And seeing the beautiful Clemson campus for the first time in 1958..59 years ago! I returned home that evening with Orange & Tiger Rag in my heart & mind..actually in my veins!
Since then I attended Clemson twice to finally get out with a one sheepskin (with some service & marriage mixed in), got to write sports articles as a staff member of The Tiger Student Newspaper and interview famous people like Coach Frank Howard, Coach Bob Jones & Bonnie Banks McFadden and 28 years later sending a Son to study Pre-Law at Tigertown.
Then there's been the many years of the Family using the four season tickets & seats in the same section, the drives together & great pre-game picnics, seeing friends, the games away & to many bowls together..
Later Acquiring campers & motor coaches so to stay near the practice fields over the weekend..
And then Waving the first 3' x 5' Orange Cotton PAW Flag to home & away games from 1977-1992 until SID Bob Bradley nicknamed me "The Flagman".
Still have that flag in my huge Clemson collection, with dirt, a hole & blood stains on it from trips like one in 1979 to Notre Dame with my then 9 year old Son..and a Domer Student tried to steal it from my hand during play while I was waving it on a 6' metal pole in the end zone and we had a scuffle and the pole was bent but I survived the fall we both had on the concrete steps and I jumped up, straightened out the bent pole and continued waving that flag to the cheers of many around me.
That PAW flag went to the Gator Bowl in 1977 for loss to Pitt..in 1978 to MD for ACC Championship win & then to win in Gator over OHst & Woody.. in 1979 to ND, to SC for loss in Cola & loss to Baylor in Peach Bowl..in 1981 to KY & then to UNC for the huge 10-8 win & then win in Cola over Coots & then the huge NC win over Huskers in Jan 1982..then in Fall 1982 the big Match-up with UGa in Athens of the last two NC Teams which we lost and I almost lost the flag when I dropped it from the bleachers onto the ground underneath.
Saying, it's been a long 59 but rewarding & satisfying years of being a fan of the best dang college football team in the Land..seeing two Natties in FB, two in Soccer and one in Golf.