Clemson football has enjoyed a tremendous amount of success over the last several seasons.
Starting in 2011, the Tigers won their first ACC Championship in 20 years, defeating Virginia Tech 38-10. The success continued into 2012 as Clemson won 11 games for the first time in 31 years and had a 25-24 comeback victory over LSU in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl on New Year’s Eve.
If you think about it, that was the game which changed the program when Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd connected with DeAndre Hopkins on a 4th and 16 play.
Clemson defeated Ohio State in the 2014 Capital One Orange Bowl, and most recently in a 31-0 rout in the 2016 College Football Playoff. This program has also beaten traditional perennial powers Oklahoma, in the 2014 Russell Athletic Bowl and in the 2015 College Football Playoff, and Notre Dame, in 2015 on a cold and rainy night in Death Valley while a hurricane ravaged the Upstate of South Carolina.
Tiger fans will always remember the 2016 season, when Clemson beat Alabama 35-31 with a last-second touchdown as quarterback Deshaun Watson connected with Hunter Renfrow to secure the school’s first national championship in 35 years. Clemson defeated the last seven national champs, Auburn, Alabama, FSU and Ohio State, during the 2016 campaign.
All of this success has been because of a steady progress. The Tigers have, and continue to, recruit the best possible student athletes in the country, and have added facilities with the Indoor Practice Facility from 2012 and the brand new Allen N. Reeves Football Operations Complex. There have also been upgrades inside Death Valley. Essentially, this program is at an elite status right now and should be treated as such.
During the Boston College game, the lack of students in the second half was disconcerting, as many students, especially those on the Hill, left at halftime. The Clemson football program has reached great heights, and students should be sure to appreciate that.
The recent student petition complaining about the lack of availability of student tickets places greater importance on student dedication.
Students who left early took tickets away from those who may have stayed the entire game. A potential solution is to make students pay for tickets. That will give incentive for students to stay the whole game, and a person’s true dedication to the team will be revealed.
Clemson students cannot allow a complacent culture to affect the support of the football program. This program’s motto is “Best is the Standard,” and students need to exemplify that motto when it comes to supporting a National Championship program.
