Clemson Greatness and why so many of you miss it.

Historian [3380]

TigerPulse: 40%

Posts: 6091

Joined: 11/17/03

Danny had to go and there was nothing that could be done.

Oct 13, 2010, 3:48 PM

Clemson cut a deal with the NCAA to avoid the death penalty that SMU recieved. Here is why.

Charlie Pell era: 1977–1978

Charlie Pell coached the Tigers for two seasons, winning the ACC Coach of the Year award twice and leading the Tigers to the 1978 ACC Championship en route to a 18-4-1 record. In both seasons, Clemson earned berths to the Gator Bowl. However, Pell became involved in NCAA rules and recruiting violations that came to light under the tenure of his successor, Danny Ford. Charlie Pell would leave after 1978 to become head coach at Florida, where his coaching career would end in 1984 following more NCAA rules violations.

Danny Ford Era: 1978–1989

The Danny Ford Era began in 1978, after Charlie Pell left for the University of Florida. He won his first game, the 1978 Gator Bowl, with a 17–15 victory over Ohio State and legendary coach Woody Hayes, who punched LB Charlie Bauman in the throat after making the game-clinching interception. In his first two seasons, Ford guided the Tigers to 8–4 and 6–5 records and a Peach Bowl bid in 1979. In 1981, Ford led the Tigers to a 12–0 record, and Clemson's only National Championship in 1981, a 22-15 victory over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl, and the school's first national championship in any sport. During his tenure at Clemson, Ford compiled a 96-29-4 (.760) record, a 6-2 bowl record, won five ACC championships, and finished the year ranked in at least one poll seven times. Ford also coached 21 All-Americans and 41 players who went on to play in the NFL during his 11 seasons at Clemson.

On November 21, 1982, the football program was placed on probation for a 2-year period to include the 1983 and 1984 seasons. This sanction was enforced on the program by the NCAA Committee on Infractions due to a lengthy history of recruiting violations to gain an athletic advantage that had taken place from 1977 through the Tigers' 1981 National Championship season and into 1982, under the administration of two head coaches, Charlie Pell and Danny Ford. The Atlantic Coast Conference imposed a third year of conference penalty.

Over 150 documented violations were found to have been committed under NCAA bylaws in the categories of improper recruiting inducements, extra benefits to student-athletes, ethical conduct, improper financial aid, improper campus visits, improper transportation and entertainment, improper use of funds, improper employment, improper recruiting contact, and distribution of cash to players by members of the coaching staff.

As a result of these violations, Clemson was barred from participating in bowl games following the 1982 and 1983 seasons, and barred from appearing on live television in the 1983 and 1984 seasons. Also, the number of scholarships that the university could allocate to football players was restricted to 20 (from the normal limit of 30) for the 1983-84 and 1984-85 academic years. The Tigers, however, were allowed to keep their 1978 and 1981 ACC titles as well as the 1981 national title.

Charles Alan Wright, chairman of the NCAA Committee on Infractions said at the time, "Due to the large number and serious nature of the violations in this case, the committee believed that institutional sanctions related to appearances on television and in postseason football bowl games were appropriate. In addition, because the violations indicated a pattern of improper recruiting activities, the committee determined that a two-year limitation on financial aid to new recruits should be imposed to offset any recruiting advantage that was gained improperly by the university."

Just five years after their probation ended, Clemson once again found their football program accused of multiple recruiting violations in January 1990.The NCAA accused Clemson of giving cash to players and having illegal contact with recruits over a period from 1984 to 1988. In June 1990, the Tigers found themselves on probation once again, for the second time in less than a decade. This chain of events contributed, in part, to the forced resignation of popular head coach Danny Ford.

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I'm sorry to break it to you all, but my friend and myself were the reasons for the "vigil" as it became known. As God is my witness, it was two women..parents of Clemson students at the time. When Danny was "fired" (and ya'll can talk ad-nauseam about the why.. and I just read what was said by Garnet and Black, and sir, you ARE very mistaken,) we made the trip to Clemson because I used to work in the Athletic Dept.(that was the longest sentence on record!) On the way home, we heard a radio station MC in Anderson discussing this "news". We went to the radio station and just talked with the MC for a little bit. While on the radio, I innocently said that I thought as a tribute to Danny and his record at Clemson that there ought to be a way that we fans could let him know how grateful we were and show him some support. At that point, we all said, "why not gather on Bowman Field and bring candles." That's ALL we said and we left. I had to be in Charlotte the night of the said event. My friend and her husband went. (We never even thought that there would be a traffic jam, cops, etc.) To our surprise, the wires had picked up the story and people from as far away as Florida came. There were no plans whatsoever to go to the President's Home. There were no plans at all!!! Just a candle light gathering. Going to the President's Home never entered our mind as that was not our purpose. He was not at home any way. It got way too much play on the radio and such. I have heard so many stories about why Coach Ford was fired, and as with rumors, they get bigger, and about as far from the truth as it could be. This happened years ago, and I had hoped that at some time, Coach Ford would write a book & "tell" all. It would surely put to rest stuff that I hear and read on this board. There were things going on in the administration that shouldn't have been going on. Danny Ford was the only obstacle that was felt to be standing in their way of total control, especially if he won another National Championship. Coach Ford had to hire his own attorney and go to the NCAA meetings himself. He and none of his coaches were found guilty of ANYTHING!!!!! He held a news conference and was going to tell the whole story, along with the fact that they were cleared of any wrongdoing, but he was advised in a urgent phone call that if he ever wanted to coach again, he had better not do anything other than talk about the "not guilty" report from the NCAA.It was felt that no administration would want him if he did that. (Lennon had already done his best to blackball him to Presidents.) Lennon received his just desserts when the faculty senate gave him a vote of no confidence. He left Clemson . Later on.he went to Mars Hill My friend, by coincidence, ran into a Mars Hill lady one day in a restroom. They struck up a conversation and my friend said to her that our old president, Maxd Lennon, was there, wasn't he? The lady said that he had almost bankrupted their school and was not popular at all. To my knowledge he is not there any longer, and I've not kept up with him as I could care less. So there you have it, the reason there was a "vigil" from the person who accidentally started it.

Great post, HOF worthy***

DIAF***

Twas a dark day, indeed. It took all the restraint I had in

Just make sure to give your tickets to a real fan

clap............................clap........................

Thanks for your "support", you COOT!***

Coot. ***

If you wanted Danny and his 4-7's maybe you should've kept

so Hatfield and West improved Clemson? Brilliant.***

I don't think Ford ever went 4-7.***

he's a coot.***

I was there, I don't remember seeing you.***

by President's home, he means the President of Clemson

THIS POST IS AWESOME AND HIS COUSIN AGREES!!!***

Re: Clemson Greatness and why so many of you miss it.

And I was standing in a line,

Re: And I was standing in a line,

Stones were 1989. Point is, was one night of a concert

Pretty sure it was Floyd.

I was only 13 at the time, but my Dad was so cotton pickin

I was in the 10th grade and couldn't skip school that day.

But you can't hold a whole fanbase responsible for the

YeeeeeHaaaaaw!

Bravo! I just cross-posted this on some of

Obed is now a Legend, much the same as Danny Ford

Me and Danny both love this dang place too much to quit.***

and this place loves you both too much to quit yall..wait

so you were late?

Danny wanted a football dorm...that's it. We were already

Re: Danny wanted a football dorm...that's it. We were already

has nothing to do with my comment. no matter the

Perhaps 90% of the faculty should have also been canned

i think they went through the proper channels as i would

I know, but c'mon. The guy went 10-2 3 years straight...won

as a university president, lennon sucked. as a person, he

i hear ya, but danny had been making his bed for months on

Danny had to go and there was nothing that could be done.

No, Danny wanted a new football-only dorm. That stuff

Are you the editor of that wiki page?***

ah, yes, the mysterious "garnet and black" who just happens

You are absolutely correct, I made it all up myself.

I'm not the only one who thinks so....see for yourself

The reason I ask is that Danny is that

If it is on the internet, it must be true***

See response above. I have admitted to fabricating . . .

Re: See response above. I have admitted to fabricating . . .

Try this . . .

So is it 150+ violations plus free money from 1984-1988 as

busted garnet and black***

If you are saying that " I " wrote all of that, then . . .

You forgot Obamao in you're propaganda comparison....***

Uhhh...no***

It had more to do with Fords daughter,a player and a beating

Again....no***

thanks for at least revealing your sources***

Voice your opinion all you want, I'm certainly not

I've spoken ad nauseum to my IPTAY rep......he actually

He ain't going to get you very far.***

I wish I could have been there***

If me and a few friends RA this, will you lose the points?***

Re: Clemson Greatness and why so many of you miss it.

Did the president ask you to cut his grass?***

He wasn't even home.***

There were more than 200 of us.....

I just remember a couple hundred + students. It was

It's probably a good thing Max wasn't at home....

i think danny grossly overestimated his own popularity and

That is absolutely correct !!!***

YES YES YES.***

I apologize for only being 7 at the time...Bring Back Danny!***

That's what she said!***

I wasn't born yet....

Re: Clemson Greatness and why so many of you miss it.

Re: Clemson Greatness and why so many of you miss it.

I was there that night as well. We have a right to

So let me get this straight...

I don't think you were responding to me, but just in case

No, you don't have it straight at all, but that's pretty

This is the type of "loyal dissenter" talk that I can