The
Clemson Tigers are any team that represents Clemson University as a member of the NCAA's Division I or in the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
In 1896, football coach Walter Riggs came to Clemson, then Clemson Agricultural College of South Carolina, from Auburn University . He had always admired the Princeton Tigers, and hence gave Clemson the Tiger mascot. The Clemson Tigers field nineteen athletic teams. In men's sports there are: football, basketball, baseball, soccer, tennis, golf, track and field (indoor and outdoor), cross-country, and swimming and diving. For women's sports, there are: basketball, soccer, tennis, volleyball, track and field (indoor and outdoor), cross-country, swimming and diving, and rowing. The South Carolina Gamecocks are Clemson's in-state athletic rival. The two institutions compete against each other in many sports, but the annual football game receives the most attention.
The Tiger Paw logo was introduced at a press conference on July 21, 1970, and was developed by Helen Weaver of Henderson Advertising in Greenville, South Carolina, from a mold of a Bengal Tiger in the St. Louis Zoo. The tell-tale hook at the bottom of the paw is a sign that this is the official licensed trademark for the university. The SC Beta Chapter of the Sigma Phi Epsilon fraternity also has retained the exclusive rights to paint the logo on many of the highways that lead into Clemson.
The Clemson Men's Basketball team is currently coached by head coach Oliver Purnell. Purnell has guided the Tigers to higher win totals each season that he has been the Tigers head coach. The Tigers were defeated 86–81 by the University of North Carolina in the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship game on March 16, 2008.
Clemson's fight song is the Tiger Rag, the "Song that Shakes the Southland", a variation of the song originally performed by the Original Dixieland Jazz Band. The song is played at all Clemson sporting events, particularly following scores or big plays, and during the "Most Exciting 25 Seconds in College Football". The song has no lyrics save for the spell-out of "Clemson" at the end.
Team Website: http://clemsontigers.cstv.com
School Website: www.clemson.edu
