FB Update: WATCH: 50 years of Howard's Rock

Howard's Rock
In 1965 a Clemson football player let his hair grow out long. He was made the butt of jokes by all the coaches and most of the team members. Finally Head Coach Howard told him to get a hair cut or lose his football scholarship. After not showing up for practice and games for two weeks he got it cut, but the next year he dropped the scholarship and paid his own way.

He was not, at the time, a first string player so his act of rebellion went un-noticed by fans and news media, but it caused much dissension and distraction within the team throughout the 1965 season and again at the start of the 1966 season when it became obvious that he gave up his scholarship because of a hair cut. I believe that in order to help regain team unity Coach Howard had the rock installed and later started the touching tradition, and that this fifty year old tradition is actually based on a hair cut.

dropout66

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Haircut

Oct 5, 2016, 12:17 PM

So you do not remember the big sign that was placed on the equipment area wire in the old field house. It had the guy's name and said that he "hangs it up" and had a jock strap on it. You don't remember the team list on the wall with all the players listed by the team they were on (1st team, 2nd team, etc.) and with the haircut guy's name at the bottom all by itself. You don't remember how Coach Howard always referred to him as whalesh*t because whalesh*t doesn't float so is the lowest thing in the world.
Also, he was on the first team in his freshman year, red shirt in his second year. It was his third year on the team that the haircut deal happened. In 1965 one did not have to have real long hair to cause a fuss. There were only about three people at Clemson with long hair back then. I was one of them too. We got to know each other and became friends. We hiked and rock climbed in the area for a couple of years before and after I dropped out. Of course it can not be proved that the haircut deal was the total cause of Howard's Rock being installed, but at the time he thought that it was a big part of it. I had not thought about it until I read that the rock had been vandalized. I am not a sport fan but I think it is funny that a hair cut may be a part of such a big football tradition especially knowing that many of the really good players today have long hair, even dreadlocks.
If you are in contact with any of the players of that time ask them about it.

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Re: FB Update: WATCH: 50 years of Howard's Rock

^^^^^1 of dem NAZI's whut bombed Pearl Harbor^^^^^^^^^***

Yeah, right ... that's it ... that's the ticket. LOL.***

Re: FB Update: WATCH: 50 years of Howard's Rock

Haircut

Speaking of

Our rock sure eroded faster than any others I've seen***

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