Introducing the ACC: Clemson Tigers

Clemson has played in the national championship game in football four times in the past nine years, winning twice

Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney points up while rubbing Howard's Rock / Ken Ruinard / USA TODAY NETWORK

After more than a century as a member of the Pac-12 Conference, Cal has moved into the Atlantic Coast Conference. To introduce Cal fans to the Bears’ new conference rivals, we will profile each of the other ACC schools.  Today we introduce you to Clemson:

CLEMSON

NICKNAME: Tigers

MASCOT: The Tiger

LOCATION: Clemson, South Carolina (pop. 17,843)

MILES FROM BERKELEY: 2,197 miles

MAJOR AIRPORT: Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport, near Greer, South Carolina

YEAR FOUNDED: 1889

ENROLLMENT 22,875 undergraduates

TUITION: $15,558 (in-state), $39,502 (out-of-state)

CAMPUS LANDMARK: Fort Hill, an antebellum plantation of 19th-century South Carolina statesman John C. Calhoun built in 1803, is in the middle of campus

MOST POPULAR SPORTS BARS/RESTAURANTS: Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux – Clemson Restaurant; Loose Change Bar & Grill; Charleston Sports Pub; Esso Club; Backstreets Pub & Grill.

FAMOUS NON-ATHLETE ALUMNI: Former South Carolina governor and presidential candidate Nikki Haley ’94; former U.S. Senator and former South Carolina governor Strom Thurmond ’23; former Miss Universe and actress Shawn Weatherly ‘82; Houston Texans president James Rootes ‘88; former Supreme Court justice, South Carolina governor, U.S. Senator James F. Byrnes circa ’00)

ATHLETIC WEBSITE: clemsontigers.com

Philadelphia Eagles retired defender Brian Dawkins is introduced prior to playing the New York Giants at Lincoln Financial Field. / Howard Smith-USA TODAY Sports

FOOTBALL  

COACH: Dabo Swinney (170-43, 16th full year, head coach for seven games in 2008 when he replaced Tommy Bowden)

STADIUM: Memorial Stadium, also known as Death Valley (81,500 capacity)

CAL ON THE SCHEDULE: 2026 in Berkeley, date to be announced

2023 RECORD: 9-4, 4-4/tied 6th in ACC

BEST PLAYER ON 2024 TEAM: Senior linebacker Barrett Carter (ranked the 15th-best player in the country by ESPN, second-team all-ACC in 2023)

MOST RECENT BOWL APPEARANCE: 2023 (Beat Kentucky 38-35 in Gator Bowl)

BOWL HISTORY: 50 appearances (27-23), including four appearances in CFP national championship game (2-2)

MOST RECENT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP: 2022

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS: 3 (1981, 2016, 2018)

BEST ALL-TIME NFL PLAYER: Hall of Fame safety Brian Dawkins (only Clemson player in Pro Football Hall of Fame; played at Clemson from 1993-1995)

BEST ALL-TIME COACH: Dabo Swinney (170-43 in 16 seasons, 20 bowl games, two national championships)

ALL-TIME RECORD VS. CAL (most recent meeting): 0-1 (1991 season: Cal won 37-13 in January 1, 1992, Citrus Bowl)

Larry Nance in action during the 1982 season. / Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

MEN’S  BASKETBALL

COACH: Brad Brownell (265-189 in 14 seasons)

ARENA: Littlejohn Coliseum (capacity 9,000)

2023-24 RECORD: 24-12, 11-9 in ACC/tied for 5th

BEST PLAYER NEXT SEASON: Chase Hunter (withdrew from NBA draft to play another year at Clemson; averaged 12.9 points for the season; averaged 17.8 points, 5.8 during Clemson’s four NCAA tournament games)

MOST RECENT NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: 2024 (lost to Alabama in Elite Eight 89-82)

MOST RECENT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP: 1990 ACC champion

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: 14 NCAA tournament appearances, reached the NCAA tournament Sweet 16 five times, and got to the Elite Eight twice (1990, 2024)

BEST ALL-TIME PLAYER: Larry Nance was the best pro from Clemson (3-time NBA All-Star, averaged better than 20 points in 3 of his 13 NBA seasons). Horace Grant was the best college player from Clemson (1987 ACC Player of the Year)

BEST ALL-TIME COACH: Brad Brownell (slim pickings for this spot, but Brownell has 4 NCAA tournament appearances, a Sweet 16 and an Elite Eight)

ALL-TIME RECORD VS. CAL (most recent meeting): 1-1 (Clemson won 67-59 on Nov. 26, 2022)

Clemson guard Mackenzie Kramer / Ken Ruinard-USA TODAY Sports

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL 

COACH: Shawn Poppie (enters 1st season at Clemson, was University of Tennessee at Chattanooga head coach for two years, where he compiled a 48-18 record)

ARENA: Littlejohn Coliseum (capacity 9,000)

2023-24 RECORD: 12-19, 5-13 in ACC/tied for 12th

BEST PLAYER IN 2024-25 SEASON: Graduate guard Mackenzie Kramer (averaged 8.3 points in 2023-24, top returning scorer on a team full of transfers)

MOST RECENT NCAA TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: 2019 (lost to Mississippi State in second round)

MOST RECENT CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIP: None

NCAA TOURNAMENT HISTORY: 1991 Elite Eight; 16 NCAA tournament appearances

BEST ALL-TIME PLAYER: Barbara Kennedy (led nation in scoring in 1982, two-time first-team All-American 1981, 1982, only Clemson female to have her jersey retired)

BEST ALL-TIME COACH: Jim Davis (14 NCAA tournament appearances in 18 seasons as Clemson head coach from 1987 to 2005)

ALL-TIME RECORD VS. CAL (most recent meeting): 0-2 (Cal won 90-86 in overtime on December 20, 1990)

MISCELLANEOUS

VARSITY SPORTS (21):  Football, baseball, softball, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's cross country, men’s and women’s soccer, men’s and women’s outdoor track and field, men’s and women’s indoor track and field, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s and women’s golf, women’s volleyball, women’s gymnastics, women’s lacrosse, women’s rowing.

NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS (8): Football (1981, 2016, 2018), men’s soccer (1984, 1987, 2021, 2023), golf (2003).

BEST ALL-TIME NON-FOOTBALL/BASKETBALL ATHLETES: Pro golfer Lucas Glover (2009 U.S. Open champion, 6 PGA Tour titles)

MOST FAMOUS OLYMPIAN: Sprinter Shawn Crawford (200-meter gold medal in 2004 Olympics; 200-meter silver medal in 2008 Olympics, silver medal in 4x100 relay in 2004 Olympics)

 Previous ACC school profiles:

North Carolina

Duke

Notre Dame

Florida State

Virginia

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