The Ground That Loved Us Back

Apr 29, 2025, 8:37 PM

A letter to Frank Howard Field, Clemson Memorial Stadium

Yes—Ready Play may be the best on the market. Patented, proven, praised from Vegas to Los Angeles. But Clemson Memorial Stadium has never been about settling for what the world deems “good enough.” We are not a program that buys greatness off a shelf. We grow it. We earn it. We live it.

Frank Howard Field is not just a playing surface. It’s the beating heart of every autumn Saturday, the sacred ground where boys became legends and moments turned into memories that live in every Tiger’s soul. You can’t patent that. You can’t truck it in from Georgia.

They say this new grass is stronger. That it was raised on plastic, cut thick, and laid fast. But this field—our field—was never just about strength. It was about roots. The kind that run deep into soil and soul. The kind that remember. The kind that loved us back.

And yes, maybe we can’t replicate the process today. Maybe it’s patented. Maybe we had to borrow greatness this time. But Clemson doesn’t borrow for long. One day, we should have our own process—our own turf, our own system, grown with the same care and tradition we give to every part of this program.

Because when the Tigers run down the hill, they deserve more than just a surface engineered for quick play. They deserve a field that remembers them. That remembers us.

Until then, we will cheer. We will rally. We will trust the paws on that hill to carry us forward.

But let it be known: Frank Howard Field was never great because of the grass. The grass was great because of what it held.