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YOUR BALANCE
Could some of you old timers help me out...Tommy West
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Could some of you old timers help me out...Tommy West


May 20, 2020, 1:12 PM

What was it like during the Tommy West era? Roar brought it about for about 20 seconds.

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Re: Could some of you old timers help me out...Tommy West


May 20, 2020, 1:13 PM



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Why do dogs always race to the door when the doorbell rings? It's almost never for them.


Wikipedia Says:


May 20, 2020, 1:17 PM

currently the defensive line coach at Middle Tennessee State University

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Good guy personally but....


May 20, 2020, 1:41 PM [ in reply to Re: Could some of you old timers help me out...Tommy West ]



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Thanks for a reminder of this cringeworthy scene.


May 21, 2020, 1:12 PM

OUCH!!

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"When I was young, I was sure of many things; now there are only two things of which I am sure: one is, that I am a miserable sinner; and the other, that Christ is an all-sufficient Saviour. He is well-taught who learns these two lessons." -John Newton


Imagine if you pulled for Wake instead of Clemson


May 21, 2020, 3:31 PM [ in reply to Re: Could some of you old timers help me out...Tommy West ]

About like that. We were mediocre to bad. This was a revolutionary time for offensive football and West was still playing like it was 1975. Not only was West bad, but boring. Apathy set in around 98 and people quit caring as much. Basketball was actually a bigger deal then as we were pretty good.

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Re: Could some of you old timers help me out...Tommy West


May 20, 2020, 1:15 PM

Imagine being on the same level as WF

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Happened again from 2002-2008


May 20, 2020, 8:33 PM

Only 2 losses, but 3 of the 5 wins were one possession games and one of the 2 that werent was the Gaines Adam's game where we came back from 14 down in the 4th to win by 10. And ofc they murdered us in 2003.

They really gave us all we could handle every year except 2007.

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Re: Happened again from 2002-2008


May 20, 2020, 11:12 PM

You sure you’re not thing a bout the wake game when Bowden was coaching ?

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All of those were Bowden-coached Wake games


May 21, 2020, 11:07 AM

including the one that finally got him fired.

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Re: Happened again from 2002-2008


May 21, 2020, 1:53 PM [ in reply to Re: Happened again from 2002-2008 ]

Lol

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Hard to sell an extra ticket for sure***


May 20, 2020, 1:16 PM



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imagine a long, slow journey to 3-8***


May 20, 2020, 1:20 PM



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“poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids.”


That would have been a good time to join IPTAY?


May 20, 2020, 1:23 PM

/

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Re: That would have been a good time to join IPTAY?


May 21, 2020, 3:22 PM

That’s exactly what I did. Got lower deck seats with a $500 donation in 1999...still have those seats today, but pay much more to IPTAY, of course.

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Well...


May 20, 2020, 1:23 PM

1) The facilities were not very good.
2) Fan support wasn't very good.
3) We didn't pay coaches all that well.
4) We had just lost a coach (Hatfield) who quit because he didn't want to be here.
5) We were the red headed step child of the ACC.
6) Recruiting wasn't very good.

Can you give me an example of any coach who could do well with all that working against him? We were lucky to have a coach who wanted to be here and loved Clemson despite our ignorant administration and fan base. Had we given him 6 more seasons, I think we would have seen a tremendous turn around.

2024 orange level memberbadge-donor-10yr.jpgringofhonor-francismarion.jpg flag link military_tech thumb_downthumb_up

"I've played multiple sports and would bet any amount that I'm still more athletic than you at this present time...."


Sounds awful...


May 20, 2020, 1:25 PM

Respect to those 40+ year tiger faithful.

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Re: Well...


May 20, 2020, 2:03 PM [ in reply to Well... ]

Judge Keller

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This would be a great post


May 20, 2020, 3:28 PM [ in reply to Well... ]

if it were true.

I know you were going for funny, but you missed on that one too.

Better luck next time, Frances.

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"All those 'Fire Brownell' guys can kiss it." -Joseph Girard III

"Everybody needs to know that Coach Brownell is arguably the best coach to come through Clemson." -PJ Hall


Apparently the only thing you know less about than humor...


May 20, 2020, 3:41 PM

is football.

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"I've played multiple sports and would bet any amount that I'm still more athletic than you at this present time...."


So since I didn't find your post funny


May 20, 2020, 3:42 PM

I don't know anything about humor?

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"All those 'Fire Brownell' guys can kiss it." -Joseph Girard III

"Everybody needs to know that Coach Brownell is arguably the best coach to come through Clemson." -PJ Hall


No...


May 20, 2020, 3:43 PM

Since you have to explain your jokes you don't know anything about humor.

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"I've played multiple sports and would bet any amount that I'm still more athletic than you at this present time...."


I didn't make a joke in my response to you.


May 20, 2020, 3:45 PM

Your post wasn't true, nor was it funny. Period.

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"All those 'Fire Brownell' guys can kiss it." -Joseph Girard III

"Everybody needs to know that Coach Brownell is arguably the best coach to come through Clemson." -PJ Hall


Thanks for telling me you didn't just make a joke...


May 20, 2020, 3:46 PM

It's hard to tell sometimes.

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"I've played multiple sports and would bet any amount that I'm still more athletic than you at this present time...."


Perhaps you just don't have a good sense of humor.***


May 20, 2020, 3:47 PM



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"All those 'Fire Brownell' guys can kiss it." -Joseph Girard III

"Everybody needs to know that Coach Brownell is arguably the best coach to come through Clemson." -PJ Hall


Haha!


May 20, 2020, 3:49 PM

That joke I got! Who fed you that one, deadsolidperfect®?

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"I've played multiple sports and would bet any amount that I'm still more athletic than you at this present time...."


Oh no, I'm not that patient & she's a bit of a slow learner.***


May 20, 2020, 3:54 PM



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I think you two are flirting with her.


May 20, 2020, 3:58 PM

Cut it out right now!

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Why do dogs always race to the door when the doorbell rings? It's almost never for them.


It's 8:43 am somewhere.***


May 20, 2020, 3:59 PM



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"I've played multiple sports and would bet any amount that I'm still more athletic than you at this present time...."


Re: Haha!


May 20, 2020, 11:27 PM [ in reply to Haha! ]



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I just pointed you


May 20, 2020, 10:17 PM [ in reply to Perhaps you just don't have a good sense of humor.*** ]

to recharge more TU's for Francis Marion®

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Re: Apparently the only thing you know less about than humor...


May 20, 2020, 6:18 PM [ in reply to Apparently the only thing you know less about than humor... ]

He also does not know very much about basketball ......especially that one coach named Brad who he has an excuse for no matter what......Go Tigers!!!!!!

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Re: Well...


May 20, 2020, 5:14 PM [ in reply to Well... ]

HaHa.......I see Judge Keller finally wore you down .......Go Tigers!!!!

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FM good post. However, I disagree with you about Coach Hatfield not wanting to be at Clemson.


May 20, 2020, 5:26 PM [ in reply to Well... ]

IMO Ken Hatfield gave his best efforts to bring success to Clemson University. Unfortunately, he did not receive the same level of support he gave to the football program. He received less fan support than Tommy West, but won more games in 3 seasons 32-13 than Tommy West won in 5 seasons 30-28. Ken Hatfield is the only Clemson HC to win 10 games in his first season at Clemson. Many will say he won with Danny Ford’s players, but Vance Hammond ( a former player) said it was Coach Hatfield who brought the team back together. In 1990 Clemson was 10-2. They lost to eventual NC’s Georgia Tech and a highly ranked Virginia team that was on the rise under George Welsh. They finished 8-4 and lost by 3 points to NC’s Georgia Tech. That was our first lost to Virginia in 30 meetings. I think many fans blame that loss on KH. It’s possible that Danny Ford would have lost to the 1990 Virginia team. They were really good.

IMO Ken Hatfield did not quit on Clemson. He resigned because it was clear many of the fans did want him back and the administration would not extend his contract by 1 year so he would have 4 years left on his contract. This was important when recruiting. As for recruiting I have heard from reliable sources that big time boosters helped to sabotage KH’s recruiting. During several games some idiot hired a plane to fly over DV with a banner which said “ Fire Hatfield, Come home Danny” That was so embarrassing especially as a Clemson fan.

You are correct our facilities needed work, most assistant coaches were under payed at Clemson. Coach Hatfield and his wife Sandy were treated with such disrespect but he still wanted to stay at Clemson. All KH wanted was support from the administration and from the fans. Who knows what Hatfield could have accomplished at Clemson if he had give administration and fan support,

And Tommy West was hired because he was a part of Danny Ford’s staff. Clemson was trying to strike lightning twice. After he was fired by Clemson, Tommy West admitted he was in over his head when Clemson hired him to replace KH.

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Thank you.***


May 20, 2020, 5:36 PM



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"I've played multiple sports and would bet any amount that I'm still more athletic than you at this present time...."


Re: FM good post. However, I disagree with you about Coach Hatfield not wanting to be at Clemson.


May 20, 2020, 11:19 PM [ in reply to FM good post. However, I disagree with you about Coach Hatfield not wanting to be at Clemson. ]

Tommy west left Clemson to coach for the coots ??? Will never forget him jumping for joy when they beat us.

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Re: Well...


May 20, 2020, 11:14 PM [ in reply to Well... ]

Omg I hope your kidding

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Re: Well...


May 21, 2020, 3:10 PM [ in reply to Well... ]

Clever way to analogize & pretty convincing-I was teetering on the side of: CBB may finally turn the corner; after reading your reply, seriously, I'm back to: he should have been fired. (Unrelated to his job performance, he should have been fired on the spot, for the asst. coach Steve Smith situation) side note-West & Bowden's tenure at Clemson, in comparison, are NIGHT & DAY; Bowden left the program in a HE|| of a lot better shape than he found it-

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Wanted him to succeed, but he didn't have the support


May 20, 2020, 1:24 PM

needed IMO. Academics/administration was not "all in" for football. Even if they were, I don't think he could have won a championship.The 1996 win against Furman was first sign for me he was in over his head. The 1998 whipping Va Tech gave us, revealed the chasm between the programs which was hard to fathom. Nice guy. One of the most enjoyable tailgates / games I ever attended was 1998 win against Usuck. Both fan bases were cordial, because we both sucked. Carried Tommy off field felt right. Liked him.

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Could you imagine the swift, progressive, relentless


May 20, 2020, 1:26 PM

fall of Duke basketball if say Coach K retired and Brad Brownell took over?

That's your Tommy West era. He didn't take over for Coach K, but he did take over a program that was highly ranked for nearly ever and ran the place right down into the shidder.

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Re: Could you imagine the swift, progressive, relentless


May 20, 2020, 2:46 PM

Have to disagree a little in that the years under Hatfield were essentially a self-imposed probation. If you look at the talent level when Hatfield arrived and compared it to the level after he left, the decline was cast in stone. Have to give credit to Tommy West as a less than dynamic personality who was incapable of turning that slide around so he did steer the last little bit down into the ditch.

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Welp. 10-2, 9-2-1, 5-6, 8-3


May 20, 2020, 4:38 PM

Top 10, Top 20, Top 25 AP poll finishes in 4 years.

On the decline but not worth terminating at most programs in that era. His biggest crime was following in Danny's footsteps.

Tommy was terrible. Not Hatfield's fault.

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Re: Welp. 10-2, 9-2-1, 5-6, 8-3


May 20, 2020, 6:01 PM

Nope - he took over a team that was stacked and won 10 games a year on cruise control and in 3 short seasons dragged them down to 5 wins. Those are the facts and they are irrefutable.




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Okay, a few things here.


May 20, 2020, 3:32 PM [ in reply to Could you imagine the swift, progressive, relentless ]

1. Duke basketball is way, way ahead of where Clemson football was under Coach Ford.
2. No one at Clemson, now or then, is comparable to Coach K in terms of accomplishments and stature. Dabo might get there eventually, but he isn't there yet. Coach Ford wasn't close.
3. Brownell is a much, much better coach than Tommy West. There is no basis for comparing the two.

Basically, you should start over and try again with a more reasonable comparison.

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"All those 'Fire Brownell' guys can kiss it." -Joseph Girard III

"Everybody needs to know that Coach Brownell is arguably the best coach to come through Clemson." -PJ Hall


Shocker to find you here.


May 20, 2020, 4:44 PM

1. Agreed, it was just an analogy.

2. Agreed, but Danny was the best we'd ever had at the time, and again just an analogy.

3. LOL HOW YOU KNOW HE'S BETTER IF THERE IS NO BASIS FOR COMPARISON? I mean, I do understand that you'll defend your daddy until the end and all.

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Well, all you have to do is look at their performance relative to


May 20, 2020, 5:19 PM

expectations and resources.

Tommy West coached the most popular sport at Clemson, with more resources given to him, and way more fan support, and he did poorly.

Brownell coaches a much less popular sport at Clemson, with much fewer resources, and much less fan support, and has done well.

Brad has been successful everywhere he’s been. He has had only one losing season in nearly two decades of coaching. Tommy West has had numerous losing seasons and can’t do better than a position coach at a mid-major school.

I’m happy to post records and accomplishments if you like, but I’m assuming you are aware of their careers overall.

For these reasons, your analogy was poor.

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"All those 'Fire Brownell' guys can kiss it." -Joseph Girard III

"Everybody needs to know that Coach Brownell is arguably the best coach to come through Clemson." -PJ Hall


Re: Could some of you old timers help me out...Tommy West


May 20, 2020, 1:29 PM

I had young children at that time. Both of their first games were losses under TW. So I blame him for the way they turned out. They won't even accept that as the reason, but I saved the ticket stubs as proof. You can't argue with that.

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2 rushes, 1 pass, punt***


May 20, 2020, 1:30 PM



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One possession I recall 3 complete passes


May 20, 2020, 1:38 PM

in a row- all for losses- only time I ever left a game early- too painful to stay to the end

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Re: 2 rushes, 1 pass, punt***


May 20, 2020, 1:38 PM [ in reply to 2 rushes, 1 pass, punt*** ]

Good guy but just didn't have it.

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Re: 2 rushes, 1 pass, punt***


May 20, 2020, 5:08 PM [ in reply to 2 rushes, 1 pass, punt*** ]

no that was Hootie Ingram :)

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those were my undergrad years. we were a basketball school


May 20, 2020, 1:39 PM

then

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"It's Baltimore, Gentlemen; the Gods will not save you."


Re: Could some of you old timers help me out...Tommy West


May 20, 2020, 1:42 PM

Imagine an offensive line that could get no push and us handing it off 5 yards behind the LOS and the running back running straight into the pile 3 straight times, then a punt. The defenses were solid enough, the offenses were boring and lacked talent... I always wondered what Raymond Priester would have done with a more creative offense to neutralize our lack of talent and depth.

I am 35 and remember every home game from the stands asking my dad "why don't we run around the pile of guys?". By the time Bowden and Rich Rod got here, I didn't mind losing to Randy Moss and Chad Pennington (Marshall), the offense was so much more fun to watch and we were able to hide our lack of talent with creative play calling and schemes. I think we finished .500 that year and felt like we won the ACC compared to the Tommy West years. He seemed like a good man but proved in his time with us (and years after) he is not a D1 football coach.

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what if I told you that Randy Moss was playing with


May 21, 2020, 1:04 PM

The Vikings by the time Marshall beat us in 1999? Would that still be ok?

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A little perspective... Everyone, and I mean everyone, was


May 20, 2020, 1:43 PM

sick to the gills of Ken Hatfield. Hatfield destroyed a program that coach Ford had made a perennial top 10-ish team. He couldn't recruit, and he couldn't coach. But because of his faith and personality he was the only coach in America who could withstand the chit storm that was inevitable when they decide to fire coach Ford.

Tommy West had coached under Danny Ford. He's a great guy and a solid guy, and it was a fresh start for the program, admin, fans, everybody. Optimism was high. People thought he would be infinitely better than Hatfield, and in many respects he was. He operated with character and passion, he just wasn't ready to elevate the program back to where it was. His first game was the '93 Peach Bowl against KY, which we won. Then he had 4 years where he pretty much mirrored Tommy Bowden from a record standpoint. But he wasn't getting over the hump and then he had the 3-8 season, which was reason enough to cut ties. He was heartbroken about being let go, but he was pure class about it and got carried off the field and celebrated after beating the coots in his last game.

Enjoy what we have now as much as humanly possible because I vividly remember '77-'89 and the absolute anguish of '90-'08. Elation can come and go in the blink of an eye. Clemson admin and football couldn't get out of it's own way for 18 1/2 years. Tommy West was just a small fraction of the issues.

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Excellent summary. And may I add, Tommy West is a good coach


May 20, 2020, 2:01 PM

Look at what he did a Memphis. Pretty good and once played a kid with a birth defect and was pretty well loved there, but got run out and let 'em have it when he did. Just a solid guy. Very friendly. I interacted with him a couple of times at IPTAY meetings. Polar opposite of Hatfield or Bowden.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eLk06dQlyAE

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Re: Excellent summary. And may I add, Tommy West is a good coach


May 21, 2020, 2:39 PM

"Look at what he did at Memphis"

In 9 seasons at Memphis, West was 49-61.

Since he was fired, Memphis has become one of the elite G5 schools. Fuente and Norvell were both able to be successful at Memphis, turning their time there into P5 jobs at VPI and FSU, respectively.

My opinion is Memphis was a sleeping giant in their level of football, but West held them back from reaching their potential.

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Re: A little perspective... Everyone, and I mean everyone, was


May 20, 2020, 2:04 PM [ in reply to A little perspective... Everyone, and I mean everyone, was ]

Was glad Hatfield left but think the man could coach . He would have done fairly well in the triple option days . Dumbest thing he did was at GT just before the half(12 seconds) no time outs , he ran a play up the middle while in field goal range . Tried to explain by saying he thought they would stop the clock and mark the ball ?????

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Sorry, but we'll agree to disagree. He could not coach.


May 20, 2020, 2:11 PM

He had a good run at Arkansas but went 1-5 in bowls. You or I could have take the '90 and '91 teams and won a bunch of games. Coach Ford built those teams and they won in spite of Ken Hatfield. He has the distinction of being the first Clemson coach to lose to UVA and he also got punked by WF (sound familiar?). Hatfield was a good man, but it ends there.

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Re: Could some of you old timers help me out...Tommy West


May 20, 2020, 1:55 PM

It was the Tommy West Error to me. They tried to appease the Danny crowd by hiring a former assistant. He had one year as a HC and went 4-7. He was about as ready for the Clemson job as one of us on the board would be. He is a nice likeable guy.

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Yeah because the anti-Danny crowd was soooo


May 20, 2020, 2:02 PM

successful with Hatfield and Bowden.

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Right away, he had a lot of fan support because he was on


May 20, 2020, 2:09 PM

Danny Ford’s staff at Clemson and after Hatfield, everyone was looking to return to what we had. However, he never could turn things around and the wins were scarce.

The highlight was his first game when we won the Peach Bowl at the very end of the game Emory Smith rumbled for close to a 50 yard run to set up the winning touchdown.

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Re: Right away, he had a lot of fan support because he was on


May 20, 2020, 2:16 PM

To Mr.FM; Hatfield took too long not to want to be here. We did not want him in the first place. West was probably put into a position he was not ready for but he tried hard. Won his last game. Oliver or the Goose Creek head coach would have been better. If you want to blame someone, blame the 1990 CU president and Athletic Director.

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Is that really for old timers?


May 20, 2020, 2:12 PM

how old is an old timer?

Member seeing Tommy West eating at Calhoun Corners soon after he was canned. I kept staring at him, but he seemed in good spirits. He had the athenian steak, rare plus.

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Cat on a tin roof, dogs in a pile,
Nothin' left to do but smile, smile, smile!!!!


Dude, how bout a trigger warning next time?***


May 20, 2020, 2:18 PM



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"IDIOT POSTER OF THE MONTH SO FAR...GWP-- You have won IPM Award for your failure to completely comprehend a clear post & then choose to attack someone who points out your ignorance. While you are not yet in the same No Class Catagory as deRoberts, ClemTiger117 & Tigerdug23, you are getting closer to the Sewer Dwellers." - coachmac


Told Syracuse flat out, "we're going to run the football"


May 20, 2020, 2:38 PM

That's what we're going to do. That's what we do." He kept saying that all December and that's what he did do.


Final Score:
Syracuse 41
Clemson 0


Clemson 90 yards rushing on 40 attemps and 69 yards passing on 19 attempts, 9 completions.

I think someonoe earlier in this thread said 2 rushes, 1 pass and punt. The above stats bare that out.

Maybe he was overconfident after running all over the coots in Columbia the game before by a 38-17 score. But this wasn't the coots, this was Syracuse with Donavon McNabb under center.

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Actually, Fan Support was Very Good during the West Years when you consider


May 20, 2020, 2:48 PM

He put out Mediocre to Sub-Par Teams. Additionally, his Staff hires were inconsistent. Several good assistants that left (after short tenures’) and replacement hires were Half ###!

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Tommy West 3-2 vs coots, Holtz/Spurrier combined 7-8 v CU


May 20, 2020, 5:43 PM [ in reply to Told Syracuse flat out, "we're going to run the football" ]

That's right, ole Tommy West had a better winning percentage vs South Carolina than their two hall of fame coaches combined for against Clemson. LOL

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It was a great time to be a student.


May 20, 2020, 3:04 PM

Cared less about football in those four years than before or since. I recall the UTEP game (forget the year) as the nadir of Clemson football in my lifetime. It was a home game, perfect weather, and I laid out in the sun in the stands with less than 60,000 fans attending.

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It was really bad football.


May 20, 2020, 3:41 PM

A couple of those teams were, and still remain, the worst teams we had since the 1970s. Just really bad football.

The man seemed to love Clemson, but he was in way over his head. He was hired after being a head coach just one year at an inferior program, and it was an unremarkable year at that. The thinking was that since he was an assistant under a previously successful coach, he would recreate some of the same magic.

The parallels to Larry Shyatt are eerily similar: a coach who loved Clemson, and had been an assistant under a very successful and beloved coach, who was only a head coach for a year with unimpressive results, who was hired by Clemson when they shouldn't have been. Both are easily the worst coach we've had in their respective sport in the last 50 years.

I believe a common denominator is that Bobby Robinson hired both of them. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong about that.

Well, neither created the same magic. Instead, we suffered through some really rough seasons.

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"All those 'Fire Brownell' guys can kiss it." -Joseph Girard III

"Everybody needs to know that Coach Brownell is arguably the best coach to come through Clemson." -PJ Hall


Felt like there was always a scrolling headline


May 20, 2020, 3:44 PM

about another arrest. I think of those teams as undisciplined. There were some moments and some great players, but I know I appreciated Tommy Bowden for the discipline and character he brought to the team.

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null


Kind of like Mushchamp years, but with


May 20, 2020, 4:17 PM

better fans, better players, better stadium, better school, and better cheerleaders.

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Tickets were easy to find and you could park on the streets


May 20, 2020, 4:26 PM

in the neighborhood behind the Esso Club.

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The Dude abides


If Clemson football was the Titanic:


May 20, 2020, 4:32 PM

-Ford built it
-Hatfield ran it into the iceberg
-West drove it to the bottom of the sea

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ask any coot fan you happen to see.***


May 20, 2020, 5:01 PM



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Hatfield was the WORST coach EVER at Clemson


May 20, 2020, 5:11 PM

He ruined Clemson and it lasted for decades

Hootie was horrible

West was a nice guy but didn't deliver

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WE (Clemson) were trying, way too hard, to recreate


May 20, 2020, 5:12 PM

the Danny Ford era. Everyone was hoping that Tommy West would be a Danny clone, and have similar results. The job, as he himself admitted in later years, was just too big for him at the time. Although he did the best he could, in retrospect, he never should have been hired.

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Re: Could some of you old timers help me out...Tommy West


May 20, 2020, 5:48 PM

I agree that Tommy was a nice man that loved Clemson, but those times were hard especially as a season ticket holder.

We use to have a quote or saying for each year and it was put on the drink cups you purchased at the games. "Lets roar in 94". I don't remember the others.

We were 0-3 in bowl games and I went to all three. Gator Bowl in the rain and fog was one of the worst.

I remember 1998 final game with UofSC. Brad Scott was their head coach and they were 1-9 as they came to Clemson for the final game of the year. We were 2-8 (1-7 in league play). Who would win this epic battle in the bowl game for both teams? There was so much excitement. 84,000 plus attended the game. We won and Tommy was carried off the field. I still have a drink cup from that game.

With that said, I'm glad so many of you don't remember those years. We have come a long ways.

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Tommy West 3-2 vs coots, Holtz/Spurrier combined 7-8 v CU


May 20, 2020, 5:49 PM

That's right, ole Tommy West had a better winning percentage vs South Carolina than their two hall of fame coaches combined for against Clemson. LOL


And he was 2-0 in Columbia, winning by an average margin of 23.5 points.

1995: Clemson 38 South Carolina 17
1997: Clemson 47 South Carolina 21

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Re: Could some of you old timers help me out...Tommy West


May 20, 2020, 7:30 PM

I remember living in Chattanooga when CLEMSON came calling West to be the new HC at CLEMSON. Having watched West destroy a decent UT-Chattanooga team, and then CLEMSON buying out his contract, made me absolutely sick. I wanted heads to roll for making that dumb decision. It turned out like I expected.

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Many fans wanted a good ‘ol boy in the mold of Ford, from Ford’s staff


May 20, 2020, 11:01 PM

and after the Hatfield debacle, the administration listened. Unfortunately, they forgot the part about also needing to win football games.

Tommy is a good guy who worked hard, but was in way over his head. He never should’ve been considered for the job.

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"All those 'Fire Brownell' guys can kiss it." -Joseph Girard III

"Everybody needs to know that Coach Brownell is arguably the best coach to come through Clemson." -PJ Hall


Re: Could some of you old timers help me out...Tommy West


May 21, 2020, 9:25 AM

Hatfield made me want to be a McCoy
The West Era was dark times, indeed
At least Bowden knew what it was like being around a winner.

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Let me put it this way


May 21, 2020, 10:03 AM

You could park near Redfearn for free, walk to Gate 1 and buy a ticket for about 10 or 20$ right before the band was taking the field for pregame. For an ACC game.

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Re: Could some of you old timers help me out...Tommy West


May 21, 2020, 2:42 PM

He still has 3 timeouts left from the GA Tech game. We had the ball with like a minute to go and he lets the clock run out. We were down like 4 points. Did not make it across the 40 Yd line. That sealed his fate in my book.

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Re: Could some of you old timers help me out...Tommy West


May 21, 2020, 2:42 PM

He still has 3 timeouts left from the GA Tech game. We had the ball with like a minute to go and he lets the clock run out. We were down like 4 points. Did not make it across the 40 Yd line. That sealed his fate in my book.

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Re: Could some of you old timers help me out...Tommy West


May 21, 2020, 2:42 PM

He still has 3 timeouts left from the GA Tech game. We had the ball with like a minute to go and he lets the clock run out. We were down like 4 points. Did not make it across the 40 Yd line. That sealed his fate in my book.

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