List of Clemson Tigers head football coaches

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Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney Coach Dabo Swinney.jpg
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney

The Clemson Tigers football program is a college football team that represents Clemson University in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). The Tigers compete as part of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I Football Bowl Subdivision. The team has had 25 head coaches since it began play in the 1896 season. [1] Since October 2008, Dabo Swinney has served as Clemson's head coach. [2]

Contents

The team has played in 1,050 games over 116 seasons. [3] In that time, eight coaches have led Clemson to postseason bowl games: Jess Neely, Frank Howard, Charley Pell, Danny Ford, Ken Hatfield, Tommy West, Tommy Bowden, and Swinney. [1] Five coaches have won conference championships with the Tigers: John Heisman won two as a member of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association; Howard won two as a member of the Southern Conference; and Howard, Pell, Ford, Hatfield, and Swinney won a combined 14 as a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference. [3] In 1981, Ford led the Tigers to the national championship. [4] Swinney has guided the Tigers to six ACC championships and four national title appearances, winning the 2016 and 2018 championships, while losing the 2015 and 2019 championships.

Howard is the all-time leader in games coached (295), seasons coached (30), and second in total wins (165). [1] Heisman has the highest winning percentage, with .833 in his four years at Clemson. [1] Of coaches with more than one season, Hootie Ingram has the lowest winning percentage (.364 in 3 seasons). [1] Of the 25 head coaches who have led the Tigers, Heisman, [5] Jess Neely, [6] Ford, and Howard [7] have been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as coaches; Josh Cody was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player. [8]

Key

Key to symbols in coaches list
GeneralOverallConferencePostseason [A 1]
No.Order of coaches [A 2] GCGames coachedCWConference winsPWPostseason wins
DCDivision championshipsOWOverall winsCLConference lossesPLPostseason losses
CCConference championshipsOLOverall lossesCTConference tiesPTPostseason ties
NCNational championshipsOTOverall ties [A 3] C%Conference winning percentage
†Elected to the College Football Hall of Fame O%Overall winning percentage [A 4]

Coaches

List of head football coaches showing season(s) coached, overall records, conference records, postseason records, championships and selected awards [A 5]
No.NameTerm(s)GCOWOLOTO%CWCLCTC%PWPLDCsCCsNCsAwards
1 Walter Riggs 1896, 18999630.667320.60000—
2 William M. Williams 18974220.5000—
3 John Penton 18984310.7500—
4 John Heisman †1900–1903241932.8331602.94430—
5 Shack Shealy 19047331.500331.50000—
6 Eddie Cochems 19056321.583321.58300—
7 Bob Williams 1906, 1909, 1913–1915, 1926 [A 6] 4621196.52210105.5000000—
8 Frank Shaughnessy 19078440.500130.25000—
9 John N. Stone 19087160.143040.00000—
10 Frank Dobson 1910–19122411121.4797121.37500—
11 Wayne Hart 19169360.333240.3330000—
12 Edward Donahue 1917–19203621123.62513102.5600000—
13 E. J. Stewart 1921–1922186102.389292.2310000—
14 Bud Saunders 1923–19262810171.375291.2080000—
15 Josh Cody † [A 7] 1927–19304129111.7201290.5710000—
16 Jess Neely †1931–19398543357.54718132.5761000—
17 Frank Howard †1940–196929516511812.580100485.670 [A 8] 3380 ACC Coach of the Year (1958) [12]
ACC Coach of the Year (1966) [12]
18 Hootie Ingram 1970–19723312210.3648100.4440000—
19 Red Parker 1973–19764417252.40910111.4770000 ACC Coach of the Year (1974) [12]
20 Charley Pell 1977–1978231841.8041011.8750110 ACC Coach of the Year (1977) [12]
ACC Coach of the Year (1978) [12]
21 Danny Ford †1978–1989 [A 9] 12996294.76056161.7746251 – 1981 ACC Coach of the Year (1981) [12]
FWAA Coach of the Year (1981) [13]
Woody Hayes Trophy (1981) [14]
AFCA Coach of the Year (1981) [15]
22 Ken Hatfield 1990–19934632131.70719101.6501110—
23 Tommy West 1993–1998 [A 10] 5931280.52521190.5251300—
24 Tommy Bowden 1999–20081177245.6154332.57335000 ACC Coach of the Year (1999) [12]
ACC Coach of the Year (2003) [12]
25 Dabo Swinney 2008–present [A 11] 213170430.798103230.8171281082 — (2016) (2018) Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year (2011) [16]

AP Coach of the Year Award (2015) [17]
Walter Camp Coach of the Year Award (2015)
ACC Coach of the Year Award (2015)

Notes

  1. ↑ Although the first Rose Bowl Game was played in 1902, it has been continuously played since the 1916 game, and is recognized as the oldest bowl game by the NCAA. "—" indicates any season prior to 1916 when postseason games were not played. [9]
  2. ↑ A running total of the number of head coaches, with coaches who served separate tenures being counted only once. Interim head coaches are represented with "Int" and are not counted in the running total. "—" indicates the team played but either without a coach or no coach is on record. "X" indicates an interim year without play.
  3. ↑ Overtime rules in college football were introduced in 1996, making ties impossible in the period since. [10]
  4. ↑ When computing the win–loss percentage, a tie counts as half a win and half a loss. [11]
  5. ↑ Statistics correct as of the end of the 2010 college football season.
  6. ↑ Williams replaced Saunders for the final 5 games of the 1926 season.
  7. ↑ Cody was inducted into the Hall of Fame as a player at Vanderbilt. [8]
  8. ↑ Howard had a record of 34–18–3 (.645) against Southern Conference opponents and 66–30–2 (.684) against ACC opponents.
  9. ↑ Ford replaced Pell for the final game of the 1978 season.
  10. ↑ West replaced Hatfield for the final game of the 1993 season.
  11. ↑ Swinney replaced Bowden for the final 7 games of the 2008 season.

Related Research Articles

Danny Lee Ford is a former American football player and coach. He played college football at the University of Alabama from 1967 to 1969. He served as the head football coach at Clemson University from 1978 to 1989 and at the University of Arkansas from 1993 to 1997, compiling a career record of 122–59–5. During his 12 seasons as head coach of the Clemson Tigers, he captured five ACC titles and won six bowl games. Ford's 1981 Clemson team completed a 12–0 season with a win in the Orange Bowl and was named the consensus national champion.

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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 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 also achieved three claimed national titles since its founding, in 1981, 2016, and 2018.

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References

General
Specific
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 2010 Media Guide , p. 175
  2. ↑ "Clemson's Bowden steps down". Sports Illustrated . October 13, 2008. Archived from the original on June 28, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  3. 1 2 2010 Media Guide , pp. 198–199
  4. ↑ "1981 National Championship Season" (PDF). Clemson University. Archived (PDF) from the original on November 21, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2011. Under Swinney's guidance the tigers have won four ACC championships, and has made three national championship appearances;winning both the 2016 and 2018 national title.
  5. ↑ John Heisman at the College Football Hall of Fame
  6. ↑ Jess Neely at the College Football Hall of Fame
  7. ↑ Frank Howard at the College Football Hall of Fame
  8. 1 2 Josh Cody at the College Football Hall of Fame
  9. ↑ National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) (2011). Bowl/All-Star Game Records (PDF). Indianapolis, Indiana: NCAA. pp. 5–10. Archived from the original on August 22, 2011. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  10. ↑ Whiteside, Kelly (August 25, 2006). "Overtime system still excites coaches". USA Today. McLean, Virginia. Archived from the original on November 24, 2009. Retrieved September 25, 2009.
  11. ↑ Finder, Chuck (September 6, 1987). "Big plays help Paterno to 200th". The New York Times. New York City. Archived from the original on October 22, 2009. Retrieved October 22, 2009.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "ACC Honors Year by Year" (PDF). 2010 ACC Football Information Guide. Atlantic Coast Conference. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  13. ↑ "Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year Award". Football Writers Association of America. Archived from the original on August 8, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  14. ↑ "Woody Hayes Trophy". Touchdown Club of Columbus. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved May 25, 2011.
  15. ↑ "Past National COTY Winners". American Football Coaches Association. Archived from the original on August 20, 2012. Retrieved August 21, 2011.
  16. ↑ "Clemson University Head Coach Dabo Swinney Named Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year for 2011". Bobby Dodd Coach of the Year Foundation. December 31, 2011. Archived from the original on March 22, 2012. Retrieved January 5, 2012.
  17. ↑ "Clemson coach Dabo Swinney named coach of the year". 14 January 2016.

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