1988 was year I ran into him shoveling dried grass off......

lightbulbbill®

Oculus Spirit [90819]

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Jan 26, 2012, 12:52 PM

Athletic parking lot curbing after Spring Game..him having taken out a pitch fork-like device from his car's trunk..with sweat coming off his brow, but dissatisfied with the way the clunks of grass had not been removed.

Remember, this is the same man many years before who had helped grade, sow & mow the football field at DV..for whom its named for now. He also is the man who had the hedges around the sidelines removed since they took too much time & expense to maintain.

So, I introduced him to my GF and he relaxed on the side of his fender..and he said she looked liked Dolly Parton to which I stupidly asked if he needed glasses..at which time he smartly kept on talking...telling us how he got the new Easley By-pass built in 60's...due to telling the State Hwy Patrol & others to hold up the game traffic even more so those Coots in the legislature would appropriate money to a new road (for them to get to Tigertown).

It worked, and he said it should have been called "The Frank Howard Highway". We laughed with him, went inside to allow her to see the trophies for the first time..and lo & behold he showed up minutes later asking the receptionist if he had any phone calls.

The man was always working even in his 70's..selling a little gambling newspaper..of which he mailed me a copy of with a note a week later asking me to subscribe, and telling me & FG that he enjoyed meeting us..which I still have as a momento.

I had interviewed him twice in the mid 60's while a student sports writer for The TIGER newspaper..and had watched him coach on what's now the soccer field from my quadrangle building window as a freshman in 1959. So, he still remained a "Big" figure in my little mind of college football history and unreal accomplishments at a small redneck school hidden in the Blue Ridge.

It's true that he coached several different sports in his early years...seconded the nomination to be HC (so funny; how would Nancy Polosi handle that?!)...was personally involved in the formation & success of IPTAY by driving all over the state in the hot summers to ask people to donate $1 or $10 for our Tigers so to be more competitive...taking Clemson to some major bowls and winning...speaking about Clemson everywhere he went and getting heard by "acting" stupid or country even though he had a masters in English from Alabama...having played on the Red Elephant squad that played in the Rose Bowl, playing with first PAWS, etc.

And, as he did following that last Big Thursday Game at W-B Stadium in 1959, after beating the Gamecocks and loving the fact that the legislature was forcing them to play Clemson at Clemson for the very first time since 1896..he tipped his hat to the sidelines and gracefully bowed and walked out of that arena knowing that the Tigers would be hosting a large crowd in 1960 which would help us show off the beautiful campus, attract new fans, allow the opponents to see what we were all about, and have a better chance to win even more games due to the percentages of being at home.

So, I respectively tip my cap to Coach Frank Howard..the Bashful Baron of Barlow Bend (AL). Thank you Sir for all you did for little ole Clemson College..for we all still enjoy the hard work & sacrifice you gave.

With that said I felt that I had to attend his funeral back in ?, even though it was on a cold wet Sunday that was also Super Bowl Day which kept the attendance down a little, but LittleJohn was nicely filled.

Afterwards, as I was driving up Stadium Road past the end zone Hill side on the way back to Charlotte...I noticed a dozen or so Tiger Band members assembling on the side walkway below the burial site...so I quickly parked my car and ran up towards them... just when they played the saddest softess version of Tiger Rag I had ever hear. So emotional, but so great too... as to say: THANK YOU COACH FRANK HOWARD..THANK YOU FOR BEING A TIGER!

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Now "o2bnclemson" that was priceless 4 I knew all three guys

I was lucky enough to be a football manager from 1962-1965 seasons. Coach was great. He could speak perfect English when he wanted to. A couple of memories, in the dressing room in basement of Fike was a set of scales where every player had to record their weight before and after every practice. Howard got on them one day and scales read 278. He grunted and said to no one in particular -m 2 pounds less than a #######.. and walked out. Never saw him weigh himself again. One Saturday it was pouring rain about noon. Howard was in lobby of Fike, and several people asked him about playing in the rain. He looked at them, said it aint gonna rain at the game, walked out the front door to the top step and blew his whistle. At that moment, the rain stopped and the sun came out...I saw it happen.

When you talk about true Clemson men - my top 4 are: Coach Howard, Herman McGee, Col. Rick Robbins, and Bob Bradley

On the anniversary of his passing, a Coach Howard recruiting

1988 was year I ran into him shoveling dried grass off......

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Perhaps an online fund can be setup to accept

Thanks for a great post!

Your best post yet Bill!***

My favorite story of his is when he was AD and they

Now "o2bnclemson" that was priceless 4 I knew all three guys

Years ago after coming out of the library reflection pool

Re: On the anniversary of his passing, a Coach Howard recruiting

Re: On the anniversary of his passing, a Coach Howard recruiting

Re: On the anniversary of his passing, a Coach Howard recruiting

I'd like to add Fred Hoover to that list. Good Clemson man.***

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