Current Issues With Dr. Phillips

Sept. 5, 2005

What we started at the Texas A&M game with our post-game tradition — with our people being able to gather at the Paw with the team after the game — was asking people to help us. We need their help to significantly enhance our post-game traditions.

We welcome our people coming to the field after the game. However, we are asking them to congregate, on the field, in the East End zone, and honor the alma mater as the Tiger Band plays – by facing the band. After the playing of the alma mater, the fans can immediately gather at the Paw with the team.

We need the help of our people to allow our team to have a chance to shake hands and exhibit sportsmanship with the visiting team. Shortly afterwards, when the team gathers at the Paw, it will give them an opportunity to honor our traditions by honoring the alma mater.

This process will afford our players an opportunity to exhibit sportsmanship with our opponents. It allows our team to gather at the Paw to honor our traditions by honoring the alma mater. Hopefully, it also allows those in the East End zone the opportunity to honor our traditions by observing the alma mater.

When the team and families gather at the Paw after the alma mater, we strengthen the tradition of being with the team after the game. In order for this to work, we need to ask for help from our people who want to come on the field.

We will not strong-arm anyone about this request. We are asking our event staff to funnel people toward the East End zone. If someone breaks through our event-staff line, they break through. Again, there will be no strong-arming.

We understand this process likely will take some time to catch on. When you are trying to sell something by persuasion, it is a lot different from simply outlining designated parameters and enforcing those parameters.

We value and want to strengthen our tradition of having families on the field. Of the universities that I know of in the BCS conferences, Clemson University is a school with a tradition of allowing supporters access to the field. We know that is very important to this history of our university.

For example, a student who is coming to Clemson said recently that he developed a love and affinity for Clemson through the post-game tradition of being with the team on the field.

In addition to this tradition, we like to be able to accomplish two other important goals. Our team needs to exhibit sportsmanship. We want our team to learn to honor our traditions by the playing of the alma mater. We want to honor that tradition of families gathering at the Paw with the team.

We can improve our practices/traditions if we do so in an orderly fashion. If we are going to promote sportsmanship and tradition with our team, they need to have some breathing space before they have family time.

In conclusion, we want to ask our people — who are always so supportive — for their help in accomplishing these important goals.

In Solid Orange,

Terry Don Phillips Clemson Athletics Director

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