The Clemson tradition, Part IV of V: The fall

By Marc Hudgens  |   Monday, August 13, 2007  |  Comments( 7 )

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The early 1990s were the exact opposite of the previous decade in many ways. Crockett and Tubbs turned in their Miami Dade badges as Greevey and Logan exacted justice in New York City, hair metal was killed by grunge, and the Soviet Union fell. But none of that compared to the firing of Danny Ford and immediate hiring of Ken Hatfield for Clemson fans. Immediately after said firing, students marched on the home of Max Lennon, Clemson's president, a player boycott was threatened, and fan rage was at an all-time high. All in protest of Ford's demise.

Looking back, however, Hatfield was a good hire going on the numbers alone. He was 55-17-1 at Arkansas between 1984-89, and it's hard to argue with a 75 percent win rate. But Arkansas was part of the old (and relatively weak) Southwestern Athletic Conference, which included a down Texas team and a fairly good Texas A&M squad at the time. Although the Razorbacks went to bowl games five out of Hatfield's six seasons, the Hogs only won one of them (a one-point victory over Arizona State in the 1985 Holiday Bowl).

In his first season as the head coach, Hatfield led the Tigers to a 10-2 record, which included an ACC title and a 30-0 route of Illinois in the 1990 Hall of Fame Bowl. His second year, 1991, the Tigers dipped a bit, going 9-2-1 and losing 37-13 loss to Cal in the Citrus Bowl.

In spite of the 19-4-1 record Hatfield accrued after two seasons, the Clemson fan base was still split into, as late Tigers announcer Jim Phillips put it, the Hatfields and the Fords. Two distinct, vocal and polarized factions with the Hatfield bunch justifiably using the records as their evidence. The Ford followers claimed Hatfield's records were only possible because of Ford's recruits, and there is justification in that, too.

Compounding Clemson's plight was the ACC debut of national powerhouse Florida State in '92. Living up to expectations, the Seminoles dominated the conference, winning the ACC title each year between their ACC debut through 2000, which included two co-championships (1995 and '98). Clemson's ACC title aspirations were all but destroyed.

The unpopular coach's third season, however, added fuel to the Ford fans' fire. Clemson ended 1992 with a losing record (5-6), the Tigers' first since 1976. Hatfield's seat was blazing hot and it was apparent his end was nearing. His last season was 1993, when the Tigers went 8-3 in the regular season.

With three full years of fan hatred and a drop in stadium attendance (under 40,000 in some games given a capacity over 80,000) and IPTAY memberships, Hatfield was let go from Clemson just before the '93 Peach Bowl. At the time of his departure, Hatfield claimed he wasn't fired. One way or another, though, Hatfield accepted a $600,000 buyout for the last three years of his contract. Finally, the fans got to cool down a bit.

Hatfield was hired by Clemson not only thanks to winning records, but also because he was the exact opposite of Ford in many fans' minds. Ford was a country type who cussed and chewed tobacco, and he sometimes used 'physical motivation' with players who screwed up, and so on. Hatfield, on the other hand, was clean-cut, highly moral and didn't cuss, and thereby perceived as weak. He was crucified by fans not so much because he was Hatfield, but rather because he wasn't Ford. Like Jim Phillips said once, Clemson could have raised Knute Rockne from the dead and fans would have called for his head. Hatfield simply wasn't a good fit at Clemson.

Prior to the '93 Peach Bowl, Clemson's reins were given to Tommy West, head coach of Division I-AA Tennessee-Chattanooga and former Tigers assistant. Given his tenure as linebackers coach under Ford between 1982-89, West was a big hit among fans because he was viewed not only as a Clemson man but also a Ford reincarnation. And he was much like Ford in character -- big, gruff, country. That said, his record with the Moccasins wasn't great, a 4-7 mark in his first-ever year as a head coach. But that quickly ceased to be an issue after West's first Clemson game, a 14-13 win over Kentucky in the aforementioned Peach Bowl. It seemed Clemson was back on track.

Within a year, West had issues. His first full season, 1994, ended with a 5-6 record. The next year saw much improvement, with Clemson going 8-4, but included a humiliating blowout in the Gator Bowl. In 1996, Clemson finished 7-5 and lost in the Peach Bowl. The Tigers kept it steady the following season, ending 7-5 and losing yet again in the Peach Bowl. As a result, Clemson got a reputation as being a reliable bowl flop, and fans weren't happy. They expected nothing less than a return to the hallowed 10-win seasons of the past, but it simply wasn't in the cards.

The final blow was the 1998 season. West led the Tigers to a horrible 3-8 mark and no bowl appearance, obviously. It was Clemson's worst record in 23 years. West was fired on Nov. 18, 1998, just three days prior to the rivalry game against South Carolina. West went into that contest as a dead man walking but left riding atop the shoulders of his players, who gave their beloved coach one last win, 28-19, in Death Valley.

Even with the loss of West, hot rumors ignited Clemson as to whom its next head coach would be. Some were convinced of Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer; others believed that Ford was going to stalk the sidelines once again.

But the job went to arguably the hottest coach in football at the time, Tommy Bowden.

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About Marc Hudgens

Marc Hudgens has been with RealFootball365 since 2007, covering college football, specifically Clemson and Oregon. He also writes for SouthernPigskin.com covering the ACC. He enjoys the acidic wit of Hunter S. Thompson, is a freelance graphic designer and has written several screenplays. He...
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CommentsComments: 7  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
Mike Vickers		05:29 PM
08/13/2007
As long as T Bowden is at Clemson, they will have a B level team for he is at best a B level coach. 8 years is too long to prove...
No.2
jerry a marullo		08:37 PM
08/13/2007
Amen Vickers!Can't really add much to that because you nailed it on the head.I will still holler my brains out at each game,but I...
No.3
Willy Mac		09:50 PM
08/13/2007
I gotta agree with Vickers and we can only HOPE that Bowden gets canned if he doesn't do better. Some people find it hard to FAR...
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