WrX? You didnt go to Clemson. Why do you bleed orange?

Mar 11, 2006, 12:45 PM

ADD warning: LONG POST

I get this question alot. You see, I didnt go to Clemson, but I donate to IPTAY, go to Clemson homegames(make the trek from Maryland), Sing the alma mater, have a key chain the plays "Tiger Rag" so I can hear it anytime I want, I own an obscene amount of orange clothing, and talk Clemson football and recruiting at least a couple times a day. But, why am I so passionate?

The response I usually give when asked this is a simple one that makes sense and doesnt take to much time. My father went to Clemson and I have been trained since birth to love Clemson and hate all things feathered. Also many other family members and family friends went to Clemson, soooooo the easiest explanation to "WrX why are you a Clemson fan?" is simply, "Im a Legacy fan"....but there is more.

To you alums Clemson usually means a place where you found your idenity. A place where you met your wife or husband, and a place where you spent 4 years(maybe more haha) having the best time of your life ... Well the same rings true for me ... You see when I think about Clemson of course I think about tailgating and cheering the Tiger down the hill, but Clemson reminds me of a simpler time and people that have long since passed. Clemson reminds me of September afternoons sitting outside my grandfather house listening to the game on the radio(didnt have a TV), it reminds me of family reunions where at the time I didnt understand why my family members wearing Garnet always had a frown on their faces.......but its some of these faces that I miss the most.

Another reason I have latched onto the Clemson culture has to do directly with my relationship with my father. When I was young my father was a Captain in the Air Force and was on the IG team inspecting the various SAC facilities.(this was during the Cold War, for all you youngins), this meant my father was traveling all over the world during the most pivotal years of my upbringing. My Dad and I of course have a good relationship, but we dont have alot in common, and I believe that is due to him being gone when I was young(this is why I refused to join the Air force years and years agao, I didnt want the same for my kids). ONE thing that my father and I do have in common is Clemson football. Its something we can always talk about, and something that we both love.

I could go on, but I dont want to bore. It's downtime right now, so I thought I'd share a little on what Clemson means to me. This is what I plan on passing onto my kids whenever I have them. Clemson is much more than just a University to me, just a source of fond memories, it is about family, tradition, and truly about pride.

edit: My father said he knew he succeeded in making a diehard Clemson fan when at the TAMU game this past year I screamed so loud I started to taste blood .....haha

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Neither me, nor my father, nor my grandfather went to Clemson. So I may not have the exact same appreciation as some of you, but I consider Clemson the place I feel most at home in the world, for reasons I won't go into. My grandfather got into going to football games in 1979 and by the time I was born in 84 it was a ritual to go to every home game. I was taken to my first game at 8 months old and haven't gone a year without going to at least one game in my entire lifetime (including when I was in Tech School for the AF and had to illegally drive from Mississippi to Clemson for the UVa game, the one we won in overtime on Youngbloods catch).

To keep this from going too long I'll just say that you don't have to attend Clemson University to be grabbed by the magic of the campus and people, once you've been there, you know it's special, and you can't wait to go back.

WrX? You didnt go to Clemson. Why do you bleed orange?

Similar story here...

Re: Alma Mater

says who?

He can sing whatever the hell he wants if he wears orange

Sing it all day long man.***

Alma Mater is the school's "anthem"...

Sing it and get more of the Alumni to sing it with you!***

Re: Alma Mater

Re: Alma Mater

Hey - what's an air force retiree doing in Annapolis?***

Re: Alma Mater

I really didn't see myself letting a coot tell me what I

I consider ANY Clemson fan...

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