Field dedicated to 1981 Clemson national championship team player Jeff Suttle

LaFayette High School in Georgia named its field after former Clemson player and 1981 title team member Jeff Suttle.

by TigerNet Staff - Wed Apr 26 10:34:41 GMT-04:00 2023

LaFayette High School in northwestern Georgia dedicated its football field to a former Tiger recently.

1981 national championship member and former Clemson safety Jeff Suttle had his high school football field he's served as a coach in track and football dedicated as "Jeff Suttle Field."

"In my heart and in my spirit I will always be a LaFayette Rambler. My blood, my sweat, my tears, and my love have always been with the Orange and Black. So I want each and every one of you to understand and know that LaFayette High School is a very special place. A place where you can feel safe and feel loved in. A place where you can call home. A great community, great people, the only place I ever really wanted to be….Get involved. Be a part of it. Let it become a part of you. And watch what a great community, great town and become great citizens one day that you will be a part of and you will be proud. My love is here and always will be whether I am alive or I am dead. Because I am … a true Rambler," Suttle said in a speech about the dedication.

Suttle reflected on the 1981 season in a Montgomery Advertiser article some years ago:

“Coach (Danny) Ford learned from Bear Bryant and he was old school,” said Jeff Suttle, a high school coach for 31 years in his hometown of Lafayette, Georgia, who was a sophomore safety on the championship squad.

“He was tough and demanding. I didn’t like him all the time, but I always respected him. He required that. Eventually, he became my friend.”...

“I know we weren’t intimidated by Nebraska or the importance of the game,” Suttle said. “We didn’t expect to lose. We had beaten Georgia with Herschel Walker. Coach Ford preached to us that we deserved to be there, and we believed him.

“Honestly, he pushed us harder in practice than anything we ever experienced in any game.”...

"It seems like only yesterday. My mind says I can still play, but my body says to leave it to the young guys,” Suttle said.