Clemson Tigers

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Clemson Tigers
University Clemson University
Conference Atlantic Coast Conference
NCAA Division I
Athletics director Terry Don Philips
Location Clemson, SC
Varsity teams 19
Football stadium Memorial Stadium
Basketball arena Littlejohn Coliseum
Mascot The Tiger
Nickname Tigers
Fight song Tiger Rag
Colors Orange and Purple

             
Homepage www.clemsontigers.com

The Clemson Tigers are any team that represents Clemson University as a member of the NCAA's Division I or in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In 1896, football coach Walter Riggs brought with him from Auburn University the Tiger nickname. The Clemson Tigers field nineteen athletic teams. In men's sports there are: football, basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, golf, track and field (indoor and outdoor), cross-country, and swimming and diving. For women's sports, there are: basketball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, track and field (indoor and outdoor), cross-country, swimming and diving, 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.

Contents

[edit] Tiger Paw logo

The Tiger Paw logo was introduced at a press conference on July 21, 1970, and was developed by Helen Weaver of Henderson Advertising in Greenville, South Carolina, from a mold of a Bengal Tiger in the St. Louis Zoo. The tell-tale hook at the bottom of the paw is a sign that this is the official licensed trademark for the university[1]. The SC Beta Chapter of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity also has retained the exclusive rights to paint the logo on many of the highways that lead into Clemson.

[edit] Facilities

The most prominent of Clemson's facilities is Memorial Stadium, Frank Howard Field, and home to the Clemson University men's football team. Memorial Stadium is also known by its nickname, "Death Valley".

The men's and women's basketball teams play at Littlejohn Coliseum, an arena offering over 11,000 seats. The Coliseum 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, Rock Norman Track Complex, and McHugh Natatorium. Women's rowing holds home events on nearby Lake Hartwell.

[edit] Football

Main article: Clemson Tigers football
float

The Tigers football program has won 59.0% of its games through the 2006 season, placing it 37th on the all-time winning percentage list. Clemson is also currently the leader among ACC schools for conference championships at 13, having last won a title in 1991.[2] Clemson also won three Southern Conference titles before joining the ACC. The program has participated in 30 bowl games over the years, winning 15. 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 (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. Tommy Bowden, son of famed coach Bobby Bowden, is the current head coach for the Tigers.

2007 Clemson Tigers football team
2006 Clemson Tigers football team
1998 Clemson Tigers football team
1981 Clemson Tigers football team (National Champions)

Before each home game, the team ends pre-game warm ups and proceeds to the locker room. With 5 minutes to go before game time, 2 buses leave the street behind the West Endzone both full of 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 81,000 screaming fans. This tradition has been dubbed "the most exciting 25 seconds in college football" by sportscaster Brent Musburger[3].

[edit] 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% [4]
2001 66% 55% 67% 57% [5]
2002 65% 29% 67% 47% [6]
2003 67% 78% 66% 53% [7]
2004 68% 45% 66% 51% [8]
2005 69% 48% 67% 49% 94% [9]
2006 72% 70% 69% 59% 77% [10]
Chart comparing graduation rates for male Clemson students versus football student-athletes from 2000 to 2006.
Chart comparing graduation rates for male Clemson students versus football student-athletes from 2000 to 2006.

For the graduating classes of 2000-2006, according to statistics reported to the NCAA [11], the graduation rate for male students at Clemson has slightly increased from an average of about 66% in 2000 to about 70% in 2006, while the graduation rate for football student-athletes at Clemson has increased from an average of about 50% to about 58%. In other words, football players have narrowed the gap from 16% to 12% in 7 years.

The four-year average graduating rate for male students at Clemson has stayed steady at an average of about 67%, while the four-year average graduating rate for football student-athletes at Clemson has stayed steady at an average of about 54%.

Generally speaking, incoming freshmen football players are doing better academically (along with all males at Clemson), which is consistent with an improvement in the academic credentials of the football team (and the student body) through time.

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." [12]

The GSR data for the Clemson football team in 2005 was 94%, and was 77% in 2006.

[edit] Basketball

Main article: Clemson Tigers men's basketball

The Clemson Men's Basketball team is currently coached by head coach Oliver Purnell. Purnell has guided the Tigers to higher win totals each season that he has been the Tigers head coach. The Tigers were defeated 86-81 by the University of North Carolina in the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship game on March 16, 2008[13]. Accomplishments include:

  • ACC Regular Season Champions - 1990[14] (not officially recognized by the conference)[15]
  • ACC Runner-Up - 1962, 2008 [16]
  • Southern Conference Tournament Champions - 1939
  • NCAA Tournament Appearances - 1980, 1987, 1989, 1990*, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2008
  • 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
  • NIT Runner-Up - 1999, 2007

*vacated by NCAA [17]

The Clemson Women's Basketball team is currently coached by head coach Cristy McKinney. In 2008, the team made it to the ACC tournament, where it defeated N.C. State in the first round, but lost to eventual champion North Carolina in the quarterfinals. Accomplishments include:

  • ACC Tournament Champions - 1996, 1999
  • ACC Regular Season Champions - 1981
  • 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

[edit] Baseball

Main article: Clemson Tigers baseball

As of 2007, the Tiger baseball team has posted a combined 28 ACC regular season and tournament championships (most in the conference), 33 NCAA Tournament appearances, 21 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances, 16 NCAA Regional Titles, 3 NCAA Super Regional Titles, and 11 College World Series appearances. Much of the baseball program's success occurred under Bill Wilhelm during his 35 seasons as Clemson's head coach. Jack Leggett has been the Tigers' head coach since 1994.

  • 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 Tournament Champions - 1976, 1978, 1980, 1981, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 2006
  • Southern Conference Champions - 1947
  • CWS Appearances - 1958, 1959, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1991, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2006

[edit] 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.[18][19] In their 26 appearances in the NCAA tournament, the men's soccer team garnered a runner-up finish in 1979 and has appeared in the NCAA Final Four seven times, with the 2005 squad being the most recent team to accomplish that feat.[20] 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 2001 ACC Tournament.[citation needed] The Tigers have known only two 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).

  • NCAA Champions: 1984, 1987
  • NCAA Runner-up: 1979
  • NCAA Final Four: 1973, 1976, 1978, 2005
  • NCAA Tournament Appearances: 1972-1979, 1981-1985, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000-2003, 2005, 2006 (26 appearances)
  • ACC Tournament Champions: 1998, 2001
  • ACC Regular Season Champions: 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1990, 1993, 1998
  • Herman Trophy Winners: Bruce Murray (1987) and Wojtek Krakowiak (1998)

Women's soccer became a varsity sport at Clemson in 1994. The women's soccer program won the 2000 ACC Regular Season Championship and has participated in the NCAA Tournament every year since the start of the program, a current streak of 14 appearances.[citation needed]

[edit] 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 runner-up Oklahoma State to win its first National Championship in golf and the 4th overall for the school.[citation needed] 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.[citation needed]

  • NCAA National Champion - 2003
  • NCAA National Runner-up - 2001, 1998
  • NCAA East Regional Champion - 2004, 2003, 2002, 2000, 1995, 1994, 1993
  • ACC Champions - 2004, 2003, 2000, 1998, 1997, 1990, 1988, 1987, 1982

[edit] Other Sports

Track and Field

  • NCAA Men's Indoor Runner-Up - 1992, 1993
  • Men's ACC Indoor Champions - 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002
  • Men's ACC Outdoor Champions - 1980, 1982, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004
  • Women's ACC Indoor Champions - 1992
  • Women's ACC Outdoor Champions - 1991, 1999[citation needed]

Cross-Country

Men's Tennis

  • ACC Champions - 1969, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1997
  • NCAA Tournament Appearances - 1979-1989, 1992, 1996-2000, 2003-2007[citation needed]

Women's Tennis

  • ACC Champions - 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 2004
  • NCAA Tournament Appearances - 1982-1984, 1986, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002-2007
  • The 2004 and 2005 teams made the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament.[citation needed]

Women's volleyball

  • ACC Regular Season Champions - 1999, 2007
  • ACC Tournament Champions - 1997
  • NCAA Tournament Appearances - 1993, 1994, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2007[citation needed]

Swimming and Diving

  • Men's ACC Champions - 1986
  • Men's SoCon Champions - 1939
  • Women's ACC Champions - 1987, 1988, 1989, 1997

The Rugby Club is also very successful, and was founded in 1967.

[edit] Discontinued Sports

Wrestling - discontinued after 1995 due to Title IX

  • ACC Regular Season Champions - 1990
  • 3 NCAA National Champions (Noel Loban - 1980; Sam Henson - 1993, 1994)
  • 8 All-Americans
  • 28 ACC Champions

Boxing - discontinued after 1948 due to violent nature of sport

  • SoCon Team Champions - 1938
  • 3 SoCon Individual Champions (Russell Dorn - 1937, 1938; Carl Pulkinen - 1947)

[edit] Olympic Medalists

Baseball

  • Mike Milchin (1988, United States, Pitcher, Gold)
  • Kris Benson (1996, United States, Pitcher, Bronze)
  • Billy Koch (1996, United States, Pitcher, Bronze)
  • Matt LeCroy (1996, United States, Pitcher, Bronze)

Swimming

  • Michele Richardson (1984, United States, 800 free, Silver)
  • Mitzi Kremer (1988, United States, 400 free relay, Bronze)

Tennis

  • Gigi Fernandez (1992 and 1996, United States, Doubles, Gold)

Track

  • Desai Williams (1984, Canada, Relay, Bronze)
  • Tony Sharpe (1984, Canada, Relay, Bronze)
  • Mark McCoy (1992, Canada, 110 Hurdles, Gold)
  • Kim Graham (1996, United States, 4x100 Relay, Gold)
  • Carlton Chambers (1996, Canada, 4x100 Relay, Gold)
  • Shawn Crawford (2004, United States, 200m Gold and 4x100 Relay Silver)
  • Michelle Burgher (2004, Jamaica, 4x400 Relay, Bronze)

Wrestling

  • Noel Loban (1984, Great Britain, Bronze)
  • Sam Henson (2000, United States, Silver)

[edit] Carolina-Clemson Rivalry

Main article: Carolina-Clemson Rivalry

[edit] Other Rivalries

Clemson's intra-conference football rivalries include Georgia Tech (GT leads 46-24-2), NC State (Clemson leads 48-27-1 in the Textile Bowl), and Florida State (FSU leads 15-6 in what has become known as the Bowden Bowl, which pits father and FSU coach, Bobby Bowden, against son and Clemson coach, Tommy Bowden). Since the Bowden Bowl began, FSU leads 5-4, but Clemson has won 3 straight and 4 of the last 5, including a 27-20 win in Tallahassee in 2006 which broke a 17-year losing streak in Doak Campbell Stadium, and a 24-18 win in Clemson's Death Valley to begin the 2007 season. The 2007 match-up between Clemson and Florida State was predicted to be the #18 game to watch in 2007 by SI.com's "Top 20 Games To Watch In 2007" list. [21]

Clemson has a lesser rivalry with the University of Georgia, born because of the two institutions' close proximity (roughly 90 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, but the two programs have not played each other since 2003. The athletic departments recently added games to be played in 2013 at Clemson and 2014 in Athens. Georgia leads the football series 41-17-4, winning the past five meetings in a row after last losing to the Tigers in 1990.[22]

[edit] Fight Song

Clemson's fight song is the Tiger Rag, the "Song that Shakes the Southland", a variation of the song originally performed 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 has no lyrics save for the spell-out of "Clemson" at the end.

Also Clemson has the cheer "C-L-E-M in Cadence, Count!" which goes: 1-2-3-4 1-2-3-4 C-L-E-M-S-O-N T-I-G-E-R-S Fight Tigers Fight Tigers Fight Fight Fight (originally, "1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, C-L-E-M-S-O-N, T-I-G-E-R-S, Fight Tigers, Fight Dammit, Fight, Fight, Fight") which is screamed at all the athletic events. There are two schools of thought on whether there are two fights at the end, or three. Traditionalists only do two, as this was originally a military jody call, a marching chant, but most fans have learned it with three fights. Most of Tiger Band, however, continues to use only two. However, the Clemson University Drumline is against this traditionalist mindset, and therefore uses 3 fights like most fans do.

[edit] National headline

In May 2007, an ESPN report and AP wire article alleged that Clemson requires female athletes on scholarship to sign a document acknowledging that they can lose their scholarships should they become pregnant; critics suggest that this forces pregnant athletes into abortion.[23][24] Clemson University has denied the accuracy of the reports generating the criticism. Specifically, Loreto Jackson, Director of Student-Athlete Performance, states that the university does not have a policy in which grant-in-aid money can be affected by an athlete's pregnancy, and that the university educates athletes that a scholarship will not be taken away because of a pregnancy.[25]

[edit] See also

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Clemson University : Visual Identity Guidelines : Tiger Paw
  2. ^ ACC College Football Champions, Atlantic Coast Conference
  3. ^ Clemson University : About Clemson : Traditions
  4. ^ 2000 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data
  5. ^ 2001 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  6. ^ 2002 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  7. ^ 2003 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  8. ^ 2004 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  9. ^ 2005 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  10. ^ 2006 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  11. ^ NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data
  12. ^ NCAA Division I Graduation Success Rate
  13. ^ UNC earns a record 17th ACC title in 86-81 win over Clemson
  14. ^ Basketball; Well-Matched Teams To Square Off in East
  15. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Atlantic_Coast_Conference_men's_basketball_regular_season_champions
  16. ^ UNC earns a record 17th ACC title in 86-81 win over Clemson
  17. ^ NCAA Major Infractions
  18. ^ 1984 National Championship (Soccer)
  19. ^ 1987 National Championship (Soccer)
  20. ^ Tigers Advance to Final Four with 1-0 Win over Creighton
  21. ^ Top 20 Games To Watch In 2007. SI.com. Retrieved on 30 September 2007.
  22. ^ Georgia Game by Game against Opponents
  23. ^ Bluffton Today: Pregnant athletes at Clemson
  24. ^ ESPN.com: Athletes often forced into heartbreaking decisions
  25. ^ Anderson Independent-Mail: Clemson criticizes ESPN story on student-athlete abortions

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ Clemson University : Visual Identity Guidelines : Tiger Paw
  2. ^ ACC College Football Champions, Atlantic Coast Conference
  3. ^ Clemson University : About Clemson : Traditions
  4. ^ 2000 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data
  5. ^ 2001 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  6. ^ 2002 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  7. ^ 2003 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  8. ^ 2004 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  9. ^ 2005 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  10. ^ 2006 NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data for Clemson
  11. ^ NCAA Report on the Federal Graduation-Rates Data
  12. ^ NCAA Division I Graduation Success Rate
  13. ^ UNC earns a record 17th ACC title in 86-81 win over Clemson
  14. ^ Basketball; Well-Matched Teams To Square Off in East
  15. ^ http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Atlantic_Coast_Conference_men's_basketball_regular_season_champions
  16. ^ UNC earns a record 17th ACC title in 86-81 win over Clemson
  17. ^ NCAA Major Infractions
  18. ^ 1984 National Championship (Soccer)
  19. ^ 1987 National Championship (Soccer)
  20. ^ Tigers Advance to Final Four with 1-0 Win over Creighton
  21. ^ Top 20 Games To Watch In 2007. SI.com. Retrieved on 30 September 2007.
  22. ^ Georgia Game by Game against Opponents
  23. ^ Bluffton Today: Pregnant athletes at Clemson
  24. ^ ESPN.com: Athletes often forced into heartbreaking decisions
  25. ^ Anderson Independent-Mail: Clemson criticizes ESPN story on student-athlete abortions
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