Second of a series.
ESPN is naming its "Mount Rushmore" for sports in each of the 50 states. We liked the idea, so we're taking a smaller slice. Today, the Mount Rushmore of Clemson athletics.
Banks McFadden, football, basketball, track: He's generally considered the greatest athlete in school history and for good reason. He was a three-time letterman in three sports -- football, basketball and track. McFadden (above) was a two-time All-American in basketball, leading the Tigers to their only postseason tournament championship (the Southern Conference tournament in 1939). He was also a triple-threat in football, running, passing and kicking his way into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Frank Howard, football: There's a reason the Tigers play their football games on Frank Howard Field. He spent almost 65 years at Clemson, 30 of them as the head football coach, cultivating a program that has defined the school's athletic success. Howard (above) was a great character, known for telling colorful stories in his own unique style. As head coach, Howard posted a 165-118-12 record and players still rub 'Howard's Rock' before kickoff at Clemson.
Barbara Kennedy, basketball: She is the most accomplished women's athlete in Clemson history, nearly three decades after playing her last basketball game. In the early 1980s, Kennedy (left) was the face of women's basketball in the ACC, helping to elevate the sport in the public consciousness. All these years later, Kennedy remains the ACC's all-time leading scorer and rebounder after a career in which was a three-time first-team All-ACC player and two-time All-American.
Danny Ford, football: During the decade of the '80s, Ford (above) oversaw the Clemson football program and led it to unprecedented -- and unmatched -- heights. He made his head coaching debut as a 30-year old in the Gator Bowl against legendary Woody Hayes, leading the Tigers to a 17-15 victory in 1978. In 1981, Ford led the Tigers to a 12-0 record and the national championship, part a three-year run in which the Tigers posted a 30-2-2 record. Ford, still a hugely popular figure today, left Clemson with a 96-29-4 career record.-- Ron Green Jr.
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Disagree? Think we left someone out? Tell us in the comments below who you'd add, and which of our picks yours should replace.
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27 comments:
What? No Refrigirator...
I can understand if you are trying to be P.C. about this list and throw certain groups of people a bone, but a woman basketball player/coach at Clemson??? I can think of at least 30 people more deserving. Grant, Rollins, Whitehurst, Davis (a few of them), even Spiller and he has only been around for 3 years...
Who are these people? This list sucks...at least put the Fridge on there.
Clemson in 150 miles away....who cares
Mark Packer
Clemson is 132 miles away from Charlotte, compared to 143 for Chapel Hill. It would stand to reason, by the previously mentioned logic, that we shouldn't care about UNC, as well.
I certainly don't care about Chapel Hill. Let's sell them to France...
There is not a mountain big enough to put Mark Packers head on !!!!
The overtime it would take to chisel the gap in Fridge's teeth would make the project cost prohibitive. We'll give him his own plaque at the bottom.
It is so sad that everyone is jealous of Clemson!! Great article!! It is clear most of the people that left comments don't know very much about college sports at all!! GO TIGERS!!!!
Mark Packer is Clemson's Benedict Arnold. The guy is a hack.
Bobby Gage was one of the greats, please no one forget him. "Bobby was the tailback on Clemson's first post-war bowl team, the 1949 Gator Bowl, which edged Missouri. The Anderson, SC native was All-State three years, but it was 1948 when he reaped most of his honors."
"Gage was selected to the All-Southern, All-South and All-American teams and topped his career by being named the most valuable player in the Gator Bowl. When he finished playing, he owned or was tied for 12 Clemson records. His mark of 24 touchdown passes is still fifth in school history, and he ranks ninth in total offensive yards. In 1947, he became the first Tiger to pass for four touchdowns in a game."
"A first-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Gage played two years in the NFL. He was inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1976, the South Carolina Hall of Fame in 1978, and the Gator Bowl Hall of Fame in 1990."
Tinky Winky, Dipsy, Laa-Laa and Po
Please get Ms. Kennedy off the list. Enough with the PC BS and put Tree Rollins where he deserves. 1st Clemson player in ANY sport to have his jersey retired. Do I really need to list his accomplishments or doesn't that sum it up?
If this is the best you have to offer then Clemson sucks...
Say what you will about Chapel Hill, their list is going to be a HOT HOT topic here.
Will,
Who are these people? Please turn in your Clemson fan card and leave the building. You are no longer welcome if you have to ask such a question.
We need to Add Steve Fuller, Perry Tuttle and Coach's Cr. I.M. Ibrahim
Coach Larry Pendley. All the above contribute to the great sucess in Clemson Athletics
I prefer the full title...
"The People's Republic of Chapel Hill."
Perhaps better titled "The overhpyed, under coached land of we-get-all-the-calls".
Mind you I am not a Duke fan posting this either.
You forgot the NCAA death penalty for football. If it wasn't for Clemson this rule would never exist. 92 major violations during the 1977-1982 seasons should qualify for "The O List". Thanks Danny Ford and staff. What a legacy!!!
Whoever you put on the Mount Rushmore for Clemson make sure to pain the neck area bright red.
overhyped??? compared to what, UNC or Duke football?? As a Clemson fan, i have no problem admitting that UNC basketball has been far superior to clemson. Yet you f*gs from the north want to call Clemson football overhyped?? Go put on your sweather vest, break out the wine coolers and go slurp Dean's ugly a$$ some more.
"F*gs from the north" and "go slurp Dean's ugly a$$ some more?"
...even more evidence that you're going to need a whole lot of red paint to cover the necks on that mountain.
I'm pretty sure the Gaffney Peach is the Clemson Mount Rushmore. I with the Observer had published a picture of the real Mt. Rushmore so Clemson fans would get to see what it really looks like since their tractors would break down long before they made it out West.
Horace Grant?
No way Coacj Frank Howard is left off this list.
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