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YOUR BALANCE
Here's why us Old Timers have trouble letting go of Danny:
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Here's why us Old Timers have trouble letting go of Danny:


Dec 27, 2012, 10:59 AM

Clemson was getting on a roll in 1987, 1988, 1989 (all 10-win seasons). Recruiting was on auto-pilot, the defense was awesome (138 total points allowed in 1989) and we seemed poised to keep winning at that rate for years to come.

But then Coach Ford was "let go". He was in his prime and he was gone. We never got to see what might have been.

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i let valerie go in 1989...


Dec 27, 2012, 11:01 AM

i still think about her too, but i don't let it ruin my weekends.

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Yeah, thanks a lot. Now it ruins mine


Dec 27, 2012, 11:16 AM

:)

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null


And


Dec 27, 2012, 11:02 AM

The teams he coached.... Toughness was a non issue.... Being physical was a given

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


Re: Here's why us Old Timers have trouble letting go of Danny:


Dec 27, 2012, 11:06 AM

The other reason we were upset, is that we still could have hired a good coach at that time, but instead hired Ken Hatfield, whom I knew would take us backwards. He was on the wrong side of the trends in college football, as he loved the wishbone, and that offense was outdated by the time of his arrival. Like Paul Johnson at Georgia Tech, he was unable to recruit talented skill position players, because no good passing quarterbacks or wide receiveers wanted to play in that system. He had two decent years because of the talent Danny left behind, but left the cupboard bare by the time he left 4 years later.

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Re: Here's why us Old Timers have trouble letting go of Danny:


Dec 27, 2012, 5:03 PM

> The other reason we were upset, is that we still
> could have hired a good coach at that time, but
> instead hired Ken Hatfield, whom I knew would take us
> backwards. He was on the wrong side of the trends in
> college football, as he loved the wishbone, and that
> offense was outdated by the time of his arrival.
> Like Paul Johnson at Georgia Tech, he was unable to
> o recruit talented skill position players, because no
> good passing quarterbacks or wide receiveers wanted
> to play in that system. He had two decent years
> because of the talent Danny left behind, but left the
> cupboard bare by the time he left 4 years later.

Hatfield must have been great in interviews. I heard Bill King on the radio the other day talking w/ coach about when Holtz left Arkansas. Jimmy Johnson really wanted the job. ...in fact, he started lining up coaches to be on his staff, but Broyles hired Hatfield instead.

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Re: Here's why us Old Timers have trouble letting go of Danny:


Dec 27, 2012, 11:09 AM

Danny was one of Bear Bryants' favorite players and we had the next Bryant era cut way too short by a gutless administration. Danny has shown nothing but class through the years which makes you respect him even more. With that said, Dabo is a man that we all should hope does well for he too is a class act. His personal story just makes you pull for him to be successful and he really loves coaching football.

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Re: Here's why us Old Timers have trouble letting go of Danny:


Dec 27, 2012, 11:26 AM

Wasn't a gutless administration-Max Lennon despised Coach Ford and Danny subsequently gave him the ammo he needed to fire him.The ammo was talking about an athletes dorm when Lennon told him it was a closed subject.If anyone of the board of trustees would have had half a brain-they would have figured out a better way.(fire Max Lennon).We still have some of the same trustees with us today.Perhaps they could step up and write Clemson a check for the 100s of millions of dollars that stupid decision cost the university.Don't see that happening.Just one man's opinion.

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I am an old fart. Was there when it was happening. I let go


Dec 27, 2012, 11:16 AM

Danny a long time ago. Great guy. Great coach. Was mostly responsible for his won demise. He pushed the wrong buttons too many times and was, at the time, because of personal issues, was losing control of his team and might (MIGHT) have been starring down another probation if he had not been "let go!"

I have bird and deer hunted with him. My best friends trades bulls with him on a yearly basis and I see him during that. He is just as personable and funny as he ever was. But he is gone from the practical of Clemson football. He does, however, remain in our hearts and minds.

I am certain of very little in life, but I do know this. Wallowing in the past (ad nauseum) will not help the future of Clemson athletics.

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Tiger/Terrier


I agree with 'most everything you said. I see Coach Ford


Dec 27, 2012, 11:26 AM

fairly often as we have some mutual friends. He is still a great guy.

I made my post only because people keep saying to "let Danny go". People tend to hang onto things that ended too soon - I'm just saying that's it's human nature to remain attached to those things.

On a side note: Wallowing in the past (on a message board) is not affecting the future of Clemson athletics one way or the other.

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it's not human nature to hold on to a college football coach


Dec 27, 2012, 11:32 AM

for 20+ years. it's mostly sad.

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Clearly I didn't mean for someone to hold on to a coach (or anything)


Dec 27, 2012, 11:37 AM

to the point of distraction.

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Re: it's not human nature to hold on to a college football coach


Dec 27, 2012, 10:53 PM [ in reply to it's not human nature to hold on to a college football coach ]

tell bama fans that

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Re: I am an old fart. Was there when it was happening. I let go


Dec 27, 2012, 11:31 AM [ in reply to I am an old fart. Was there when it was happening. I let go ]

I was @ the meeting when Danny appealed to the fans to pressure the admin to build that football dormitory just when the NCAA was coming down very much against those..I knew he was gone that night!!I still think that this situation could have been worked out but the Clemson admin felt threatened by him!! bad time all around

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He also publicly attacked the Pres. and the A.D. in speaches


Dec 27, 2012, 12:07 PM

(in their presence). Ironically, the very thing that became the symbol of the fight (dorms for the football team) has been abandoned by the NCAA and the athletes have been primarily mainstreamed into college and university life.

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1990 was 22 years ago. NO ONE from that era is


Dec 27, 2012, 11:29 AM

in charge at Clemson anymore. No one involved in the football program then is involved now. No one playing for Clemson was ALIVE when that happened (except Rodriguez).

There's something admirable about remembering someone like Ford in a fond, positive manner these some 22 years later. There's NOTHING admirable about continuing to bring him up in order to bash the current Clemson coaching staff or the school or anything. Yes, that's true even when someone dares to compare Dabo to Danny in a favorable way for Dabo. Nothing wrong with disagreeing, but if you can't do it without trashing Dabo, I can't respect it.

And those who continue to do so will create an environment where current fans will feel the need to diminish Ford and his accomplishments, and you'll have no one to blame but yourselves.

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null


I agree with that. There's no need to trash Dabo when


Dec 27, 2012, 11:32 AM

talking about Danny. I know I've never done that...I'm a big fan of the current Head Coach!

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Sounds good to me, joeyb. ******


Dec 27, 2012, 11:33 AM



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null


Re: I agree with that. There's no need to trash Dabo when


Dec 27, 2012, 2:51 PM [ in reply to I agree with that. There's no need to trash Dabo when ]

Not as big a fan as most of the Carolina fans, I'll wager.

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Not entirety true. There are BOT members in 1990


Dec 27, 2012, 12:26 PM [ in reply to 1990 was 22 years ago. NO ONE from that era is ]

that are still "serving" today.

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Amen! I was stationed in the Pentagon and was


Dec 27, 2012, 11:05 PM [ in reply to 1990 was 22 years ago. NO ONE from that era is ]

driving in Arlington,VA when the car radio announced that Danny had been fired. I almost ran off the road. But that was a long time ago. We have a good coach who, in two seasons in a row has won 10 games and is in a major bowl game. Danny supports Dabo - time for all of us to do the same!

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He was great, his best teams were his


Dec 27, 2012, 11:31 AM

9th,10th and 11th. He should have never been let go. By the same token, all the Ford leg humpers should be willing to wait and see what Dabo will do in years 9-11.

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It wouldn't have mattered how much money


Dec 27, 2012, 12:10 PM

anyone put up for an athletic dorm. The next year or maybe two after Ford's demise, the NCAA outlawed athletic dorms. The admin most likely knew that was coming. Ford should have kept mum.

That said .... I do believe the combination of NCAA /acc extra probations, firing of Ford and poor hiring decisions, contributed to the downfall of a very strong program. We were getting to the point of "selecting instead of recruiting". And "graduating and reloading"

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


If it wasn't an athletic dorm, it would have been something


Dec 27, 2012, 12:29 PM

else. The administration was intent on taking down the football program.

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Yep...they wanted him gone...


Dec 27, 2012, 12:39 PM

if it hadn't been the athletic dorm, it would have been something else. We haven't been the same since. I often wonder what heights we would have reached if he coached for 10 more years.

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TOUGHNESS. Say what you will, we dont have it now.***


Dec 27, 2012, 12:13 PM



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Re: TOUGHNESS. Say what you will, we dont have it now.***


Dec 27, 2012, 2:47 PM

Thank You! We are all about speed, stealth, and smoke and mirrors, which plays awesome in the ACC these days. We'll see in the next two games just how tough we can play.

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Re: Here's why us Old Timers have trouble letting go of Danny:


Dec 27, 2012, 12:14 PM

I loved Danny as much as anyone, and it was a dark day on campus that day. I was walking in right when the announcement was made.
But he earned being "let go." Not many people can go around pretty much calling their bosses fools and keep their job.
And the main thing he wanted (the football dorm) became moot after the NCAA did away with them. And he wanted that over Vickery Hall, and Vickery Hall has been a big plus for our university.

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There was much more involved than any Athletic Dorm stuff


Dec 27, 2012, 9:11 PM

not gonna bring that stuff up but much more involved.

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my dad always told me coach ford was made for clemson


Dec 27, 2012, 12:16 PM

university he was a perfect fit.and although my dad has passed i still believe his statement was true.

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Re: my dad always told me coach ford was made for clemson


Dec 27, 2012, 10:42 PM

Said same thing in a thread yesterday. I was an outsider who of course pulled against coach ford at all times. However, it was obvious even to outsiders that he fit at clemson. His teams were what clemson football were supposed to be at that time. He was the right coach for the kind of kids who wanted to play for clemson back then. Selfishly, I was glad to see him go. With all these years gone by, though, even I wondee how much he could have accomplished.

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Re: Here's why us Old Timers have trouble letting go of Danny:


Dec 27, 2012, 12:47 PM

Danny set the standard for Clemson football. Many of us believe that his teams epitomized what Clemson football should be. Until someone comes along and restores Clemson football to the levels established by the Ford coached teams, they will remain the "Gold Standard" for Clemson football. I hope Dabo is the man who gets the job done. I too am an "old fart" and I don't have too many more years to wait for it so let's all pull together and get'er done!

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FAIRWOODTIGER 67


Pretty sure more probation is what might have been.***


Dec 27, 2012, 12:58 PM



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Re: Pretty sure more probation is what might have been.***


Dec 27, 2012, 4:41 PM

Says who???

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Re: Here's why us Old Timers have trouble letting go of Danny:


Dec 27, 2012, 1:35 PM

The day Clemson fired Danny Ford I recall many grown men (USC fans and alumni) crying in delight. It was simply too good to be true.

THREE 10-win seasons and staring another one square in the eye? South Carolina's program was doomed, fellas, and ya'll went and shot the goose that laid the golden egg! UNbelievable! WHY did you do it?

Imagine ole Danny STILL prowling the Clemson sidelines. 105,000-seat Death Valley AND, AND get this. In 1991 the AD's of the SEC down on their knees BEGGING Clemson to come into the SEC!

Don't get mad at me. You guys screwed up . . . BIG TIME!

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Weeping with joy?


Dec 27, 2012, 1:56 PM

Wow. I knew y'all were pathetic back then but that takes the cake. Ironically (except for the last 4 yrs), we still continued to dominate Carolina....even with coaches who couldn't hold Danny's jockstrap. Enjoy your run, 44....it won't last.

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Re: Weeping with joy?


Dec 27, 2012, 2:17 PM

> Wow. I knew y'all were pathetic back then but that
> takes the cake. Ironically (except for the last 4
> yrs), we still continued to dominate Carolina....even
> with coaches who couldn't hold Danny's jockstrap.
> Enjoy your run, 44....it won't last.

Gee, man, cool off! Don't act so Clemsony. It's not in good taste. Look, the whole darn country knows you guys really pulled a dummy with the firing Danny Ford. WHAT were you thinking? Or were you thinking at all? Imagine what Clemson football would look like today if ya'll hadn't dumbed down and fired him? However, we're all glad you did whether we weep from shaocked emotion or just plain cry from laughing.

At any rate, you don't CONTINUE to dominate Carolina in football or any other sport for that matter. Believe it. Carolina WILL bet Clem5on next year and the year after and....

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Remember when it was a Colt 45 & a Zero candy bar?


Dec 27, 2012, 2:12 PM [ in reply to Re: Here's why us Old Timers have trouble letting go of Danny: ]

Remember that little sweet game in Columbia? Almost got in a fight coming out of Willie Brice those Coots were so peeved.

Them were the days!

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Yep..our Prez & BOT turned Danny from NC Coach to Farmer!


Dec 27, 2012, 2:55 PM

GoTiGERs!

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Colt 45 and 2 ZigZags***


Dec 27, 2012, 2:59 PM [ in reply to Remember when it was a Colt 45 & a Zero candy bar? ]



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Fiat Justitia et Pereat Mundus


best coot post ever***


Dec 27, 2012, 3:03 PM [ in reply to Re: Here's why us Old Timers have trouble letting go of Danny: ]



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1980 Grad here. Loved Danny but I've been over it for 15


Dec 27, 2012, 4:27 PM

years. That was a long time ago in a completely different era of football.

My love for Clemson is bigger than a coach. I support Dabo the same way that I supported our coach back in the 80s.

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Re: Here's why us Old Timers have trouble letting go of Danny:


Dec 27, 2012, 4:39 PM

Pretty simple really. If you've experienced the BEST, it's difficult to settle for less. If you've never experienced the best, then less is OK. Anyone not around during the Danny years don't understand the feeling anyway. Go Dabo.

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It's OVER. We ALL love Danny and were


Dec 27, 2012, 8:55 PM

shocked and dismayed over his firing. The current Clemson players were not born then. Danny has moved on. So should we.

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He wasn't "let go." He was fired because he decided the


Dec 27, 2012, 9:29 PM

football program was bigger than the university. I know it's hard for folks who aren't alumni to understand, but the university isn't here for your sports entertainment. I've got two degrees from here and I don't want them debased by having every job I go to include conversations about how my university had a football team muling coke during the offseason, or how the second baseman always had to slide stomach-first so as not to break the cocaine vials in his pockets (sorry, that's actually a Vida Blue reference).

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Re: Here's why us Old Timers have trouble letting go of Danny:


Dec 27, 2012, 9:36 PM

I liked Coach Ford because he was a great guy and he was all about Clemson, so is Dabo. I did not have a hard time letting go of Hatfield, or Bowdon...Sure hated to see Tommy West fail what a fun guy to be around!

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Re: Here's why us Old Timers have trouble letting go of Danny:


Dec 28, 2012, 7:30 AM

Its not so much Danny as its where the bus (Clemson Tigers) was going the road it was on and Danny was the bus driver. Dabo is a lot like Danny in so many ways and they talk with each other often, Dabo also has the bus traveling in the direction we all will enjoy the trip.

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Re: Here's why us Old Timers have trouble letting go of Danny:


Dec 28, 2012, 7:51 AM

I liked Danny as much as anybody. I was there at his first game and there for his last. I was upset about the whole way things went down.
Remember though that Danny did coach again. That time things did not work out as well. Danny always had the best coaching staff at Clemson. No so at Arkansas.
The thing is though that Danny Ford will never coach again at Clemson. It is time to just enjoy the memories. He seems happy now with his cows and he does well speaking.

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