Clemson vs Florida Atlantic Game Notes |
Clemson Overview Offense
Clemson has eight starters and 21 lettermen returning on offense for 2006. The list of starters on the August 27 depth chart has seven seniors on the first team, one junior and three sophomores. The offensive line returns all five starters from last year, including seniors Roman Fry, Dustin Fry, Nathan Bennett and Marion Dukes, and junior Barry Richardson. Bennett is in his fourth season as a starter, while Dukes and Richardson are in their third seasons, respectively. Overall, nine of Clemson’s top 10 linemen from 2005 return this year. Will Proctor is the starting quarterback, his first year in that capacity. The senior from Winter Park, FL has started just one game and taken just 99 snaps from center in his career as a reserve behind 2005 senior Charlie Whitehurst, who was a three-year starter for the Tigers. Proctor was 13-21 for 201 yards in his only start last year, a victory over Duke. He has completed over 70 percent of his passes in the preseason scrimmages. Clemson has depth at running back and in the secondary. Chansi Stuckey is the only returning first-team All-ACC player on the offense. He had 64 catches for 770 yards and four scores last year and was also Clemson’s top punt returner. Aaron Kelly and Rendrick Taylor have been in a battle for a starting wide receiver position all fall. Kelly had 47 catches as a freshman, the second highest freshman total in Clemson history. Taylor, who was injured much of last year, had a strong spring, including a record 174 receiving yards in the Spring Game. The running back position is led by James Davis, the ACC Rookie of the Year in 2005 when he gained 879 yards and scored nine touchdowns. He ranked fourth in the ACC in rushing yards per game, a figure that was enhanced by his 150 yards rushing in the Champs Sports Bowl against Colorado, the second best bowl game rushing total in Clemson history. Reggie Merriweather gained 715 yards rushing and scored seven touchdowns last year. He had three straight 100-yard rushing games at midseason. Freshman C.J. Spiller is also slated to see playing time at running back, as is Demerick Chancellor, who was Clemson’s top ground gainer in scrimmages in the spring and fall. Clemson will play as many as six tight ends this year. Players in that position caught 35 passes last year, most by Clemson tight ends since 1975 when all-time great Bennie Cunningham was a Tiger.Thomas Hunter is the top player at that position after he had 13 receptions for 120 yards last season. Defense Clemson has seven starters and 22 lettermen returning in 2006. The defense is led by seniors Gaines Adams and Anthony Waters, two players who considered turning pro last January. Adams is a first-team All-American by many services and is on the preseason list for five different college football awards in 2006. He had 15 tackles for loss and 9.5 sacks last year. Waters was the team’s top tackler last year with 109, including 13.5 tackles for loss. He is the top returning tackler in the ACC. He had six different double figure tackle games last year. Sophomore Phillip Merling is another lineman who figures to have a strong year, while many sophomores lead the defensive tackle position. Senior Donnell Clark is coming off a torn ACL suffered in the middle of last season. Nick Watkins and Antonio Clay figure to join Waters on the second line of defense. Watkins is a junior from New Orleans who had 99 stops last year, second best on the team. Clay had 27 tackles last year as a reserve. He was in a battle for a starting spot with senior Tramaine Billie in the fall, but Billie suffered a broken foot and will be lost for at least the first four games. He could decide to red-shirt the season. The secondary must replace firstround draft choice Tye Hill and reliable safety Jamaal Fudge. Duane Coleman is one of the leaders of the defense, remarkable considering he did not enter the starting lineup until the 10th game last year. But the former running back finished strong with 21 tackles in the last three games (all Clemson wins), including a team best nine against Florida State. Michael Hamlin made some freshman All-America teams in 2005, and at 6-3 has the ability to roam the secondary. He had his first career interception last year at Georgia Tech while covering All- American Calvin Johnson. Clemson has a young defense overall with six sophomores slated to start for Vic Koenning’s unit. Clemson has not had six players who were sophomores or freshmen in the starting lineup for the course of the season since 1994. There are just three seniors slated to start on defense and two juniors. Special Teams Clemson has a preseason All- America kicker in Jad Dean. The senior from Greenwood, SC led the ACC in field goals and scoring last year when he scored 106 points, second most in Clemson history for a kicker. Cole Chason has been challenged by walk-on Jimmy Maners and it will be a game time decision as to the punter position against Florida Atlantic. Punting is an area Tommy Bowden is looking for improvement. Clemson averaged just 33.5 yards a punt last year when it had five punts blocked. The return game will apparently feature a pair of first-year freshmen in Jacoby Ford and C.J. Spiller. 2006 Schedule Notes •Clemson will play 11 consecutive weeks to open the season, the first time Clemson has played 11 consecutive weeks since 1986. “That is a positive if you get on a roll, like we did in 2000 (when Clemson played the first 10 weeks of the season), but it can be a negative if you run into injury problems,” said Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden. Clemson actually doesn’t play 11 consecutive Saturdays, the Tigers have a pair of Thursday night games (October 12 vs. Temple in Charlotte and October 26 at Virginia Tech). •Clemson’s 2006 football schedule includes six bowl teams, including road games at Atlantic Division rivals Boston College and Florida State to open the ACC schedule in early September. Clemson also travels to Virginia Tech for a Thursday evening game in late October. •Clemson will have a 12-game regular season schedule in 2006, the third time Clemson has played a 12-game regular season schedule. The other seasons were 2002 and 2003. •The Tigers will open and close the 2006 season against teams led by coaches who have won the national championship. Florida Atlantic coach Howard Schnellenberger guided Miami (FL) to the 1983 National Championship and he will bring his team to Death Valley in the season opener. Steve Spurrier will bring the South Carolina Gamecocks to Death Valley in the season finale November 25. Spurrier coached Florida to the 1996 National Championship. Bowden has gained seven wins over coaches who have won the national championship since 2003. •Clemson’s next two games are on the road against ACC upper echelon teams Boston College (September 9) and Florida State (September 16). It will be Clemson’s first trip to Boston since 1983 when Doug Flutie handed the Tigers their only loss in a 9-1-1 season. This will be the earliest date on the calendar that Clemson has played in Tallahassee since 1993. The Tigers have not won at Florida State since 1989. •Clemson will return home to face North Carolina on September 23. It will be North Carolina’s only game at Clemson between 2004 and 2011. The Tigers won a thrilling 36-28 game at Death Valley in 2003 the last time the two teams met. Clemson will celebrate its 25- years anniversary of the 1981 National Championship on this weekend. •Clemson will meet Louisiana Tech on September 30. The Bulldogs are coached by Jack Bicknell, whose father brought Boston College to face the Tigers in Death Valley in 1982. it is the only father-son opposing coaching combination in Clemson history. Bicknell also brought Louisiana Tech to Clemson in 2002 for the season opener. •The Tigers will travel to Wake Forest for the third time in the last four years on October 7, when Clemson travels to Wake Forest. Clemson has beaten Florida State two of the last three years, but has lost at Wake Forest two of the last three years. •Clemson will have just five days to prepare for Temple on October 12, a game that will be played at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte. This will be Temple’s home game. •Four of the last five games will be at home. Clemson will attempt to end its two-game losing streak against Georgia Tech when the Yellow Jackets come to Death Valley on October 21. The two teams have played games decided by five points or less nine of the last 10 years. •Clemson will then play at Virginia Tech in a Thursday night match up on ESPN on October 26. The contest will be just five days after the Georgia Tech game and will be just the fifth time (twice in October 2006) since 1933 that Clemson has had just four days in between games. • It will be the first meeting between Clemson and Virginia Tech since the Gator Bowl at the conclusion of the 2000 season. They also met in the regular season in 1998 at Clemson and at Virginia Tech in 1999 in Tommy Bowden’s first season as Tiger head coach. Clemson has not won at Virginia Tech since 1989. •Clemson concludes the season with three consecutive home games for the first time since 1998. Maryland travels to Death Valley on November 4. The Tigers have won consecutive games by four points or less on touchdowns inside the last three minutes by Reggie Merriweather against the Terps. •NC State will close Clemson’s ACC schedule on Saturday November 11. It will be just the second time in the last five years that the two teams have played on a Saturday. Clemson and Florida State are the only two ACC teams who will conclude their ACC schedule on November 11. •The Tigers will have two weeks to prepare for South Carolina, as the annual state rivalry game will be played the Saturday after Thanksgiving for the first time since 1984. The November 25 date is the latest for the South Carolina game since the two teams played on the same date in 1978. •Clemson will not play ACC teams Miami (FL), Duke or Virginia during the regular season. It will be the first time Clemson has not played Duke since 1964. Clemson Corners Have Experience on Offense Clemson starting cornerbacks C.J. Gaddis and Duane Coleman both have experience on offense in their Clemson careers. Gaddis is a red-shirt junior from Raeford, NC, while Coleman is a red-shirt senior from Naples, FL. Coleman was Clemson’s leading rusher in 2003 as a freshman when he gained 615 yards on 133 carries. He also had 34 receptions for 309 yards, becoming the second player in Clemson history to gain at least 600 yards rushing and 300 yards receiving in the same season. A year ago at this time, Coleman was a running back and he had 10 carries in the opening game victory against Texas A&M. Coleman moved over to the defensive side last season after the Maryland game in week II, and became a starter for the last three games of the year. Clemson won all three games, as he had 21 tackles in the three games. He had nine stops in the win over Florida State, his first career start at cornerback to lead the team. Coleman has 50 career pass receptions and 35 career tackles. With 15 more tackles he will become the first Clemson player on record to have 50 tackles and 50 receptions in a career. (Tackle stats only go back to 1976.) Gaddis came to Clemson as a quarterback and spent his freshman year playing that position as a red-shirt behind Charlie Whitehurst and Chansi Stuckey. He moved to the secondary for spring practice prior to the 2004 season. Last year, as a sophomore, he had 59 tackles, fifth on the Clemson team in that category. He made five starts last season. Three Tigers Have Degrees Three current Clemson players have already earned their undergraduate degrees. Punter Cole Chason earned his degree last May in marketing, wide receiver Chansi Stuckey earned his degree in August in sports management and defensive end Brandon Cannon earn his degree in May in management. A total of 36 student-athletes have played for Clemson under Tommy Bowden (eight seasons) with their undergraduate degree already in hand. There are nine seniors on this year’s team scheduled to graduate in December, including defensive leaders Gaines Adams and Anthony Waters. In the seven years Tommy Bowden has completed at Clemson he has had 121 senior lettermen. Ninety-four of those 121 have earned their degrees, 78 percent. Some of those former players are still in school pursuing their degree so that number should increase. Between 1999 and 2003, Bowden had 83 senior lettermen and 70 have their degrees, 84 percent. Last year Clemson ranked fourth among Division I football institutions in graduation success rate (GSR) with a 94 percent figure for the four years examined. Only Navy, Notre Dame and Wake Forest had higher figures. Clemson Has 14 Fifth-Year Seniors Clemson has a veteran team in many ways in 2006. The active roster has 22 seniors, 18 of whom are on scholarship and 14 of those are in their fifth seasons with the program. The leadership is widely distributed as each position coach has at least one fifth-year senior. The area of the team with the most seniors is the offensive line where four are starting and another is a primary backup. This year’s senior class already has 23 wins in the bank and has a 23-13 record, a .640 winning percentage. That includes a 7-5 record against top 25 teams. The last Clemson senior class to defeat eight top 25 teams was the senior class of 1993. The record is 10 wins by a senior class, held by many. This group of seniors is 15-4 at home and has a 2-0 record in bowl games, wins over 6th ranked Tennessee and Colorado. The seven wins over top 25 ranked teams ranks tied for 10th in the nation among 2006 senior classes. Ohio State has the most with 13, followed by Texas with 12. Clemson’s 2006 senior class is also tied for 10th in wins over top 20 teams with six. LSU has the most in that category with 11. 2006 Clemson Seniors No Name Pos Hometown 93 #Gaines Adams BAN Greenwood, SC 63 #Nathan Bennett OG Dallas, GA 20 Tramaine Bille LB Eastover, SC 95 #Brandon Cannon DE Lithonia, GA 53 Chris Carey OL Scott Depot, WV 30 #Cole Chason P Roswell, GA 44 #Donnell Clark MG Griffin, GA 3 #Duane Coleman CB Naples, FL 7 Jad Dean PK Greenwood, SC 73 #Tim DeBeer OT Atlanta, GA 75 Marion Dukes OT Pickens, SC 62 #Dustin Fry C Summerville, SC 72 #Roman Fry OG Ironton, OH 15 Sergio Gilliam CB Greer, SC 89 #Thomas Hunter TE Marion, SC 37 #Reggie Merriweather RB North Augusta, SC 14 #Will Proctor QB Winter Park, FL 59 Nic Riddle SN Ladson, SC 45 Brent Smith FB Moncks Corner, SC 86 Brian Sorrells WR Sumter, SC 2 #Chansi Stuckey WR Warner Robbins, GA 40 #Anthony Waters LB Lake View, SC #Denotes fifth year scholarship senior Two New Coaches on Staff Clemson has two new coaches on its staff and both played college football in the state of South Carolina, but not for Clemson. Billy Napier, a former Furman quarterback is Clemson’s tight ends coach, while Chris Rumph, former South Carolina defensive lineman, is the Tigers defensive line coach. Napier is a 2003 Furman graduate, who at 27, is one of the youngest full time Division I coaches in the nation. He played at Furman from 1999-2002 and was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award in 2002 when he completed 68.5 percent of his passes and was named the Furman team captain. Napier had been at South Carolina State in 2005. Rumph played at South Carolina from 1991-94. He played the 1994 season under Brad Scott, Clemson’s current offensive line coach and assistant head coach. Rumph had a strong senior year when he had a career high 52 tackles and helped the Gamecocks win their first ever bowl game. Rumph coaches the Clemson defensive line and among his protege’s is Phillip Merling, a sophomore who is Rumph’s nephew. Rumph had coached under former Clemson Head Coach Tommy West at Memphis the last three seasons before coming to Clemson. Simmons Named Video Graduate Assistant Former Clemson quarterback Willie Simmons has joined Tommy Bowden’s staff as a video graduate assistant for the offense. He replaces Richie Wessman, who resigned in July to take a position with the Tennessee Titans of the NFL. Simmons came to Clemson as a freshman in August of 1999. After red-shirting that season, he played for the Tigers from 2000 through 2002. He earned his marketing degree in May of 2002. He played the 2003 season for The Citadel. Simmons played in 24 games, eight as a starter for the Tigers. He completed 204 of 391 yards for 2530 yards and 16 touchdowns in his career. He is 12 th in Clemson history in passing yardage and 11th in completions. As a freshman in 2000 Simmons threw eight touchdown passes in just 92 attempts as a backup to Woodrow Dantzler on Clemson’s 9-3 team that finished 14th in the final AP poll. That year he threw four touchdowns passes in the victory at North Carolina, tying the Clemson single game record. Simmons was named ACC Rookie of the Week for that performance. He played in just five games as a backup to Dantzler in 2001, then played in 10 games in 2002, eight as a starter. He completed 142 of 244 passes for 1559 yards in 2002. He was named the Chevrolet ABC Player of the Game in Clemson’s victory over Wake Forest in 2002. In 2003 at The Citadel, Simmons completed 153 of 300 passes for 1864 yards. The 1864 yards rank fifth in The Citadel history in passing yards for one season. His season included a college career high 32 yards against Western Carolina. At the conclusion of the 2003 season, Simmons was named first-team All-Southern Conference quarterback. Simmons was the offensive coordinator at Lincoln High School in Tallahassee in 2005. Bowden Seeks Seventh Straight Winning Season Based on the preseason rankings, the Clemson players and coaches have goals higher than achieving just a winning season in 2006. However, a winning season would give the program seven in a row, the second longest streak in Clemson history and the longest for the program since a record eight years in a row from 1977-84. Charlie Pell (two years) and Danny Ford (last six) combined for that eight-year streak of winning seasons. Bowden can break the Clemson individual coaching record for consecutive winning seasons if he can record a winning year in 2006. Ford had the six-year streak mentioned above and Frank Howard had six consecutive winning seasons from 1955-60. On the ACC level, Bowden’s current streak of six is tied for fifth best in league history. Bobby Bowden of Florida State has an active streak of 14 in a row (as an ACC school, but 29 in a row overall), while former Virginia Head Coach George Welsh had a 13-year streak from 1987-99. Jerry Claiborne or Maryland (1973-80) and Mack Brown of North Carolina (1990-97) both had eight-year streaks. Current Virginia Tech head coach Frank Beamer has a 13-year streak, but only two as an ACC school. ACC Record for Consecutive Winning Seasons by Head Coaches
Coach School Seasons Yrs
Former Tiger in Movie
Former Clemson center Jason Gamble appears in the recently
released movie “Invincible”. The movie that is about the NFL career of
former Philadelphia Eagles player Vince Papale (1976-78), debuted on
Friday, August 25. Gamble plays former Eagles Center Guy Morris in the
movie.
Gamble was Clemson’s starting center in 1997 and 1998. He
played and started in 23 consecutive games over those two seasons,
helping the Tigers to the 1998 Peach Bowl against Auburn. Gamble was
a junior college transfer who graduated in 1999.
Since his playing days, Gamble has played in various
professional leagues, including NFL Europe with the Scottish Claymores
in 2000 and the Orlando Rage of the XFL in 2001.
Clemson Enters 2006 on Four-Game Winning Streak
Clemson won its last four games of the 2005 season to finish
with an 8-4 record. Finishing strong has been the norm for Clemson the
last three years. The Tigers won five of their last six in each of the last
four in 2003, then won five of the last six in 2004 before winning six of
the last seven of 2005. The 2005 season marked the first time since the
1991 season that Clemson won six of its last seven games.
Clemson has a 6-9 record in the first five games of the year
over the last three years, but is 17-4 in the remaining games of the year
over the last three years.
A win over Florida Atlantic would give Clemson five straight
wins. Clemson has not won five in a row since winning the last four
games of 2003 and the first game of 2004. The longest winning streak
under Tommy Bowden took place in 2000 when Clemson won its first
eight games of the season and reached a #5 Associated Press ranking,
and a #3 ranking in USA Today.
Clemson is one of just nine teams nationally entering the 2006
season with a winning streak of at least four games. Texas has the
longest winning streak entering this year at 20 in a row. TCU is the only
other school with a double digit win streak, as the Horned Frogs have
won 10 in a row dating to a loss to SMU early last year.
Ohio State and West Virginia have both won seven in a row,
while Louisiana-Lafayette, Penn State and Nevada have a five-game
winning streak entering this year. Clemson and Tulsa have won four in a
row.
All Five Offensive Line Starters are Back
Clemson returns all five starters in the offensive line for 2006.
That has been a good indication of a successful season, as the Tigers
are a combined 39-9 the last four seasons Clemson has returned all five
starters in the offensive line.
The stat dates to the 1981 season when Clemson had all five
starters back on the way to a 12-0 record and the school’s only National
Championship. The other seasons in the last 25 years that Clemson has
had all five starters back are 1987 (10-2), 1995 (8-4) and 2000 (9-3).
Clemson ranked in the final top 16 of each poll in each year but 1995.
Clemson was a combined 39-9 overall, including 24-5 in ACC games
(.828).
This year’s five returning starters on the offensive line include
center Dustin Fry, a preseason selection for the Dave Rimington Award,
offensive guard Roman Fry (no relation), a preseason list selection for
the Outland Trophy, offensive tackle Barry Richardson, the only junior of
the group who has been a preseason All-American by at least one
service, offensive guard Nathan Bennett and offensive tackle Marion
Dukes. Roman Fry was a second team All-ACC selection last year.
Clemson Teams with 5 Offensive Line Starters Returning
Year W-L ACC ACC Fin AP-USA 1981 12-0 6-0 1st 1-1 1987 10-2 6-1 1st 12-10 1995 8-4 6-2 2nd NR-NR 2000 9-3 6-2 2nd 16-14 Total 39-9 24-5 (.813) (.828)
Three 700-Yard Players Return on Offense
Clemson was a balanced team on offense under first-year
offensive coordinator Rob Spence in 2005. The Tigers were the only
offense in the ACC to rank in the top four in the league stats in both
rushing and passing. Clemson ranked second to Boston College in total
offense last year and actually tied for first (to the exact yard) with Miami
(FL) for conference games only.
One of the reasons for the success was the fact that Clemson
had three different players gain at least 700 yards in either receiving or
rushing in 2006. This marked just the third time in school history that
Clemson had three different players reach the “700 Club” in either
category. It is interesting to point out that all three seasons it has
happened Tommy Bowden has been the head coach.
Last year, James Davis was the top rusher with 879 yards,
while Reggie Merriweather was second with 715. Wide Receiver Chansi
Stuckey also joined the 700 club with 770 receiving yards. All three
players return this year and the 2006 team will be the first team in
school history to have three “700-yard Club” players returning.
The last time Clemson had three 700 yard players was 2000
when Woody Dantzler and Travis Zachery both rushed for over 1000
yards and Rod Gardner caught passes for over 1000 yards. That is the
only time in history Clemson has had three 1,000-yard players. The
1999 Clemson team also had three 700-yard players in Zachery as a
rusher, and Gardner and Brian Wofford as receivers.
Waters, Adams Return to Lead Defense
If Clemson has a strong performance on defense this year,
some will say it was determined in the first week of January. During the
week of January 8-14 both Gaines Adams and Anthony Waters
announced they would remain at Clemson for their respective seniors
seasons. That was good news to Clemson fans and Tiger coaches.
Both are ranked high for the 2007 NFL draft by many of the experts.
Adams is ranked in the top three by Mel Kiper’s Big Board.
Adams is a unique story in that he played eight-man football in
high school at Cambridge Academy for former South Carolina
quarterback Steve Tanneyhill. He then went to Fork Union Military
Academy where he had 22 sacks his one season there. Adams had 15
tackles for loss, including 9.5 sacks last year to lead Clemson in both
categories. He had 56 tackles overall. He has 15.5 sacks in his career
and has an outside shot at Michael Dean’ Perry’s career record of 28.
Waters was Clemson’s top tackler last year with 109, and he
now has 214 for his career. He also had 13.5 tackles for loss last year,
second to Adams figure among returning Tigers. He had a string of five
straight games with double digit tackles.
Both Waters and Adams are on the preseason list of
candidates for the Bednarick and Nagurski Awards. Waters is also on
the Butkus Award list and Adams is on the Hendricks Award list.
Tigers Have Leaders in Many ACC Leaders
One of the reasons Clemson has been picked to finish second
in the Atlantic Division of the ACC race and has a near unanimous top 20
preseason ranking is the return of some of the top statistical leaders in
the ACC. Clemson has the top returning ACC player in league stats in
many key offensive and defensive categories:
Chansi Stuckey —top returning receiver on a receptions per
game basis. Averaged 5.33 catches per game last year, best in the ACC
in 2005.
Jad Dean—Averaged 8.8 points per game last year and 2.0
field goals per game. He led the ACC in both areas as a junior so he is
obviously the leading returning player in both areas.
Gaines Adams—had 9.5 sacks last year to rank fifth in the
league, but he is first among returning ACC players.
Anthony Waters—Averaged 9.3 tackles per game last year to
rank third in the ACC, but he is first among returning players for 2006.
Waters led the ACC in solo tackles per game last year with 5.91 so he is
obviously the leading returning player in that area as well.
Scrimmage Reviews
August 12, 2006
Gaines Adams had a pair of sacks and Antonio Clay added 10 tackles to
highlight the play for the defense in Clemson’s first scrimmage of the
preseason. The Tigers worked for two-and-a-half hours in Clemson
Memorial Stadium on Saturday.
Clemson quarterbacks completed 28 of 43 passes for 301
yards, but the first team defense did not allow a touchdown. Clemson
Head Coach Tommy Bowden stopped short of saying that the defense
dominated the scrimmage.
“The defense certainly got off to a good start, holding the first
team offense to a three-and-out on the first two series, but the offense
did take the ball to the five on a 50-yard drive on the third series. “ A
penalty moved the Tigers away from the goal line, leading to a 40-yard
field goal by Jad Dean.
Later in the scrimmage the first-team offense drove to the twoyard
line, but the defense made a goal line stand that ended with Michael
Hamlin making a strong play at the goal line to keep the offense out of
the endzone.
“We moved the ball on offense and our completion percentage
was good (28-43 for 65.1 percent). We didn’t get as many big plays.
Perhaps Chansi being out today had something to do with that.” Firstteam
All-ACC wide receiver Chansi Stuckey missed the scrimmage
because he was going through the Clemson University graduation
ceremony across the street in Littlejohn Coliseum.
“We know Gaines Adams can rush the passer,” said Bowden
after the scrimmage. “We just have to see who else can rush the passer.
I thought the defense played well today overall and if I had to give one
side of the ball and edge today, it would be the defense.
First-team quarterback Will Proctor completed 9-15 passes for
75 yards, as he faced the first-team defense on every snap he took.
Cullen Harper had a strong day, completing 13-21 passes for 168 yards
for a touchdown. His touchdown pass was a 70-yarder to wide receiver
Andrew Diomande. Tribble Reese completed 6-7 passes for 58 yards,
including a 33-yarder to walk-on Nelson Faerber.
Demerick Chancellor was the top rusher in the scrimmage with
11 rushes for 42 yards and two touchdowns. James Davis had 5-33 for
the first-team offense, and added three receptions for 29 yards, while
freshman C.J. Spiller had 9-26 on the ground.
The top receiver in terms of receptions was freshman Jacoby
Ford, who had 4-60. Diomande led in receiving yards with two
receptions for 79 yards, while Aaron Kelly had three catches for 12 yards.
In all, 12 different players had receptions in the scrimmage.
Clay led all tacklers with 10, including eight first hits and a
sack. He also had a caused fumble. Adams had the two sacks and four
total tackles. Chris Clemons had seven tackles, Nick Watkins added six,
Courtney Vincent had six, and Dorell Scott had five. Sadat Chambers
had the only interception of the day.
Four offensive linemen missed the scrimmage due to injury.
Cory Lambert (back), Thomas Austin (mild concussion), Brandon Pilgrim
(leg) and Jamarcus Grant (broken foot), were all in yellow jerseys. There
were no new injuries reported during the scrimmage.
Clemson Scrimmage Review
August 19, 2006
Will Proctor completed 16-20 passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns
to highlight the play of the offense in a two-hour Clemson football
scrimmage at Death Valley on Saturday morning.
The scrimmage did not get off to a good start for Proctor as he
threw an interception on his first pass, a theft by safety Roy Walker who
returned it 30 yards. But, Proctor came back to throw two touchdown
passes and eight completed eight consecutive passes at one point. He
led the number-one offense to three touchdowns against the number-one
defense, an improvement over last Saturday when the number-one
offense did not score a touchdown against the top line defense.
Proctor threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Chansi Stuckey
and a 38-yard touchdown pass to Durrell Barry. Overall, Proctor
completed passes to nine different receivers.
Backup quarterback Cullen Harper was 14-21 for 82 yards and
Tribble Reese was 8-10 for 58 yards. The three quarterbacks were a
collective 38-51 for 325 yards and two touchdowns.
Sixteen different receivers caught the ball during the
scrimmage that was played in perfect weather conditions. Jacoby Ford
had the most receptions with six for 32 yards. It was a good day for the
tight ends. Freshman Michael Palmer, had three catches for 26 as he
continues to play well. First-team tight end Thomas Hunter had 2-33 and
Barry had 1-38 and the touchdown. Fullback Alex Pearson had 3-25 in
terms of receiving.
Demerick Chancellor led the running backs with 6-87 rushing,
including a 55-yard touchdown run against the second-team defense.
Paul Macko had 7-34, James Davis 7-27, C.J. Spiller 5-23 and Reggie
Merriweather 3-4. Spiller had two receptions for 25.
The defense had some standout efforts as well. In addition to
Walker’s 30-yard interception return, Michael Hamlin had an 11-yard
interception return. Sadat Chambers had a 50-yard fumble return.
Sergio Gilliam had a blocked field goal.
Nick Watkins was the top tackler with six stops, including a
tackle for loss near the goal line. Walker, C.J. Gaddis, Anthony Waters
and Ricky Sapp had four tackles apiece. Sapp had two tackles for loss,
including a sack.
“It was a good day or work, but the penalties were a
disappointment,” said Bowden. “We have a long way to go because of
the penalties. There were too many offsides and some fumbles.” The
offense committed nine penalties and the defense was charged with six.
Still, Bowden did see some positives. “Before the scrimmage
in special teams work I thought C.J. Spiller and Jacoby Ford worked well
in the return game. I thought Michael Palmer had another good day at
tight end and Chancellor ran well again. He showed some speed on a
long touchdown run. Michael Hamlin and Roy Walker both had
interceptions early in the scrimmage that were big plays we like to see
from the defense. Jacoby Ford did a good job in getting some yards after
the catch. We had a high percentage of completions today, but we
should in our offense.”
Tigers in Top 25 of Both Preseason Polls
Clemson is ranked 18th in the nation in the preseason of both
the Associated Press and USA Today top 25 polls. It is the first time
Clemson has been ranked in the preseason of both polls since 2001
when Clemson was 19th by AP and 18th by USA Today.
This year’s #18 ranking is the highest preseason ranking for
the Clemson program in Associated Press since the preseason of the
2000 season when Clemson was 17th. The Tigers went on to finish 16th
in the final AP poll that year after a 9-3 season.
The #18 ranking by AP is the highest for the Clemson program
in any AP poll since the October 14, 2001 poll when Clemson was 13th
after a 4-1 start. Clemson ranked 21st in the final AP poll last year.
Ohio State is first in the preseason AP poll, followed by Notre
Dame. Clemson is fourth among ACC teams in the Associated Press
Poll. Florida State is ranked 11th, Miami (FL) is 12th and Virginia Tech is
17th. The Tigers must face Florida State on the road on September 16
and will play at Virginia Tech on October 26. Clemson will not face Miami
(FL) in the regular season this year.
It is interesting to point out that this is the fifth year that at least
one poll has picked Clemson 18th in the preseason. Clemson was #18 in
the preseason in AP in 1958, 1959 and 1978 in addition to this year.
Clemson was #18 in the preseason for 2001.
Being ranked in the preseason is not always a good indicator
of a successful season for the Tigers. Five of the last seven years
Clemson has been picked in the top 25 of the preseason Clemson has
failed to be ranked in the top 25 in the final poll. Eleven years Clemson
has been ranked in the preseason and the postseason. The last time
that happened was in 2000 when Clemson was 17th in the AP preseason
and finished 16 th.
In 1981 when Clemson won the National Championship
Clemson was unranked in the preseason. Twice the pollsters have been
right on the money with their preseason ranking. In 1989 Clemson was
12th in the preseason and 12th in the final poll. In 1993 Clemson was #23
in the preseason and #23 in the postseason.
“I would rather be ranked in the preseason than not be ranked,
but our goal is to be ranked at the end of the season,” said Bowden.
“That would give us consecutive top 25 seasons and that is something
we haven’t done yet. It is one of our goals for 2006.”
Clemson Preseason Rankings by Publications
12—by Athlon, CollegeFootballNews.com
15—by Sports Illustrated, Dennis Dodd/CBS.SportsLine.com
16— by ESPN the Magazine, Blue Ribbon College Football
Yearbook
18—by Associated Press, Lindy’s, Phil Steele, USA Today
19—by Rivals.com
20— by NationalChamps.net
23— by Street & Smith, EA Sports
24—by Sporting News, Playboy
Florida Atlantic Overview
Florida Atlantic comes to Clemson led by a legendary head
coach. Howard Schnellenberger won a national championship as an
assistant under Bear Bryant at Alabama in the 1960s and won a title as a
head coach at the University of Miami (FL) in 1983. When you look at
the history of the University of Miami (FL) it is Schnellenberger who got
the program going in the early 1980s. The program was near extinction
before he got there in 1979. He has also been the head coach at
Louisville and Oklahoma and was the head coach of the Baltimore Colts
in 1973 and 1974. He has won 128 games as a college head coach.
Schnellenberger took on a great challenge when he became
the head coach at Florida Atlantic in 2000. The Owls didn’t even have a
program. It can’t be easy to start from scratch, but that is what
Schnellenberger did and he has had some fine teams. The best Owl
squad was the 2003 team that finished 11-3. He followed that with a 9-3
campaign.
Clemson Head Coach Tommy Bowden said Schnellenberger
will bring a sound team to Clemson from a fundamental standpoint. f
“They like to use a lot of two-back on offense and they will be multiple on
defense. When I was a graduate assistant at Florida State and he was
the head coach at Miami (FL) he was certainly a coach that you watched
with interest. He always had fundamental teams that out executed
teams.”
This year’s team has 42 returning lettermen and 17 starters
back. They lost just nine lettermen off last year’s team. Jervonte
Jackson is a defensive lineman the Tigers will have to account for today.
He is a preseason first-team All-Sun Belt selection according to many
preseason publications after he had 38 tackles as a freshman in 2005.
Troy Pindell is a big play guy on defense after he led the team in
interceptions with four and blocked kicks with three in 2005.
Charles Pierre led Florida Atlantic in rushing last year as a
freshman with 517 yards and three touchdowns. Casey McGahee is the
top returning receiver with 23 catches last year. He has played on both
sides of the ball over his career.
Bowden vs. National Championship Coaches
Tommy Bowden has had a habit of defeating veteran coaches
who have won the National Championship since he has been the head
coach at Clemson. He has a chance to enhance that number on
Saturday when Clemson takes on Florida Atlantic and Head Coach
Howard Schnellenberger.
Schnellenberger led the University of Miami (FL) to the national
championship in 1983 with an Orange Bowl win over Nebraska, just two
years after Clemson had captured the title with an Orange Bowl win over
the Cornhuskers. Bowden already has 10 wins over coaches who have
won the national championship since 1999, his first year at Clemson.
Entering Saturdays game he has actually done it in two of the
last three games. He defeated his father, Bobby Bowden of Florida
State, last November 12 by a 35-14 score, then ended the regular
season with a win over Steve Spurrier and South Carolina. Spurrier won
the national championship at Florida in 1996 and his father won the
national title at Florida State in 1993 and 1999.
Only two other coaches have defeated both Bobby Bowden
and Steve Spurrier in the same year. Phillip Fulmer did it for Tennessee
in 1998, the year his Volunteers won the National Championship, and
Butch Davis did it in 2000, his last year at Miami (FL).
Tommy Bowden already has 10 wins over five different
coaches who have won the National Championship in their careers. He
had three of the 10 wins in a four-game span to end the 2003 season.
Bowden had five wins over Lou Holtz, who led Notre Dame to
the title in 1988, between 1999-2004. Tommy Bowden defeated Phillip
Fulmer of Tennessee in the 2003 Peach Bowl, 27-14. Fulmer led the
Volunteers to the title in 1998. He has twice beaten his father, Bobby
Bowden, who won the title in 1993 and 1999 with Florida State, and
defeated Larry Coker of Miami, last year at the Orange Bowl, 24-17.
Coker led the Hurricanes to the National Championship in 2001.
Bowden already has the Clemson record for coaching wins
over coaches who had won a national championship. Danny Ford had
seven such victories in his Clemson career between 1978-87. The
national championship coaches Ford defeated were Woody Hayes of
Ohio State, Barry Switzer of Oklahoma, Dan Devine of Notre Dame, Joe
Paterno of Penn State and Vince Dooley of Georgia (three times). He
also defeated Tom Osborne of Nebraska, but Osborne had not yet won a
national championship when Ford beat him in the 1982 Orange Bowl.
Tommy Bowden’s Wins vs. National Championship Coaches
Year Coach School CU-Opp
1999 Lou Holtz South Carolina 31-21
2000 Lou Holtz South Carolina 16-14
2002 Lou Holtz South Carolina 27-20
2003 Bobby Bowden Florida State 26-10
Lou Holtz South Carolina 63-17
Phillip Fulmer Tennessee 27-14
2004 Larry Coker Miami (FL) 24-17
Lou Holtz South Carolina 29-7
2005 Bobby Bowden Florida State 35-14
Steve Spurrier South Carolina 13-9
Seven Tigers on Preseason Honors Lists
Seven different Clemson players are on a total of 12 preseason
award lists for 2006. The list is led by Gaines Adams, who appears on
five different preseason awards lists. Last year, Tye Hill reached the final
three of the Thorpe Award (outstanding defensive back), while Jad Dean
was one of three finalists for the Lou Groza Award.
Adams is on the preseason list for the Walter Camp Award
(college player of the year), the Lombardi Award (top lineman), Bronko
Nagurski Award (top defensive player), the Bednarik Award (top
defensive player) and the Hendrick Award (top defensive end).
Linebacker Anthony Waters is on the preseason list for the
Nagurski Award and the Bednarik Award with Adams, and is also on the
preseason list for the Butkus Award, which goes to the top linebacker in
the nation. Former Clemson linebacker Keith Adams was a finalist for
the award in 2000.
Two Clemson offensive linemen have been named to
preseason lists. Starting center Dustin Fry is on the preseason list for
the Dave Rimington Award. Fry was an intern this summer in the
athletic department for former Clemson All-American Kyle Young. Young
was a two-time finalist for the award in 2000 and 2001. Offensive guard
Roman Fry is on the preseason list for the Outland Trophy which goes to
the top lineman in college football.
Clemson sophomore running back James Davis is on the
preseason list for the Maxwell Award. That honor goes to the top college
football player in the nation.
Senior kicker Jad Dean is on the preseason list for the Lou
Groza Award. As stated above he was a finalist last season.
Chansi Stuckey is the returning ACC reception champion and
is on the preseason list of candidates for the Belitnikof Award, which
goes to the top receiver in the nation.
Clemson Preseason Award List Summary
Player Award Preseason List
Gaines Adams Walter Camp, Lombardi Award, Bronko Nagurski
Chuck Bednarik Award, Ted Hendricks Award
Anthony Waters Bronko Nagurski Award, Chuck Bednarik Award,
Dick Butkus Award
Dustin Fry Dave Rimington Award
Roman Fry Outland Trophy
James Davis Maxwell Award
Chansi Stuckey Fred Belitnikof Award
Jad Dean Lou Groza Award
Stuckey is Walter Johnson of Clemson Football
Chansi Stuckey is the Walter Johnson of Clemson football.
Johnson holds the Major League baseball record for wins on Opening
Day with nine during his Hall of Fame career in the early stages of the
20th Century.
Stuckey has played well in season openers the last two years
and he will try to make it three in a row when Clemson meets Florida
Atlantic. Both opening games have been close Tiger victories, the 25-24
victory over Texas A&M in 2005, and the 37-30 overtime thriller against
Wake Forest in 2004.
In the win over Texas A&M, Stuckey scored Clemson’s only
touchdown on a 47-yard punt return in the first half. The junior wide
receiver also had 3-50 receiving and three yards rushing, giving him 106
all-purpose yards for the game, second on the Clemson team behind
James Davis’s 107.
Stuckey also had a great game on opening day in 2004
against Wake Forest. The native of Warner Robbins, GA had a career
high eight catches for a career high 112 receiving yards. He also had 10
yards rushing, three punt return yards, a blocked punt, and a key block
on Justin Miller’s 69-yard punt return for a touchdown.
Thus, Stuckey has had at least 100 all-purpose running yards
on each of the last two season openers.
Stuckey enters this season with 91 career receptions, so he
needs just nine to reach the 100 mark for his career. He is already 15th
in Clemson history in career catches and is 20th in career reception yards
with 1060. He has caught at least on pass in each of his last 21 games,
or every game he has played at the wide receiver position in his Clemson
career. He was a quarterback as a freshman in 2003.
Proctor Makes Second Start
Clemson Successful with Senior Quarterbacks
Clemson will be led at quarterback this year by senior Will
Proctor. The native of Winter Park, FL will be making just his second
college start when the Tigers face Florida Atlantic on Saturday. His only
previous start came last year against Duke when he connected on 13-21
passes for 201 yards and two touchdowns.
Having a senior in his first year as the starting quarterback is
not necessarily a bad thing. There have been examples in Clemson
history where the Tigers have had a very successful season with a firstyear
senior starter at QB. The last time it happened was 1989 when
Chris Morocco led the Tigers to a 10-2 season and #12 final national
ranking in AP.
Billy Lott was in the same situation in 1979 and he guided
Clemson to a 8-4 record, including wins over Notre Dame and Georgia.
Charlie Bussey was technically a first year senior starter at quarterback
in 1956 and he led Clemson to the Orange Bowl that season.
Since 1978 Clemson has had a senior as its starting
quarterback during 11 season and the combined final record for the
Tigers in those seasons is 92-36-2, a winning ratio of 73 percent. That
basically equates to an 8-3 season.
Clemson has been to a bowl nine of those 11 seasons it has
had a senior quarterback since 1978, and the two years it didn’t go to a
bowl it was due to NCAA probation, not because of a poor record.
Clemson Records with Senior Quarterbacks Since 1978
Year Senior QB Record Bowl 1978 Steve Fuller 11-1 Gator, W, Ohio State 1979 Billy Lott 8-4 Peach, L, Baylor 1982 Homer Jordan 9-1-1 Ineligible 1984 Mike Eppley 8-4 Ineligible 1988 Rodney Williams 10-2 Citrus, W, Oklahoma 1989 Chris Morocco 10-2 Gator, W, West Virginia 1991 DeChane Cameron 9-2-1 Citrus, L, California 1997 Nealon Greene 7-5 Peach, L, Auburn 1999 Brandon Streeter 6-6 Peach, L, Mississippi State 2001 Woodrow Dantzler 7-5 Humanitarian, W, Louisiana Tech 2005 Charlie Whitehurst 8-4 Champs Sports, W, Colorado
Bowden to Play More First-Year Freshmen
Clemson’s 2006 freshman class was regarded as among the
best at Clemson in many years and among the best in the nation
according to many services. Clemson Head Coach Tommy Bowden has
added to the interest with his praise of the first year freshmen during
preseason camp. He has stated that six or seven freshmen could see
action this year. Last year, eight first year freshmen saw action.
In the last 24 years (or since 1982), Clemson has played 132
first-year freshmen, an average of 5.5 per season. Fifty-six of the firstyear
freshmen who have played have been offensive players, while 72
have been defensive players and four have been kickers.
Since Bowden came to Clemson in 1999, the Tigers have
played 34 first-year freshmen, 12 on offense, 20 on defense and two
special teams. That is an average of 4.87 first-year freshman per year,
so Bowden is a bit below the Clemson average for the last 24 years.
The record for first-year freshmen played in one season is 11 in
1985. That year Danny Ford played six first-year freshmen on offense
and five on defense. The 1994 Clemson team under Tommy West
played 10 first-year freshmen, including a record nine on offense.
The most wins for a Clemson team that has played at least
eight first year freshmen is 10, set in 1989, a Clemson tam that played
eight first-year freshmen in a 10-2 season.
The most first-year freshmen Clemson has played in the
Bowden era is nine, in 2001. That year Bowden played three on offense
and six on defense on the way to a 7-5 season.
Clemson has played at least one first-year freshman for all 24
years of the rule. The fewest was the one used in 2002 (Justin Miller).
Bowden First-Year Freshman Participants
1999: (5)—David Ellis (LB), Rodney Feaster (LB), Brian Mance (DB),
Bernard Rambert (RB), Rodney Thomas (LB)
2000: (4)—Aaron Hunt (PK), Yusef Kelly (RB), John Leake (LB), Ronnie
Thomas (WR)
2001: (9)—Eric Coleman (DT), Roscoe Crosby (WR), Airese Currie
(WR), Moe Fountain (DE), Ben Hall (TE), Leroy Hill (LB), Tavaghn Monts
(DB), Travis Pugh (FS), Eric Sampson (LB)
2002: (1)—Justin Miller (CB)
2003: (5)—Tramaine Billie (SS), Jad Dean (PK), Marion Dukes (OT),
Sergio Gilliam (DB), Brandon Pilgrim (OG)
2004: (2)—La’Donte Harris (WR), Barry Richardson (OT)
2005: (8)—James Davis (RB), Rendrick Taylor (WR), Tyler Grisham
(WR), Philip Merling (DE), Antonio Clay (LB), Josh Miller (LB), Jock
McKissic (DT), Haydrian Lewis (DB).
Clemson Opening Day Records
Below are Clemson’s top performances by individual category
in the opening game of the season, regardless of site. Some of the
records date back over 50 years.
Clemson Opening Day Individual Records:
Total Offense: 303 by Charlie Whitehurst vs. Wake Forest, 2004
Rushing Yards: 204 by Buck George vs. Presbyterian, 1952
Passing Yards: 288 by Charlie Whitehurst vs. Wake Forest, 2004
Pass Attempts: 41 vs. Charlie Whitehurst vs. Wake Forest, 2004
Pass Completions: 23 by Brandon Streeter vs. Marshall, 1999
Completion Percentage: .941 (16-17) by Woodrow Dantzler vs. The
Citadel, 2000
Passing Efficiency: 247.1 by Woodrow Dantzler vs. The Citadel, 2000
Receptions: 11 by Rod Gardner vs. Marshall, 1999
Reception Yards: 152 (9 receptions) by Airese Currie vs. Wake Forest,
2004
All Purpose Yards: 246 by Buck George vs. Presbyterian vs.
Presbyterian, 1952
Field Goals: 6 by Jad Dean vs. Texas A&M, 2005
Tackles: 18 by Jeff Davis vs. Rice, 1980
18 by Chad Carson vs. The Citadel, 2000
Clemson in Openers
Clemson has won 17 of its last 22 season openers. The only
opening game losses since 1983 took place in 1986 at Clemson when
Virginia Tech and Coach Bill Dooley upset the Tigers, 20-14, at North
Carolina in Chapel Hill in 1996, in 1999 at home against Marshall (
Tommy Bowden’s first game as Clemson head coach), and in 2002 and
2003 against Georgia.
Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden has a 4-3 record in his
seven season openers, but he has played difficult teams in season
openers. His three losses have come to a Marshall team that finished
the season 13-0 and ranked in the top 10 in the nation, and to a pair of
top 10 Georgia teams.
Clemson won its opener in 2004 against Wake Forest in a
thrilling 37-30 overtime victory in a game that was also televised by ABC.
It gave Clemson an 8-2-1 record against ACC teams in season openers.
Clemson won last year in equally thrilling fashion, a 25-24 win over Texas
A&M on a 42-yard field goal by Jad Dean with two seconds left.
That 1986 game with Virginia Tech was a battle of eventual
bowl teams, as the Tigers ended the year 8-2-2 and ranked 17th in the
nation, while Virginia Tech was 9-2-1 and ranked 20th in the final poll.
The Tigers are 81-21-8 (.783), regardless of site, in their first
game of the season in its previous 110 seasons. Even though this is the
111th season of Clemson football, Clemson has had just 105 home
openers in its history because five seasons Clemson did not play a game
at home. In the 105 home openers Clemson has a 80-17-8 record
against 31 different opponents. This will be the first time Clemson has
met Florida Atlantic in its home opener.
First time Winners at Death Valley
Florida Atlantic will attempt to become just the third first-time
visitor in the last 29 years to win at Death Valley. The only opponents
since 1978 to win in their first visit to Clemson have been Marshall, a 13-
10 winner in the season opener of the 1999 season, and Miami (FL),
last year in a 36-30 triple overtime game. Prior to that, the last firstappearance
winner at Clemson was Notre Dame in 1977.
Florida Atlantic is the 47th different team to come to Clemson
Memorial Stadium and the previous 46 have a record of 12-33-1 in their
first game at Clemson. Three of the 12 first-time winners (Alabama,
Kentucky, Marshall) have beaten the Tigers by the exact same score,
13-10.
A look to Clemson’s home record over the years shows why
the Tigers enjoy playing in Death Valley. Clemson has a record of 304-
116-15 at home over the years, a .716 winning percentage. Clemson is
248-257-25 away from home, a .492 winning percentage for those 530
games on an opponent’s home field. Clemson is 56-44-5 in neutral site
games. You might notice that Clemson now has 608 all-time
victories, 304 at home and 304 away from home.
Clemson has a 231-90-7 record in Death Valley (since 1942), a
.716 winning percentage for 328 games. Tommy Bowden has followed
the lead of his predecessors when it comes to playing at home. He is 33-
12 so far in his 45 home games, a .733 winning percentage. Clemson
has won 16 of the last 19 at home with the only three losses in overtime
or within the last 10 seconds of the game, all by six points or less.
First-time Winners at Death Valley
Year Opponent Score
1942 George Washington 7-0
1943 Wake Forest 41-12
1946 NC State 14-7
1952 Villanova 14-7
1953 Maryland 20-0
1967 Alabama 13-10
1971 Kentucky 13-10
1973 Texas A&M 30-15
1975 Florida State 43-7
1977 Notre Dame 21-17
1999 Marshall 13-10
2005 Miami (FL) 36-30 (3OT)
Clemson Adds Seven to Hall of Fame on Saturday
Former All-America golfer Jonathan Byrd and former football
All-American Kyle Young, two of Clemson’s most decorated studentathletes
in school history in terms of academic an on-field accolades,
headline Clemson’s 2006 Hall of Fame induction class. They are two
of seven members of the Clemson Hall of Fame class that will be
inducted on Saturday during halftime of the Clemson vs. Florida Atlantic
Game.
Former women’s basketball All-American Shandy Bryan,
former track All-American Terrance Herrington, former All-ACC football
player Steve Kenney, former Clemson President and football player Dr.
Robert F. Poole, and former women’s track coach Wayne Coffman are
also members of the Clemson Hall of Fame Class of 2006.
Byrd and Young are two of the three athletes in Clemson
history who have been named an on-the-field of competition All-American
and an academic All-American in the same year, twice. Young was
chosen in his first year of eligibility for the Clemson Hall of Fame, while
Byrd was chosen in his second year.
Young was an All-American on the gridiron for the Tigers as
the starting center in 2000 and 2001. He was a two-time finalist for the
Dave Rimington Award, which is given to the top center in college
football. Young helped the 2000 and 2001 Clemson offenses to many
record setting performances as a primary blocker for Woody Dantzler,
including a record setting total offense average (432 yards per game) in
2000. He started in three bowl games (1999-2000-2001) and had a
school record 168 knockdown blocks in 2001.
Young is just the fourth Clemson athlete to be selected for the
Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. The others are Dale Davis
(men’s basketball), Kim Graham (women’s track), and Bruce Murray
(men’s soccer).
The native of Clemson and graduate of nearby Daniel High
School was a three-time first-team Academic All-American, one of just
two offensive linemen in college football history to be a three-time firstteam
selection. He was also the winner of a National Football
Foundation Scholarship in 2001, the first Clemson player in 23 years to
receive the honor.
Byrd was a starter on four Clemson top 10 golf teams between
1997-00, the first Tiger athlete in any sport to do that in 22 years. He
was also the first Clemson student-athlete to start on three ACC
Championship teams in 11 years. A four-time first-team All-ACC
selection, Byrd was a
first-team All-American as a junior in 1998-99 and a third-team selection
in 1999-00.
Named to the ACC’s 50-Year Anniversary Men’s Golf team in
2002, Byrd established school records for rounds under par and rounds
at par or better when he graduated in 2000. The native of Columbia, SC
was the first Clemson athlete to be named IPTAY Athlete of the Year in
two different academic years (1998-99 and 1999-00). He also
represented the United States in the 1999 and 2000 Palmer Cups and
the 1999 Walker Cup.
Dr. Poole served as Clemson University President from 1940-
58. The first Clemson graduate to serve as the University’s president, he
was also an outstanding athlete. Poole was a starting offensive lineman
on Clemson’s 1915 and 1916 football teams, starting 15 of the 17 games
over those two seasons.
During his tenure as Clemson President, Poole oversaw the
construction of Memorial Stadium, which was completed in 1942. He
also played a big role in Clemson’s decision to join the Atlantic Coast
Conference in 1953.
Bryan was a starter on four Clemson Lady Tiger basketball
teams that reached the NCAA Tournament, including the 1990-91 team
that reached the Elite Eight, Clemson’s best NCAA Tournament finish in
history. Clemson won at least one NCAA Tournament game in each of
her four years, including the 1990 tournament when she helped Clemson
to a victory at UCONN, one of just two home losses in NCAA Tournament
history for the Huskies program.
Herrington, was a four-time NCAA All-American and five-team
ACC Champion as a middle distance runner for the Tigers from 1985-89.
Herrington was a member of Clemson’s 1989 NCAA Champion 4X800
meter relay team, the first national championship relay team in Clemson
history. That team established a world record in the event with a time of
7:17.45.
The native of Hartsville, SC finished third in the nation to earn
All-America honors in the 1500 meters in 1987 and 1989 and was fourth
in the 800 meters at the 1988 NCAAs. He won the 800 and 1500 meter
titles at the 1987 ACC Championships and won the 1500 meters in 1989
at the outdoor meet. He won the 800 meters at the ACC indoor meet in
1988.
Coffman is one of two men in Clemson athletics history to earn
All-ACC honors as an athlete and lead Clemson to an ACC
Championship as a coach. Coffman was a member of Clemson’s first
ever ACC Championship cross country team in 1978 and was an All-ACC
performer in indoor track as a member of Clemson’s 1979 Distance
Medley Relay championship team.
Coffman went on to coach the Lady Tiger track team as head
coach from 1985-98. During that time period he led the cross country,
indoor track and outdoor track teams to their first ACC Championship in
each sport. The 1986 cross country team won the league title and
finished fifth in the nation. That was one of three top 10 teams he
coached on cross country. The 1991 outdoor track team won the ACC
championship and ranked 12th at the NCAA national meet, ClemsonÇs
first top 15 finish in that sport. The 1992 indoor track team won the ACC
title and finished 22nd in the nation, Clemson’s first top 25 finish in indoor
track.
Kenney was an All-ACC offensive lineman for the Tiger football
team in 1978. One of the leaders of a class that brought Clemson back
to national acclaim on the gridiron, Kenny was a starter on Clemson’s
1977 and 1978 teams that ranked in the top 20 of the final polls. That
included a number-six final AP ranking in 1978 when Clemson was 11-1.
Kenney went on to play nine years in the NFL, including eight
with the Philadelphia Eagles. He played in the Super Bowl for the Eagles
at the conclusion of the 1980 season. He played his final two years with
the Detroit Lions. Overall, Kenney played in 89 NFL games between
1979-87.
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