Memorial Stadium (Clemson) aka Death Valley

Clemson Memorial Stadium was constructed from 1941 to 1942. The stadium was given the nickname “Death Valley” in 1948 after Presbyterian College coach Lonnie McMillian in reference to his teams being unable to win a single game at the stadium. The stadium is part of a storied tradition that includes Clemson players touching Howard’s Rock before running down the hill in the east end zone and into the stadium before kickoff. The tradition started when Frank Howard, head coach of the Tigers in the 50s and 60s, received the rock as a gift from a friend who had gone to Death Valley, California and found the rock. The rock originally served as a doorstop for the coach's office Howard decided to put the rock at the top of the hill on a pedestal and use it to motivate his players. Howard is famously remembered for telling his players, “If you ain’t gonna give me 110%, you better keep your filthy hands off my rock!”

On September 24th, 1966, Clemson rubbed Howard’s Rock before running down the hill for the first time. After this happened, the team went on to beat Virginia, 40-35. This tradition has been carried out every game since then, and in 1985 ESPN’s Brent Musburger called this entrance, “The most exciting 25 seconds in college football.” One of the most intriguing facts about this tradition is how it unfolds. Before the stadium included a locker room, the team would dress at Jervey Athletic center, get on school buses, and commute to the top of the hill. Now, the tradition is a public spectacle. The team warms up on the field, gets dressed in the locker room in the stadium, then the players exit the west end zone and board a caravan of buses, and travel around the stadium. When the players arrive at the top of the hill, they are met by fans as they walk to Howard’s Rock. The players, along with the coaches, then sit atop the hill, rubbing the rock and pumping themselves up while the fight song plays until a cannon fires and the players charge down the hill into the stadium.

“Death Valley.” Clemson Tigers Official Athletics Site, Https://Clemsontigers.com/, 28 Jan. 2020, clemsontigers.com/death-valley/.