Hill Watch...39 days!!!

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39 years ago, 1983: President Ronald Reagan proposes the

Jul 28, 2022, 7:52 AM

Strategic Defense Initiative, which the press promptly dubs “Star Wars”. The video game “Mario Bros”. is first released as a Nintendo arcade game in Japan. The first “mobile phones” , which are nearly as thick as a couple of bricks, are introduced to the public by the Motorola Company. No way those things would ever catch on.

ARPANET officially changes to use the “Internet Protocol”, creating the entity that would forever after be known as “The Internet”, or “Al Gore's Internet”. The final Episode of M*A*S*H airs as a record 125 million homes watch. The Space Shuttle Challenger successfully completes STS-6, the 6th Space Shuttle mission. Cabbage Patch Dolls are created, and become a huge sales success, with their brilliant “Adopt a Cabbage Patch Kid” marketing campaign.

Clemson began our first season knowing we were on probation. The ACC did not count any of our games as league games, so, even though we were undefeated in the league at 7-0-0, no official ACC Championship for us. That honor would go to an officially 5-0-0, 8-4-0 Maryland team under 2nd year Head Coach Bobby Ross. They were not ranked at seasons end. The ACC's only ranked team for 1983 would be the No.11 Clemson Tigers.

The unanimous National Champions for 1983 (AP/UPI) were the 11-1 Independent Miami Hurricanes of Coach Howard Schnellenberger. The Canes had been a heavy underdog going into their Orange Bowl matchup with the previously unbeaten, offensive scoring machine Nebraska Cornhuskers of Coach Tom Osborne. In one of the most exciting bowl games of all time, Miami prevailed 31-30, after Nebraska scored a late touchdown, and instead of kicking the extra point and taking the tie that in all likelihood would have won them the National Championship anyway, Coach Osborne went for the two point conversion and the outright win. Miami kept them out of the end zone on the two pointer, and, when all the other bowl results were in, were voted Champions themselves.

The Clemson Tigers were now being led by a new QB, lefty Mike Eppley. Eppley passed for 1,410 yards on the season, which was far more than normal for recent Clemson QB's. A great all around athlete, Eppley would play point guard on the Clemson basketball team as well. Fullback Kevin Mack had 862 rushing yards. I really liked Mike Eppley as a QB, and consider him one of the more underrated Clemson signal callers of All Time. And, as any physician will tell you, we lefties are the only people in the world in our “right mind”.

We started 1983 exactly as we began 1982 after three games, 1-1-1. But, this time, we did it in a different order. Western Carolina in the season opener in the Valley was an easy 44-10 win. But then, a trip to Alumni Stadium for another round with Douglas Flutie and BC got us “Flutie Magic-ed", to the tune of 31-16. Next, back in Death Valley for the annual slobberknocker with Georgia, the two teams fought to a standstill 16-16 tie, which didn't really make EITHER fanbase happy.

From there, just as in 1982, the Tigers ran the table, to achieve their 2nd straight 9-1-1 season. Two more home games followed Georgia, a 41-14 swatting of Georgia Tech, and a 42-21 doubling of Virginia. A road trip to Duke produced an uncomfortably close 38-31 win, but a win nonetheless. That game kicked off a scheduling oddity, where we faced all four North Carolina schools in consecutive weeks.

The second of those was NC State, a 27-17 win for the Tigers at home. Continuing at home, Wake fell next, 24-17. Completing the run through the Tarheel schools, Clemson outslugged the No.10 North Carolina bunch 16-3 on the road. In our next to last game of the season, we came back to Death Valley to face a Maryland team that had already “clinched” the ACC Championship, even though they still had a game to play at NC State.

Clemson made it our mission to show Maryland who the REAL cream of the 1983 ACC was, and the Tigers completely knocked the flippers off the Turtles, dominating the game 52-27. If we had to consider that our bowl game, it was indeed a satisfying one, and every time a Maryland fan looks in their trophy case and sees that 1983 trophy, if they know their history at all, they will just bow their heads.

Our season would end on the road at The Roach, Williams-Brice Stadium. The Coots were in their first season under Coach Joe Morrison, who I actually consider to be at least their 2nd best coach all time. He didn't have the “previous big name catchet” of Holtz or Spurrier, he had to create his own glory in Cooterville. Despite being on probation, the Tigers carried a No.13 AP ranking into the South Carolina game. Coach Morrison's Biddies put up a spirited fight, but Clemson prevailed 22-13, for our 4th straight win over them. On the strength of that win, Clemson finished the season with a No.11 AP ranking. Clemson leads the all time series 48-30-3. All 1983 results below.

Western Carolina W 44–10
At Boston College L 16–31
No. 11 Georgia T 16–16
Georgia Tech W 41–14
Virginia W 42–21
At Duke W 38–31
NC State W 27–17
Wake Forest W 24–17
At No. 10 North Carolina W 16–3
No. 11 Maryland No. 17 W 52–27
At South Carolina No. 13 W 22–13 (Clemson leads the series 48-30-3.)

Had it not been for the extra year of bowl ban tacked on by the ACC, this would have been our last year of sitting home during bowl season. But, thanks to them, we still had 1984 to play with no hopes of post season glory.

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Arlington Nunn Tony Lazzara Spencer Benton Chandler

This one has a nice Cat Man highlight, as well as cramps....

Re: This one has a nice Cat Man highlight, as well as cramps....

Re: This one has a nice Cat Man highlight, as well as cramps....

I was driving - pulling into camp to hunt Oryx when

39 years ago, 1983: President Ronald Reagan proposes the

Re: 39 years ago, 1983: PICS and VIDEOS!

Lol, no doubt, Fridge would have gotten ejected for that

Re: Lol, no doubt, Fridge would have gotten ejected for that

1983 was the year the North Upper Deck was added

Re: Hill Watch...39 days!!!

Re: Hill Watch...39 days!!!

Re: Hill Watch...39 days!!!

Re: Hill Watch...39 days!!!

Re: Hill Watch...39 days!!!

Re: Hill Watch...39 days!!!

Re: Hill Watch...39 days!!!

Under 40 ! Wish I was also

Re: Under 40 ! Wish I was also

40 is so long ago, I can't even see it in my rear view

Woo Whooooo!!!!!!

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