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YOUR BALANCE
Why did Danny Ford resign?
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Why did Danny Ford resign?


Jul 17, 2009, 10:13 PM

First of all Danny was not fired, he resigned much like Tommy Bowden. Ford had no choice.

The issue between Ford and Clemson was over control. By 1989, Danny was already a legend in Clemson. He wanted to retain Clemson's athletic facilities advantage that he clearly enjoyed his entire tenure. During one particular IPTAY spring meeting Danny told a few high powered boosters that they should push the administration to build a new football dormitory. The Clemson administration at that time was clearly opposed.

The NCAA subsequently made athletic dormitories against the rules. Thus had Clemson followed Ford's bidding, we would have spent a lot of money building a building that by the time of its completion would have been against NCAA rules.

I said in a previous post I respect coach Ford and his accomplishments. He did much for Clemson University. He deserves all the honor of any other great figure in Clemson athletics.

However, I disagreed with coach Ford about the athletic dorm. The hand writing was on the wall that they were soon to be off limits by NCAA rules. I also disagreed with the way coach Ford pitted himself against the university president. The university president is the boss. When he says no, the answer is no.You don't have to like tat it is just a fact. Coach Ford should have respected that no. He didn't and that above all else was the reason he was dismissed (forced to resign). The second probation was a convenient excuse and many recognized it as that at the time.

The university, had it had any guts could have come out and said, the tail of athletics does not wag this dog of an academic institution. Therefore, coach Ford, nor anyone else can raise himself above the authority of the university president. The administration at the time did not do so. They borrowed an excuse to fire a legend and the consequences of that decisions still live at Clemson today.

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I'm not so sure the writing was on the wall concerning


Jul 17, 2009, 11:01 PM

athletic dorms, which Danny wanted. Schools such as USC and Georgia had great dorm facilities for their players and this was a great recruiting tool for these competing schools. Clemson's dorms were nothing to get a recruit excited about. Danny simply wanted a level playing feel for recruiting. It's true that special dorms were later disallowed, but no one knew it would be at the time. Danny and the president had a very heated exchange concerning this matter and Danny quit in the heat of this argument. This is my take on it.

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Exacrly, & NC State was building a Taj Mahal. The NCAA .....


Jul 17, 2009, 11:54 PM

didn't outlaw those type of dorms until a few years later. But now Phil night & T. Boone Pickens are giving their schools hundreds of millions to build facilities. To say the NCAA is asinine & has double standards is like calling coots delusional! It's a given!

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Those were issues, but the primary reason was that our BOD


Jul 17, 2009, 11:15 PM

and administration made a conscious decsion that football had become too big, and they desired a return to mediocrity. They have accomplished this desire as evidenced by our record since the worst decision ever made in the history of Clemson University. Win about 65% to 75%, go to middle range bowl game, and beat your rival. That is why we are where we are. The powers that be are not comfortable with a program that will bring to much athletic notoriety.

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Our administration did not "decide to be mediocre." They


Jul 18, 2009, 12:19 AM

just didn't like having a coach who thought he was bigger than the university. As great a coach as Danny Ford was, and as loved as he was by fans, he seemed to be getting a little cocky about his position. If he had not overstepped his bounds and decided to make his spat with the administration a public affair, he would have been our coach for much longer.

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"All those 'Fire Brownell' guys can kiss it." -Joseph Girard III

"Everybody needs to know that Coach Brownell is arguably the best coach to come through Clemson." -PJ Hall


Yet TB used facilities as an excuse & biotched for yrs!!***


Jul 18, 2009, 3:35 AM



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Re: Our administration did not "decide to be mediocre." They


Jul 18, 2009, 8:19 AM [ in reply to Our administration did not "decide to be mediocre." They ]

You hit it right on the head.....the NCAA investigation was just the justification in the BOT and administration's mind.

They obviously did not think much would be done by the NCAA or they would not have given him a million dollars to leave.

A shame it had to happen. Just whipped a WV team that everyone thought was unbeatable, and the future was bright.

The thing is we really, really screwed up the hire. That was our ultimate downfall that we are paying to this day. Hatfield was never, never the right fit.

But maybe no one was the right fit to the fan base.

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Re: Our administration did not "decide to be mediocre." They


Jul 18, 2009, 1:19 PM [ in reply to Our administration did not "decide to be mediocre." They ]

Thanks Judge....you can say this until you are blue in the face....most people will not accept this as the truth and the facts.

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We do Chicken right...it's not just for frying anymore!


That's so stupid it isn't even funny.***


Jul 18, 2009, 1:29 AM [ in reply to Those were issues, but the primary reason was that our BOD ]



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He got too big for his britches. He thought he was bigger


Jul 17, 2009, 11:44 PM

than the University. I truly appreciate everything he did for the school but it was time to move on when he did. Unfortunately, the school has made several missteps trying to follow him. The pendulum has swung to extremes- first we hired Hatfield to get someone as far from Danny as possible. Then we hired West who was completely unprepared because he was a "Danny Guy."

At the same time, a huge chunk of fans have never embraced anyone that has come after Ford because he's not Danny and that hurts our program to this day.

There is plenty of blame to go around.

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Keep chasing those windmills, Steve!


Oh plz, TB made his facilities crusade more public than ....


Jul 17, 2009, 11:56 PM

Ford ever dreamed. Ford simply fought for his players & his program. You people kill me sometimes!

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No, I believe Danny decided to make his spat public because


Jul 18, 2009, 12:21 AM

he thought it would allow him to get his way. He was wrong.

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"All those 'Fire Brownell' guys can kiss it." -Joseph Girard III

"Everybody needs to know that Coach Brownell is arguably the best coach to come through Clemson." -PJ Hall


Ford was nowhere near as public about it as TB.***


Jul 18, 2009, 3:36 AM



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Coach Ford went about it the wrong way...


Jul 18, 2009, 1:28 AM [ in reply to Oh plz, TB made his facilities crusade more public than .... ]

He stood up at a Greater Columbia Clemson Club meeting and told those assembled to write letters to the administration objecting to the construction of what's now Vickery Hall and demand a new dorm for the football team instead. Even though he knew the NCAA was in the process of banning athletic dorms. Coach Bowden was much more diplomatic about his requests than coach Ford was and didn't go against what his superiors had already decided to do. Your lack of knowledge (and class) annoys me ALL the time. Especially considering you're a newbie.

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I'm NOT a newbie. And I was @ CU during the 80s and


Jul 18, 2009, 3:46 AM

am a close family friend of Dr. Harder and Col. Jordan, and have a cousin that has been a tenured Prof since the early 80s. My two best friends from high school played football for Ford and I would of as well if not for a car accident. I know far far more from an inside perspective than MOST on TNET, thank you very much! So you shut up moron! Go whine about your buddy Shyatt being fired.

And the fans, and IPTAY donors, DO have a right to know what the competition is doing and what it takes to make the program successful. Last time I checked this is America and we have rights.

This is exactly how we fixed the AARC debacle. By being heard as a fan base!!

And your facts are incorrect. The NCAA had barely started discussing outlawing dorms at that point. While the debate was going on at Clemson, NC State was building the nicest football only dorm in the country. Our players would sit in Mauldin and look at the glossy brochure NC State gave recruits before the dorm was even built. And they wanted one like it!! I know because I hung with them in Mauldin and looked at the brochures and marveled at what State was building myself!!

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Re: Thank you for posting this information.


Jul 18, 2009, 12:06 PM

Sometimes the "bully" mentality of a few posters on here gets really annoying.

I appreciate your response.

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If you were on the inside then you should know that Ford


Jul 18, 2009, 1:26 PM [ in reply to I'm NOT a newbie. And I was @ CU during the 80s and ]

was too public and not diplomatic enough. There is no doubt his intentions were to take care of the players and the future of the program.

But for you to say you were close to the program and Ford did not put himself in that postion is absurd.....Maybe you were too stoned to notice.

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We do Chicken right...it's not just for frying anymore!


LOL ............... ok ............ it's like this ....


Jul 20, 2009, 3:02 AM

1. I listed my credentials whereas your profile says FAN. I think it's safe to say my perspective is better than yours!

2. I might of been a drunk in college, but I NEVER got stoned! Not that there is anything wrong with it!

3. TB was FAR FAR FAR more vocal and public about facilities than Ford ever dreamed, yet Ford was fired for it. Go figure!

4. Ford was too public & not diplomatic enough? LOL! Again, see #3. And that is simply your opinion. The reality is it had nothing to do with the publicness of the affair. It was purely Lennon not accepting Ford was more popular and visible than him, thus potentially more powerful. Yet that is the reality at most schools with a very successful football or basketball program because they bring in the money. The golden rule!

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I'm a newbie and I'm pretty sure you're a #########.***


Jul 18, 2009, 12:50 PM [ in reply to Coach Ford went about it the wrong way... ]



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is that you practiceguy?***


Jul 18, 2009, 12:51 PM [ in reply to Coach Ford went about it the wrong way... ]



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sho nuff is***


Jul 20, 2009, 3:03 AM



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Great post! Very well stated. This sums it up to a tee.***


Jul 18, 2009, 12:20 AM [ in reply to He got too big for his britches. He thought he was bigger ]



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"All those 'Fire Brownell' guys can kiss it." -Joseph Girard III

"Everybody needs to know that Coach Brownell is arguably the best coach to come through Clemson." -PJ Hall


That is a load of crap. I was there, you were in diapers!!***


Jul 18, 2009, 3:48 AM



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I agree with Caddy***


Jul 18, 2009, 9:39 AM



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Re: Me too***


Jul 18, 2009, 12:07 PM



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There was also some ugly issues going on between Ford and


Jul 18, 2009, 12:01 AM

some players.

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Tiger/Terrier


140 guys on the team back then, some issues will arise, but


Jul 18, 2009, 3:53 AM

as a whole, Ford was respected by almost every player, feared by many, loved by most!

You think every player lover or even liked Bear Bryant, Vince Lombardi, Frank Howard, Jimmy Johnson, Vince Dooley, Bo Schembechler, etc etc ???

Great coaches are tough & hard nosed SOB's!!

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The former post is correct...there were some ugly issues...


Jul 18, 2009, 7:17 AM

not just the typical ones you think of. Everytime anyone comes close to posting them, they get "deleted." But he was fired for good reasons, but it was about personal conduct issues.

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These were issues that way beyond being a tough coach.***


Jul 18, 2009, 10:58 AM [ in reply to 140 guys on the team back then, some issues will arise, but ]



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Tiger/Terrier


So right can actually be wrong?


Jul 18, 2009, 12:38 AM

I could give a shyatt who my boss is! They are still wrong if they're wrong.

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Re: Why did Danny Ford resign?


Jul 18, 2009, 7:44 AM

there are several points most of the posters are missing

1) vickery was built already
2) the pres portrayed danny as a bad rep of cu
3) the pres hire hurtfield during the season (can't have 2 head coaches)
4) the pres wanted danny out & turned us in to the ncaa (which broyles later had removed before he hired him at ark)
5) the pres promised danny a football dorm/inside fac 5x+
6) the pres intentionally made danny's life hell
7) danny had some words to say about all this in cola infront of 200+ clemson people , the pres heard it
8) poof danny was gone (footage of stan olinek and the bobby robinson was outside vickery) and they paid 1mil for him to not tell of all the things that "he" (the pres) was doing wrong (which according to some was way more than a lot)

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does that answer your question revmarkg ?


Jul 18, 2009, 7:47 AM

there was much more , some we will never know

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Vickery


Jul 18, 2009, 8:40 AM [ in reply to Re: Why did Danny Ford resign? ]

Vickery Hall wasn't built in 1989 when Ford was coach. It wasn't there when I started as a freshman in 1989. The funding and plans might have been in place by then.

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Lord have mercy. Let's please not stir this up again. I was


Jul 18, 2009, 8:09 AM

a huge Danny Ford fan, but he brought his demise on himself, and it set Clemson football back - probably - until now. It was a gut-wrenching experience for the whole Clemson community, and it servies absolutley no purpose to rehash it. It's cool outside, my tomatoes are still growing, and . . .

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point for your tomatoes....***


Jul 18, 2009, 8:45 AM



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It's lots and lots of cow manure, kinda like this board. :)***


Jul 18, 2009, 8:55 AM



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The more important question is why does it matter?***


Jul 18, 2009, 12:55 PM



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HOW SOON ALL OF YOU FORGET


Jul 18, 2009, 1:01 PM

i guess y'all forgot the issue at the bowl game that involved his daughter and one of the star players. As a student at that time (a time when the campus was much more close knit due to fewer off-campus apartments), nearly everyone in Johnstone C-6 knew EXACTLY what happened. If you recall, a certain player was sent home from the bowl game - that was perhaps the final nail in Ford's coffin.

That didn't stop all the students from marching on Max Lemon's home after the news broke on campus.

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Yep and michael carr left that spring***


Jul 18, 2009, 1:59 PM

though the official story had something to do with his recruitment and violations (they gave him a hat)

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Re: HOW SOON ALL OF YOU FORGET


Jul 20, 2009, 11:29 PM [ in reply to HOW SOON ALL OF YOU FORGET ]

How entertaining.....
We were on staff then and a few of you are close and most are way off.
The NCAA had discussed the "no dorm" rule but many major university's overcame the rule by letting a few "regular students" live in them...Georgia, Alabama, NC State etc all have these dorms to this day and it is a recruiting tool for those schools.
NCAA investigation- cover up... excuse.
Daughter rumor- excuse that many came up with to place blame. His only child that went to Clemson was in Elementary school when he resigned. If it were true the University would not have paid him a dime...just like all of the other reasons. There is a clause for that.


He probably would have changed things that he did at that time but who wouldn't. Did he make some mistakes? I'm sure he would agree. Would it have reached to that level had he had support from The President or a strong Athletic Director? Probably not....
He was a strong personality, that at the time, was at a University that wasn't interested in being an Alabama, Georgia, Florida etc.
I doubt Nick Saban waste too much time being politically correct. The difference is there is a clear direction and certain expectations. At Clemson there is a difference of opinion....depends on what side you are on!

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That is the best explanation I have heard and it seems to be


Jul 18, 2009, 1:16 PM

consistent with what I have been told. And told by people I know were close to the program during those years. coach Ford was a great coach and a good person, it just over stepped the boundries in regards to his bosses. These things should not keep him out of the ring of honor.

Heck look at loose boltz....and is he is getting in the hall of fame.

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We do Chicken right...it's not just for frying anymore!


He walked in the President office and saw Max Lennon..


Jul 18, 2009, 2:06 PM

making out with another man.

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is it true we almost landed Tony Rice?


Jul 18, 2009, 2:12 PM

can you imagine? National Championship with that guy I bet.

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Tommy Frazier verbally committed & E. Smith wanted to!***


Jul 20, 2009, 3:07 AM



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