Pregame Notes: Special Invitation to Hurricane Victims

by Dan Scott - Correspondent - Fri Sep 03 14:50:27 GMT-04:00 2004

CLEMSON - College football fans forced to evacuate their homes in Florida and Georgia are being given a gift today by Clemson University.

Athletic Director Terry Don Phillips announced Friday that anyone from those two states displaced by the threat of Hurricane Frances, and lodging in or near Clemson, are eligible for a pair of complimentary tickets to today's Clemson-Wake Forest game (3:30 p.m., ABC) at Death Valley.

Those responding to the offer must show a valid Florida or Georgia driver's license.

Phillips said in a statement that the gesture came about in large part because of the understanding South Carolinians have concerning hurricane-type weather.

Tickets will be available in the athletic ticket office located at Gate 9 at Memorial Stadium beginning at noon. The gate is located on the North side of the stadium.

Free public parking is available in Lot 13, which is located off of Highway 93, as well as Kite Hill, which is located near Highway 76.

- Clemson head coach Tommy Bowden, on why his team can't use revenge as a motivating factor for today's game with the Demon Deacons. The Deacs crushed Clemson 45-17 last year in Winston Salem:

"Everybody's well aware of what happened last year," he said. "Our players are aware of it. They're not naive to the fact. But again, we have a lot of respect for (Wake Forest). To somehow put in our player's heads that Wake Forest might be fearing us because of the revenge motive, I don't want that in their head.

"Our players should be thinking about going out and executing and playing to the best of their ability. If they go out there thinking about revenge we might get beat by 30 again."

- Today's halftime feature will be the honoring of the school's 2004 Hall of Fame class. Those members include:

Former Tiger football players Stacy Long and Randy Scott, former women's tennis player Nicole Stafford, former golfer Clarence Rose, former baseball player Brian Barnes, former women's soccer player Sara Burkett, and former swimmer, the late Coy Cobb.

- Tickets remain available at the Clemson ticket office at Memorial Stadium. Tickets for students high school age and under will be available for $8 at Gate 11 beginning at 2 p.m.

- The 3:30 kickoff will be televised by ABC to a regional audience in South Carolina, North

Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky and Washington, D.C.)

Gary Geroud, Mike Golic, Vince Welch will call the game for the network.