Clemson Tigers

Clemson Tigers
University Clemson University
Conference Atlantic Coast Conference
NCAA Division I
Athletic director Dan Radakovich
Location Clemson, South Carolina
Varsity teams 19
Football stadium Memorial Stadium
Basketball arena Littlejohn Coliseum
Baseball stadium Doug Kingsmore Stadium
Mascot The Tiger
Nickname Tigers
Fight song "Tiger Rag"
Colors Orange and Regalia[1]
         
Website clemsontigers.com

The Clemson Tigers are the athletic teams representing Clemson University. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level (Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) sub-level for football), primarily competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) for all sports since the 1953-54 season. Men's sports include baseball, basketball, cross country, football, golf, soccer, tennis and track & field; while women's sports include basketball, cross country, golf, rowing, soccer, diving, tennis, track & field and volleyball.

In 1896, football coach Walter Riggs came to Clemson, then Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina, from Auburn University. He had always admired the Princeton Tigers, and hence gave Clemson the Tiger mascot. The Clemson Tigers field seventeen athletic teams. In men's sports there are: football, basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, golf, track and field (indoor and outdoor) and cross-country. For women's sports, there are: basketball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, track and field (indoor and outdoor), cross-country and rowing. The South Carolina Gamecocks are Clemson's in-state athletic rival. The two institutions compete against each other in many sports, but the annual football game receives the most attention. Clemson's main rivals within the Atlantic Coast Conference are Georgia Tech and Florida State.

Tiger Paw logo

The full wordmark

The Tiger Paw logo was introduced at a press conference on July 21, 1970. It was created by John Antonio and developed by Helen Weaver of Henderson Advertising in Greenville, South Carolina, from a mold of a Bengal tiger sent to the agency by the Field Museum of Natural History in Chicago.[2][3] The telltale hook at the bottom of the paw is a sign that this is the official licensed trademark for the university.[4]

"If you've ever wondered why the Clemson Tiger Paw has a small fishhook-shaped indention on the base, well, that's a scar from a wound the tiger — whose paw was used to make the cast — had received."[5]

Facilities

The most prominent of Clemson's facilities is Memorial Stadium, Frank Howard Field, home to the Clemson University men's football team. Memorial Stadium is also known by its nickname, "Death Valley." Memorial Stadium is also home to the WestZone, which was completed in 2006. With the completion of the first phase of the WestZone, the listed capacity for Memorial Stadium is 80,301. The WestZone holds many IPTAY offices, Clemson football coach's offices, weight rooms, locker rooms, and a recruiting center.

The men's and women's basketball teams play at Littlejohn Coliseum, which has a listed capacity of 10,000 spectators. Littlejohn also acts as a venue for a variety of campus functions throughout the year, including concerts and graduation ceremonies.

Recently renovated Doug Kingsmore Stadium is home to Clemson's men's baseball team.

The men's and women's soccer teams play their home games at historic Riggs Field.

Other home venues for these sports are: Walker Golf Course, Hoke Sloan Tennis Center, Jervey Gym (volleyball), Rock Norman Track Complex, and McHugh Natatorium. Women's rowing holds home events on nearby Lake Hartwell.

Teams

Clemson University sponsors teams in nine men's and nine and a half* women's NCAA sanctioned sports.[6]

Men's Intercollegiate Sports

Women's Intercollegiate Sports

Football

The Tiger football program has won 59.1% of its games through the 2010 season, placing it 34th on the all-time winning percentage list. Clemson also won two Southern Conference titles before joining the ACC. The program has participated in 33 bowl games over the years, winning 16. The 1981 squad, led by Head Coach Danny Ford, became the first athletic team in school history to win a national championship. Clemson defeated Nebraska 22–15 in the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida to win the 1981 NCAA Football National Championship. Stars of the game included Homer Jordan (QB) and Perry Tuttle (WR). Clemson finished the year 12–0 and ranked #1 in the Associated Press and Coaches polls.

Some of the most notable coaching names in Clemson football history are John Heisman (who also coached at Akron, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Penn, Washington & Jefferson, and Rice; the Heisman Trophy is named after him), Jess Neely, Frank Howard (whom the playing field at Death Valley is named after), and Danny Ford. After Tommy Bowden resigned midseason on October 13, 2008, Dabo Swinney took over as interim head coach.[7] On December 1, 2008, Swinney was named head coach of the Clemson Tigers football team.[8]

Before each home game, the team ends pre-game warm ups and proceeds to the locker room. With five minutes to go before game time, three buses leave the street behind the West Endzone carrying the Clemson football players. The buses pull to a stop at the gate in front of The Hill, and the Tigers gather at the top, where each player proceeds to rub "Howard's Rock," which is an imported rock from Death Valley, California that was presented to Frank Howard in 1967. While Tiger Rag is played and a cannon sounds, the Tigers run down the hill onto the field in front of over 83,000 screaming fans. This tradition has been dubbed "The most exciting 25 seconds in college football" by sportscaster Brent Musburger.[9]

National Champions 1981
ACC Champions 1956, 1958, 1959, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1978, 1981, 1982, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1991, 2011, 2015
ACC Atlantic Division Champions 2009, 2011, 2015
Southern Conference Champions 1940, 1948
Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association Champions 1900 (t), 1902
Bowl victories 1940 Cotton Bowl Classic, 1949 Gator Bowl, 1951 Orange Bowl, 1959 Bluebonnet Bowl, 1978 Gator Bowl, 1982 Orange Bowl, 1986 Gator Bowl, 1988 Florida Citrus Bowl, 1989 Citrus Bowl, 1989 Gator Bowl, 1991 Hall of Fame Bowl, 1993 Peach Bowl, 2001 Humanitarian Bowl, 2004 Peach Bowl, 2005 Champs Sports Bowl, 2009 Music City Bowl, 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl, 2014 Orange Bowl, 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl, 2015 Orange Bowl

Graduation rates

Year of Report Graduation Rate, Male Students Graduation Rate, Football 4-Class Average, Male Students 4-Class Average, Football Graduation Success Rate, Football Source
2000 68% 56% 68% 56% [10]
2001 66% 55% 67% 57% [11]
2002 65% 29% 67% 47% [12]
2003 67% 78% 66% 53% [13]
2004 68% 45% 66% 51% [14]
2005 69% 48% 67% 49% 94% [15]
2006 72% 70% 69% 59% 77% [16]
2007 70% 67% 70% 56% 75% [17]
2008 74% 41% 71% 55% 68% [18]
2009 76% 72% 73% 61% 67% [19]
2010 73% 41% 73% 54% 60% [20]

For the graduating classes of 2000-2010, according to statistics reported to the NCAA,[21] the graduation rate for male students at Clemson has increased from an average of about 68% in 2000 to about 73% in 2010, while the graduation rate for football student-athletes at Clemson has decreased slightly over that period from an average of about 56% to about 54%. In other words, the graduation gap between football players and other male students has increased from 12% to 19% over the past decade.

Since 2000, the four-year average graduating rate for male students at Clemson has stayed steady at an average of about 69%, while the four-year average graduating rate for football student-athletes at Clemson has stayed steady at an average of about 54%.

Beginning in 2005, the NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) was developed in response to complaints from college and university presidents. "The GSR measures graduation rates at Division I institutions and includes students transferring into the institutions. The GSR also allows institutions to subtract student-athletes who leave their institutions prior to graduation as long as they would have been academically eligible to compete had they remained."[22]

The GSR for the Clemson football program has decreased every year since the metric was introduced, from 94% in 2005 to 60% in 2010.

Basketball

The Clemson Men's Basketball team is coached by head coach Brad Brownell, announced April 13, 2010. Accomplishments include:

NCAA Tournament Appearances 1980, 1987, 1989, 1990*, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011
NCAA Elite 8 1980
NCAA Sweet 16 1990*, 1997
NIT Appearances 1975, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2014
NIT Runner-Up 1999, 2007
Southern Conference Champions 1939
ACC Regular Season Champions 1990 (not officially recognized by the conference)[23][24]

*vacated by NCAA [25]

The Clemson Women's Basketball team is currently coached by head coach Audra Smith. Accomplishments include:

NCAA Tournament Appearances 1982, 1988–1994, 1996–2002
NCAA Elite 8 1991
NCAA Sweet 16 1989, 1990, 1999
AIAW Tournament Appearance 1981
WNIT Tournament Appearances 1980, 1984 (3rd Place), 1995, 2004
ACC Tournament Champions 1996, 1999
ACC Regular Season Champions 1981

Baseball

As of 2008, the Tiger baseball team has posted a combined 30 ACC regular season and tournament championships (most in the conference), 34 NCAA Tournament appearances, 16 NCAA Regional Titles, 4 NCAA Super Regional Titles, and 12 College World Series appearances. Much of the baseball program's success occurred under Bill Wilhelm during his 35 seasons as Clemson's head coach. Monte Lee is the Tigers' current head coach, having replaced Jack Leggett after the conclusion of the 2015 season.

CWS Appearances 1958, 1959, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1991, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2010
ACC Tournament Champions* 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 2006
ACC Regular Season Champions 1954*, 1958*, 1959*, 1967*, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979*, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 2006
ACC Atlantic Division Champions 2006, 2010
Southern Conference Champions 1947

Soccer

The men's soccer team was Clemson's second sports program to win a national championship, winning the NCAA Tournament in 1984 and again in 1987.[26][27] In their 26 appearances in the NCAA tournament, the men's soccer team garnered runner-up finishes in 1979 and 2015, and has appeared in the NCAA Final Four eight times, with the 2015 squad being the most recent team to accomplish that feat.[28] In addition to their NCAA titles, the men's program has won 16 combined ACC regular season and tournament titles, with the last one coming in the 2014 ACC Tournament. The Tigers have known only three coaches in their history: Dr. I.M. Ibrahim (1967–1994, 388–100–31 career record) and Trevor Adair(1995–present, 50–48–10 record at Clemson) and Mike Noonan. Former Tiger Oguchi Onyewu played with Clemson in 2000 and is currently with Sporting CP. Other former Tigers include Stuart Holden and Paul Stalteri, both of whom are capped for their respective nations.

NCAA Champions 1984, 1987
NCAA Runner-up 1979, 2015
NCAA Final Four 1973, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1984, 1987, 2005, 2015
NCAA Tournament Appearances 1972–1979, 1981–1985, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000–2003, 2005, 2006, 2013-2015
ACC Tournament Champions* 1998, 2001, 2014
ACC Regular Season Champions 1972*, 1973*, 1974*, 1975*, 1976*, 1977*, 1978*, 1979*, 1981*, 1982*, 1985*, 1990, 1993, 1998
ACC Atlantic Division Champions 2014 (t)
Herman Trophy Winners 2 (Bruce Murray - 1987, Wojtek Krakowiak - 1998)

Women's soccer became a varsity sport at Clemson in 1994.

NCAA Tournament Appearances 1994–2007, 2014-2015
ACC Regular Season Champions 2000

Golf

The Tiger golf team have a tradition of being among the best in the ACC and the nation, having won several ACC titles and regularly qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. In 2003, Clemson defeated Oklahoma State to win its first National Championship in golf and the 4th overall for the school.[29] In addition to that victory, Clemson also won the ACC and NCAA East Regional titles that year, making the Tigers the first program in NCAA history to win its conference, regional, and national championship tournaments in the same year.[29] Clemson has also won seven regional titles since the NCAA adopted the regional tournament format in 1989. 2009 U.S. Open champion Lucas Glover played golf at Clemson.

NCAA Team Champions 2003
NCAA Individual Champions 1 (Charles Warren - 1997)
NCAA Team Runner-Up 1998, 2001
NCAA Individual Runner-up 3 (Charles Warren - 1998, Kyle Stanley - 2007, 2009)
NCAA Team 3rd Place 1989, 1997, 2002
NCAA East Regional Champions 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004
NCAA Individual Regional Champions 2 (Mark Swygert - 1994, D. J. Trahan - 2002)
All-Americans 51
ACC Team Champions 1982, 1987, 1988, 1990 (tie), 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004, 2016
ACC Individual Champions 8
All-ACC 69

Other varsity sports

Men's Track and Field
NCAA Indoor Team Runner-Up 1992, 1993
NCAA Indoor Team 3rd Place 1998(t), 1999
NCAA Individual/Relay Champions 8 (Indoor)

3 (Outdoor)

All-Americans 69 (Indoor)

99 (Outdoor)

NCAA East Region Individual/Relay Champions (Outdoor) 4
NCAA All-East Region (Outdoor) 18
ACC Team Indoor Champions 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
ACC Team Outdoor Champions 1980, 1982, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004
ACC Individual/Relay Champions 112 (Indoor)

178 (Outdoor)

All-ACC 174 (Indoor)

227 (Outdoor)

Women's Track and Field
NCAA Indoor 3rd Place 2001 (t)
NCAA Outdoor 4th Place 2012 (t)
NCAA Individual/Relay Champions 5 (Indoor)

2 (Outdoor)

All-Americans 30 (Indoor)

39 (Outdoor)

NCAA All-East Region (Outdoor) 8
ACC Indoor Team Champions 1992, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015
ACC Outdoor Champions 1991, 1999, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2015
ACC Individual/Relay Champions 47 (Indoor)

70 (Outdoor)

All-ACC 96 (Indoor)

117 (Outdoor)

Men's Cross-Country
NCAA Region Champions 1983
NCAA Individual Region Champions 4
All-Americans 11
ACC Team Champions 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1988
ACC Individual Champions 11
All-ACC 35
Women's Cross-Country
NCAA Region Champions 1990
All-Americans 9
ACC Team Champions 1986
ACC Individual Champions 2
All-ACC 22
Men's Tennis
NCAA Tournament Appearances 1979–1989, 1992, 1996–2000, 2003–2007, 2013-2014
NCAA Individual Runner-up 1 (Lawson Duncan - 1984)
All-Americans 29
ACC Tournament Champions 1969, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1997
ACC Regular Season Champions 1969, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1997
ACC Single Flight Champions 43
ACC Doubles Flight Champions 25
SIAA Single Flight Champions 1
SIAA Doubles Flight Champions 1
Women's Tennis
NCAA Final Four 2004, 2005
NCAA Tournament Appearances 1982–1984, 1986, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002–2015
AIAW Tournament Appearances 1978, 1980, 1981
NCAA Individual Runner-up 1 (Gigi Fernández - 1983)
All-Americans 24
ACC Tournament Champions 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 2004, 2008
ACC Regular Season Champions 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 2004, 2007
ACC Single Flight Champions 40
ACC Doubles Flight Champions 22
Women's Volleyball
ACC Tournament Champions 1997*
ACC Regular Season Champions 1999, 2007*
NCAA Tournament 1993, 1994, 1997–1999, 2007–2009
Women's Rowing
NCAA Individual Champions 1 (2009 Varsity 4+)
ACC Team Champions 2009
South Region Runner-Up 2008

Discontinued varsity sports

[30]

Men's Swimming and Diving 1919-2012
ACC Team Champions 1986
ACC Individual/Relay Champions 49
All-ACC 43
SoCon Champions 1939
Women's Swimming and Diving 1975-2012*
ACC Team Champions 1987, 1988, 1989, 1997
ACC Individual/Relay Champions 82
All-ACC 89

Wrestling

Wrestling 1975-1995
ACC Regular Season Champions 1991
ACC Individual Champions 28
NCAA Individual Champions Noel Loban (1980)

Sammie Henson (1993, 1994)

NCAA All-Americans 8

Wrestling at Clemson University was banned in 1995 despite the success of the program due to financial shortages from Tiger Athletics funding from the university. The wrestling program began in 1975 winning the ACC title as a team in 1991. The Tiger wrestling program produced 8 overall wrestlers with All-American status, two NCAA Champions, and a finish at the NCAA Championships as high as 7th in 1994.[31] Sammie Henson is a former standout at Clemson, as one of the most accomplished tiger wrestlers with a 1993 and 1994 NCAA Champion titles who eventually earned a 2000 Olympic silver medal and became a 1998 World champion in freestyle wrestling.

Boxing 1930s-1948
SoCon Team Champions 1938, 1940
Socon Individual Champions 7
Men's Fencing 1970-1982
NCAA Runner-Up 1982
NCAA Tournament 1976-1982
ACC Champions 1979, 1981
ACC Regular Season Champions 1980
National Coach of the Year Charlie Poteat (1982)
All-Americans Steve Renshaw (1977-1980, 4x All-American)
Jay Thomas (1979, 1980, 1982)
Women's Fencing 1975-1982
NCAA Tournament 1982
Women's Field Hockey 1977-1981
All-American Barbie Johnson (1981)

National team championships

As of July 1, 2015, Clemson University has 4 NCAA team national championships.[32]

Football (1): 1981

Notable non varsity sports

Rugby

Main article: Clemson Rugby

Clemson Rugby was founded in 1967. Although rugby is a club sport at Clemson, the team receives significant support from the university and from the Clemson Rugby Foundation, which was founded in 2007 by Clemson alumni.[33] Clemson rugby has been led since 2010 by head coach Justin Hickey, who has also served as team manager for the U.S. national under-20 team.[34]

Clemson's best season was 1996, when the team advanced to the national college rugby quarterfinals. Clemson also advanced to the round of 16 of the national playoffs for three consecutive years from 2005-2007. Clemson has played since 2011 in the Atlantic Coast Rugby League against its traditional ACC rivals. Clemson placed second in its conference in the spring 2012 season with a 6-1 conference record, narrowly missing out to Maryland for the conference title and a place in the national college rugby playoffs.[35] Clemson again finished the spring 2013 season with a 6-1 conference record, and then defeated South Carolina 29-7 in the round of 16 national playoffs, before losing in the quarterfinals to Central Florida 20-24.[36]

Olympic medalists

Baseball

Swimming

Tennis

Track

Wrestling

Clemson-South Carolina rivalry

Other rivalries

Clemson's intra-conference football rivalries include Georgia Tech (GT leads 47-24-2), NC State (Clemson leads 48-27-1 in the Textile Bowl), Boston College (O'Rourke-McFadden Trophy, Clemson leads 9-8-2), and Florida State (FSU leads 20-8).

Clemson has a lesser rivalry with the University of Georgia, born because of the two institutions' close proximity (roughly 75 miles apart). Clemson and Georgia first met in 1897, only the second year the Tigers fielded a football team. The rivalry was at its height in the 1980s. The athletic departments recently added games to be played in 2013 at Clemson and 2014 in Athens. Georgia leads the football series 41–18–4, winning the past five meetings in a row until losing to the Tigers in 2013.[37]

Fight song

Clemson's fight song is the "Tiger Rag", the "Song that Shakes the Southland", a variation of the song originally recorded by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. The song is played at all Clemson sporting events, particularly following scores or big plays, and during the "Most Exciting 25 Seconds in College Football". The song lyrics are not used, save for the spell-out of "Clemson" at the end.

References

  1. ↑ "Primary Colors" (PDF). Clemson Athletics Style Branding Guide. Clemson University. May 14, 2014. Retrieved November 7, 2015.
  2. ↑ Robinson, Mandrallius (2013-05-31). "Antonio, creator of Clemson's paw logo, dies". The Greenville News. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
  3. ↑ Brenner, Aaron (2013-05-30). "1970 designer of Clemson's Tiger Paw logo, John Antonio, dies of cancer". The Post and Courier. Retrieved 2013-06-29.
  4. ↑ Clemson University : Visual Identity Guidelines : Tiger Paw
  5. ↑ Source: http://www.clemson.edu/features/article.php?article_id=2298
  6. ↑ http://www.clemsontigers.com/
  7. ↑ Mark Schlabach, Bowden ousted at Clemson; coach 'deserved' to be fired, QB says, ESPN.com, October 13, 2008, Accessed October 13, 2008.
  8. ↑ Associated Press, Clemson promotes interim coach Swinney to permanent job with 5-year deal, ESPN.com, December 1, 2008, Accessed December 1, 2008.
  9. ↑ Clemson University : About Clemson : Traditions
  10. ↑ 2000 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data
  11. ↑ 2001 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  12. ↑ 2002 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  13. ↑ 2003 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  14. ↑ 2004 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  15. ↑ 2005 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  16. ↑ 2006 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  17. ↑ 2007 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  18. ↑ 2008 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  19. ↑ 2009 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  20. ↑ 2010 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  21. ↑ NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data
  22. ↑ NCAA Division I Graduation Success Rate
  23. ↑ Basketball; Well-Matched Teams To Square Off in East
  24. ↑ List of Atlantic Coast Conference men's basketball regular season champions
  25. ↑ NCAA Major Infractions
  26. ↑ 1984 National Championship (Soccer)
  27. ↑ 1987 National Championship (Soccer)
  28. ↑ Tigers Advance to Final Four with 1-0 Win over Creighton
  29. 1 2 Canfield, Owen (May 31, 2003). "Trahan, Tigers take title". Spartanburg Herald-Journal (Spartanburg, South Carolina). AP. Retrieved January 26, 2012.
  30. ↑
  31. ↑ "Clemson Wrestling History" (PDF). Clemson University Athletics. Retrieved 2014.
  32. ↑ http://fs.ncaa.org/Docs/stats/champs_records_book/Overall.pdf
  33. ↑ Rugby Mag, Clemson Announces Recruiting Class, Sep. 10, 2012, http://www.rugbymag.com/men's-di-college/5745-clemson-announces-recruiting-class.html
  34. ↑ Clemson Rugby, Coaching Staff, http://www.clemsonrugby.com/coaching-staff.html
  35. ↑ Atlantic Coast Rugby League, Standings 2012, http://www.atlanticcoastrugby.com/standings-2012.html
  36. ↑ Rugby Mag, UCF Earns 1st Final Four Bid, April 28, 2013, http://www.rugbymag.com/index.php/men's-di-college/7884-golden-knights-earn-1st-final-four-bid.html
  37. ↑ Georgia Game by Game against Opponents

External links

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