackle Brandon Thomas. Freeman has started 48 consecutive games at center and was named the first-team All-America center by the American Football Coaches Association. Asked how LSU compares to the other two elite defensive lines Clemson has faced this season, Florida State and South Carolina, Freeman said very favorably. “They don’t have anybody on their team that doesn’t raise an eyebrow,” he said. Freeman, who has started for Clemson since midway through his freshman season, said the Tigers of the SEC are difficult to prepare for — even for a player with his experience — simply

because of the variety of ways their defense attacks. “They’ll do a little bit of everything,” he said. “I think they believe they can blitz and play man on the outside because they’re that talented, but at the same time they’ll drop and their guys up front can beat you in one-on-one matchups. It’s just a great team with a lot of talent, so we’re going to have put a lot of time in.” Of course, while the battle between Clemson’s high-powered offense and LSU’s stout defense takes center stage, the clash between their counterparts will have an equal impact on the outcome. The Bayou Bengals are 55th nationally in scoring offense (30.2 points per game), 79th in total offense (387.2) and 44th in rushing offense (179.9). LSU quarterback Zach Mettenberger threw for 2,489 yards and 11 touchdowns against just six interceptions, while Jeremy Hill rushed for 631 yards and 10 scores. While none of those are eye-popping stats DECEMBEr 2012

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— especially given the kind of video game numbers Clemson has put up — LSU’s modus operandi is more about beating teams into submission than running up the score. “These guys are coming downhill every time,” Willard said. “They’re going to try to pound the football on us and see if it’s going to be successful for them.” Clemson, meanwhile, ranked 47th in scoring defense (24.9 points per game) and 74th in total defense (411.0), led by second-team All-ACC safety Rashard Hall, who has four interceptions and 75 total tackles, and linebackers Willard and Spencer Shuey, who are tied for the team lead in tackles with 88 apiece. “This is going to be physical battle, and it starts up front,” senior defensive end Malliciah Goodman said. “We have to have our O-line and D-line ready to match up well with them. We just have to go out there and do what we know how to do, be sound and play good football.” Another intriguing aspect of this game is the fact Clemson began its season in the Georgia Dome against an SEC team with a Tiger for its mascot and will finish the season the same way. The Tigers of the ACC are hoping for the same result, too. Clemson beat Auburn 26-19 in the Georgia Dome on Sept. 1 in one of two Chick-fil-A Kickoff games. “We’re excited about being in Atlanta and being in a great venue,” Swinney said. “We started our season in Atlanta versus the Tigers, and we’re going to finish our season in Atlanta versus the Tigers.” Clemson is no stranger to the Georgia Dome, as this will mark its eighth appearance in the Chick-fil-A Bowl, most recently a 2320 overtime loss to Auburn in 2007, as well as

Statistical Breakdown ACC Tigers vs. SEC Tigers

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17 on its home field to rival South Carolina on Nov. 24. Senior defensive back Xavier Brewer, who had 12 tackles, a sack and an interception in that game, admitted the rivalry loss hurt, but said the Tigers couldn’t afford to dwell on it. “You want to win those games, but you can’t focus on that last game,” Brewer said. “If you’re still thinking about South Carolina and you’re about to go play LSU, then you’re going to get smacked in the mouth.” Swinney downplayed the notion his Tigers Above left: Senior needed a win over one two appearances in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game. Clemson is 2-5 overall in the Chick- linebacker Jonathan of the SEC’s elite to “Tig” Willard is tied regain credibility after fil-A Bowl and 3-6 if the kickoff games are for the team lead losing to South Caroincluded. with 88 total tackles lina for a fourth straight LSU has fared much better in the Dome. this season season. It is undefeated in five previous Chick-fil-A Bowl appearances. LSU played in the inau“As far as changing Above right: gural Peach Bowl in 1968 against Florida the perception or whatChandler Catanzaro State, and its most recent trip to Atlanta earned second-team ever, I’m not really sure was a 38-3 win over Georgia Tech in 2008. All-ACC honors after what that is. We want The SEC Tigers also played in the 2010 making 16 of 17 to finish our season, Chick-fil-A Kickoff game and earned a win field goal attempts and our next goal is to over North Carolina. this season. win the bowl game,” “We look forward to a very competitive Swinney said. “That’s game in a big venue in Atlanta,” Miles said. “It’s always our last goal, and that’s exactly what this one of the marquee matchups in this season. is. This one is a unique opportunity to win an Both teams will certainly be very proud of the 11th game versus a top-10 team. We’re trying finish, the opportunity to win 11 games and to position ourselves to be one of the consisplay a great opponent.” tent, elite, national-type programs out there, The Chick-fil-A Bowl is annually one of the and I think we’ve taken a step forward in that most competitive bowl games. Over the 20 direction. years it has been an ACC vs. SEC matchup, “To be able to win a game like this and teams from each league have won 10 times, win an 11th game for only the fourth time in and 10 of the last 20 games have been decided Clemson history certainly would be another by a touchdown or less. step in becoming the type of program we want Of course, Clemson was defeated in its most to be. But we know it’s going to be a very difrecent game against an SEC team, as it fell 27- ficult challenge.”

Clemson

Category

42.3 518.3 198.8 319.6 25 38 165.5 24.9 411.0

Points Per Game Total Offense Rushing Offense Passing Offense Rushing Touchdowns Passing Touchdowns Passing Efficiency Scoring Defense Total Defense

30.2 387.2 179.9 207.2 27 11 128.3 16.9 296.2

160.7 Rushing Defense 250.3 Passing Defense 12 Interceptions by Defense 28 Sacks by Defense 36.4 Net Punting 21-102-4.9 Punt Returns 33-692-21.0 Kickoff Returns 19 Turnovers 52.1 Third-Down Conversion %

LSU 101.8 194.3 18 30 40.4 32-307-9.6 28-648-23.1 16 41.4

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www.oconeeSC.com D Ea Cu EM gu BE st r 2012

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DeAndre Hopkins established Clemson records for receiving yardage and touchdowns in a career in 2012. Photo by Tyler Smith

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O r a n g e : T h e E x p e r i e n ce

Rewriting the Record Books Tigers’ Offensive Bonanza Fuels First 10-Win Regular Season Since ‘81 National Title Run

he week after the regular season ended, Dabo Swinney gathered his players in the team room at the WestZone and announced they had a first-team All-American in their midst. Excited by the news, Dalton Freeman immediately thought, “Alright, Tajh got it,” and headed over to congratulate junior quarterback Tajh Boyd on the honor. Across the room, Boyd assumed Swinney was referring to his senior center. Turns out they were both right. “Coach announced it was me,” Freeman said. “Then he announced we had one more. So it was an awesome thing for both of us.” In being named first-team All-Americans by the American Football Coaches Association, Boyd and Freeman both became the first players at their positions in Clemson history to earn first-team honors. Boyd admitted the All-America honor came as a surprise. “There’s only one quarterback in the nation on that list, so to get first team was a big deal,” he said. “I was excited about it.” Later that day, Boyd learned he’d been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Player of the Year as well. That award caught him

less off guard. “I was kind of expecting the Player of the Year a little bit,” Boyd said, with a smile. It’s easy to see why. Boyd led the league in total offense, touchdown responsibility, passing touchdowns and pass efficiency in directing a Clemson attack that led the ACC in total offense and scoring offense in its second year in Chad Morris’ hurry-up, no-huddle scheme. And as Boyd pointed out, his Player of the Year award was as much a team honor as an individual one, as the Tigers won 10 games in the regular season for the first time since they won the 1981 National Championship and won seven straight conference games by at least 14 points following their only loss in league play at Florida State. “We put a lot of work into this program, and that contributed to this award as well,” Boyd said. “It speaks volumes about where this program is going.” Before we get to where the program is going, it makes sense to look back at where it has been — and there’s little doubt this regular season will be best remembered for the offensive fireworks, engineered by Boyd, that rewrote virtually every record in school history on that side of the ball.

by Steven Bradley DECEMBEr 2012

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Brandon Thomas was first-team All-ACC at left tackle and helped pave the way for Clemson’s recordsetting offense. Photo by Rex Brown

The Tigers set season records for points (508), touchdowns (65) and total offense (6,220), among others. In terms of individual feats, Boyd broke the ACC record for touchdown responsibility (43) and broke his own mark for touchdown passes with 34, and DeAndre Hopkins established school records for touchdown receptions in a season (16), career receiving yards (2,829), career receiving touchdowns (25) and career 100-yard receiving games (11). Along the way, Clemson set a school record for consecutive games scoring at least 37 points (10) and became the second Tiger team ever with a 1,000-yard rusher in Andre Ellington, a 1,000-yard receiver in Hopkins and a 3,000-yard passer in Boyd. What follows is a blow-by-blow account of how the Tigers rewrote the record books. Game 1: No. 14 Clemson 26, Auburn 19 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game; Georgia Dome; Atlanta, GA Hopkins picked quite a time to match Clemson’s single-game record for receptions. Even as Auburn cornerback Chris Davis was flagged for interference, Hopkins hauled in his 12th catch of the game, a fade route in the back of the end zone, to put Clemson ahead for good in its 26-19 win in the season opener Sept. 1. “Any time the ball’s in the air, I feel like it’s mine,” Hopkins said of his four-yard catch. Hopkins nabbed his 13th catch of the night

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later in the fourth quarter to break the school record for receptions and finish with 119 receiving yards on the night. Senior tailback Ellington rushed for 228 yards on 25 carries as the Tigers of the ACC beat the Tigers of the SEC in the rubber match of a recent three-game series. “There’s no doubt in my mind who the best player underneath this roof was tonight — without a doubt it was Andre Ellington,” Morris said. A 68-yard burst from Ellington helped set up the first Tiger touchdown of the season by Roderick McDowell, as Clemson took a 1310 lead into halftime. Auburn tied the game at 13-13 and 16-16 in the second half and took its first lead at 1916 on a Cody Parkey field goal with 12:50 left. But Boyd and Hopkins hooked up on that 4-yard touchdown with 9:17 to go to put the Tigers ahead to stay, and Chandler Catanzaro added an 18-yard field goal to provide the final margin. “This was a stepping stone — another great win for this team and this program,” Boyd said. Game 2: No. 12 Clemson 52, Ball State 27 Memorial Stadium Boyd is admittedly the kind of quarterback who likes to spread the football around to his receivers and get them all involved. Hopkins made that part of Boyd’s job awfully tough against Ball State.

Boyd and Hopkins hooked up for three touchdowns in the first half of Clemson’s 5227 victory over the Cardinals on Sept. 8, as they connected on scores of 13, 34 and 15 yards to put the game out of reach by halftime and ensure neither needed to take part from that point on. “I just trust him in any situation,” Boyd said. “He is one of those players that can adjust to any situation, can catch any type of ball, all you have to do is put it around him and he is going to catch it.” Ellington scored a pair of touchdowns to put the Tigers up 13-0 early. Hopkins then caught his three touchdowns in a span of just more than eight minutes and McDowell also scored from 27 yards out, as Clemson took a 45-10 lead into the locker room when Spencer Benton blasted an ACC-record 61-yard field goal through the uprights as time expired in the first half. Clemson finished with 526 yards of total offense, giving it back-to-back games of at least 500 yards of offense to open a season for the first time. Game 3: No. 11 Clemson 41, Furman 7 Memorial Stadium Despite coming into the game against the FCS rivals from just down the road having beaten Ball State convincingly, Swinney still found an area to encourage his team to get better. “One of the things I was disappointed in

(against Ball State) was we lost the second half,” Swinney said. “The challenge against Furman was to win all four quarters, and our guys responded and did that.” The Tigers took a 20-7 lead into halftime and held the Paladins scoreless from then on for a 41-7 victory on Sept. 15, as Clemson won its 30th straight game in the series. Ellington opened the scoring with a 10yard jaunt off tackle, and Sammy Watkins increased the Tigers’ edge to 14-0 on 58-yard burst, the first rushing touchdown of his career. Catanzaro added a pair of field goals before the break, and Ellington, Brandon Ford and Martavis Bryant scored in the second half as the Tigers rolled, though they fell just two yards shy of reaching 500 yards of total offense for the third straight game. Game 4: No. 4 Florida State 49, No. 9 Clemson 37 Doak Campbell Stadium; Tallahassee, FL On the road and up two touchdowns on then-No. 4 Florida State early in the second half Sept. 22, Clemson looked clearly the class of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The rest of that night, however, was significantly more humbling.

The Seminoles outscored the defending league champs 35-9 from the 11:48 mark of the third quarter on and beat the Tigers 49-37 in the ACC’s first matchup of top-10 teams in five years. The Tigers opened the game with a bang, as Boyd went over the top on the fifth play from scrimmage and hit Hopkins for a 60-yard score. Ellington put Clemson ahead again, 14-7, later in the first quarter with a six-yard run, and the Tigers went into halftime with a 21-14 lead by virtue of a 17-yard pass from Boyd to Ford. Clemson stretched its lead to 14 in the second half as Boyd threw a quick lateral out to Watkins, who fired a strike across the field to a wide-open Ellington for a 52-yard touchdown that gave the Tigers a 28-14 lead with 11:48 to go in the third quarter. But it was all downhill from there for the Tigers, as FSU scored 35 of the game’s final 44 points and rolled up 667 yards of offense, led by 380 yards passing and 102 rushing by E.J. Manuel. Game 5: No. 16 Clemson 45, Boston College 31 Alumni Stadium; Chestnut Hill, MA Boyd celebrated his 22nd birthday Sept. 25, but the gathering he held for his Tiger

teammates the previous afternoon wasn’t for blowing out candles or opening gifts. Rather, Boyd called a players-only meeting to send a simple message: “We don’t want one loss to define our season.” After Clemson lost to Atlantic Division rival Florida State in a clash of top-10 teams in Tallahassee, Boyd felt the need for a preemptive strike against any finger-pointing that might take place in the wake of that defeat. Boyd’s message was apparently heard loud and clear. He threw three touchdown passes to match the school’s all-time record with 49 for his career and Hopkins had a school single-game record 197 receiving yards, as the Tigers pulled away for a 45-31 win at divisional foe Boston College on Sept. 29. “Our guys responded all game long, I was really proud of them,” Swinney said afterward. “We did a lot of good things individually. We really showed up defensively in the second half.” As Swinney alluded to, the defense made two crucial stops late — an interception by reserve corner Garry Peters and a pass broken up by Travis Blanks on the Eagles’ final possession — to seal the victory. “Coach Venables told me I was going to start the second half, and I was kind of nervous,” Peters said. “But I went out there and

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Spencer Shuey’s insertion into the starting lineup helped turn Clemson’s defensive performance around midway through the season.

I knew the defense had my back, and I made some plays.” Hopkins’ 35-yard grab from Boyd in the fourth quarter put the game away, as the Tigers began their streak of seven straight league victories by a margin of at least two touchdowns. Game 6: No. 15 Clemson 47, Georgia Tech 31 Memorial Stadium The Clemson football team hadn’t had much luck in recent years winning in Atlanta, Boston or pretty much anywhere it played Georgia Tech. This Oct. 6 game made the Tigers 3-for-3 on the season as far as busting those slumps. “I know there’s a lot of people out there that believe in voodoo or something: ‘Aw, we can’t win here, can’t win there,’” Swinney said. “We don’t buy into all that stuff.” Boyd threw for 397 yards and broke the Clemson career mark for passing touchdowns, as the Tigers scored the game’s final 17 points and rolled to a 47-31 home win over the Yellow Jackets. “This was a great, great win, and a complete game,” Swinney said. “All three phases had huge contributions.” Despite Boyd’s heroics, it was Clemson’s defense that helped swing the momentum. After the Tigers took a 38-31 lead with 10:29 to go, Tech fumbled the ensuing kickoff and fell on the ball at its 2. Spencer Shuey diagnosed an option play on the next snap and hauled down Orwin Smith in the end zone for a safety that gave a 40-31 lead to the Tigers, who had trailed 31-30 moments before. “We had been preparing for that play all week,” Shuey said. “I just got a good read and got a good jump on the ball and was able to make the play.” Josh Watson blocked a field-goal attempt later in the game, and McDowell scored on a one-yard plunge with 50 seconds left to provide the final margin. “That was a huge win for our team,” Swinney said. “It was a momentum win.” Game 7: No. 13 Clemson 38, Virginia Tech 17 Memorial Stadium In a game where its offense uncharacteristically struggled, Clemson’s defense rose to the occasion, holding Virginia Tech to just seven second-half points in a 38-17 win Oct. 20. The official designation was Military Appre-

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Photo by Dawson Powers

ciation Day, but it might as well have been Senior Day for Clemson’s secondary. Jonathan Meeks and Xavier Brewer combined for three interceptions — with Meeks returning one for a touchdown — while fellow senior defensive back Rashard Hall had a game-high 12 tackles and forced a fumble as the Tigers thumped the Hokies by three touchdowns. “That was big for us defensively,” Meeks said afterward. “Our secondary, we stepped up a little bit. The line got pressure on Logan (Thomas), they were rattling him today and it helped us out.” Tech led 7-0 early, but Catanzaro made a 27-yard field goal to close the first quarter and Boyd scored on a 1-yard run early in the second to put Clemson up 10-7. Meeks picked off a Thomas pass later in the quarter and exploded 74 yards down the sideline for another touchdown. Ellington, Hopkins and Boyd added second-half scores as the Tigers pulled away. Game 8: No. 14 Clemson 42, Wake Forest 13 BB&T Field; Winston-Salem, NC Swinney has regularly been quick to debunk “voodoo,” the phenomenon that leads to things such as Clemson being 1-9 all-time in ESPN Thursday night games. More importantly, the Tigers’ coach has turned his team into staunch nonbelievers, too. “Thursday night is just Thursday night to us,” Meeks said after the Tigers improved that

mark to 2-9 with a 42-13 win over Wake Forest on Oct. 25. Clemson emphatically exorcised those demons on this particular Thursday night, as quarterback Boyd threw for a school-record 428 yards and five touchdowns — all in the first half — in the rout of the Deacs, the Tigers’ fourth straight win in the series. The night also served as a coming-out party of sorts for All-American wide receiver Watkins this season, as the sophomore became the first player in Clemson history to reach 200 receiving yards in a game. He finished with eight catches for 202 yards, eclipsing the century mark for the first time in 2012 and topping his previous career-high of 155 yards prior to halftime with 177 yards before the break. Clemson’s good work was not limited solely to its offense on the night. The defense also turned in perhaps its best performance of the season, as it recorded a season-high five sacks and held an opponent to fewer than 300 yards of offense (290) for the first time. Boyd stayed in the game just long enough to surpass Charlie Whitehurst’s record of 420 passing yards, set against Duke in 2002. The record-breaker came on a 37-yard pass to Bryant midway through the fourth quarter. “I wasn’t really going for the record,” he said afterward. “I’m not going to lie, I kind of wanted to go for 400. To break the record kind of topped it off, but the major part about it is we won — and that’s all we really worry about.” Game 9: No. 9 Clemson 56, Duke 20 Wallace Wade Stadium; Durham, NC By this point in the season, broken records were becoming a bit like, well, a broken record for the Clemson offense. Boyd threw five first-half touchdowns and Hopkins hauled in three of them in the first quarter alone, as Clemson rolled up 718 yards of offense in thumping Duke 56-20 on Nov. 3. Along the way, Boyd broke Woodrow Dantzler’s school record for career touchdown responsibility and Hopkins did the same to CONTINUED ON PAGE 35

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receiving touchdown marks both for a career and season previously held by Aaron Kelly and teammate Watkins, respectively. “We felt if they were going to play man coverage in the secondary, we could be successful like we were against Wake Forest,” Swinney said afterward. “Tajh was terrific in the first half, and Nuk continues to set records.” And so did the Clemson offense. The 718 yards it tallied were the second-most in school history, and the 56 points were the most ever by the Tigers at Wallace Wade Stadium. Hopkins’ third touchdown of the first quarter, a 45-yard score that made the score 21-10, was his 13th of the season, which set a school single-season record and also put the junior over the 1,000-yard mark on the season. “Records are just records,” said Hopkins, who finished with four grabs for 128 yards on the night. “They are meant to be broken. And one day, somebody is going to come break my records. It feels good for the time being that I have them, but that’s not my main goal or my focus.” Game 10: No. 8 Clemson 45, Maryland 10 Memorial Stadium Facing a Maryland team ravaged by injuries, Clemson showed little sympathy Nov. 10 at Memorial Stadium. The Tigers scored the game’s first two touchdowns just 12 seconds apart and rolled up 35 points before halftime for the third straight game — both school records — on the way to a 45-10 win on Homecoming. “There is no doubt we came ready to play,” Swinney said. With the victory, Clemson set a school record with its 12th straight win at Memorial Stadium going back to the 2011 opener against Troy. It also tied a Clemson record for consecutive home wins regardless of venue, as it won 12 in a row from 1927-30 at Riggs Field as well. On their fifth starting quarterback this season and also without their leading rusher, receiver and tackler, the Terrapins were no match for a Clemson team that won its sixth straight game in ACC play by a margin of at least 14 points. Adam Humphries caught his first career touchdown pass on the Tigers’ second drive of the game, and defensive end Corey Crawford scooped up a fumble on the very next play from scrimmage and returned it 16 yards for a touchdown and a 14-0 lead. “Those don’t come every day,” Crawford

The game was the most prolific in Death Valley history from an offensive standpoint, both in terms of yardage and scoring. The Tigers and Wolfpack combined for 1,351 yards of offense and 110 points, totals that bested marks set in Clemson’s memorable 82-24 win over Wake Forest in 1981. Boyd threw for 426 yards and five touchdowns and rushed for 105 yards and three more scores to lead the Tigers, becoming the first player in ACC history to account for eight touchdowns in a single game. Ellington also went over the century mark with 130 rushing yards on the day, while Watkins (110) and Ford (101) did so in terms of receiving. “The offensive line, I can’t speak about those guys enough,” Boyd said. “We had over 300 yards rushing, 400 yards in the air, no sacks, and it’s just one of those deals where those guys played their tails off and played their hearts out.”

Tajh Boyd accounted for 43 touchdowns during the regular season, an ACC record. Photo by Dawson Powers

said of his first career score. “The feeling is just indescribable.” The two touchdowns came just 12 seconds apart, the shortest interval between scores in Clemson history. Hopkins then caught his ACC-leading 14th touchdown of the season, which extended his own school record, and Clemson stretched the lead to 28-0 on its next possession, as Boyd hit Ford for a 22-yard touchdown. An Ellington rushing touchdown before halftime marked the third straight game the Tigers had scored at least 35 points in the first half, the first time in program history that has happened. Game 11: No. 9 Clemson 62, NC State 48 Memorial Stadium Even as well as Clemson had been playing leading up to the Nov. 17 game, some still wondered how it might respond to a bit of adversity. Facing their largest deficit at home this season, down 24-13 to NC State, the Tigers showed them: by scoring 42 unanswered points. The eventual 62-48 win over the Wolfpack gave Clemson its first 10-win regular season since the 1981 national title season. “That’s the first time we’ve faced adversity in a while,” Freeman said. “And I think that speaks a lot about this team and the character we have.”

Game 12: No. 12 South Carolina 27, No. 9 Clemson 17 Memorial Stadium For almost the first time all season, someone figured out how to keep the Clemson offense out of the end zone: keep it on the sideline instead. The Tigers scored just three points after the first quarter and ran only 19 plays after halftime as they saw their 13-game home win streak come to an end at the hands of rival South Carolina, 27-17, on Nov. 24. “We got off to a good start scoring two touchdowns in the first quarter, but they just started to control the ball after that,” Swinney said. “Give them credit, they did a great job. Their ability to put pressure on (Boyd) was key.” Clemson finished the night with a seasonlow 328 yards of total offense, while Boyd completed just 11-of-24 passes for 183 yards and was intercepted twice. “You have to give credit to those guys, they played outstanding on the other side of the ball,” Boyd said. “But we just didn’t do what we needed to do on the offensive side.” Clemson had just finished its most successful regular season in more than 30 years, but nobody felt much like looking on the bright side late that night. “The fun is in the winning, and it certainly was no fun in that locker room tonight,” Swinney said. “It’s been quite a while since we lost one here at home and experienced a locker room like that here at home. But it was a very good season — 10 regular-season wins for the first time in a long time is something that we can build upon.” DECEMBEr 2012

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Proving Them Wrong

�� Sophomore class counted on to grow up fast for one of youngest Tiger teams ever

by Steven Bradley | photos by Rex Brown

hen Clemson’s basketball players get together for pickup games in the offseason, they usually play fiveon-five to seven points. When one side reaches seven, the game isn’t over unless that team can make a free throw to close out the victory. While the gym may be empty, don’t think there isn’t pressure on that final foul shot. “It’s real competitive during the summer when we play pickup games,” sophomore forward K.J. McDaniels said. Asked who the team’s best pickup player is, McDaniels hesitated to give the answer he wanted to give: “The best pickup player, I’d have to say, would be … me.” He gets the final word out in unison with fellow sophomore Bernard Sullivan, who blurts K.J. McDaniels (center) has had to assume a leadership role on a young Tiger roster.

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“Me!” as he is getting up shots nearby after practice in Littlejohn Coliseum’s annex. “And Bernard at times,” McDaniels laughed. “When I’m not playing, Bernard takes it over.”

That exchange was a good-natured one, but also demonstrates the competitiveness the Tigers’ current crop of sophomores has on the basketball court. And Clemson needs all the

fight it can get out of those second-year players, as it began the season with a roster comprised of 12 underclassmen on its 14-man roster, the most since freshmen were granted eligibility by the NCAA in 1972. The Tigers have just two seniors, Milton Jennings and Devin Booker, and are without a junior class altogether. With so much youth, it’s hard to blame those hedging their bets on Clemson — both the Atlantic Coast Conference’s coaches and media tabbed the Tigers to finish eighth in the league in the preseason — but McDaniels said the team is out to prove those pundits wrong. “The only person that can tell you that you can’t do something is yourself,” he said. “So when people tell me I can’t do something, I go out there and play the way I know how to play.” And proving people wrong is something the Tigers’ sophomores are making a habit of doing.

lemson’s sophomore class is officially six men deep, though one of them, 6-foot4 shooting guard Damarcus Harrison is a transfer from Brigham Young who was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA and is a newcomer to the program. Two of the sophomores have been regularly featured in the starting lineup: Rod Hall, a physical, defensive-minded point guard from Augusta, GA, built like a short-yardage back; and McDaniels, a high-flying wing from Birmingham, AL, out to prove there’s more to his game than just throwing it down. Beyond them are: undersized but versatile big man Sullivan, whose transition to the college game was slowed by asthma; Devin Coleman, a sharpshooting guard from Philadelphia who will miss the season after tearing his Achilles this summer; and Carson Fields, a 6-foot-4 walk-on from Pewee Valley, KY. “We came in strong,” McDaniels said of the sophomores’ bond. “We came in already knowing about each other. We just had to get to know each other more because we all came from different areas. But when we came in, we were all friends as soon as we saw each other.”

ut if the Tigers are long on team chemistry, they are short not only on experience, but also proven scorers. Booker is the only returning double-digit scorer, and of the sophomores, McDaniels was the leading scorer as a freshman at just 3.9 points per game — indicating the team effort the Tigers need on the offensive end this season. “Coach talks about the points being scattered out, so we have to play unselfish ball,”

Above: Rod Hall has been a mainstay for the Tigers at the point guard position. At right: McDaniels has emerged as one of Clemson’s most complete players.

said Hall, who logged the most minutes among freshmen last season. “Everyone can do a lot of things; that’s just giving us all a chance to show what we can do.” Of course, much of that starts with Hall at the point guard spot. But his importance to the Tigers is often even more obvious on the defensive end. In their Dec. 2 win over rival South Carolina, Hall harassed Gamecock point guards Eric Smith, Bruce Ellington and Brenton Williams into nine combined turnovers, while producing 15 points, four rebounds, four assists, two steals and committing just three turnovers himself — a performance that shows exactly what Hall means to his team. “He’s just a very tough-minded kid,” Head Coach Brad Brownell said. “He wasn’t heavily recruited at all, but a guy who likes to make winning plays; he’s a tough player. He’s not afraid to put his shoulder down and drive to the basket and play through contact. He’s not a great shooter, but he’s one of those guys who can make opportunistic free DECEMBEr 2012

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throws. He’s just a guy that we trust.” Hall made 9-of-12 from the foul line against South Carolina and came into the contest among the ACC’s leaders in assist-to-turnover ratio. As one of only two veterans in the Tigers’ backcourt, albeit still only a sophomore himself, the soft-spoken Hall said he’s been made well aware of his role on the team — even though it’s one that forces him out of his comfort zone. “I have to be the leader,” Hall said. “Coach always says I don’t talk, so I have to guide them on what to do and how to do it, and I’ve got to play a big leading role in the backcourt.” According to Harrison, who hit a clutch three-pointer against the Gamecocks to start a 9-1 run that allowed the Tigers to pull away, Hall’s steadying influence has played a big part in helping he and the team’s other young guards play with confidence. “He’s definitely stepped up to be a leader on this team,” Harrison said. “He controls the offense, and he gets us into everything we need to be in. The coaches like him; he’s one of the toughest players on this team.”

here’s little doubt the first thing most people notice about McDaniels when he’s on the court: his high-flying dunks. Twenty of McDaniels’ 44 made field goals during his freshman year came on dunks. Standing 6-foot-6, McDaniels has been dunking since the seventh grade, but said his vertical jump is “only” 38 inches. “People ask me how my vertical is, but it’s not really that high,” he said. “It’s just because I’m long.” While McDaniels sounds humble when it comes to his dunking, one almost gets the sense he’s tired of talking about it — like he’s out to prove there’s more to his game than the plays that might make SportsCenter. “I’m trying to expand on shooting, dribbling and being more comfortable with the ball,” he said. “I work on it in before, during and after practice. I believe (dunking) is a strong part of my game, but I just want to expand on it.” It appears he’s already done that. Through the Tigers’ first eight games, McDaniels led the team in scoring (12.0 points per game), blocks (20) and steals (12), and was third in rebounding (5.0). “K.J. has got to be a big-time player for us,” Brownell said. “He’s a guy that needs to figure out a way to get us 10 points a game, whether it’s through athleticism on offensive rebounds or transition points or making an open three. We need him to be an offensive-minded player.” McDaniels has clearly added the long ball to his repertoire. Through eight games, he had 11 three-pointers on the season, more than any-

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Bernard Sullivan’s role will continue to grow as the 201213 season progresses.

body else on Clemson’s team and four more than he made the entire 2011-12 campaign. While McDaniels’ transformation from one-trick pony to a more well-rounded player in the span of a single offseason may have taken some by surprise, he always believed he could be more than just a dunker. “It’s been a goal of mine since I came to Clemson,” he said. “I wanted to come in and be a major contributor, but I understood I had seniors in front of me and I was going to have to work to get my spot. I believe now that I have a chance to start and produce that I’ll be able to do that.”

he third remaining member of the Tigers’ 2011 freshman class, Sullivan was the most ballyhooed signee of the bunch — a four-star prospect across the board. But Sullivan, who has asthma, found coping with the condition much more difficult on the college level than he had in high school, where he admits he could just coast through stretches of games to catch his breath before letting his talent take back over. When he arrived at Clemson, however, Sullivan was unable to complete practices for most of his first two months with the team and ultimately played the fewest minutes of the Tigers’ five first-year freshmen a year ago. Determined to change that, the big man from Gastonia, NC, earned the team’s Tiger Strength Award at the conclusion of last season due to dedication in workouts and improved nutritional habits. With his hard work, along with changes to his asthma medication in the offseason, Sullivan believes he’s ready to live up to his advanced billing as a sophomore. “Going to see the doctor and taking the medication and conditioning, it’s definitely a whole lot better,” he said. “I’ve been running probably two times more than what I was last year, workouts have been easier, but mainly the mental toughness part of it (has been important) because it still can occur, you never know.”

nd that brings us back to those offseason pickup games. Though it may seem like a small detail, McDaniels said it shows the dedication the Tigers have to hon-

ing their collective craft. “During the summer it’s easy to relax and not do anything, but we made sure our guys got in here and we played and shot around,” he said. “During the pickup games, we were just trying to get the feel of the team before we actually got to practice.” Brownell has a saying he’s fond of using with his young team: “Leadership doesn’t discriminate,” meaning a player doesn’t have to be a senior or upperclassman to be a team leader. And according to him, the sophomores often played a lead role in organizing those pickup games, evidence of their willingness to lead — a virtual necessity on a team as young as Clemson. McDaniels agreed, saying it was difficult to prove anyone wrong by taking it easy. “I believe it’s the first step, especially in the offseason when it’s easy to just lay down and do nothing but just come in and shoot,” McDaniels said. “But, we try to get the players in and play a lot.” With 11 underclassmen on the team, playing a lot is exactly what Clemson’s current crop of sophomores are doing.

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Former Clemson Football Walk-On

Lee Brice a Rising Star in Country Music by Sanford Rogers

Lee Brice was a walk-on long snapper at Clemson in 1998 before heading into a successful country music career. Photo by Eric Welch

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eteran ABC football commentator Brent Musburger has called Clemson’s entrance into Death Valley “The most exciting 25 seconds in all of college football.” The emotion and pageantry displayed each home game every fall is must-see entertainment. Lee Brice, who was a recruited walk-on football player for the Tigers in the late 1990s, would second Musburger’s sentiments when it comes to Death Valley, Howard’s Rock and the Hill. But for Brice, who gave up his dream of playing football to pursue a career in country music, the draw of Clemson’s Death Valley is still as strong now as it was in 1998. Brice, a native of Sumter, SC, knew from an early age that his college allegiance would be in the Upstate. “My dad grew up as a Clemson fan,” he said. “He wanted to go to Clemson, but went to work right out of high school. But there was no question we were a Clemson family from the start. In South Carolina, you are either a Tiger or a Gamecock and there was no question where our loyalty was.” While growing up in Sumter, Brice did not have the opportunity to travel to Clemson games, but followed them each and every week. He was a four-year starter as a linebacker and offensive lineman in high school. His ability on the gridiron allowed him to make his first trip to Clemson on an unofficial visit for a Tiger home game. “I will never forget my first trip to Clemson,” Brice said. “The energy and excitement in that stadium can make you hair stand up. When you are in Death Valley, there is no way not to be excited about Clemson. I had always been a Clemson fan, but that experience just confirmed where I was going to school.” Brice was an invited walk-on for then Head Coach Tommy West in 1998. He was a reserve long snapper, and can still recall the hard work required by each player. “Being a student-athlete is a full time job,” he said. “I was majoring in civil engineering and playing football, which made for some long days. One thing that I don’t think everyone understands is the amount of time and hard work it takes to do both. Each and every player deserves so much credit for what they do.”

Photo by Eric Welch

Late during the 1998 season Brice suffered continuing to flourish today. an arm injury. Brice did not know it at the “I get a lot of questions now about how to time, but the arm injury would lead him on break into this business as a singer or songa path to another dream he had been pursu- writer,” Brice said. “First, you have to go where ing since he was a child. When Brice was growing up, music was part of his everyday life. By age seven, he was playing the piano and Gonna get lost in the Orange Empire making up his own melodies. Gonna get caught in the jaws of the tiger Brice was a regular performer in We got the stripes and the paws of a fighter church during his youth. Gonna get lost in the Orange Empire “Music had always been a passion of mine,” he said. “After I got hurt playing football, I was Death Valley eighty thousand strong not going to be able to practice Our boys standin’ on the top of the Hill during the spring of 1999. I had Can you feel the rumble comin’ on? always wanted to go to Nashville We’re about to impose our will on you and see first-hand how the music business worked. When I got Nowhere to run nowhere to hide there, I met some people who You shoulda known when you stepped inside helped me get started in country music. I went back to ClemGonna get lost in the Orange Empire son, packed my bags and never looked back.” Gonna get caught in the jaws of the tiger Like football, you just We got the stripes and the paws of a fighter don’t go from the sideline to beGonna get lost in the Orange Empire ing a starter overnight. With the help of producer Doug Johnson, he first got a job writing songs C-L-E-M-S-O-N T-I-G-E-RRRR-S! for Curb Music Publishing. In Fight Tigers! Fight Tigers! his first year in Nashville, he Fight! Fight! Fight! wrote over 150 songs and was on his way to a career that is

“Orange Empire” lyrics

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the music is. Nashville is the perfect place for that. I call it a small, big town. There a lot of people here, but music is the central theme to this town. If you want to be in country music, Nashville is the place you have to be.” Brice is quick to credit his songwriting as a foundation for the success he is enjoying now

Brice played a show at Littlejohn Coliseum the weekend of the Clemson vs. South Carolina football game. Photo by Joshua Kelly

as a performer. One of his early success stories as a writer is still humming in the minds of country music fans everywhere. He teamed with Billy Montana and Kyle Jacobs to write “More Than a Memory” for the legendary Garth Brooks. It became the first song on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart to debut

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at No. 1. Brice has also penned songs for Tim McGraw – “Still” – and the Eli Young Band — “Crazy Girl.” “Crazy Girl,” which he cowrote with Liz Rose, was Billboard’s No. 1 country song for 2011. “That was a cool experience,” he said.

“That song gave me a leg to stand on. It gave me more attention when I was starting to perform my own music.” The success for Brice and his music continue to grow. In April of 2012, his second album Hard 2 Love was released. The title track, “Hard to Love,” became his second No. 1 song. “Love Like Crazy” and “A Woman Like You” are songs that are familiar to all who love country music. “This album is a culmination of so much

hard work,” Brice said. “I have done so many shows and performed so much. But it all comes back to the music…you can be a great singer and performer, but it all starts with the music.” Spending over 200 nights a year on the road as a performer can be draining, but having such an opportunity can also lead to some special opportunities. With that in mind, he went to his management team early in 2012 with a special request. “I told my booking agent to get me a date performing somewhere close to Clemson before a home football game,” he said. “I had not seen a game in person for a long time, and wanted to do a show and watch football on the same weekend.” The request for a home game for Brice led to more than just a concert. Brice’s team not only secured a date, but his first headlining event at Littlejohn Coliseum. To top it off, it was the night before the yearly battle with South Carolina. That may have been enough for Brice, but for Clemson Assistant Athletic Director Mike Money, the “song” was just starting. “I knew Lee had played football at Clemson,” Money said. “I reached out to his management team about the possibility of him writing a gameday song for Clemson. We received a positive response from him right away.” Brice was more than pleased to accommodate Money and his idea for the song “Orange Empire.” “When they asked me to write a song to be played on gameday, I was more than happy to do so,” he said. “I got together with a couple of buddies and came up with ‘Orange Empire.’ Writing this was very personal for me. To write a song about a place where I went to school and played was really special.” Following a whirlwind year that saw Brice nominated for Newcomer of the Year in country music, late November finally came - with a boisterous crowd greeting the South Carolina native in his return to Clemson and Littlejohn Coliseum. The night was not complete until Brice sang “Orange Empire” with Tiger Band marching in and accompanying him on the song. It was a night that he will not forget. “We had a blast in Clemson, even though our guys did not take the win,” Brice said. “I’ve been wanting to play at the ClemsonSouth Carolina game for years, so I knew we had to do something exciting to surprise all of our hometown fans…the band did a great job helping me pull that off. We were all on fire straight through, watching the guys run down the Hill to ‘Orange Empire.’ It was a really cool moment for me as a former player, musician and fan!”

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The Origin of the Name

Death by Sam Blackman

here’s nothing like the color and pageantry of college football. Clemson has its share of traditions and lore that makes the school’s athletic program unique. Running down the Hill and touching Howard’s Rock are stalwart traditions that allow Clemson to be unique in the college football world. Another original, but imitated lore, is the nickname of Memorial Stadium, “Death Valley.” This nickname for a stadium has been proven to have origins at Clemson just after World War II before the stadium was even five years old in the late 1940s, many years before LSU claimed to have used the moniker. The origin of the name Death Valley originated in the 1940s and it stemmed from the Clemson-Presbyterian College series. For 28 years (1930-1958), Clemson opened the season with the Blue Hose. All of these games were played in Clemson but one, and ironically it was in Frank Howard’s first season at head coach of the Tigers (1940). In 1943, with many college players away in World War II, there was naturally a scarcity of players. Many that played in 1943 were freshmen and in that season, Presbyterian surprised the Tigers with a 13-12 victory over Clemson in Tigertown. In 1944, the Tigers had revenge over the Blue Hose and won 34-0, and in 1945 the Tigers must have still been angry about losing in 1943 and defeated Presbyterian 76-0. In the spring of 1946 and in the preseason practices, Presbyterian was preparing to play the Tigers and according to former Presbyterian player and later head coach, Cally Gault, the trip to Clemson was special. Gault was head coach of the Clinton, SC school from 1962-1984. “We talked about the upcoming Clemson game Former Presbyterian quite often when I was a player, as it was a tradition coach Cally Gault to open the season with them,” Gault said. “After we (pictured) was an were beaten so badly in 1945, Coach Lonnie McMilassistant to Lonnie lan and our players referred to the Clemson trip as McMillan when he first going to ‘Death Valley.’ I’m not sure when the press coined the nickname picked up on it, but I’m sure it was real soon after.” “Death Valley” for A relative of Coach McMillan stated that on the Clemson’s Memorial way to the 1932 Olympics in Los Angeles, CA, McStadium. Photo courtesy Presbyterian Millan stopped in Death Valley, CA. This leads to Athletics

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valley at clemson

the belief that he was well qualified to compare the temperatures in Death Valley, CA and in Clemson, SC. “I remember during the 1945 season that somebody out in California sent a newspaper clipping about a team in California and PC should meet, as both teams were struggling,” Gault said. “They suggested in their letter that these two winless teams meet in Death Valley, CA and they should call it the ‘Futility Bowl.’ “Coach McMillan (Presbyterian coach from 1941-1953) was a good coach. In 1943, he was one of the first, if not the first, to run the T-formation in the South. I guess you could say he was ahead of his time. He had a good sense of humor about him, too. “I remember both the 1945 and 1946 games. I was 16 years old as a freshman and playing in Death Valley was special. I do remember this more than anything — it was hot, and I mean real hot at Clemson! You haven’t felt hot until you played in Death Valley in early September! “Coach Howard picked up on the new nickname of his stadium and he started using it in the media and it became really popular when he started using it.” McMillan used the now famous term with the media to describe the newly built stadium. To say that Death Valley has been a good addition to the Clemson football fortunes is an understatement. Clemson has won over 72 percent of its games in one of the epicenters of college football. When the stadium was first laid out, a site on the western part of the campus was selected. It was in a natural valley, just perfect for a stadium. Because of the era in which it was built, and with the shortage of material such as iron, the stadium was built out of concrete. It was announced on September 17, 1941 that the $104,000 stadium construction would soon begin. Clemson civil engineering students surveyed the land and drew up plans for the grandstands, which were built in concrete along the red clay walls of the natural bowl. Credit for the design of the stadium goes to Carl Lee of Charlotte, NC, a Clemson graduate of 1908, and Professor H.E. Glenn of the engineering faculty. The Rock, which has Actual construction began on October 6, become an iconic symbol of 1941. Scholarship athletes, including many footcollege football pageantry, ball players, did much of the hard work. Two was first placed on a members of the football team, A.N. Cameron pedestal atop the Hill in and Hugh Webb, did the first staking out of the 1966 (opposite page). Photos courtesy of Clemson Sports stadium. Webb returned to Clemson years later Information

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to be an architecture professor, and Cameron went on to become a civil engineer in Louisiana. The crews went to work: clearing, cutting, pouring, and forming. Finally, on September 19, 1942, Clemson’s Memorial Stadium opened with the Tiger Football team thrashing Presbyterian College, 32-13. The 20,000 seats installed for opening day would grow and grow, eventually to the 80,000 plus seats that fans use today. Howard said that on the day of the first game in the new stadium, “The gates were hung at 1:00 PM and we played at 2:00.” An iconic symbol of Memorial Stadium is Howard’s Rock. A gift from S.C. Jones to Coach Howard was a rock from Death Valley, CA. The Rock was mounted on a pedestal at the top of the Hill on the east side of the stadium. It was unveiled on September 24, 1966 when Clemson played Virginia. The Tigers were down 18 points with 17 minutes left and came back to win 40-35 on a 75-yard pass to Jacky Jackson in the fourth quarter. What a debut for the Rock! The football team members started rubbing the Rock prior to running down the Hill on September 23, 1967, a day when Clemson defeated Wake Forest by a score of 23-6. Prior to running down the Hill that day, Howard told his players, “If you’re going to give me 110 percent, you can rub that Rock. If you’re not, keep your filthy hands off it.” And another nationally known tradition was born at Clemson.

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Clemson is lucky to have such a shrine as Memorial Stadium grace its campus. Although named Memorial Stadium to honor those Clemson students who have lost their lives in the nation’s wars, the nickname Death Valley is a helpful reminder and serves as a warning to the Tigers’ opponents that it remains a hard place to play.

Above: Clemson’s Memorial Stadium opened in 1942.

Photo courtesy of Clemson Sports Information

Below: Memorial Stadium visitors are greeted by the sign “Clemson Welcomes You to Death Valley” on both the north and south facades. Photo by Tyler Smith

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2012-13 SEASON OUTLOOK | Women’s Track & Field by Philip Sikes

Carrying the weight of high expectations, some coaches may choose to cease all talk of winning a national championship. Some may even consider it a distraction. Just don’t count Clemson Director of Track & Field Lawrence Johnson as one of those coaches. Now in his fifth year directing the combined Clemson track & field program, his women’s team will be one of the favorites at the 2013 NCAA Indoor and Outdoor Championships. “This is something we’ve talked about since our seniors were freshmen,” Johnson said. “It’s one of the goals we have as a program. Outdoor, we were the fourth-best team in the country last season. We’re supposed to grow from there toward that No. 1 spot. We talk about that every day.” A quick glance over Clemson’s roster, and it’s easy to see why Johnson and his coaching staff are optimistic about their chances. The large 2013 senior class has led Clemson to sweeps of the ACC indoor and outdoor titles every year. In fact, their closest margin of victory in an ACC Championship was 52.5

points — a blowout in the track world. The short sprints will be a strength, espeHow have the Tigers fared on the national cially if senior Stormy Kendrick stays healthy. scene? Clemson’s women have finished A former IAAF World Junior Champion at 200 among the nation’s top seven teams in four meters, Kendrick has collected seven ACC of the past six NCAA national meets. In 2012, the Tigers were top five in both seasons, including a Name Hgt. Class Hometown Event(s) program-best fourth Natalie Anthony 5-9 *So. Randolph, NJ Distance at the NCAA Outdoor Sonni Austin 5-10 Sr. Decatur, GA Hurdles Championships. Erin Barker 5-6 Gr. Easley, SC Distance Ava Bell 6-0 *So. Radford, VA Throws Fourteen studentLindsey Bellaran 5-2 Fr. Holmdel, NJ Middle Distance athletes on Clemson’s Brianna Blanton 5-6 So. Summerville, SC Middle Distance 2012-13 roster have Caroline Bond 5-4 So. Johns Creek, GA Pole Vault competed in at least Kate Borowicz 5-7 *Jr. Greenville, SC Distance one NCAA champiMeagan Brandli 5-5 Fr. Mt. Pleasant, SC Distance onship meet. Eleven Shemiah Brooks 5-8 Fr. High Point, NC Jumps/Hurdles have earned at least Jasmine Brunson 5-6 Sr. Southampton, Bermuda Jumps Dezerea Bryant 5-2 So. Milwaukee, WI Sprints one All-America acJasmine Edgerson 5-4 Sr. Marietta, GA Sprints/Hurdles colade. Add in a Karine Farias 5-8 Sr. Porto Alegre, Brazil Multi-Events talented mix of newBrianna Feerst 5-5 Fr. Brick, NJ Distance comers, and ClemMeghan Flanagan 5-5 So. Palatine, IL Pole Vault son’s roster appears Nia Fluker 5-5 So. Grand Prairie, TX Sprints loaded. Whitney Fountain 5-3 *So. Bronx, NY Multi-Events

WOMEN’S TRACK & FIELD ROSTER

Christy Gasparino Lisa Girard Nnenya Hailey Valencia Hannon Keni Harrison Alyssa Henshaw Katie Inclan Stormy Kendrick Natalie Kramer Mimieux Land Emily Lewis Laura Loveless Sara Manesiotis Jillian Meserve Taylor Miller Bridgette Owens Brittany Pringley Lauren Reen Keisha Richburg Brianna Rollins Cara Talty Lauren Terstappen Brittney Waller Marlena Wesh

Brianna Rollins is the top returning high hurdler in the country in women’s track & field. Photo by Rex Brown

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5-8 5-9 5-5 5-6 5-4 5-4 5-8 5-3 5-9 5-8 5-5 5-9 5-4 5-10 5-4 5-4 5-4 5-7 5-9 5-5 5-3 5-9 5-10 5-6

Jr. Jr. Fr. Fr. So. Jr. *So. Sr. Fr. Fr. Fr. *So. *Fr. Fr. *Fr. Jr. *Jr. Sr. So. *Jr. Jr. Jr. Sr. Sr.

Darien, CT Fountain Inn, SC Atlanta, GA Elmont, NY Clayton, NC Darnestown, MD Spartanburg, SC Gastonia, NC Greenville, SC Albany, GA Easley, SC Kingsport, TN Hilton Head Island, SC Haverhill, MA Fort Mill, SC Oak Park, MI Miami, FL Orlando, FL Miami, FL Miami, FL Raritan, NJ Phoenixville, PA Greenville, SC Virginia Beach, VA

Pole Vault Distance Hurdles Sprints Hurdles Distance Distance Sprints Pole Vault Jumps Distance Distance Distance Distance Distance Hurdles Sprints Distance Hurdles Hurdles Distance Pole Vault Throws Sprints

Director of Track & Field: Lawrence Johnson Associate Head Coach: Tim Hall Assistant Coaches: Brad Herbster, Chris Bostwick, Chris Huffins, Adrain Mann Operations Manager: Shawn Cobey Graduate Assistant: Anne Powell Note: * denotes student-athlete has red-shirted one season.

Marlena Wesh, a 2012 Olympian for Haiti, owns nine career ACC titles and four All-America honors heading into her senior season. Photo courtesy of Atlantic Coast Conference

titles as an individual and with relays. She helped Clemson’s 4x100 relay to a bronze medal last summer. Johnson expects her best season to date. “It is time for Stormy to elevate past the ACC level,” he said. “We need her to be a key contributor at the national championships. We’ve addressed that in our meetings with her.” Fellow senior Jasmine Edgerson has been a key contributor in so many different ways over the course of her career. She is a three-time All-American with the 4x1 and a 10-time All-ACC performer. Tabbed a “worker bee” by Johnson, the Marietta, GA native looks to contribute more as a short sprinter in 2013. Dezerea Bryant had arguably the most decorated freshman season in Clemson history in 2012. She swept the ACC short sprints and was named Freshman-ofthe-Year, was a three-time first-team AllAmerican, and capped it with a USA Junior Championship in the 100 meters.

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Valencia Hannon (Elmont, NY) will provide depth in the short sprints as a first-year freshman. The Tigers will be one of the best units in the country when it comes to the quarter mile. Marlena Wesh returns for her senior season after reaching the semifinals of the Olympic Games for Haiti. The nine-time ACC Champion broke the conference meet record with a winning time of 51.43 at the 2012 outdoor meet. She went on to earn first-team All-America honors in the 400 across both seasons, as well as with the 4x1. Wesh was the ACC Outdoor Track Athleteof-the-Year and also earned a silver medal in the 400 at the NACAC U23 Championships. “Being at the Olympic Games gave Marlena an appreciation for what it means to be on an international level,” Johnson said. “She has a different outlook this year, I can see it in her eyes already.” Nia Fluker and Brittany Pringley will also compete in the open 400 and with the mile relay. Johnson believes Fluker will take a step forward as a sophomore, and labeled her the strongest quarter miler he’s ever coached. She was part of two ACC Championship relays in 2012. Pringley, an All-American with the relay as a freshman in 2010, helped the Tigers to the NCAA Championships in the 4x4 last season. The group with perhaps the most to prove after a change in personnel could be the Tiger distance squad. Gone are AllACC staples Alyssa Kulik and Kim Ruck. Both were integral parts of Clemson’s success the past three seasons. Replacing Kulik’s productivity in the steeplechase, where she was a two-time All-American, must be at a premium in 2012-13. Rather than replacement by a single standout, it will be a group effort in the middle distance and distance areas. The most likely candidates to step up will be Natalie Anthony, Erin Barker and Kate Borowicz, three leaders of the cross country team in the fall. Anthony was a high point scorer last indoor season for the Tigers, while Barker has a year of eligibility after graduating from Furman. She and Borowicz were all-region in cross country this fall. While it may take time to adjust to new faces up front in the distance events, the same could not be said for Johnson’s hurdle crews. Clemson returns the nation’s deepest, most talented unit in the high hurdles, and improved its cast of all-star candidates in the intermediate hurdles as well. First and foremost in the hurdles unit is Brianna Rollins, a senior who has two outdoor

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seasons of eligibility remaining. The Miami, FL native was the 2011 NCAA Champion in the 60 hurdles, but also was runner-up last season in both high hurdle events at the national meets. Rollins made the final as the youngest competitor last summer in the U.S. Olympic Trials, falling just three spots shy of a berth on Team USA. Johnson believes big things are in store for Rollins in 2012-13. “My expectation for Brianna is to become a superstar,” he said. “She’s one of the top 10 hurdlers in the United States. I look for her to be amazing. She’s working harder than she’s ever worked in the offseason. It’s amazing how a little success will do that for you.” Behind Rollins, but not by much, is junior Bridgette Owens. She was the NCAA’s thirdplace finisher in both high hurdle events last season. Owens also has the ability to help the Tigers in the open 200 meters and with the 4x100 relay. A third high-impact performer in the high hurdles is Keni Harrison, a dual threat sophomore out of Clayton, NC. Harrison was the ACC Champion in the 400 hurdles last season and a second-team outdoor All-American in both events. She could be Clemson’s next superstar in the hurdles with a year of seasoning under her belt. Nnenya Hailey, a freshman from Atlanta, GA, will provide an immediate boost to the intermediate hurdles, and will also be a factor down the road in the high hurdles. She was the 2011 IAAF World Youth Champion in the 400 hurdles. The Tigers also added Keisha Richburg, a transfer from Miami Dade Community College. She was the Florida state champion in the 300 hurdles as a high school senior. Both will push returning senior Sonni Austin, a former NCAA Jasmine Edgerson, a three-time All-American, is one of the most versatile athletes in the nation. Photo by Rex Brown

qualifier in the 400 hurdles. The jumps will also feature a pair of new faces in 2012-13. April Sinkler, one of the greatest jumpers in ACC history, graduated. She will be replaced by a pair of freshmen, Shemiah Brooks of High Point, NC and Mimieux Land of Albany, GA. Brooks’ top event is the triple jump. She was a New Balance All-American indoor and outdoor in 2012, and a three-time state champion in the event as well. Land will compete in all three jumps, inheriting a role Tiger fans were accustomed to seeing from Sinkler. “Shemiah is tall with great leverage, while Mimi has a bubbly personality and is a heck of a competitor,” Johnson said. “They’ll both

Track & Field Schedule

make an impact as freshmen.” Both will push senior Jasmine Brunson to greater heights. Last season, she was the ACC indoor champion and a first-team All-American in the triple jump. She did not follow through with consistency during outdoor season, an area Johnson would like to see improvement in her final campaign. Clemson will be deep in the pole vault in 2012-13. Clemson returns its top four performers in that area and adds another body to make for some competitive practices. Christy Gasparino is the top returning vaulter. Last year, she advanced to her first NCAA national meet. Gasparino holds the Clemson outdoor record, while Lauren Terstappen is the indoor recordholder. Terstappen returns after her outdoor season was cut short due to injury. Caroline Bond also has an opportunity to give the Tigers three of the top pole vaulters in the ACC. Brittney Waller returns as a senior and Clemson’s top thrower. She is a two-time defending weight throw champion in the ACC, but looks to return to the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2011. “Brittney will have to deal with pressure and expectations,” Johnson said. “She’s as talented as any thrower I’ve ever seen, but she has to embrace the fact that we’re counting on her.” Clemson returns both of its multi-event athletes in 2012-13 in Karine Farias and Whitney Fountain. A red-shirt sophomore, Fountain was allconference in the pentathlon and heptathlon in 2012. She is better suited for the pentathlon since it doesn’t feature the javelin throw, arguably her weakest event. “Whitney will be a national scorer and ACC Champion for us,” Johnson said. “I’m excited for her development. I hope she’ll announce herself this year in our quest for this national championship.” Spoken like a coach who truly doesn’t back down from high expectations.

INDOOR

Date

Meet

Dec. 1 Jan. 11 Jan. 19 Jan. 25-26 Feb. 1-2 Feb. 8-9 Feb. 21-23 Mar. 1-2 Mar. 8-9

Orange & Purple Winter Classic Tiger Challenge Auburn Invitational Rod McCravy Memorial New Balance Invitational Tiger Paw Invitational Tyson Invitational Virginia Tech Elite ACC Championships Alex Wilson Invitational Virginia Tech Last Chance NCAA Championships

Date

Meet

Mar. 15-16 Mar. 22-23 Mar. 27-29 Apr. 5-6 Apr. 18-20 Apr. 25-27 May 4 May 10-11 May 23-25 Jun. 5-8 Jun. 19-22

49ers Classic UCF Invitational Texas Relays Tiger Track Classic Florida Relays ACC Championships Penn Relays Bob Pollock Invitational Clemson Tiger Qualifier NCAA East Preliminary Round NCAA Championships USATF Jr/Sr Championships

OUTDOOR

Location Clemson, SC Clemson, SC Birmingham, AL Lexington, KY New York, NY Clemson, SC Fayetteville, AR Blacksburg, VA Blacksburg, VA South Bend, IN Blacksburg, VA Fayetteville, AR Location Charlotte, NC Orlando, FL Austin, TX Auburn, AL Gainesville, FL Raleigh, NC Philadelphia, PA Clemson, SC Clemson, SC Greensboro, NC Eugene, OR Des Moines, IA

Note: Home events in bold.

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2012-13 SEASON OUTLOOK | men’s Track & Field by Philip Sikes

When examining the development of the Clemson men’s track & field program, there is no doubt the building process has been masked by the immense success enjoyed by its counterpart, the Tiger women. A closer look at Clemson’s results, however, reveals that the Tigers have been consistent and deliberate as they ascend the standings within the Atlantic Coast Conference. “If you look at the teams that have been successful in the ACC, it’s taken them about eight years to win that first title on the men’s side,” said Clemson Director of Track & Field Lawrence Johnson. “We’ve taken our time, so that when we win a championship, it sticks. We want to develop a model, one that we can sustain for a long period of time. I truly believe we’ll challenge for some ACC Championships the next two years.” To do that in 2013, Clemson will rely heavily upon the performances of hurdling sensation Spencer Adams. As a red-shirt junior, when focusing solely on track after a twosport career his first three years at Clemson, the results were glaring. He was a two-time first-team All-American, capped by a thirdplace finish in the 100 hurdles at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Adams, who graduated in December, will be Clemson’s key performer in the track events and the leader of a talented stable of hurdlers. “At this point, Spencer is very motivated,” Johnson said. “We want him to be a vocal leader, and he started that process in the offseason.” Adams won’t be Clemson’s only hurdler with national meet experience. Last year, Marcus Maxey made his first appearance at the NCAA Championships and was also an all-conference hurdler both seasons. Elijah Britton is another returning letterman that will have a chance to contribute in both hurdle events as a sophomore. If Adams is the key contributor for this team, sprinter Warren Fraser won’t be far behind. He was a 2012 Olympian, running the 100 meters for his native country of The Bahamas. Fraser ran a personal best 10.18 in the event and was a second-team All-American as a junior. He returns with a boost of confidence after an offseason that also included a silver medal in the NACAC U23 Champion-

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NCAA East Prelims in both the 800 and 1500, ships with the Bahamian relay. With the graduation of Justin Murdock, the and was fourth at the ACC Championships in short sprint success will hinge largely on the the latter event. Ramirez’s improvement conimpact of a freshman, Tevin Hester of Oxford, tinued in the fall, when he earned all-region NC. Hester is a dynamic sprinter who won the honors with cross country. New Balance National Championship last winter in the 60 dash. “Tevin is probName Hgt. Class Hometown Event(s) ably one of the most Jameel Abdul-Mateen 5-11 So. Covington, GA Jumps talented sprinters Spencer Adams 6-2 *Sr. Charlotte, NC Hurdles we have signed at Jack Andritsch 6-3 Fr. Fishers, IN Distance Clemson,” Johnson Fesser Bell 6-4 *Fr. Radford, VA Throws said. “He’s got serious Elijah Britton 6-2 So. El Paso, TX Hurdles Marcus Brown 6-4 Sr. Gaithersburg, MD Throws wheels and fantastic Shai Carpenter 6-2 So. Mauldin, SC Jumps range.” Travis Christenberry 6-1 Fr. Tampa, FL Distance Jameel Abdul-MaTodd Christy 6-3 So. Wauseon, OH Throws teen and Reggie LewJosh Copus 5-11 Fr. Winston-Salem, NC Distance is, who also double C.J. Davidson 5-11 So. Clemson, SC Jumps as long jumpers, may Josh Davis 5-9 Fr. Monument, CO Distance be able to help in the Daniel Dey 5-11 Fr. Orlando, FL Distance short sprints as well. Adam Doud 5-8 Fr. Seneca, SC Pole Vault Brunson Miller James Dwyer 5-11 So. Dunwoody, GA Distance Warren Fraser 5-9 Sr. Nassau, Bahamas Sprints transferred into the Roland Hakes 5-10 Fr. Irmo, SC Distance program from The Tevin Hester 5-7 Fr. Oxford, NC Sprints Citadel for his final La’Mont Jackson 6-0 *Jr. Winston-Salem, NC Sprints season of eligibilNathaniel Johnson 6-3 Fr. Atlanta, GA Middle Distance ity after a decorated Kevin Ketner 6-0 So. Fort Mill, SC Distance Southern Conference Jalen Langston 6-4 Fr. Douglasville, GA High Jump tenure. Including reStephen Lewandowski 5-9 Fr. Mountain Lakes, NJ Distance lays, he won seven Reggie Lewis 5-11 So. Albany, GA Sprints/Jumps SoCon titles and owns Martin Maloney 5-11 *Gr. Apple Valley, MN Distance a personal best of Ryan Mangone 5-8 Sr. Pittsburgh, PA Middle Distance Marcus Maxey 6-2 Sr. Athens, GA Hurdles 46.97 in the 400 dash. Ty McCormack 6-3 *So. Gainesville, GA Distance He will be pushed by Sam McGill 5-7 *Fr. Aiken, SC Distance returning letterman Brunson Miller 6-0 Sr. Murrells Inlet, SC Sprints La’Mont Jackson, who Steven Phillips 5-5 Fr. Cary, NC Distance has endured a rash of Cole Rains 5-9 Fr. Asheville, NC Distance injuries the last two Aaron Ramirez 5-8 Jr. Piedmont, SC Distance seasons. Jaron Roberson 6-3 So. Atlanta, GA Hurdles/Sprints “Brunson is a hard Will Robinson 5-9 Sr. Chadds Ford, PA Jumps worker and is very Michael Smith 6-1 Fr. Lithonia, GA Sprints/Hurdles Cory Thalheimer 6-1 Sr. Hopkinton, MA Throws disciplined,” Johnson Tim Tyler 5-11 So. Mt. Pleasant, SC Distance said. “He’s a leader, Torian Ware 6-4 So. Crawfordville, GA High Jump and that’s one thing Joel White 6-0 Sr. St. Catherine, Jamaica Sprints/Hurdles our men’s team has Kyle Younkin 6-3 Jr. Somerset, PA Sprints been lacking.” Director of Track & Field: Lawrence Johnson In the middle disAssociate Head Coach: Tim Hall tance, Clemson looks Assistant Coaches: Brad Herbster, Chris Bostwick, Chris Huffins, Adrain Mann to talented junior Operations Manager: Shawn Cobey Aaron Ramirez to lead Graduate Assistant: Anne Powell the group. Ramirez Note: * denotes student-athlete has red-shirted one season. qualified for the

MEN’S TRACK & FIELD ROSTER

IPTAY Seat Value x Number of Seats = Required IPTAY Donation

ue to strengthen opportunities

ng despite major

om $30.

ed parking spot

0%.

Life Donors/Endowment As was done in 2008, the modification of the IPTAY Seat Equity Plan will allow Life Donors to purchase the number of seats outlined in their respective Life Donor agreements as it pertains to the specific IPTAY giving level. These seats in the Life Donor agreement will not be affected; however, seats purchased above and beyond the Life Donor agreed upon number (included in the agreement) will be impacted by the modification of the IPTAY Seat Equity Plan, similar to the 2008 IPTAY Seat Equity Plan. Faculty/Staff

ion among the o implement a program.

kets, Clemson all attendance annual giving ve at or above g in Memorial

hletes at they needed to acilities costs.

per seat rial Stadium is entering ents have been ctors and the a $50 per seat justing the

A faculty/staff member will have the same opportunity to maintain current seats as an IPTAY Donor. Continuing from the 2008 IPTAY Seat Equity Plan, a current Clemson faculty/staff member who purchases tickets will receive $140 credit toward an IPTAY membership which may be applied to the modification of the IPTAY Seat Equity Plan. If the faculty/staff member already maintains an IPTAY Donor level, $140 will be credited/added to his/her current IPTAY level. What is the IPTAY Seat Equity Plan designed to accomplish? The modification of the IPTAY Seat Equity Plan is a common system utilized in intercollegiate athletics to enhance the annual support provided to student-athletes. When the initial IPTAY Seat Equity Plan was announced and implemented in 2008, one component of the plan permitted a marketplace review of the values of each section of seating in Memorial Stadium following the fifth year of the implementation. Does this plan mean that everyone in your section pays the same amount of money? A misconception when we use the term “equity” is that each IPTAY Donor sitting next to another IPTAY Donor is paying the same amount as the other. This is true in some cases, but there are many factors that contribute to this not being exact. Obviously, the quantity

throughout Memorial Stadium for a five-year period. After reviewing the marketplace and comparing many factors, we felt it was critical to make the appropriate modifications for the 2013 football season.

The payment of the annual cost of athletic scholarships.

The payment or reimbursement of the operating expenses of IPTAY.

Will the IPTAY Seat Equity Plan be required beyond 2013?

The establishment and maintenance of an adequate scholarship reserve fund deemed appropriate by the IPTAY Board of Directors.

Any expenditure other than those established under the previous three priorities shall be limited to either direct or indirect aid to the athletic program of Clemson University and must be approved by the IPTAY Board of Directors.

Yes. The IPTAY Seat Equity Plan works in conjunction with your annual IPTAY contribution and will be necessary for your season ticket renewal each year. Also, the donation levels and seat values associated with each specific section may be revised to address the future needs of IPTAY and the Clemson University Athletic Department. The IPTAY Board and Athletic Department will review the IPTAY Seat Equity Plan each year. How will I be notified of the specific IPTAY Seat Equity Plan for the renewal of my football season tickets? You will receive a statement in September 2012 that will indicate your required IPTAY donation based on the 2013 IPTAY Seat Equity Plan. In order to maintain your current seat location, 50% of this donation needs to be completed by February 15, 2013 to ensure your preferred season-ticket renewal. Each subsequent year, IPTAY will send renewal solicitations in early fall with a deadline of February of the following year for 50% of total IPTAY contribution. Do I have to participate in the annual IPTAY Seat Equity Plan to keep my season-ticket location? Yes. The IPTAY Seat Equity Plan is a requirement for renewal of season tickets in these identified priority locations. How will this affect my parking assignment? Parking is reassigned on an annual basis using each donor’s annual giving level and priority point total. As donors make a decision to increase their giving to retain seats or to request seat improvements, parking assignments will be affected.

7/25/12 2:56 PM

Warren Fraser, a 2012 Olympian for The Bahamas, is one of the nation’s top short sprinters. Photo by Rex Brown

Ty McCormack is Clemson’s best longer distance runner, but he red-shirted the fall cross country season after taking part in a study abroad program in China. McCormack

FBItickets2011.indd 5

is expected to return for indoor and outdoor track, and when he does, he has All-ACC potential in the steeplechase. He ran a personal best 8:50.35 at last year’s NCAA East Prelims.

Clemson’s field event athletes include several talented sophomores in the horizontal and vertical jumps. Last year, Clemson competed three freshmen in the long jump and

6/27/2011 DECEMB E r 29:06:26 0 1 2 AM ❘ 53

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Track & Field Schedule

Spencer Adams (center) triple jump, with Shai Carpenter having the and Marcus Maxey are most consistent impact. He was an All-ACC one of the top hurdling triple jumper and set the school’s outdoor tandems in the country. freshman record for the event. Carpenter Photo by Rex Brown will be supported by Abdul-Mateen in the long jump. He showed flashes of potential as a freshman, and will be pushed by Lewis, who transferred from Kennesaw State. Torian Ware is the team’s only returning vertical jumper, and he neared the seven-foot mark in the high jump on multiple occasions. He was an All-ACC performer during the 2012 indoor season with a leap of 6’11.75”. “Torian is our quiet giant,” Johnson said. “He’s very focused. When we needed Torian at the conference meet, he came through as a freshman. That’s indicative of the kind of guy he can be for us.” In the throws, Clemson returns all three of its top performers from a year ago in Marcus Brown, Todd Christy and Cory Thalheimer. A transfer from Maryland-Eastern Shore, Brown was a consistent scorer in the shot put on the ACC level. Thalheimer, one of the team leaders, also has the ability to contend for all-conference honors in the shot put. All of Clemson’s field event athletes will be under the direction of new assistant coaches. Chris Bostwick will be in charge of Clemson’s horizontal jumpers, while Chris Huffins will work with Ware in the high jump, and with Clemson’s throwers. Both have been highly successful at major Division I programs, but more importantly, both are known as tenacious recruiters. “To be better as a program, it was important to attract talented recruiters,” Johnson said. “For the type of athletes we want, we need talented coaches. Along with our new sprints and hurdles assistant, Adrain Mann, they all exemplify what we are trying to do at Clemson. Our coaches are key in the continued development of our men’s program.”

INDOOR

Date

Meet

Dec. 1 Jan. 11 Jan. 19 Jan. 25-26 Feb. 1-2 Feb. 8-9 Feb. 21-23 Mar. 1-2 Mar. 8-9

Date

Meet

Mar. 15-16 Mar. 22-23 Mar. 27-29 Apr. 5-6 Apr. 18-20 Apr. 25-27 May 4 May 10-11 May 23-25 Jun. 5-8 Jun. 19-22

Note: Home events in bold.

OUTDOOR

Count on The Journal to be your information source. In print or online, our publications cover life in the Upstate and all you need to know for your busy lifestyle. The Journal is the Upstate’s source for the latest news and features on Clemson football, basketball, baseball and all sports, including up to the minute recruiting news.

We’re here, 24/7, for you!

210 W. N. 1st Street | Seneca, SC 29678 | phone: 864.882.2375 | fax: 864. 882.2381

DECEMBEr 2012

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NCAA Compliance

Compliance during the Bowl Season

eading up to the bowl game will be activities filled with excitement and fun for everyone. Our football team, and many of their families, will be in attendance and participating in the wide variety of activities related to the bowl game. As a result, you may come into contact with some of our studentathletes and their relatives or friends. Please be reminded that providing an extra benefit or service (i.e., meals, transportation, event admission, discounts) to a student-athlete or any member of his family is prohibited per NCAA rules and regulations. Furthermore, any actions on your part (or those of your family members) deemed as impermissible per NCAA rules may jeopardize the eligibility of the student-athlete for the bowl game and beyond. An extra benefit is defined as any special arrangement made by an institutional staff member or a booster that provides a student-athlete or the student-athlete’s friend or family a benefit that is not expressly authorized by NCAA rules. If a benefit is generally available to the institution’s students or their relatives or friends, it is not considered to be an extra benefit. Examples of extra benefits to student-athletes which would jeopardize a student-athlete’s eligibility at Clem-

son University include, but are not limited to: • Inviting current student-athletes to tailgating parties before or after football games (or any other athletics event); • Allowing a student-athlete the use of your automobile or providing any form of transportation; • Paying a student-athlete compensation for work not actually performed; • Paying for a student-athlete’s complimentary tickets or athletic awards; • Providing free or reduced-cost services, rentals, or purchases of any type; • Providing free or reduced-cost entertainment or tickets; • Providing free or reduced-cost housing; • Providing increased employment salary based on the student-athlete’s athletics ability, reputation, or fame; • Providing free or reduced-cost storage of personal belongings; • Providing financial arrangements (e.g. signing or cosigning a loan); • Providing a loan of money, gift, or use of credit card; We thank you for your continued cooperation and support. Your compliance with NCAA, ACC and Clemson University rules and regulations is essential to Clemson’s continued success.

Happy Holidays!

ASK BEFORE YOU ACT!

If you have any questions or seen any violations of NCAA rules, please contact Compliance Services immediately at compliance-L@clemson.edu or at (864) 656-1580.

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DECEMBEr 2012

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IPTAY member appreciation day

nov. 17, 2012 Photos by Tyler Smith and Annemarie Jacques

Before the football game against North Carolina State on Nov. 17, IPTAY hosted its second Member Appreciation Day at Littlejohn Coliseum. Over 3,500 people attended the event, held to thank IPTAY members for all they do for Clemson and its student-athletes. Highlighting the festivities were barbecue, games, giveaways and a performance by TakeNote, Clemson Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s exclusive all-female a cappella ensemble.

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DECEMBEr 2012

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O r a n g e : T h e E x p e r i e n ce

Photo courtesy of Clemson Sports Information

Clemsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s best moment in the Georgia Dome occurred in 2003 when the Tigers upset sixth-ranked Tennessee to claim the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl trophy. Running back Chad Jasmin (#10) was named Most Outstanding Player.

IPTAY Mr. Jimmie Verdin passed away May 1. He was an IPTAY Member for 27 years. Mr. Avery Garrison, Jr. passed away September 11. He was an IPTAY Member for 59 years. Mr. J. Leighton Brown passed away November 3. He was an IPTAY Member for 55 years. Dr. William Clinkscales Sr. passed away November 3. He was an IPTAY Member for 8 years. Mr. Wendell Boggs passed away November 9. He was an IPTAY Member for 35 years. Mr. Porter Adams passed away November 12. He was an IPTAY Member for 69 years.

Mr. Walter Riggan passed away November 18. He was an IPTAY Member for 28 years. Mr. Ted Malphrus passed away November 21. He was an IPTAY Member for 48 years. Dr. Marion Gillespie passed away November 21. He was an IPTAY Member for 44 years. Mr. Malcolm Craven passed away November 24. He was an IPTAY Member for 47 years.

DECEMBEr 2012

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IPTAY R DONotOos ph

One day old Bennett Ann Robinson watching the Tigers beat Wake Forest with pare nts Jenn and Andy (‘04) Robinson! Born a Tige r! Oct. 25, 2012.

ndy Hamilton (‘99), L-R: Brenda Jackson, We ary Young and em Ros er, eel Wh Jessica ”All In.” are ckin Ma Mc Rhonda

Kennedy, Wendell L-R: Chrissy Morin, Will ham, Chris Kennedy Stid ny Jen ), (‘79 ham Stid y (‘06) having some (‘06), and Kelly Kenned th Valley. Dea in fun family

Stanley & Sandra Sheeley celebrated their 45th anniversary in Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia (September 2012).

Terry (‘72) and Jean-Marie K. (‘72) Taylor with Gray (‘66) and Dee (‘76) Walsh at Yosemite National Park.

The Lot 7 Loonie Ladies with Bert Henderson before a football game.

Amelia Caroline Harmon was born in September 2012 to Andrew and Leslie Tate Harmon (both ‘06) of Greenville, SC.

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Paige Elizabeth Bowling born Sept. 13, 2012, daughter of IPTAY repres entative Jami Bowling (‘05) and Wes Bowling from Greenwood, SC.

Kris (‘08) and Tracy (‘07 ) Johansson at the Miraflores Locks of the Panama Canal on their honeymoon.

) (‘14), Melissa Pryor (‘81 Hunter Pryor-Goldsmith in s cier gla ng aki Kay ith and Alex Pryor-Goldsm Seward, Alaska.

a Diving Alumni enjoying Clemson Swimming and e. gam h Tec rgia Geo the reunion tailgate before

Ella, Maya, Sam, Jed, James, Rayebeth, Perry, Tayloe and Andie are the grandchildren of Gail and Terry Richardson of Barnwell, SC. They are enjoying family weekend at Clemson.

L-R: Cole Chason, Tim DeBeer, Will Proctor, Ainsley Earhardt Proctor, Reggie Merriweather and Kyle Tucker.

John Michael LeGrand (‘99) the principal of Bain Elementary School in Charlotte, NC with his his 3rd graders at the recent Orange and Purple Day.

Colt, Logan and Haley Martin on the Fourth of July in DC. Grandchildren of Cleo and Sandra Martin of Anderson, SC.

Preston Everett Weave r, son of Allison G. Weaver and Cha d E. Weaver.

Charles Ables (‘65), LtC ol USAF Retired, and his wife Janet drove fro m their home in Pennsylvania for the Mil itary Appreciation Day activities. L-R: Jan et, sister-in-law Janice, brother Edward , and Charles.

Kate (back row, middle ) and Abby (back row, right) Brownell, daughters of Clemson basketball coach Brad Brownell, enj oyed the team’s trip to Disney ’s Magic Kingdom over Thanksgiv ing along with the children of the assistant coaches and support sta ff.

r ‘09 ), Walter Andrew Brackin (Lande Veteran), II (WW Sr. ckin Bra Glenn (‘15) and Mark III ckin Bra nn Walter Gle Tiger Rag was The ). Calvin Brackin (‘17 e “Glenn” by inscribed with the nam Friday Lunch the Greenville-Clemson sing of pas the ize bol Club to sym in April 2012. Walter Glenn Brackin Jr.

E-mail photos, information & IPTAY number to Lindsey Leonard at lsweval@clemson.edu, or mail IPTAY, Attn: Lindsey Leonard, PO Box 1529, Clemson, SC 29633

DECEMBEr 2012

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A Great Opportunity by Tim Bourret

hen I called Dalton Freeman on December 2 to get his comments on playing LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl 29 days later, one of the first things he said was, “It is a great opportunity.” The Tigers will take on one of the most respected programs in the country in Les Miles’ Tigers. They are ranked seventh in the nation in the AP poll entering the bowl season, tied for the fifth highest team Clemson has faced in a bowl game. LSU is a program that has won two National Championships in the last 10 years, played in three National Championship games (including just last year) and won four SEC titles since 2001. They have six bowl wins in the last 11 years and finished in the top 10 of the AP and USA Today polls seven of the last 11 years. Yes, a win over LSU would be a great opportunity to see the Clemson football program take another step up the national elite ladder. There have already been many rungs climbed this year. First, Clemson finally broke the “even numbered year jinx.” This is the first time Clemson has won more than eight games in an even numbered year since 1990. It is the first time Clemson has had consecutive 10-win seasons since the 1987-90 era when the Tigers had four in a row. Second, Clemson won in dominant fashion. There was a record seven-game streak in which Clemson won every game by at least two touchdowns and scored at least 37 points in each of those games. Clemson won seven games in ACC play, and all seven were by at least two touchdowns. Third, this team took care of business

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Dabo Swinney’s team has a tremendous chance at national respect with a win over seventh-ranked LSU in the Chickfil-A Bowl on Dec. 31.

against teams it was supposed to defeat. Clemson was 9-0 against unranked teams (entering the game) and that is the first time Clemson has been perfect against unranked teams since 1990. That perfect record is already clinched, as LSU is certainly a ranked opponent. But a win over LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl would give the Tigers the opportunity to make great strides when it comes to national respect. Clemson has actually gained in national respect in its two previous bowl games against LSU. In the 1959 Sugar Bowl, the Tigers played the No. 1 ranked LSU team, Clemson’s only appearance in that BCS level game in New Orleans. LSU had All-American and future (1959) Heisman Trophy winner Billy Cannon. In those days, the national champion was named at the end of the regular season, so LSU did not have to win the game to claim the National Championship, but they certainly wanted to close with a perfect season. Many felt Clemson, with two losses, did not deserve to play Paul Dietzel’s Tigers. And,

Head Coach Frank Howard used many newspaper editorials that expressed that feeling to motivate his team. The two teams were tied at the half, but Clemson had dominated the play (in fact, Clemson had the ball for 20 more plays in the game). LSU finally scored on a halfback option pass from Cannon to tight end Mickey Mangham to take a 7-0 lead in the third quarter. In the final quarter, Clemson drove from its own 17-yard line for 17 plays (still the most plays in a drive in a bowl game in Clemson history). But, a fourth-down pass fell incomplete with a little over two minutes left, and LSU escaped with the 7-0 victory. In 1996, Clemson faced a 9-2 LSU team that was ranked in the top 20 in the nation in all the polls. Tommy West’s team was tremendous defensively, thanks to future first-round picks Anthony Simmons, Trevor Pryce and Antwan Edwards. Raymond Priester gained 150 yards on the ground, a Clemson bowl game record, but LSU escaped with a 10-7 victory. In both games Clemson gained credibility as a solid football program, but that opportunity to move up on the national stage with a victory, just slipped away. This 2012 Tiger team has the goal of emulating the 2003 team that faced a sixthranked Tennessee team in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl. The Tigers were outstanding on both sides of the ball that night, and Tommy Bowden’s team came away with a 27-14 victory. That game impressed the voters to the point that Clemson moved into the final top 25, the only season the Tigers have been unranked during the entire regular season, and then finished in the final AP and USA Today polls. That Clemson team took advantage of an opportunity. This Clemson team has another opportunity. A victory over the seventhranked Tigers from the SEC would vault Clemson into the top 10 in the nation, a final ranking Clemson has not had since a No. 9 finish in the AP and USA Today polls of 1990. And a No. 9 finish to this season would give the Tigers a new level of respect, one not seen since the 1980s when games between Clemson and Georgia commanded the attention of the nation. And by the way, Clemson opens the 2013 season against those same Bulldogs in Death Valley.

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the lunney house museum

Visit the new south architecture-style of liVing open to the public thurs. - sat. 1-5 p.m.

Other hours by appointment. Admission by donation. 211 W. South 1st Street, Seneca • 864.882.4811 or email: LunneyHouseMuseum.org

WHILE YOU’RE HERE, VISIT OUR PARTNERS...

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www.seneca.sc.us / 864.885.2700