Re: Hill Watch...50 days!!!

Each season Clemson sponsors its First Friday Parade – typically on the Friday before the first Saturday home game.

According to The Tiger Newspaper:

To this day, Central Spirit still helps to facilitate this tradition, and the support for First Friday has only grown with each passing year.

Every year at Clemson, students line the streets to cheer on the iconic First Friday parade. The Clemson spirit is out in full force as colorful floats and orange and purple cars pass through.

Members from nearly every club on campus strut through the streets of Tigertown, joined by sororities and fraternities proudly chanting. ROTC cadets can be seen marching in uniform, and the ever-favorite car with the Clemson president and first lady will also make an appearance.

https://thetigercu.com/13567/timeout/a-first-look-at-first-friday/

Origins of First Friday Parade

According to Clemson Wiki:

“The parade tradition began in September 1974 in response to a perceived lack of spirit and morale about the Clemson University football team's prospects. A one-off "Orange Parade" had been staged on September 9, 1971 to drum up spirit on campus ("Campus Spirit Sought" by Lewis Kirk, The Tiger, August 27, 1971, page 6), but it was not repeated. 1967 was the last time the Tigers had had a winning season and the first two games for 1974 were played away with Texas A&M crushing Clemson, 24-0, and N.C. State beating the Tigers, 31-10.

The brothers of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity began rabble-rousing with Central Spirit to throw a parade to buck up Tiger spirits before the first home game with Georgia Tech, so on Friday, September 27, 1974 was born the "Wreck Tech" Parade. It wound from the old Winn-Dixie parking lot (now the Blue Heron location), up the hill on College Avenue through downtown Clemson and ended at the Amphitheatre where an enthusiastic pep rally was held. It had the desired effect. The following day the Tigers beat the Yellow Jackets, 21-17, and the team went onto an undefeated homefield record of 7-4. Coach Red Parker was named ACC Coach of the Year.

In 1975, Clemson opened at home against the Tulane Green Waves and the First Friday Parade was named the "### the Wave" Parade. Eventually the habit of naming individual parades was dropped and the event became known universally as the First Friday Parade.”

https://clemsonwiki.com/wiki/First_Friday

Recent First Friday Parades:

As of 2017, more than 70 campus organizations were participating in the First Friday Parade. According to a 2017 Tigernet article:

“More than 70 organizations are participating in the event, including university departments, student groups, community groups and both Panhellenic and service sororities.”

https://www.tigernet.com/clemson-lifestyle/news/details-on-clemsons-first-friday-parade-27548

Today the parade route goes alongside Clemson University’s campus through Clemson’s streets. I believe the parade has a typical route, but if I am mistaken someone please let me know. It appears the typical route begins at the intersection of Cherry Road and Highway 93 then proceeding 93 to Williamson Road. Clemson.edu mentioned this route as being the “traditional” one this past September:

“The parade will follow its traditional route along Highway 93 from Cherry Road to Williamson Road.”

https://news.clemson.edu/first-friday-parade-set-for-sept-8-at-6-p-m/#:~:text=The%20parade%20will%20follow%20its,Cherry%20Road%20to%20Williamson%20Road.

However, anyone wanting to see the parade should verify the route for that year. Occasionally, the route has differed, however, for various reasons. In 2018, for example, Tigernet mentioned the following:

“The parade will follow an alternate route this year following recent construction to Highway 93. The parade route begins at Centennial Boulevard adjacent to the northeast corner of Littlejohn Coliseum and turns left onto the Avenue of Champions alongside the east side of Memorial Stadium before finishing on Williamson Road where it meets Palmetto Boulevard.”

https://www.tigernet.com/clemson-lifestyle/news/first-friday-parade-will-feature-new-route-30595

2024 First Friday Parade:

At the beginning of this month, The Tiger has published information on Clemson’s traditions that the incoming freshman need to know. From July 1:

“First Friday Parade

The First Friday Parade, which marks the start of the football season, has drawn quite the crowd to the streets of Clemson since 1974. Clemson residents, students and supporters flood downtown to take part in this celebratory tradition. The parade features University President Jim Clements, Miss Clemson, Miss First Friday, student organizations, spirit squads and the famous Tiger Band!

Starting at Douthit Hills, the parade passes President’s Park, historic Tillman Hall and Bowman Field, then makes its final hurrah near Fike Recreation Center. Tell work or your professors that you are booked Friday afternoon of Sept. 6, and bring your friends out to enjoy this year’s parade.”

https://thetigercu.com/20882/orientation/clemson-traditions-you-should-know-before-heading-to-tigertown/

CBProf®

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50 - Clemson Football Has Played in 50 Bowl Games

Jul 12, 2024, 6:17 AM

Clemson football has a rich history! Including National Championship games, the Good Guys have played in 50 bowl games. To put that in perspective, the team in the state of South Carolina that is (currently) in second place in bowl appearances would have to double their bowl games just to catch up (25). That said, of course, only time will tell how long it takes Coastal Carolina to catch up and overtake that second place spot.

Clemson’s first bowl game

Clemson’s first ever bowl appearance was in the 1939 Cotton Bowl (played on January 1, 1940). In order to go to the Cotton Bowl, Clemson had to obtain permission from the Southern Conference. According to ClemsonTigers.com:

“Jess Neely’s last Clemson team won eight games in the regular season with just one loss to Tulane.  The 8-1 Tigers were rewarded with an invitation to play Boston College in the fourth Cotton Bowl, but Clemson first had to get permission from the Southern Conference, which they immediately granted.  The 1939 season not only resulted in Clemson’s first bowl appearance, but also the Tigers’ first first-team All-American, Banks McFadden.”

https://clemsontigers.com/1940-cotton-bowl-cu-vs-bc/#:~:text=The%201939%20Football%20Season,Cotton%20Bowl%20in%20Dallas%2C%20TX.

After obtaining permission to participate in the 1939-1940 Cotton Bowl, Clemson went on to win the game 6-3! The Good Guys have not looked back since!

Clemson Football Bowl History:

1. 1939 Cotton Bowl (January 1, 1940): Clemson 6 BC 3
2. 1948 Gator Bowl (January 1, 1949): Clemson 24 Missouri 23
3. 1950 Orange Bowl (January 1, 1951): Clemson 15 Miami 14
4. 1951 Gator Bowl (January 1, 1952): Miami 14 Clemson 0
5. 1956 Orange Bowl (January 1, 1957): Colorado 27 Clemson 21
6. 1958 Sugar Bowl ((January 1, 1959): LSU 7 Clemson 0
7. 1959 Bluebonnet Bowl (December 19, 1959): Clemson 23 TCU 7
8. 1977 Gator Bowl (December 30, 1977): Pittsburgh 34 Clemson 3
9. 1978 Gator Bowl (December 29, 1978) Clemson 17 Ohio St 15
10. 1979 Peach Bowl (December 31, 1979): Baylor 24 Clemson 18
11. 1981 Orange Bowl (January 1, 1982): Clemson 22 Nebraska 15 (National Champs!)
12. 1985 Independence Bowl (December 21, 1985): Minnesota 20 Clemson 13
13. 1986 Gator Bowl (December 27, 1986): Clemson 27 Stanford 21
14. 1987 Florida Citrus Bowl (January 1, 1988) Clemson 35 Penn St 10
15. 1988 Florida Citrus Bowl (January 1, 1989): Clemson 13 Oklahoma 6
16. 1989 Gator Bowl (December 30, 1989) Clemson 27 West Virginia 7
17. 1990 Hall of Fame Bowl (January 1, 1991): Clemson 30 Illinois 0
18. 1991 Florida Citrus Bowl (January 1, 1992): California 37 Clemson 14
19. 1993 Peach Bowl (December 31, 1993): Clemson 14 Kentucky 13
20. 1995 Gator Bowl (January 1, 1996): Syracuse 41 Clemson 0
21. 1996 Peach Bowl (December 28, 1996): LSU 10 Clemson 7
22. 1997 Peach Bowl (January 2, 1998): Auburn 21 Clemson 17
23. 1999 Peach Bowl (December 30, 1999) Mississippi St 17 Clemson 7
24. 2000 Gator Bowl (January 1, 2001): Va Tech 41 Clemson 20
25. 2001 Humanitarian Bowl (December 31. 2001): Clemson 49 La Tech 24
26. 2002 Tangerine Bowl (December 23, 2002): Texas Tech 55 Clemson 15
27. 2003 Peach Bowl (January 2, 2004) Clemson 27 Tennessee 14
28. 2005 Champ Sports Bowl (December 27, 2005) Clemson 19 Colorado 10
29. 2006 Music City Bowl (December 29, 2006): Kentucky 28 Clemson 20
30. 2007 Chick-fil-A Bowl (December 31, 2007): Auburn 23 Clemson 20 (OT)
31. 2008 Gator Bowl (January 1, 2009): Nebraska 26 Clemson 21
32. 2009 Music City Bowl (December 27, 2009): Clemson 21 Kentucky 13
33. 2010 Meineke Car Care Bowl (December 31, 2010): South Florida 31 Clemson 26
34. 2011 Orange Bowl (January 4, 2012): West Virginia 70 Clemson 33
35. 2012 Chick-fil-A Bowl (December 31, 2012): Clemson 25 LSU 24
36. 2013 Orange Bowl (January 3, 2014): Clemson 40 Ohio State 35
37. 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl (December 29, 2014): Clemson 40 Oklahoma 6
38. 2015 Orange Bowl (December 31, 2015): Clemson 37 Oklahoma 17
39. 2015 CFP National Title Game (January 11, 2016): Alabama 45 Clemson 40
40. 2016 Fiesta Bowl (December 31, 2016): Clemson 31 Ohio St 0
41. 2016 CFP National Title Game (January 9, 2017): Clemson 35 Alabama 31 (National Champs!)
42. 2017 Sugar Bowl (January 1, 2018): Alabama 24 Clemson 6
43. 2018 Cotton Bowl (December 29, 2018): Clemson 30 Notre Dame 3
44. 2018 CFP National Title Game (January 7, 2019): Clemson 44 Alabama 16 (National Champs!)
45. 2019 Fiesta Bowl (December 29, 2019): Clemson 29 Ohio St 23
46. 2019 CFP National Title Game (January 13, 2020): LSU 42 Clemson 25
47. 2020 Sugar Bowl (January 1, 2021): Ohio St 49 Clemson 28
48. 2021 Cheez-It Bowl (December 29, 2021): Clemson 20 Iowa St 13
49. 2022 Orange Bowl (December 30, 2022): Tennessee 31 Clemson 14
50. 2023 Gator Bowl (December 29, 2023): Clemson 38 Kentucky 35

Clemson Bowl Record: 27-23

Of note, Clemson’s 27 Bowl Victories is more than the number of Bowl APPEARANCES for any other individual team from the state of South Carolina.

Also of note: By my count (take that for whatever it's worth), Clemson has appeared in 18 major bowl games. That is 18 more than all other teams in the state of South Carolina combined.

Five of Clemson’s bowl game appearances have determined the National Championship. Clemson is 3-2 in those games – winning the National Title in the 1981, 2016, and 2018 seasons (each title game in January of the following calendar year)!

1981 Orange Bowl (January 1, 1982): Clemson 22 Nebraska 15

2016 CFP National Title Game (January 9, 2017): Clemson 35 Alabama 31

2018 CFP National Title Game (January 7, 2019): Clemson 44 Alabama 16

Thank you, Clemson Football, for so many wonderful bowl game memories!!

* Thanks to cutigergrad93 for mentioning the correction to Clemosn's bowl record!

Message was edited by: CBProf® - Clemson bowl record corrected to 27-23.
Of course, that is still more Clemson Bowl Victories (27) than South Carolina Bowl Appearances (25).

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Hill Watch...50 days!!!

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