Thirty-Five Years

What … a … game.

It’s been 35 years since the Clemson Tigers were college football’s National Champions. The 1981 Tigers secured their final victory in the 1982 Orange Bowl, when I was a senior in high school and — if I recall — had yet to receive my acceptance to attend the school. (I’m certain I had applied, but things moved slower back then.) The 2016 Tigers secured their final victory last night, in a game that lived up to its billing and will likely go down as “one for the ages” … as some of us predicted it would.

(From the Clemson University Facebook page.)

I admit that, in the grand scheme of the universe, it’s a little silly for me to invest so much energy and attention in following the team and its exploits. It’s a little silly for me to wear so much orange and purple, to get so excited when the players execute flawlessly and so agitated when the opposition does so, to feel in the pit of my stomach the anticipation of each play as it develops. It’s a little silly for me, whose football career ended after a year playing on the “club” level — that’s one step above intramural and a really big step below junior varsity — to tense my muscles at every hit, to yell at the television as if the players can hear me, to vicariously picture myself in the midst of the action.

It’s a little silly, but a little silliness isn’t all bad.

And it’s still a great time to be a Clemson Tiger.

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P.S. Speaking of silliness, I write stories and songs and other things from time to time and you can subscribe to my newsletter to keep up with all those shenanigans.

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