Howard's Rock is a large piece of quartzite that is displayed in Clemson University's Memorial Stadium. [1] The rock is the center of a longstanding tradition where players touch it before running down the hill in the east end zone at each home football game.
The rock was brought to football coach Frank Howard in the early 1960s as a gift from Samuel C. Jones. Jones found the rock while driving through Death Valley, California and gave it to Howard as a reference to "Death Valley," the name used to refer to Memorial Stadium. [2] The coach used the rock as a doorstop until 1966. He was cleaning out his office when he told Gene Willimon, a Clemson booster, "Take this rock and throw it over the fence or out in the ditch...Do something with it, but get it out of my office." It was Willimon who had the rock placed on a pedestal in the east end zone, where it remains today. [3]
The rock made its first appearance on September 24, 1966: Clemson was losing to Virginia by 18 points with seventeen minutes left in the game. The Tigers made up the deficit and won the game 40-35. The next season was when the tradition of rubbing the rock upon entering the stadium began. Howard reportedly said to his players, "If you're going to give me 110 percent, you can rub that rock. If you're not, keep your filthy hands off of it." [4]
The Tigers have continued this tradition since 1967, except for two-and-a-half seasons between 1970 and 1972. This was due to new head coach Hootie Ingram's changing the team's entrance to the west end zone after Frank Howard's retirement. During those seasons, Clemson held a bad record at home of 6-9. Before the South Carolina rivalry game in 1972, the team voted to enter via the east end zone and run down the hill. They later won the game 7-6.
There have been many attempts of vandalism of Howard's Rock over the decades. On June 2, 2013 Howard's Rock was vandalized. The case the Rock was held in was broken into and a large portion of the rock was broken off. Three men were arrested in this ongoing investigation; ESPN reported that “the charges being pressed on him are felony malicious injury to animals or personal property valued at more than $2,000 but less than $10,000 and misdemeanor trespassing." [5] The charges were subsequently upgraded. The damage to the rock was re-evaluated to more than $10,000. [6] Clemson University police later stated that the surveillance video from the outside of Memorial Stadium shows that three people got out of the truck used in the act. Two more people were arrested and released on a bond of $7,500. [7]
Micah Rogers was accused vandalizing and stealing a portion of Howard's Rock in Memorial Stadium. A jury found Rogers guilty of malicious damage, but they found him not guilty of grand larceny. The judge gave Rogers the maximum sentence of 30 days in jail or a $1,000 fine for the malicious damage charge; however, the sentence was suspended, meaning Rogers did not have to serve the jail time, so long as he paid a $750 fine and completed 25 days of supervised community service. [8]
Two other men later pleaded guilty to attempting to cover up the vandalism of Howard's Rock that took place in June 2013. Michael J. Rogers, 49, and Alden J. Gainey, 20, pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge of giving false information to police for their involvement in attempting to cover up vandalism of Howard’s Rock at Clemson University. Micah Rogers, Michael Rogers' son, was previously convicted of malicious injury to property in the case. Michael Rogers had a meeting June 20, 2013 at his home in North Carolina with Micah Rogers, Gainey, and Xavia Wynn to discuss video surveillance of Micah’s truck and the three boys in the vicinity of Howard's Rock the night the vandalism occurred. [9]
Williams–Brice Stadium, popularly known as "Willy B", is a football stadium located in Columbia, South Carolina. It serves primarily as the home of the South Carolina Gamecocks football team, but has also been the site of many concerts, state high school football championships, and various other events, including the annual Palmetto Capital City Classic between the Benedict Tigers and the South Carolina State Bulldogs until the last game in 2005. It is currently the 16th largest on-campus college football stadium in the NCAA and is located on the corner of George Rogers Boulevard and Bluff Road adjacent to the South Carolina State Fairgrounds. Carolina football teams consistently attract standing-room-only crowds to Williams–Brice Stadium. The atmosphere on game days has been voted "the best" by SECsports.com, and has been noted as being among the loudest environments to play in by opposing players.
Frank Howard Memorial Stadium, known as "Death Valley", is home to the Clemson Tigers, an NCAA Division I FBS football team located in Clemson, South Carolina. Built in 1941–1942, the stadium has seen expansions throughout the years with the most recent being the WestZone with Phase 1 construction beginning in 2004 and completing in 2015 with the addition of the Oculus, the final piece of Phase 3. Phase 1 of the EastZone project began in 2020.
The Clemson Tigers are the athletic teams that represent Clemson University, located in Clemson, South Carolina. They compete as a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level. Clemson competes for and has won multiple NCAA Division I national championships in football, men's soccer, and men's golf. The Clemson Tigers field twenty-one athletic teams, nine men's and twelve women's, across thirteen sports.
The Clemson Tigers are the American football team at Clemson University. The Tigers compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). In recent years, the Tigers have been ranked among the most elite college football programs in the United States.
The South Carolina Gamecocks football program represents the University of South Carolina. The Gamecocks compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Southeastern Conference. The team's head coach is Shane Beamer. They play their home games at Williams–Brice Stadium.
Jasper Tyrone "Jazz" Howard was an American football cornerback for the University of Connecticut Huskies from 2007 to 2009. He was fatally stabbed on October 18, 2009, hours after UConn's win over the Louisville Cardinals.
The 2011 Clemson Tigers football team represents Clemson University in the 2011 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers were led by head coach Dabo Swinney in his third full year and fourth overall since taking over midway through 2008 season. They played their home games at Memorial Stadium, known as "Death Valley". They were members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Tajh Khiry Boyd is an American football coach and former quarterback who currently is an offensive assistant for the Clemson Tigers. He played college football at Clemson, where he was the starting quarterback from 2011 to 2013. He earned first-team All-American honors in 2012. He was selected by the New York Jets in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL draft.
The 2012 Clemson Tigers football team represented Clemson University in the 2012 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers were led by head coach Dabo Swinney in his fourth full year and fifth overall since taking over midway through 2008 season. They played their home games at Memorial Stadium, also known as "Death Valley". They were members of the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. On November 10, Clemson set a school record with their 12th straight home win at Death Valley. They finished the season 11–2, 7–1 in ACC play to be Atlantic Division co–champions with Florida State. Due to their loss to Florida State, they did not represent the division the ACC Championship Game. They were invited to the Chick-fil-A Bowl where they defeated LSU. The Tigers had their first 11-win season since 1981.
The 2015 Clemson Tigers football team represented Clemson University in the 2015 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers were led by head coach Dabo Swinney in his seventh full year and eighth overall since taking over midway through 2008 season. They played their home games at Memorial Stadium, also known as "Death Valley." Clemson competed in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. On December 5, 2015, the Tigers won the 2015 ACC Championship Game by defeating the North Carolina Tar Heels, 45–37, capping their first undefeated regular season since winning the national title in 1981. Ranked No. 1 throughout the College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings, Clemson defeated the No. 4 Oklahoma Sooners, 37–17, in the 2015 Orange Bowl to advance to the College Football Playoff National Championship. Despite the success of the season, and entering the championship game with an undefeated record (14–0), they lost to the No. 2 Alabama Crimson Tide (13–1) in the national championship, 45–40. Both Clemson and Alabama finished the season 14–1.
The 2016 Clemson Tigers football team represented Clemson University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers were led by head coach Dabo Swinney in his eighth full year and ninth overall since taking over midway through 2008 season. They played their home games at Memorial Stadium, also known as "Death Valley", and competed in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Tigers entered the 2016 season as the defending national runners-up after a 14–1 season that ended with a loss to Alabama in the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship.
The history of Clemson Tigers football began in 1896, when Clemson University first fielded a football team. Since 1896, the program has an all-time record of 790–466–44, with a bowl record of 28–22. The program has achieved 3 claimed national titles in 1981, 2016, and 2018.
The 2017 Atlantic Coast Conference football season was the 65th season of College Football play for the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). It was played from August 31, 2017, to January 1, 2018. The Atlantic Coast Conference consisted of 14 members in two divisions. It was part of the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The entire 2017 schedule was released on January 24, 2017. The defending ACC Champions were the Clemson Tigers. The Atlantic Division regular season champions were Clemson, and the Coastal Division regular season champions were Miami. The 2017 ACC Championship Game was played on December 2, 2017, in Charlotte, North Carolina. Clemson defeated Miami by a score of 38–3.
The 2017 Clemson Tigers football team represented Clemson University during the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers were led by head coach Dabo Swinney in his ninth full year and tenth overall since taking over midway through 2008 season. They played their home games at Memorial Stadium, also known as "Death Valley", and competed in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
The 2018 Clemson Tigers football team represented Clemson University during the 2018 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers played their home games at Memorial Stadium, also known as "Death Valley," and competed in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference. They were led by head coach Dabo Swinney in his tenth full year and 11th overall since taking over midway through 2008 season.
Justyn Ross is an American professional football wide receiver for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Clemson.
The 2019 Clemson Tigers football team represented Clemson University during the 2019 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers were led by head coach Dabo Swinney, in his 11th full year. The Tigers competed as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), and played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.
The 2021 Clemson Tigers football team represented Clemson University during the 2021 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers were led by head coach Dabo Swinney, in his 14th year. The Tigers competed as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.
The 2022 Clemson Tigers football team represented Clemson University during the 2022 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers were led by head coach Dabo Swinney, in his 15th year. The Tigers competed as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and played their home games at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.
The 2023 Clemson Tigers football team represented Clemson University as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Tigers were led by Dabo Swinney, in his 16th year as Clemson's head coach. On the field, the team was led by sophomore quarterback Cade Klubnik who was rated by Rivals.com as the No. 3 player in the 2022 college football recruiting class.