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Trainer [33]
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How did Clemson become a football firster school in a sea of basketball schools?
Mar 5, 2024, 8:54 AM
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The ACC built it's reputation of basketball, Clemson went in a different direction, why, how?
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Commissioner [910]
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Re: How did Clemson become a football firster school in a sea of basketball schools?
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Mar 5, 2024, 9:00 AM
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1939 Clemson won Southern Conference basketball tournament. At that time THE post season tournament was the NIT. Clemson turned down the invitation there because several players would have to miss the start of spring football practice. The next year Clemson won the Cotton Bowl, its first ever bowl game. Then came war. Then Clemson joined the ACC in 1953, way behind in basketball. The school just didn’t care about it at a time when a foundation could have been established. Big mistake.
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Athletic Dir [871]
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We FOUNDED the ACC, along with Duke, Maryland, North Carolina
Mar 5, 2024, 10:02 AM
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North Carolina State, South Carolina, and Wake Forest
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CU Guru [1894]
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Commissioner [910]
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Re: How did Clemson become a football firster school in a sea of basketball schools?
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Mar 5, 2024, 9:01 AM
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Football had been good from the start since the days of Heisman here in 1800-1903. Had a great start.
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CU Medallion [64693]
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With the exception of the idiots along Tobacco Road...
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Mar 5, 2024, 9:11 AM
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in the southeast at least, football has always been king. There have been countless surveys conducted and, in general, the vast majority of the people surveyed who follow college sports (greater than 75%) prefer football which places it well-ahead of basketball.
While the popularity of basketball cannot be underestimated, football has been and still is king which explains, at least in part, why many college football stadiums now seat upwards of 85,000 fans while basketball arenas...well...don't.
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Commissioner [977]
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Re: How did Clemson become a football firster school in a sea of basketball schools?
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Mar 5, 2024, 9:16 AM
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It's what Frank Howard wanted. Plus, I think we tried to catch up in the 70's but the coach got us in trouble. Also, IMO if Skip Wise would have stayed more than one year with Tree he could have made a difference. He was that good.
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Recruit [80]
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Re: How did Clemson become a football firster school in a sea of basketball schools?
Mar 5, 2024, 9:21 AM
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Geography played a part too. Clemson is only about 70 miles from Athens GA (think SEC and bulldogs) and 120 or so from Atlanta (think GA tech) and much further to the rest of the ACC.
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All-In [26512]
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Re: How did Clemson become a football firster school in a sea of basketball schools?
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Mar 5, 2024, 10:11 AM
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Given a choice, I would take FB over BB any day of the week and three times on Saturday.
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All-In [44120]
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We can tell.***
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Mar 5, 2024, 10:12 AM
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All-In [44120]
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Football was cheaper to play 100+ years ago. All you needed was a field.
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Mar 5, 2024, 10:12 AM
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Equipment was much more limited at the time compared to now.
Basketball needed a gym, goals, etc. - a lot more investment to get started.
This not only impacted the popularity on the college level, but also at youth levels. Especially in the south, football was something you could easily play most of the year.
Clemson also made some key decisions in the decades that followed, especially in the 40s, 50s, and 60s, that really promoted football and really de-emphasized basketball. We are still seeing the results of those decisions today.
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CU Guru [1121]
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I know right. Decisions made 80 years ago are hurting the program today.
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Mar 5, 2024, 10:15 AM
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Otherwise Brad would have finished in the top 40 more than twice. Ever.
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Re: Football was cheaper to play 100+ years ago. All you needed was a field.
Mar 5, 2024, 11:15 AM
[ in reply to Football was cheaper to play 100+ years ago. All you needed was a field. ] |
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Basketball has ALWAYS taken a back seat to FB in HS and College in 98% of Colleges and Universities. HS basketball may still be big in Indiana, but not in the south. The NFL is way more popular than the NBA.
I know it will never happen, but It would not break my heart if Clemson dropped men's and women's basketball. Especially if the University is not going to try and compete for the top spot in the ACC on a consistent basis.
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CU Guru [1550]
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Re: How did Clemson become a football firster school in a sea of basketball schools?
Mar 5, 2024, 10:22 AM
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In this same vein of conversation, any idea why Clemson wasn't invited to the SEC in 1932? A chunk of schools near us were in the Southern Conference until UGA, Ga Tech, Alabama, Tennessee etc went off to the SEC.
1932 Southern Conference: Alabama Auburn Clemson Duke Florida Georgia Georgia Tech Kentucky LSU Maryland Mississippi Mississippi A&M (State) UNC NC State Sewanee South Carolina Tennessee Tulane Vanderbilt Virginia VMI VPI Washington & Lee
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110%er [8592]
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Re: How did Clemson become a football firster school in a sea of basketball schools?
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Mar 5, 2024, 10:33 AM
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I am guessing you are young because Florida State was the first ACC power. In the last 25-30 years, FSU has had 3 Heisman winners and undefeated seasons long before we did. We were in the Orange Bowl when we beat Nebraska for our first championship but between then and our 2nd, FSU was the ACC power.
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CU Guru [1121]
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You missed a decade in there, champ.***
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Mar 5, 2024, 10:35 AM
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Trainer [33]
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Re: How did Clemson become a football firster school in a sea of basketball schools?
Mar 5, 2024, 12:52 PM
[ in reply to Re: How did Clemson become a football firster school in a sea of basketball schools? ] |
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I am guessing you are young because Florida State was the first ACC power. In the last 25-30 years, FSU has had 3 Heisman winners and undefeated seasons long before we did. We were in the Orange Bowl when we beat Nebraska for our first championship but between then and our 2nd, FSU was the ACC power.
I remember all of those things from FSU's early ACC years, however this was about Clemson taking the left hand path toward being the ACC's OG in football.
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Legend [19210]
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Legend [16748]
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Re: How did Clemson become a football firster school in a sea of basketball schools?
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Mar 5, 2024, 10:34 AM
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Basketball was a Yankee invention that kept athletes in shape between football and baseball seasons. I don't know why the state of NC took to basketball so much. Perhaps when UNC brought in Frank McGuire from St. John. UNC wanted to make a big splash and they got it with that hire.
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CU Medallion [64693]
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This goes back to the days of coaches like Everett Case at NC State...
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Mar 5, 2024, 10:48 AM
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who is, without question, their all time best basketball head coach. He was an Indiana/Wisconsin guy.
Frank McGuire at UNC, as you pointed out, was from New York and Dean Smith was from Kansas.
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Orange Blooded [2812]
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Re: How did Clemson become a football firster school in a sea of basketball schools?
Mar 5, 2024, 10:39 AM
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I guess because Clemson is also is also in a sea of football schools as well in the Southeast.
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110%er [6506]
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Re: How did Clemson become a football firster school in a sea of basketball schools?
Mar 5, 2024, 11:23 AM
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Been that way since we had both sports. 1981 drove the final nail in the coffin.
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CU Guru [1294]
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The ACC was formed because of football
Mar 5, 2024, 12:07 PM
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After the 1951 season, Clemson and Maryland received bowl invites. The Southern Conference didn't allow it's members to play in bowl games, but CU and MD defied the rule and played anyway. The next year both CU and MD were banned from playing conference games. This led to the formation of the ACC.
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110%er [6071]
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When Death Valley was constructed
Mar 5, 2024, 12:57 PM
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it sent shockwaves around the east coast and the aftershocks within the ACC and college football world are still felt to this day by its awesome power and capacity on those incredible Saturday nights with the lights shining bright upon that beautiful Tiger Paw and those sensational Clemson players/coaches/staff/fans!!!!
Go Tigers!!
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Legend [19210]
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Start with coaches and administrators from
Mar 5, 2024, 1:11 PM
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Auburn and Alabama, add in John Heisman, Frank Howard, and Danny Ford, numerous ACC Championships, and bowl wins, a great rivalry with UGA, and special football Thursday when Tigers played the Coots at the State Fair up until the 60's, and a sense of being in South Carolina not connected to basketball NC and you have the most historic and successful football program in Carolinas. Amen. Go Tigers!!!!!
Message was edited by: AThomas®
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