The Clemson Tigers

The Tigers are a powerhouse team in the ACC, in contention for the national title as late as last year. If the next season goes well, Clemson Tiger tickets will be hot items again.

The Clemson Tigers football team is a powerful competitor in the Atlantic Coast Conference of NCAA College Division 1 football. They have had a storied history of exciting seasons and historic games. Competing since 1896, they have had many famous names in their program. In recent years, the Tigers have had successful seasons, but the National Championship continues to elude them. This is the year where they will get it, making Clemson Tiger tickets very popular!

Clemson Tigers Football

Clemson vs. Temple

By Jim Ferguson via Wikimedia Commons

Clemson Tigers Recent History

Coach Tommy West was head coach of the Clemson Tigers from 1993 to 1998. In that time, he had a 31-28 record, but no ACC Championships. He was fired after a dismal 1998 season, where Clemson went only 3-8. He went on to be the head coach for the Memphis Tigers.

Tommy Bowden, the son of legendary Bobby Bowden, took over the Clemson football program in 1999. He led the Tigers to a 6-6 season and a Peach Bowl bid in 1999. The schedule that year included several tough opponents such as the undefeated Marshall Thundering Herd, Virginia Tech (who was undefeated as well during the regular season, and the eventual National Champion that year, the Florida State Seminoles.

The game with the Seminoles was dubbed “The Bowden Bowl” because Bowden was facing off against his father. In front of the largest crowd recorded in Death Valley, the Tigers’ home stadium, FSU won 17-14.

Bowden resigned in 2008 after a disappointing 3-3 season, and was replaced by assistant coach Dabo Swinney. In 2009, Swinney took the Tigers to their first ACC title game, but lost to the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets 39-34. They were awarded a trip to the Music City Bowl later that year, and defeated the Kentucky Wildcats, 21-13.

On September 17, 2011, Clemson beat the 2010 National Champion Auburn Tigers and ended their 17-game winning streak. The Tigers later won their first ACC Championship since 1991, defeating Virginia Tech 38-10. They would go on to the 2012 Orange Bowl, losing to the West Virginia Mountaineers with an embarrassing 70-33 final score.

Howard's Rock

By Fuzzy510 via Wikimedia Commons

Clemson Football Traditions

Howard's Rock – Howards Rock is a rock that was given to coach Frank Howard that is used as a motivator for Clemson players. The team started rubbing the Rock for the first game of 1967, which was a 23-6 waxing of ACC foe Wake Forest.

Running Down the Hill – One of the most highly publicized traditions of Clemson Tigers football is the entrance, called "The Most Exciting 25 seconds in College Football."

Ring of Honor - Created in 1994, the Ring of Honor is the highest award given to former coaches, players, and other individuals who made a direct impact on the football program.

The Graveyard - A mock cemetery near the football practice fields that holds the tombstones of Clemson's ranked opponents that Clemson has beaten on the road.