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Clemson has one, if not the most, historically relevant football programs in the ACC. The Tigers are three-time national champions and also have 27 conference titles, 21 of those in the ACC. While much of their success has come in the Dabo Swinney era, including two of the three national titles, their program is rooted in tradition. Their first-ever college football national title came in 1983.
The University of Clemson encourages many traditions among its student core, looking to support its athletic programs and creating a feeling of belonging on campus.
What is Clemson's catchphrase?
Tigers fans chant a war cry during games that goes as follows:
"C-L-E-M in cadence count! Tigers far and near will follow you with the roar: 1-2-3-4, 1-2-3-4, C-L-E-M-S-O-N T-I-G-E-R-S FIGHT TIGERS, FIGHT TIGERS, FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT!"
During the team entrance into an orange crowd-filled "Death Valley" Memorial Stadium, you can see one of the most famous traditions from the school's football program. Known as "Running Down the Hill", the team and the coaching staff enter the field from a hill on one side of the stadium and interact with the fans. At the same time, they rub Howard's Rock for good luck into the turf.
The rock comes directly from Death Valley, California, and gives the stadium its nickname. It was first placed there back in 1966, and the tradition of rubbing it started the following year after a victory over Wake Forest.
When on the road, Tiger fans tend to use $2 bills preferably stamped with tiger paws. The tradition started as a protest in 1977, when Georgia Tech refused to play at Clemson. Tiger fans begin the practice when playing in Atlanta to show how much they contributed to the area's economy.
Clemson's pageantry and fanfare
College football is known for its pageantry, including cheerleading squads, marching bands, and parades. The Tigers are no stranger to it, with them having three main fanfare-like traditions that surround the football program.
Like almost every school, Clemson has its own fighting song played by their marching band. Legend has it that the band director Dean Ross found the music sheet for " Tiger Rag" at an Atlanta music store in 1942. While versions have varied through the years, it has become a staple at Death Valley and is affectionally known as "The Song That Shakes the Southland."
The Friday before the first home game of the season, the school holds the "First Friday Parade," a tradition that goes all the way back to 1974. Here you can see the first of many "Alma Mater Salutes." Clemson started as a military school, and in remembrance of that early history, the students and alumni still wave their hands in the air with thumbs folded underneath as though holding a cap every time the school's anthem is played.
