I graduated from my dream university this month

Aug 17, 2021, 4:19 AM

I graduated from my dream college this August.

My parents had graduated from Clemson in 1980, and saw us when the national championship vs Nebraska in person.

My dad took me to my first game around 2006-2007. We played Middle Tennessee State in the blazing hot sun and fans behind us were nice enough to let us borrow their mist fan.

In 2010, we got tickets to see Clemson play USF in the Mieneke Car Care Bowl. I was in sixth grade; Clemson fans behind us were saying “Dabo Dumbo” after we finished 6-7. I remember Tajh’s attempted comeback clearly.

The next year, my family decided to attend every game through stubhub. I watched us beat Auburn and I rushed the field for the first time in a frenzy I couldn’t forget. The next week, I took my best friend to the Florida State game and did it all again - that is when I fell in love. We started that season 8-0 and at 12 years old I prayed in hope that we would win the national championship.

We scored tickets to the Chick-fil-A bowl against LSU in 2012. I couldn’t watch as Catman kicked the game winner, but I was the happiest after he hit it.

In 2013, my parents bought my ticket to the Georgia game while they watched at their tailgate. I was convinced that 2013 was finally our year. My parents had a friend that was an equipment manager and let me attend a practice. I hung out with David Saville the whole practice and got fist bumps from Tajh and Rod McDowell. I went to the game the following Saturday and was heartbroken after that 51-14 loss, but stayed the whole time because my family has never left a game early. I snuck down to the lower deck at halftime because I still had faith. My dad and I went to the South Carolina game and got plenty of “high fives” on the way out of Williams Brice. I begged and pleaded to make the trip to Miami and won where I watched us beat Braxton Miller get beat up by Spencer Shuey. They flipped portajohns after the game.

In 2015, @davidhood responded to an email that I sent for another job shadow before that Florida State game where I got to sit in on press conferences from Coach Swinney and the whole defense. We got free Chick-fil-A and Mr. Hood himself bought me a Coke (David if you remember this, you are a real one)

My senior year of high school, my dad and I went to the game at Auburn and put out our family’s life savings to see the national championship game in Tampa on the Alabama side of the stadium.

I made it my goal through high school to get into Clemson. I’ve never been the smartest, but I did well enough to bridge through Tri-County. In 2018 I was officially a student.

This past August, I graduated from the University of my dreams because of my parents. I’ve been a fan since I was 11, but now I am an alumni and I’m #### proud to be one.

I enlisted in the Air Force, and I will carry my pride for Clemson University wherever I go. Clemson has meant the world to me, and I will never forget my time as a student. To this day, I have never left a game early.

Thank you to David Hood, and the TigerNet community. I’ve been here since 2012 and your overwhelming support for me making YouTube videos as a kid was unreal: https://youtu.be/muS_N42dSmM

This post has been way to long already, but I have so many more Clemson memories to share.

BEAT GEORGIA!!!!!!!!!!

Message was edited by: Joey Tiger®

Message was edited by: Joey Tiger®