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Sunday, September 19

Clemson Tigers

Clemson Tigers profile,

Clemson Tigers

University	Clemson University
Conference(s)	Atlantic Coast Conference
NCAA	Division I
Athletics director	Terry Don Philips
Location	Clemson, SC
Varsity teams	19
Football stadium	Memorial Stadium
Basketball arena	Littlejohn Coliseum
Baseball stadium	Doug Kingsmore Stadium
Mascot	The Tiger
Nickname	Tigers
Fight song	Tiger Rag
Colors	Orange and Purple
Website	www.clemsontigers.com

The Clemson Tigers are any team that represents Clemson University as a member of the NCAA's Division I or in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference.

In 1896, football coach Walter Riggs came to Clemson, then Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina, from Auburn University. He had always admired the Princeton Tigers, and hence gave Clemson the Tiger mascot. The Clemson Tigers field nineteen athletic teams. In men's sports there are: football, basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, golf, track and field (indoor and outdoor), cross-country, and swimming and diving. For women's sports, there are: basketball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, track and field (indoor and outdoor), cross-country, swimming and diving, and rowing. The South Carolina Gamecocks are Clemson's in-state athletic rival. The two institutions compete against each other in many sports, but the annual football game receives the most attention.

Tiger Paw logo

The Tiger Paw logo was introduced at a press conference on July 21, 1970, it was created by John Antonio and developed by Helen Weaver of Henderson Advertising in Greenville, South Carolina, from a mold of a Bengal Tiger in the St. Louis Zoo. The tell-tale hook at the bottom of the paw is a sign that this is the official licensed trademark for the university. The SC Beta Chapter of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity also has retained the exclusive rights to paint the logo on many of the highways that lead into Clemson.

Facilities

The most prominent of Clemson's facilities is Memorial Stadium, Frank Howard Field, and home to the Clemson University men's football team. Memorial Stadium is also known by its nickname, "Death Valley."

The men's and women's basketball teams play at Littlejohn Coliseum, an arena offering over 11,000 seats. The Coliseum also acts as a venue for a variety of campus functions throughout the year including concerts and graduation ceremonies.

Recently renovated Doug Kingsmore Stadium is home to Clemson's men's baseball team. The men's and women's soccer teams play their home games at historic Riggs Field.

Other home venues for these sports are: Walker Golf Course, Hoke Sloan Tennis Center, Jervey Gym, Rock Norman Track Complex, and McHugh Natatorium. Women's rowing holds home events on nearby Lake Hartwell.

Football

Graduation rates

Year of Report	Graduation Rate, Male Students	Graduation Rate, Football	4-Class Average, Male Students	4-Class Average, Football	Graduation Success Rate, Football	Source
2000	68%	56%	68%	56%
2001	66%	55%	67%	57%
2002	65%	29%	67%	47%
2003	67%	78%	66%	53%
2004	68%	45%	66%	51%
2005	69%	48%	67%	49%	94%
2006	72%	70%	69%	59%	77%
2007	70%	67%	70%	56%	75%
2008	74%	41%	71%	55%	68%

For the graduating classes of 2000-2008, according to statistics reported to the NCAA, the graduation rate for male students at Clemson has increased from an average of about 68% in 2000 to about 71% in 2008, while the graduation rate for football student-athletes at Clemson has decreased slightly from an average of about 56% to about 55%. In other words, the gap between football players and other male students has increased from 12% to 16% over the past 9 years.

The four-year average graduating rate for male students at Clemson has stayed steady at an average of about 68%, while the four-year average graduating rate for football student-athletes at Clemson has stayed steady at an average of about 54%.

Beginning in 2005, the NCAA Graduation Success Rate (GSR) was developed in response to complaints from college and university presidents. "The GSR measures graduation rates at Division I institutions and includes students transferring into the institutions. The GSR also allows institutions to subtract student-athletes who leave their institutions prior to graduation as long as they would have been academically eligible to compete had they remained."

The GSR data for the Clemson football team in 2005 was 94%, in 2006 was 77%, in 2007 was 75%, and was 68% in 2008.

Basketball

Clemson Tigers men's basketball

The Clemson Men's Basketball team is coached by head coach Brad Brownell, announced April 13, 2010. Accomplishments include:

NCAA Tournament Appearances 1980, 1987, 1989, 1990*, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2008, 2009, 2010

NCAA Elite 8 1980

NCAA Sweet 16 1990*, 1997

NIT Appearances 1975, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1988, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2005, 2006, 2007

NIT Runner-Up 1999, 2007

Southern Conference Champions 1939

ACC Regular Season Champions 1990 (not officially recognized by the conference)

*vacated by NCAA

The Clemson Women's Basketball team is currently coached by head coach Itoro Coleman. In 2008, the team made it to the ACC tournament, where it defeated N.C. State in the first round, but lost to eventual champion North Carolina in the quarterfinals. Accomplishments include:

NCAA Tournament Appearances 1982, 1988–1994, 1996–2002

NCAA Elite 8 1991

NCAA Sweet 16 1989, 1990, 1999

AIAW Tournament Appearance 1981

WNIT Tournament Appearances 1980, 1984 (3rd Place), 1995, 2004

ACC Champions 1996, 1999

ACC Regular Season Champions 1981

Baseball

Clemson Tigers baseball

As of 2008, the Tiger baseball team has posted a combined 30 ACC regular season and tournament championships (most in the conference), 34 NCAA Tournament appearances, 16 NCAA Regional Titles, 3 NCAA Super Regional Titles, and 12 College World Series appearances. Much of the baseball program's success occurred under Bill Wilhelm during his 35 seasons as Clemson's head coach. Jack Leggett has been the Tigers' head coach since 1994.

CWS Appearances 1958, 1959, 1976, 1977, 1980, 1991, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2002, 2006, 2010

ACC Champions 1954, 1958, 1959, 1967, 1976, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1989, 1991, 1993, 1994, 2006

ACC Regular Season Champions 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 2006

ACC Atlantic Division Champions 2006, 2010

Southern Conference Champions 1947

*ACC Tournament began in 1973 to determine conference champion

*No conference tournament was held in 1979 due to academic conflict, Clemson awarded title for regular season finish

Soccer

The men's soccer team was Clemson's second sports program to win a national championship, winning the NCAA Tournament in 1984 and again in 1987. In their 26 appearances in the NCAA tournament, the men's soccer team garnered a runner-up finish in 1979 and has appeared in the NCAA Final Four seven times, with the 2005 squad being the most recent team to accomplish that feat. In addition to their NCAA titles, the men's program has won 16 combined ACC regular season and tournament titles, with the last one coming in the 2001 ACC Tournament.[citation needed] The Tigers have known only two coaches in their history: Dr. I.M. Ibrahim (1967–1994, 388–100–31 career record) and Trevor Adair (1995–present, 50–48–10 record at Clemson). Former Tiger Oguchi Onyewu played with Clemson in 2000 and is currently with A.C. Milan. Other former Tigers include Stuart Holden and Paul Stalteri, both of whom are capped for their respective nations.

NCAA Champions 1984, 1987

NCAA Runner-up 1979

NCAA Final Four 1973, 1976, 1978, 2005

NCAA Tournament Appearances 1972–1979, 1981–1985, 1987, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1998, 2000–2003, 2005, 2006

ACC Champions 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1981, 1982(t), 1985, 1998, 2001

ACC Regular Season Champions 1990, 1993, 1998

Herman Trophy Winners 2 (Bruce Murray - 1987, Wojtek Krakowiak - 1998)

Women's soccer became a varsity sport at Clemson in 1994.

NCAA Tournament Appearances 1994–2007

ACC Regular Season Champions 2000

Golf

The Tiger golf team have a tradition of being among the best in the ACC and the nation, having won several ACC titles and regularly qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. In 2003, Clemson defeated runner-up Oklahoma State to win its first National Championship in golf and the 4th overall for the school.[citation needed] In addition to that victory, Clemson also won the ACC and NCAA East Regional titles that year, making the Tigers the first program in NCAA history to win its conference, regional, and national championship tournaments in the same year.[citation needed] Clemson also has the most regional titles among NCAA Division I schools, having won 7 since the NCAA adopted the regional tournament format in 1989.[citation needed] 2009 US Open Champion Lucas Glover went to Clemson.

NCAA Team Champions 2003

NCAA Individual Champions 1 (Charles Warren - 1997)

NCAA Team Runner-Up 1998, 2001

NCAA Individual Runner-up 3 (Charles Warren - 1998, Kyle Stanley - 2007, 2009)

NCAA Team 3rd Place 1989, 1997, 2002

NCAA East Regional Champions 1993, 1994, 1995, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004

NCAA Individual Regional Champions 2 (Mark Swygert - 1994, D.J. Trahan - 2002)

All-Americans 51

ACC Team Champions 1982, 1987, 1988, 1990(t), 1997, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2004

ACC Individual Champions 8

All-ACC 69

Other sports

Men's Track and Field

NCAA Indoor Team 1992, 1993

NCAA Indoor Team 3rd Place 1998(t), 1999

NCAA Individual/Relay Champions 8 (Indoor)

3 (Outdoor)

All-Americans 69 (Indoor)

99 (Outdoor)

NCAA East Region Individual/Relay Champions (Outdoor) 4

NCAA All-East Region (Outdoor) 18

ACC Team Indoor Champions 1987, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002

ACC Team Outdoor Champions 1980, 1982, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1997, 1998, 2000, 2001, 2004

ACC Individual/Relay Champions 112 (Indoor)

178 (Outdoor)

All-ACC 174 (Indoor)

227 (Outdoor)

Women's Track and Field

NCAA Indoor 3rd Place 2001 (t)

NCAA Individual/Relay Champions 5 (Indoor)

2 (Outdoor)

All-Americans 30 (Indoor)

39 (Outdoor)

NCAA All-East Region (Outdoor) 8

ACC Indoor Team Champions 1992, 2010

ACC Outdoor Champions 1991, 1999, 2010

ACC Individual/Relay Champions 47 (Indoor)

70 (Outdoor)

All-ACC 96 (Indoor)

117 (Outdoor)

Men's Cross-Country

NCAA Region Champions 1983

NCAA Individual Region Champions 4

All-Americans 11

ACC Team Champions 1978, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1987, 1988

ACC Individual Champions 11

All-ACC 35

Women's Cross-Country

NCAA Region Champions 1990

All-Americans 9

ACC Team Champions 1986

ACC Individual Champions 2

All-ACC 22

Men's Tennis

NCAA Tournament Appearances 1979–1989, 1992, 1996–2000, 2003–2007

NCAA Individual Runner-up 1 (Lawson Duncan - 1984)

All-Americans 29

ACC Champions 1969, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1997

ACC Regular Season Champions 1969, 1980, 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1997

ACC Single Flight Champions 43

ACC Doubles Flight Champions 25

SIAA Single Flight Champions 1

SIAA Doubles Flight Champions 1

Women's Tennis

NCAA Final Four 2004, 2005

NCAA Tournament Appearances 1982–1984, 1986, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2002–2009

AIAW Tournament Appearances 1978, 1980, 1981

NCAA Individual Runner-up 1 (Gigi Fernández - 1983)

All-Americans 24

ACC Champions 1981, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 2004, 2008

ACC Regular Season Champions 1978, 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1986, 2004, 2007

ACC Single Flight Champions 40

ACC Doubles Flight Champions 22

Women's Volleyball

ACC Champions 1997, 2007

ACC Regular Season Champions 1999

NCAA Tournament 1993, 1994, 1997–1999, 2007–2009

ACC Championship decided by tournament until 2004; regular season finish has determined ACC champion since 2005 season

Men's Swimming and Diving

ACC Team Champions 1986

ACC Individual/Relay Champions 47

All-ACC 43

SoCon Champions 1939

Women's Swimming and Diving

ACC Team Champions 1987, 1988, 1989, 1997

ACC Individual/Relay Champions 76

All-ACC 89

Women's Rowing

NCAA Individual Champions 1 (2009 Varsity 4+)

ACC Team Champions 2009

South Region Runner-Up 2008

The Lady Tigers rowing team became the 1st team other than Virginia to win the ACC Championship since the ACC began sponsoring the women's rowing championship in 2000.

The Rugby Club is also very successful, and was founded in 1967.

Discontinued Sports

Wrestling - discontinued after 1995 due to Title IX

Wrestling Discontinued after 1995 (Title IX)

ACC Regular Season Champions 1991

ACC Individual Champions 28

NCAA Individual Champions Noel Loban (1980)

Sammie Henson (1993, 1994)

NCAA All-Americans 8

Boxing - discontinued after 1948 due to violent nature of sport

Boxing Discontinued after 1948 (violent nature of sport)

SoCon Team Champions 1938

Socon Individual Champions 3

Olympic Medalists

Baseball

Mike Milchin (1988, United States, Pitcher, Gold)

Kris Benson (1996, United States, Pitcher, Bronze)

Billy Koch (1996, United States, Pitcher, Bronze)

Matthew LeCroy (1996, United States, Catcher, Bronze)

Swimming

Michele Richardson (1984, United States, 800 free, Silver)

Mitzi Kremer (1988, United States, 400 free relay, Bronze)

Tennis

Gigi Fernández (1992 and 1996, United States, Doubles, Gold)

Track

Desai Williams (1984, Canada, 4x100 Relay, Bronze)

Tony Sharpe (1984, Canada, 4x100 Relay, Bronze)

Mark McKoy (1992, Canada, 110 Hurdles, Gold)

Kim Graham (1996, United States, 4x400 Relay, Gold)

Carlton Chambers (1996, Canada, 4x100 Relay, Gold)

Shawn Crawford (2004 and 2008, United States, 200m Gold and 4x100 Relay Silver (2004), 200m Silver (2008))

Michelle Burgher (2004, Jamaica, 4x400 Relay, Bronze)

Wrestling

Noel Loban (1984, Great Britain, Bronze)

Sammie Henson (2000, United States, Silver)

Carolina-Clemson Rivalry

Other Rivalries

Clemson's intra-conference football rivalries include Georgia Tech (GT leads 47-24-2), NC State (Clemson leads 48-27-1 in the Textile Bowl), Boston College (O'Rourke-McFadden Trophy) (Clemson leads 9-8-2), and Florida State (FSU leads 16-7).

Clemson has a lesser rivalry with the University of Georgia, born because of the two institutions' close proximity (roughly 75 miles apart). Clemson and Georgia first met in 1897, only the second year the Tigers fielded a football team. The rivalry was at its height in the 1980s, but the two programs have not played each other since 2003. The athletic departments recently added games to be played in 2013 at Clemson and 2014 in Athens. Georgia leads the football series 41–17–4, winning the past five meetings in a row after last losing to the Tigers in 1990.

Fight song

Clemson's fight song is the Tiger Rag, the "Song that Shakes the Southland", a variation of the song originally recorded by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. The song is played at all Clemson sporting events, particularly following scores or big plays, and during the "Most Exciting 25 Seconds in College Football". The song lyrics are not used, save for the spell-out of "Clemson" at the end.

Clemson University

Clemson University history,

Clemson University

Established	1889
Type	Public
Endowment	$331.1 million
President	Jim Barker
Provost	Doris R. "Dori" Helms
Faculty	1,264
Staff	2,950
Undergraduates	15,346 (Fall 2009)
Postgraduates	3,765 (Fall 2009)
Location	Clemson, SC, United States 34.678284°N 82.839174°WCoordinates: 34.678284°N 82.839174°W
Campus	Rural 17,000 acres (26.56 sq mi)
Colors	Burnt Orange and Northwestern Purple
Nickname	Fighting Tigers
Mascot	The Tiger
Athletics	NCAA Division I ACC 19 varsity teams
Website	www.clemson.edu

The Clemson University is a public, coeducational, land-grant, research university located in Clemson, South Carolina, United States. Founded in 1889, the University is academically divided into five colleges: Agriculture, Forestry and Life Sciences; Architecture, Arts and Humanities; Business and Behavioral Sciences; Engineering and Science; and Health, Education and Human Development.

The University currently enrolls more than 17,000 students from across all 50 states and 89 countries.

Location

Clemson University is located in upstate South Carolina off of Interstate 85. The University is located just outside of the greater Anderson, South Carolina area and is approximately two hours away from Atlanta, Georgia, Charlotte, North Carolina and Columbia, South Carolina. Clemson is situated in South Carolina's foothills, where excellent vistas of the rising Blue Ridge Mountains in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia abound.

Clemson University operates a research park in Pendleton, SC and has recently completed its Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (I-CAR) center in Greenville, SC. The University has agricultural extension offices in every county in South Carolina as a public service in its furtherance of its founding goals as an agricultural institution.

The city of Clemson is served by the Clemson Area Transit bus system, as well as the Amtrak's Crescent line running through Clemson's train station right off Highways 28, US 76, and US 123. Oconee County Airport is located adjacent to the university's campus and is the closest public-use airport to the campus (as well as the home of the Clemson Flying Club and Dixie Skydivers), with Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport offering commercial airline service only forty-five minutes away.

History

Fort Hill was the home of John C. Calhoun and later Thomas Green Clemson and is located at the center of Clemson's campus

Thomas Green Clemson, the University's founder, came to the Foothills of South Carolina in 1838, when he married Anna Maria Calhoun, daughter of South Carolina statesman and slaveowner, John C. Calhoun. When Thomas Clemson died on April 6, 1888, he left most of his estate in his will to be used to establish a college that would teach scientific agriculture and the mechanical arts to South Carolinians. Clemson's decision was largely influenced by Gov. Benjamin Tillman. Tillman strongly lobbied the state legislature to create Clemson as an agricultural institution for the state and in the end, the resolution to accept Clemson's gift and create the institution passed by only one vote.

In November 1889, Governor Richardson signed the bill, thus establishing the Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina. As a result, federal funds for agricultural education were transferred from South Carolina College to Clemson. See Hatch Act of 1887 and Morrill Land-Grant Colleges Act.

Clemson Agricultural College formally opened in July 1893 with an initial enrollment of 446. From its beginning, the college was an all-white male military school. Clemson remained this way until 1955 when it changed to "civilian" status for students and became a coeducational institution. In 1963, Clemson admitted its first African-American student, Harvey Gantt. In 1964, the college was renamed Clemson University as the state legislature formally recognized the school's expanded academic offerings and research pursuits.

Academics

**Enrollment (Fall 2007)**
College	Total Enrollment
College of Agriculture, Forestry, and Life Sciences	2,911
College of Arts, Architecture, and Humanities	2,431
College of Business and Behavioral Sciences	4,357
College of Engineering and Science	4,581
College of Health, Education, and Human Development	3,156
Calhoun Honors College
^ As found at ^ Not a degree granting college.

Admissions

The Carnegie Foundation classifies it as more selective,since Clemson admitted less than 55% of those who applied to be freshmen in 2006. When admitting Freshmen, the university places emphasis on the rigor of high school study and scores on standardized tests, SAT or ACT. Clemson also considers class rank, extracurricular activities, and an optional personal statement. The average incoming freshman had a combined SAT score of 1200 and a high school weighted GPA of 3.99 in 2006. In 2008, admission to Clemson was the most competitive in University history. Clemson had over 15,000 applications for their freshman class of approximately 2,800 students. It was especially competitive for out-of-state students in that Clemson is a state supported institution. Of those 15,000+ applications, over 10,000 were from outside of South Carolina; however, a little over 1,000 freshmen from other states were given admissions.

Calhoun Honors College and National Scholars Program

Clemson is home to The Calhoun Honors College, which is designed to offer academic diversity to gifted undergraduates and to provide for an atmosphere of a "higher seminary of learning" that Thomas Green Clemson outlined in his will within the large University.

Admission to the college is by application to freshman as well as to any student beyond freshman year but with over four semesters worth of undergrad studies remaining.. Admission to the college is based on a combination of standardized test scores, high school class rank, and leadership and extracurricular activities. A GPA of at least 3.5 is required for applicants to the college after their freshman year. Members of the honors college are permitted to live in the typically honors-only dorm, Holmes Hall, and are granted a variety of other benefits including complementary copies of the New York Times and free tickets to on-campus cultural events.

The Clemson National Scholars Program is the institution's top academic recruiting scholarship, offering a full tuition and fees scholarship plus study abroad in Europe, along with other learning and travel opportunities. The NSP selection process is highly competitive, with approximately 15 scholarships offered out of over 12,000 applicants to Clemson each year.

Top-20 initiative and research

Cooper Library and the Reflection Pool - in addition to its aesthetic appeal, the 1,960,000 gallon reflecting pool also serves as a heat exchange for the cooling systems of several academic buildings.

The University has undertaken an endeavor to become a "Top 20" public institution, undergoing a process of enhancing its graduate programs while continuing to emphasize the quality of the undergraduate experience. The initiative has led to increased faculty compensation, higher graduation rates, and higher incoming student SAT averages. The University has steadily moved up the rankings for public universities from 34, to 30, to 27, to 22 in 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008 respectively: according to the U.S. News and World Report. The University is currently ranked 61st best National University by U.S. News and World Report. As part of its push to enhance graduate-level education, several new Ph.D. programs have been created including interdisciplinary doctoral programs in Rhetoric and Planning, Design, and the Built Environment (formerly Environmental Design and Planning). Also noteworthy is a new master's degree in historic preservation, jointly offered in collaboration with the College of Charleston.

The Clemson University reflection pond.

The university's currently most ambitious academic and research endeavor is the Clemson University International Center for Automotive Research (CU-ICAR). ICAR is a 250 acre (1 km²) automotive and motorsports research campus located in nearby Greenville, South Carolina. ICAR will include a graduate school offering Master's and Doctoral degrees in automotive engineering, and offering programs focused on systems integration. The campus also includes an Information Technology Research Center being developed by BMW. BMW, Microsoft, IBM, Bosch, Timken and Michelin are all major corporate partners of the ICAR center. Private-sector companies that have committed so far to establishing offices and/or facilities on the campus include the Society of Automotive Engineers and Timken. Plans for the campus also include a full-scale, four-vehicle capacity rolling-road model wind tunnel.

Clemson also recently established the Restoration Institute whose mission is to "advance knowledge in integrative approaches to the restoration of historic, ecological, and urban infrastructure resources." The institute will be located in North Charleston and subsume the Hunley Commission that is currently undertaking the stabilization of the Hunley, the world's first submarine to sink a ship.

Rankings

Publication	Rank	Category
U.S. News & World Report	# 61	National Universities (out of 262 institutions)
U.S. News & World Report	# 22	Public Institutions (out of 164)

Student life

Athletics

Main article: Clemson Tigers

Clemson offers club, intramural, and varsity sports. The University's 19 varsity men and women's sports teams compete in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I as the Clemson Tigers. The most prominent athletics facilities on campus are Memorial Stadium, Littlejohn Coliseum, Doug Kingsmore Stadium, Historic Riggs Field, and Fike Recreation Center. Clemson has won 4 national championships including football (1981), 2 in men's soccer (1984 & 1987), and men's golf (2003).

Two dollar bills

It has been a Clemson tradition dating from September 24, 1977 for Clemson fans to spend two dollar bills on away game trips. This began when Clemson played Georgia Tech "for the last time" as Tech refused to travel to Clemson. Of the seventeen games played between Tech and Clemson between 1953 and 1977, only once, in 1974, did the Yellow Jackets deign to come to Death Valley. To show the Atlanta business community how much money Clemson fans contributed to the local economy which would not be coming to town anymore, Tiger fans spent vast quantities of two dollar bills, many of them stamped with Tiger Paws. This was the start of Clemson's two dollar bill tradition, which was very popular in the 1980s and 1990s, but has waned since then.

Fight Song

The fight song is the classic jazz tune Tiger Rag recorded by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band, also known as Hold That Tiger, which was introduced in 1942 by Clemson cadet and band member Robert Dean Ross (Class of 1948), who brought the sheet music to campus, purchased at an Atlanta music store. Also popular is Eye of the Tiger, a number one hit of 1982 by the band Survivor.

Fraternity and Sorority Life

The newly renovated Fraternity Quad.

Clemson's Greek system is somewhat different from other large universities in the southern United States in that there are no Greek houses on campus. There are residence halls designated for fraternities and sororities, but there are no traditional Greek houses on Clemson's campus. The Fraternity Quad on campus (consisting of 6 fraternity & sorority halls) has recently undergone a major renovation and is certified by the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program. The remaining sorority's on-campus housing is located on the other end of campus in what is commonly referred to as "the horseshoe" in Smith and Barnett Halls. Clemson is about to undertake a major central campus reconstruction program that will include all-new sorority housing. Currently, there are 19 NIC Fraternities, 11 NPC Sororities, and 8 NPHC Chapters, which make up approximately 21% of the undergraduate student body.

Military heritage

Clemson's rich military history is very conspicuous on campus.

Although Clemson became a coeducational civilian institution in 1955, the university still maintains an active military presence. The university is home to detachments for Army and Air Force ROTC as well as a host school for the Marine Corps PLC program adjacent to the Semper Fi Society. In addition to students from Clemson, these organizations also serve students from Anderson University, Southern Wesleyan University, and Tri-County Technical College. The following organizations are present among the military personnel at Clemson:

Company C-4 Pershing Rifles

K-7 Scabbard and Blade

Maj. Rudolf Anderson, Jr Squadron Arnold Air Society

Maj. Dennis H. Satler Chapter Silver Wings

Clemson Rangers

Tiger Platoon

Clemson's AAS squadron was selected to be home of Arnold Air Society's National Headquarters for the 2005-2006 year, and again for the 2006-2007 year. This is the first time is AAS's history that any university has served as National HQ two years in a row.

The C-4 Pershing Rifles have won the national society's drill meet seven times: 1999, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008, and 2009.[25] Company C-4 also performs colorguards, 21 gun-salutes, exhibition drill performances, and POW/MIA ceremonies. Company C-4 is well known for their colorguard performance at Clemson home football games. In addition to the C-4 drill company Clemson is the former home of the 4th Regimental Headquarters (4RHQ), the National Headquarters for the Junior ROTC level of Pershing Rifles (BlackJacks) and the Co-ed Auxiliary for Pershing Rifles (CAPeRs).

Clemson University's Air Force ROTC Detachment 770 "Flyin' Tigers" was selected as the #1 "medium-sized" Air Force ROTC detachment in the nation for 2006 (the "High Flight" and "Right of Line" awards), #1 Detachment in the "Southeast" in 2006 ("medium-sized") and 2007 ("large-sized"), and #1 in the state of South Carolina (out of 3 - University of South Carolina and The Citadel) three consecutive years (2005, 2006, and 2007).

Clemson University has also developed a group of Marines and Marine Officer Candidates within an organization called the Semper Fi Society. The society is not associated with ROTC, but can lead to a commission into the United States Marine Corps via the Platoon Leaders Course program.

Recreation

Students tend to socialize off campus in downtown Clemson. Downtown Clemson is located adjacent to the University's campus, and students on campus are within walking distance to restaurants, bars, cafes, and shopping. Greenville is about 45 minutes away and is a popular destination for many students on the weekends. Some popular bars downtown for students are TD's, Wingin' It, 356, Esso Club, Backstreets, and Tiger Town Tavern (TTT).

The local music scene is expanding too, with some acts brought in by Tiger Paw Productions, local venues and also WSBF. WSBF FM Clemson is the student run radio station at Clemson University on the frequency 88.1. Aside from streaming on the air and online, they also put on a variety of concerts and events throughout the semester.

Lake Hartwell, Keowee, Issaqueena, and Jocassee, as well as the near-by Blue Ridge Mountains of South Carolina and North Carolina offer students many outdoor recreational activities like boating, rowing, rafting, kayaking, skiing, rock climbing, mountain biking, hiking and backpacking.

People

Alumni of Clemson University

C.J. Spiller, football player, Buffalo Bills running back and #9 overall pick in the 2010 NFL Draft

Henry Kissinger, political scientist, diplomat, and winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, National Security Advisor and later concurrently Secretary of State in the Nixon Administration pursued training at Clemson

Lucas Glover, golfer, 2009 US Open Champion

James F. Byrnes, U.S. Congressman, Senator, U.S. Supreme Court Justice (1941–1942), Secretary of State (1945–1947), Governor of South Carolina (1951–1955), and confidant of President Franklin D. Roosevelt. A dormitory on the eastern part of Clemson's campus is named after Byrnes. While not a graduate of Clemson, Byrnes was a Life Trustee of Clemson University (appointed in 1941).

Kris Benson, baseball player

David Beasley, South Carolina governor (1995–1999). Beasley ran for the South Carolina State House while a student at Clemson and transferred to the University of South Carolina upon taking office, from which he went on to graduate with a bachelor's degree and law degree.

Strom Thurmond, The late United States Senator from South Carolina who was famous for being the longest serving Senator in U.S. history.

David H. Wilkins graduated from Clemson cum laude in 1968 with a bachelor's degree in history. He attended Clemson as an undergraduate on a tennis scholarship. Wilkins was elected to the South Carolina House of Representatives in 1981 and was elected Speaker Pro Tempore in 1992. After the elections of 1994, Wilkins was elected Speaker of the House; the first Republican Speaker in the South since Reconstruction. Wilkins had many legislative accomplishments during his tenure as Speaker, including welfare reform, property tax reform, tort reform and finding a compromise to remove the Confederate Flag from atop the statehouse dome. On April 27, 2005, President George W. Bush nominated him to be the U.S. Ambassador to Canada.

Lt.Col. Jimmie Dyess, of the United States Marine Corps, the only person in history to earn both the Congressional Medal of Honor and the Carnegie Medal of Honor. Annually, the Semper Fi Society on campus holds a 5K in the Spring to honor LtCol Dyess and those Marines that served from Clemson.

Jim Speros, Currently the majority owner of UFL Norfolk. Served on coaching staffs of the Washington Redskins and Buffalo Bills in the 1980's. Won a Super Bowl with the Washington Redskins. Youngest assistant coach in NFL history. Played linebacker at Clemson from 1978-1981. Member of the championship winning 1981 Clemson Tigers football team.

Ambassador Kristie A. Kenney, United States Ambassador to the Republic of the Philippines. She received a Bachelors degree in Political Science from Clemson University. She was nominated by George W. Bush on November 3, 2005, confirmed by the United States Senate on February 16, 2006, and sworn in to office by Secretary Condoleezza Rice on March 6, 2006. On March 17, Kenney arrived in the Philippines to assume her duties as the first female ambassador to this former US colony in Asia.

Nancy O'Dell, American television host and entertainment journalist.

Robert H. Brooks, founder of Hooters of America, Inc.

Main article: Faculty and Staff of Clemson University

David Reinking, Eugene T. Moore Professor of Education (2003–present), Co-editor of Reading Research Quarterly, a peer reviewed journal published by the International Reading Association.