Thursday February 09, 2012

Randy Anderson

Randy Anderson
Losses hurt. Some losses hurt more than others.

In my lifetime Clemson has lost 195 football games.

Since I started really following Clemson football in 1974 Clemson has lost 157 football games. I can remember almost every one of them. They all hurt. Some of them hurt more than others.

Clemson has lost some recruits. It has lost some scholarships. It has lost some money.

But none of those losses ever hurts like it does when we lose a Tiger.

When former Randy Anderson passed away this week, we lost another Tiger.

Some Tigers are more significant than others and some made bigger impacts but every time a Tiger passes it hurts.

When we lost our leaders like Dr. R.C. Edwards, Frank Howard and Bill Wilhelm it really hurts because they lead us to become better Tigers.

When we lost Clemson legends like Bob Bradley, Banks McFadden and Jim Phillips it really hurt because they were a part of us and played such a huge role in us becoming Tigers.

But those gentlemen lead good, long, productive lives and gave everything they had. We miss them but they gave as Tigers for a very long time.

What really hurts is when we lose young Tigers who are taken from us before we ever expected it to happen.

Saying goodbye to a former Clemson player hurts and this week we had to say goodbye to former Clemson quarterback Randy Anderson. I think 46 is too young but God didn't ask me.

So we will have our memories of Randy and his days as a Tiger. I remember Randy being a highly recruited quarterback from Broome High School. He could have gone almost anywhere he wanted but he chose Clemson. He chose to be one of us.

When he did some criticized the selection because Randy was a pocket passer and everyone knew Clemson was not going to throw the football. Still Randy was a Tiger.

Randy was so good Danny Ford changed the offense for him. How many players could you say that about?

Clemson named Randy the starting quarterback in 1985 and became a passing team to start that fall. The transition was not smooth and turnovers set the offense back. The staff decided to go in a different direction and his days as a starter were limited but he remained a Tiger.

There were injuries and accidents. I remember the day he got locked out of his dorm room and tried to go in through a window. Randy suffered a serious injury that day when he cut his arm on the window. That injury and back problems held back his developments but he remained a Tiger until the day he passed.

Randy always turned adversity into a positive. When he lost his starting job as a quarterback he did not transfer. Instead he became a leader. When he found out he had cancer in 2006 he did not give up. Instead he started a children based ministry. That who Randy Anderson was.

Today we have his wive and daughter in our prayers. No one will ever be able to replace their husband and father. But we hope peace will find them and they will be able to tell great stories about the man they loved. They will be able to tell a story of a man devoted to his church and a man who fought a very brave battle with cancer since 2006. I know they will miss him but hopefully they will be comforted that he has to suffer no more.

His former teammates have been telling his inspirational story ever since they learned of his illness. They talked about Randy's grace and how he still lead his family and church.

Tigers passing away hurts the entire Clemson Nation especially when we think they are taking from us too soon. I am 43 and think 46 is still a young man. Some may debate that but there is no debating it when it happens to a man much younger than me like Gaines Adams. I still can't believe that day.

I guess the worst is when you lose a player that still a member of the team. It happened in 1985 when Marvin Montgomery died in an automobile accident before the season. Montgomery had as bright of a future of any player I can remember at Clemson but was killed before he ever played a college game.

It happened again in 2000 when Brandon Rouse died of a heart attack. Tommy Bowden's staff still talks about how hard that was on the entire program.

Losing Tigers is never easy. Young Tigers and old Tigers were still Tigers and are still missed.

Randy Anderson was a Tiger and a great one at that. He will be missed. Our prayers go out to his family and friends.

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency

Prayer List
We have started a prayer list on the blog. Here are the guidelines:

If you are offended by prayer or prayer lists then I apologize in advance. The blog is free and the prayer list will be on the bottom of the page so you don’t have to read it.

If you would like to add someone to the list please email me at mickeyplyler@hotmail.com

*Please let me know when it is appropriate to take the person off of the prayer list.

Those who need our prayers include:Finn Brookover, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Jo Ann Bachman, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard, Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Daniel Rosborough, The Huffman family, Nancy Winkler, John Reeve, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Kaitlyn L, Susan Miller, Joyce Harley, Steve Proveaux, Jeffrey Greene, the Hutto family, Sherl Drawdy, Caleb Kennedy, Teresa O'Connor, Matt Jacobs,Perrin Seigler, Candee Massee, Lindsey Jordan, Sam Catoe, Tyler Felch, the Nicolopulos family, "the Jacksonville, FL guys", Kim Sims, the Coyle family, Ryleigh Tedder, Steve Lee, Kelly Trakas, Jimmy Moore, the Thomas. V Family, Emary Claire Young, Kitty Bowers,Julie Locke, the Scheider family, Lauren Kittles' family, Frank Gentry, Joyce Bussey, Stacey McKeown, Mary Priester, Dale Childs, Larry Lentz, Jr, Carl Sharperson, Scott Hannon, William Perry, Tyler Swaney, Randy Anderson, Lillian, Matt Hogan, Mark Feit, David Frame, Chad Berry, the family of Matthew M. Watson, Nancy Taylor, the Dowis family, Shervin Messer, Alan Putnam, the Olivers, Lee Tate, Ronnie Abrams, Eddie Greene, the Jackson family, Bill Vader, Nancy Taylor, Tina DeWitt, Rock Horne, Christopher Tuten, Jimmy Head, Bobby Wayne Thomas, Emma and Danielle Carothers, Robert Ditty, Murray Smith, Dot Cartee, Ayden Mills, Millie Heatley, Lynn Martin and family, Michael Pinson, Jack Bailey, Jake David family, Janice Thompson, Angie Crowley, Rachel Graves, Ira, Elsie Taylor, Mike Tolson, Poly Wells, Dr. Muriel Bishop, Jack Cunningham, Emily Jefford Meister, Zachary Stoller, Aaron Clackum, Pat James, Cortney Moore, William Moore, Angelia and Savannah Anderson.