Thursday 07/26/2012
All-Americans
O.K. PRESSLEYCenter • 1928Third-team All-American by Newspaper Enterprise of America, John Heisman and Walter Trumbull … first Tiger named to any All-America team … starting center from 1926-28 … team captain as a senior in 1928 … started 25 games at center in his three years out of a possible 29 games … Clemson had a then-school-record eight wins his senior year … All-Southern in 1928.BANKS McFADDENBack • 1939All-American in both football and basketball in the same calendar year (1939), the only Clemson athlete to do that … named the nation’s most versatile athlete for 1939-40 … Clemson’s first wire-service AP All-American … record-setter on the field as a runner, passer and punter … led the Tigers to the state championship in track twice in his three years … elected to National Football Hall of Fame in 1959 … received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Clemson in 1966 … charter member of the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame and state of South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame … only Tiger to have his jersey retired in two sports … No. 4 pick of the Brooklyn Dodgers (football) after the 1939 season, that is tied for the highest draft pick ever by a Tiger … played one year in the NFL and led the league in yards per carry … coached defensive backs at Clemson for 26 years; he was also the head basketball coach from 1947-56 … Clemson’s McFadden Building, dedicated in 1995, is in his honor … named to Clemson’s Centennial team in April, 1996 … Clemson’s No. 1 football player of all-time by a panel of Clemson historians in 1999.JOE BLALOCKEnd • 1940,41Clemson’s first two-time All-American … sophomore starter on the 1940 Cotton Bowl team … leading Tiger receiver for three straight years … tied for seventh in Tiger history in career touchdown catches (11) … averaged 20.3 yards per catch in his career, still the school record on a yards-per-catch basis … fifth-round draft pick of the Lions after the 1941 season … played basketball in 1940-41 … charter member of the Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame in 1973 … inducted into the state of South Carolina Hall of Fame … named to Clemson’s Centennial team in 1996 … died Aug. 21, 1974 … Clemson’s No. 16 gridder of all-time by a panel of historians in 1999.RALPH JENKINSCenter • 1945Second-team All-American in 1945 … played in the 1946 Blue-Gray Classic; he was one of the first Tigers chosen to an All-Star game … All-American as a junior; he started only four games as a senior due to injury … three-time captain, the first three-time captain in school history … one of the top centers in Tiger history; he was a starter from 1943-45 … started all 27 games at center his freshman, sophomore and junior seasons … second Clemson offensive lineman to earn All-America honors … 14th-round draft pick of the Steelers after the 1946 season … played one year of professional football (1947) … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1995.BOBBY GAGETailback • 1948Senior-year All-America selection after leading Clemson to an 11-0 season and a 24-23 Gator Bowl win over Missouri … unanimous choice as MVP in the 1949 Gator Bowl … in the top 10 in career total offense at Clemson with 3,757 yards … tied for seventh in Tiger history in career interceptions (10) … had perhaps the best all-around passing game in Tiger history when he completed 9-11 for 245 yards and two touchdowns versus Furman in 1947 … had four touchdown passes against Auburn in 1947, the first Tiger to do that … first-round draft pick (No. 6 overall selection) of the Steelers, where he played two years … Clemson Hall of Fame inductee in 1976 … inducted into the state of South Carolina Hall of Fame in 1978 … named to the Gator Bowl Hall of Fame in 1990 … worked in textiles at Chemurgy Products, Inc. …Clemson’s No. 5 gridder of all-time by a panel of historians in 1999.JACKIE CALVERTSafety • 1950NEA First-Team All-America safety … still holds the career record for rushing yards per attempt (5.92) … team co-captain for the 1951 Orange Bowl team … top all-purpose yardage gainer that season with 1,220 yards; he was a fine all-around back … second in Tiger history in career yards per passing attempt (8.76) … seventh in career passing efficiency … 25th-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Rams after the 1950 season … one of the stalwarts on two undefeated Clemson teams … nicknamed “The Kid”.TOM BARTONGuard • 1952Spent two years in the Navy prior to attending Clemson … named to all-state, All-South and All-America teams during his senior year … nicknamed “Black Cat” … received Blue Key Award as the Outstanding Athlete-of-the-Year in 1952 … played in the 1953 All-Star College-Pro Game in Chicago, Ill. … sixth-round draft pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers after the 1952 season … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1987 and the state of South Carolina Hall of Fame in 1987 … after graduating from Clemson, he went on to earn a master’s degree and doctoral degree in education.JOEL WELLSBack • 1955Third-team All-American in 1955 … broke the ACC rushing record as a junior … second-round draft pick (No. 18 overall pick) of the Packers after the 1956 season … played four years with the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL, then one year (1961) with the Giants … first Tiger running back to finish in the top 20 in the nation in rushing in consecutive years … seventh in rushing in 1955 and 18th in 1956 … two-time First-Team All-ACC selection … led Clemson in rushing three straight seasons (1954-56); he was the first Tiger to do that … played in the 1957 Senior Bowl … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame (1974) and the state of South Carolina Hall of Fame (1974) … Clemson’s No. 25 gridder of all-time by a panel of historians in 1999.LOU CORDILEONETackle • 1959First-team All-American, Academic All-American and Academic All-ACC in 1959 … started on two ACC Championship teams that were ranked No. 12 and No. 11 in 1958 and 1959, respectively … played in two 1959 bowl games (Sugar Bowl, Bluebonnet Bowl) … right-fielder in the College World Series for the Tigers in 1959 … first-round draft pick in both the NFL and AFL; he was chosen by the Giants in the NFL and Bills in the AFL … No. 12 overall pick of the 1960 draft by the New York Giants … first Tiger to play in the Hula Bowl; he also played in the 1960 College All-Star Game in Chicago, Ill. … named to Clemson’s Centennial team in 1996.WAYNE MASSOffensive Tackle • 1966First-team All-American as a junior … recipient of the Jacobs Blocking Trophy for the ACC and South Carolina in 1966 … fourth-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears in the 1968 draft; he was the No. 99 overall selection … First-Team All-ACC in 1966 and 1967 … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1993 … played in the 1968 Hula Bowl and 1967 East-West game … named to Clemson’s Centennial team in 1996.HARRY OLSZEWSKIOffensive Guard • 1967First-team consensus All-American … only unanimous choice to the 1967 All-ACC team; it was his second straight year on the team … named to the Silver Anniversary All-ACC team in 1977 … played in the East-West Shrine Bowl and the Senior Bowl … scored a 12-yard touchdown against South Carolina his junior year playing offensive guard; no Clemson offensive lineman has scored since … won the ACC and state of South Carolina Jacobs Blocking Trophy in 1967 … started 30-straight games … drafted in the third round by the Cleveland Browns … played for Montreal Alouettes in 1969,70 … Clemson Hall of Fame inductee in 1980; he made it into the South Carolina Hall of Fame in 1990 … named to Clemson’s Centennial team in 1996 … passed away in the spring of 1998 … Clemson’s No. 17 gridder of all-time by a panel of historians in 1999.DAVE THOMPSONOffensive Guard • 1970First-team All-America guard … played center his senior year … recipient of the state of South Carolina Jacobs Blocking Trophy in 1970 … First-Team All-ACC in 1970 … second-round draft pick of the Lions in 1971; he was the No. 30 overall selection … played three years with the Detroit Lions and two years with the New Orleans Saints.BENNIE CUNNINGHAMTight End • 1974,75Consensus first-team All-American as a junior; he was also chosen to some first teams as a senior … two-time First-Team All-ACC pick … selected to play in the Hula Bowl, Japan Bowl and East-West Shrine Game … played for the Steelers and won two Super Bowl rings (1978,79) … first-round draft pick (No. 28 overall selection) by Pittsburgh in 1976 … tight end with the Steelers from 1976-85 … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1984 … inducted into the state of South Carolina Hall of Fame in 1993 … Clemson’s No. 15 gridder of all-time by a panel of historians in 1999 … named to the ACC 50-Year Anniversary team in 2002; he was the only tight end chosen.JOE BOSTICOffensive Guard • 1977,78Two-time first-team All-American … four-year starter on the Tiger offensive line (1975-78) … named the top blocker in the ACC in 1977 and the Jacobs Blocking Trophy winner for the state of South Carolina in 1977,78 … starter in the 1979 Hula Bowl … played in the East-West Shrine Bowl … third-round draft pick of the Cardinals (1979); he played 10 years (1979-88) … 1979 NFL All-Rookie team pick … named to Clemson’s Centennial team in 1996 … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1996 … Clemson’s No. 11 gridder of all-time by a panel of historians in 1999 … named to the ACC 50-Year Anniversary team in 2002.JERRY BUTLERWide Receiver • 1978AP First-Team All-American … had 2,223 receiving yards and at least one catch in 35 straight games … Senior Bowl participant … co-winner of the Frank Howard Award with Steve Fuller for the 1978-79 academic year … will always be remembered for his game-winning catch at South Carolina in 1977 in a 31-27 Tiger win … 10th in the nation in catches per game (4.9) in 1978 … first-round draft pick of the Bills; he was the No. 5 overall pick of the draft … AFC Rookie-of-the-Year in 1979 by UPI and Sporting News … played in the 1980 Pro Bowl … played with the Bills for nine years (1979-87) … named to the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1986 … named to Clemson’s Centennial team in 1996 … inducted into the state of South Carolina Hall of Fame in 1997 … Clemson’s No. 4 gridder of all-time by a panel of historians in 1999 … inducted into the Clemson Ring of Honor in 1999 … named to the ACC 50-Year Anniversary team in 2002.STEVE FULLERQuarterback • 1978Third-team All-American in 1978 coupled with being on the Academic All-American team two years … ACC Player-of-the-Year in 1977,78 … led Clemson to the 1978 ACC title and Gator Bowl win; Clemson was 11-1 and ranked No. 6 in the final poll … had 4,359 passing yards and 6,096 total offense yards in his career … had the second-best pass interception avoidance percentage (3.33) in NCAA history at the time of his graduation … shared the Frank Howard Award with Jerry Butler for the 1978-79 academic year; he won it outright in 1977-78; he was the only two-time recipient of that award … first-round draft pick (No. 23 overall) of the Chiefs in 1979 … played for the Super Bowl Champion Bears in 1985 … named to the state of South Carolina Hall of Fame (1991) … Clemson Athletic Hall of Fame inductee (1985) and one of three original inductees to the Clemson Ring of Honor (1994) … quarterback on Clemson’s Centennial Team (1996) … Clemson’s No. 5 gridder of all-time by a panel of historians (1999) … ACC 50-Year Anniversary player (2002).JIM STUCKEYDefensive Tackle • 1979Held the Clemson quarterback sack career record with 18 until William Perry broke it in 1984 … Clemson’s career leader in tackles by a defensive lineman (314) … first-round draft pick of the 49ers in 1980; he was the No. 20 overall selection … played with the 49ers from 1980-86; he won Super Bowl Championship rings in 1981 and 1984 … also played with the San Diego Chargers and New York Jets … inducted into the state of South Carolina Hall of Fame in 1995 … named to the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1995 … named to Clemson’s Centennial team in 1996.OBED ARIRIPlacekicker • 1980Set or tied nine NCAA records for field-goal kicking and scoring … NCAA all-time leader in career field goals with 63 at the time of his graduation and led the country with 23 as a senior … tied the national record with the most consecutive games with at least one field goal (14) … had seven in a season and 17 career multiple field-goal games to tie NCAA records … set seven other ACC and eight Clemson records … all-time leader in kick-scoring points (288) for both Clemson and the ACC until 1994 … played three seasons of soccer … once kicked three field goals to beat Notre Dame 16-10 in football and scored the only goal in an NCAA soccer win over South Carolina in an eight-day span … seventh-round draft pick of the Baltimore Colts in 1981 … played for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1984 … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1998.JEFF DAVISLinebacker • 1981First-team All-America linebacker … nicknamed “The Judge” … had 24 tackles versus North Carolina in 1980 … had 469 career tackles … had 10 caused fumbles and eight recovered fumbles in his career … defensive MVP of the 1982 Orange Bowl when Clemson downed Nebraska to win the national title … captain of Clemson’s 1981 National Championship team … fifth-round draft pick of the Buccaneers … played for the Buccaneers from 1982-87 and was the team’s leading tackler for four seasons … captain of the Tampa Bay team four of his six seasons … National Lineman-of-the-Year by the Atlanta Touchdown Club as a senior … Clemson Hall of Fame inductee in 1989 and inducted into the Clemson Ring of Honor in 1995 … named to Clemson’s Centennial team in 1996 … named to the state of South Carolina Hall of Fame in 2001 … Clemson’s No. 2 gridder of all-time by a panel of historians in 1999 … received the “Use Your Life” Award from Oprah Winfrey’s Angel Network in 2001 … named to the ACC 50-Year Anniversary team in 2002 … inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2007.TERRY KINARDFree Safety • 1981,82First Clemson player to be unanimous All-America pick … first two-time Clemson All-America defensive back … a first-team AP All-American two years in a row, the only Clemson player to do that … CBS National Defensive Player-of-the-Year in 1982 … chosen to the USA Today All-College Football Team in the 1980’s … two-year member of the All-ACC team … all-time Clemson leader in interceptions with 17, a mark that tied the 20-year-old ACC record … holds Clemson record for tackles by a defensive back with 294 in his career … first-round pick of the New York Giants in 1983, he was the 10th pick of the entire draft … named to College Football’s Centennial Team by Sports Illustrated in 1999 … played with Super Bowl Champion Giants in 1986 and was with the club 1983-89 … played in the 1988 Pro Bowl Game … played with Houston Oilers in 1990 … named to Clemson’s Centennial team in 1996 … Clemson’s No. 3 gridder of all-time by a panel of historians in 1999 … inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 2001 … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1992 and Ring of Honor in 2001 … inducted into the state of South Carolina Hall of Fame in 2002 … named to the ACC 50-Year Anniversary team in 2002 … named one of the 50 greatest male athletes in ACC history in 2003.PERRY TUTTLEWide Receiver • 1981First-team All American … among the all-time Clemson leaders in career receptions, receiving yards, single-season yardage and most yards receiving by a junior … career all-time Clemson leader in career receptions at the end of his career … had five receptions for 56 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown in Clemson’s Orange Bowl win over Nebraska; that was the final catch of his Tiger career; he made the Sports Illustrated cover with a touchdown celebration in that game, the only Tiger athlete on its cover while still a Clemson athlete … caught at least one pass in each of his last 32 games … nicknamed “P.T.” … first-round draft pick (No. 19 overall) of the Bills … played for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers; he helped that team to the Grey Cup Championship in 1990 … inducted into the Winnipeg Hall of Fame in 1997 … named to Clemson’s Centennial team in 1996 … Clemson’s No. 14 gridder of all-time by a panel of historians in 1999 … inducted into the state of South Carolina Hall of Fame in 2003.JEFF BRYANTDefensive Tackle • 1981Second-team All-American on the 1981 National Championship team … had 19 tackles for loss in 1981 … led the National Championship team in sacks and tackles for loss … First-Team All-ACC in 1981 … among the all-time leaders in Clemson history in career sacks and tackles for loss … will always be remembered for his recovered fumble at North Carolina in 1981 late in the game of the 10-8 win that kept the national title hopes alive … first-round draft pick (No. 6 overall) of the Seahawks in 1982 … played with the Seahawks from 1982-93 and is second in Seahawk history in career sacks … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame (1996) … named to Clemson’s Centennial team (1996) … inducted into the state of South Carolina Hall of Fame (2004).LEE NANNEYOffensive Tackle • 1981UPI Second-Team All-American in 1981 … co-captain of the 1980 and 1981 teams … native of Spartanburg, S.C. who was a three-year starter … started 35 straight games between 1979-81 … honorable mention All-American by AP in 1981 and four-time state offensive lineman-of-the-week … winner of the ACC and State Jacobs Blocking Trophy in 1980 … named the team’s most improved player in 1980.WILLIAM PERRYMiddle Guard • 1982-84First Tiger three-time All-American … 13th ACC player named a two-time consensus All-American … first among Division I players in tackles for loss as a senior with 2.45 per game … only fourth defensive player to be named All-ACC three years … first Tiger to be a three-time selection to the All-ACC team … Clemson’s all-time leader in sacks (25) until his brother (Michael Dean) broke the record three years later … all-time ACC leader in tackles for loss (60) in his career until Michael Dean broke it by one in 1987 … first Clemson down-lineman to lead the team in tackles … Lombardi Award finalist in 1984 … nicknamed “Refrigerator” … first-round draft pick of the Bears … won the National Championship as rookie with Clemson in 1981 and the Super Bowl Championship as a rookie with the Bears (1985) … named to Clemson’s Centennial team in 1996 … Clemson’s No. 7 gridder of all-time by a panel of historians in 1999 … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 2002 … named to the ACC 50-Year Anniversary team in 2002 … named one of the 50 greatest male athletes in ACC history in 2003.JOHNNY REMBERTLinebacker • 1982AP Third-Team All-American … finished his senior season as the second leading tackler behind Terry Kinard … named to the 1982 All-ACC team … had eight career interceptions, the highest total ever by a Tiger linebacker, and he only played two years at Clemson … eighth in the nation in interceptions with 0.6 per game in 1982; that was highest-ever finish by a Clemson linebacker … selected to the Blue-Gray game and Senior Bowl, but he withdrew due to injury … Junior College All-American from Cowley College … played with the New England Patriots for a decade … fourth-round draft pick of the Patriots in 1983 … played in the 1988 and 1989 Pro Bowls … All-Pro selection by Sports Illustrated in 1988.JAMES ROBINSONDefensive Tackle • 1983Second-team All-American by Sporting News in 1983 … has one of the top tackles-for-loss marks (25) in Clemson history … All-ACC as a senior; he had 83 tackles … major reason Clemson finished 9-1-1 in both 1982 and 1983 … played in the 1983 Blue-Gray Game … signed with Los Angeles of the USFL in 1984 … played with the Express in 1984 and 1985, but he suffered a career-ending knee injury.JAMES FARROffensive Guard • 1983AP Third-Team All-American in 1983 … First-Team All-ACC selection … started 34 consecutive games, including every game in 1983 and 35 total in his career … major reason Clemson was 12th in the nation in rushing and 10th in scoring in 1983 … twice named ACC Offensive Lineman-of-the-Week … selected to play in the Blue-Gray Game and East-West Shrine Game … 1983 recipient of the ACC Jacobs Blocking Trophy … played with the Washington Federals of the USFL in 1984 and Orlando Renegades in 1985.DALE HATCHERPunter • 1984Second-team All-American as a senior and honorable mention his junior year … only player in Clemson history to average over 40 yards per punt in four seasons … only player to lead Clemson in punting four straight years … averaged 42.9 yards per punt with a 40.7-yard net in his career … 20th in the nation in punting as a senior … holds the school record for punts over 50 yards (44) and punts inside the 20-yard line (69) … 19th in the nation in punting as a freshman, seventh as a junior and 20th as a senior … third-round pick (No. 77 overall) of the Rams in 1985 … led the NFL in net punting as a rookie … played in the Pro Bowl as a rookie and was an All-Pro selection … played six years with the Rams and one with Miami … named to Clemson’s Centennial team in 1996.DONALD IGWEBUIKEPlacekicker • 1984AP Third-Team All-American who booted the longest field goal in the ACC each of his last three seasons … led the nation and ACC in field-goal percentage with a 94.1 mark as a senior … came to Clemson to play soccer and played in two NCAA tournaments (1980,81) … tied for 13th in the nation as a senior in kick-scoring (8.1) … 43-43 on PATs in his career and made 32-43 field goals … only Tiger to boot at least one 50-yard field goal in four straight seasons … had five career field goals of 50 or more yards to set a Clemson record … 10th-round draft pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers after the 1984 season.STEVE REESEOffensive Guard • 1985Second-team All-American by Football News who was an honorable mention choice as a junior … First-Team All-ACC selection … played 776 snaps (70 per game, the most by a Tiger at that time) … came on strong at the end of his senior season with 54 knockdown blocks in the last five games … major reason Clemson was in the top 10 in the nation in rushing in 1985.TERRENCE FLAGLERTailback • 1986First-team All-American by the Football Writers Association and runner-up in ACC Player-of-the-Year voting in 1986 … 13th in the nation in rushing, but third in yards-per-carry among players with at least 800 yards … third Tiger to score four touchdowns in a game … had 274 all-purpose yards at Wake Forest in 1986 … set the regular-season record for yards per game (106.9) in 1986 … drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the first round (No. 25 overall) in 1987 … earned two Super Bowl Championship rings with the 49ers … played for Jacksonville of the Arena Football League in 2000 … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 2012.JOHN PHILLIPSOffensive Guard • 1986,87First-team All-American as a junior and second-team All-American as a senior … All-ACC selection for two consecutive years … captured the Jacobs Blocking Trophy for South Carolina two years in a row … set the single-season Tiger record of 103 knockdown blocks as a junior and concluded his career with 245 knockdown blocks … had a pair of 100-knockdown block seasons; he had 100 in 1986 and 103 in 1987 … started 32 games and played 47 in his career … co-captain of Clemson’s 1987 team with Michael Dean Perry … graduate assistant coach at Clemson in 1990,91 … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1999. MICHAEL DEAN PERRYDefensive Tackle • 1987First-team All-American … ACC Player-of-the-Year as a senior … set the ACC record for career tackles for loss (61) and career sacks (28); both were previously held by his brother William … tied the Clemson single game tackle-for-loss mark against NC State in 1987 with five … finalist (one of three) for the 1987 Outland Trophy … played in both the Hula and Japan Bowls … All-ACC selection in 1986 and 1987 … second-round draft pick of the Browns in 1988; he was All-Pro four times and played in six Pro Bowls … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 2000 … named to Clemson’s Centennial team in 1996 … Clemson’s No. 10 gridder of all-time by a panel of historians in 1999 … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 2000 … named to the ACC 50-Year Anniversary team in 2002.DAVID TREADWELLPlacekicker • 1987Consensus first-team All-American … walked on to team and redshirted, then he was a reserve behind Donald Igwebuike in 1984 … leading vote-getter on the All-ACC Sportswriters’ first team, receiving all but one of the votes in 1987 … fifth in the nation with 1.8 field goals per game … will always be remembered for beating Georgia with field goals inside the last 10 seconds in 1986 and 1987 … six times in his career he won or tied games with field goals inside the last three minutes of the fourth quarter … participated in the Hula Bowl, kicking three field goals and an extra point … with the Denver Broncos, he played in the Pro Bowl after the 1989 season as a rookie … All-Rookie team selection in 1989 … played with New York Giants in 1993 and 1994 … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 1997.DONNELL WOOLFORDCornerback • 1987,88Consensus first-team All-America cornerback … along with Terry Kinard as the only Clemson defensive backs to make All-American two seasons … first Tiger in history to record double-figures in pass breakups in three different seasons … Clemson’s career leader in pass breakups (44) … finalist for the Thorpe Award in 1988 … First-Team All-ACC for two years, including the top vote-getter on defense in 1988 … selected for both the East-West Shrine Bowl and Hula Bowl as a senior … first-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears; he was the No. 11 overall pick … played in the 1994 Pro Bowl … had 33 interceptions in the decade of the 1990s, ninth-best in the NFL … named to Clemson’s Centennial team in 1996 … Clemson’s No. 12 gridder of all-time by a panel of historians in 1999.STACY LONGOffensive Tackle • 1989,90Consensus first-team All-American as a senior and Sporting News First-Team All-American as a junior … Outland Trophy finalist in 1990 … First-Team All-ACC selection twice … had 141 career knockdown blocks … two-time ACC Player-of-the-Week in 1990 and a Tiger-record six-time pick in his career … Clemson won 40 games from 1987-90, fourth-most in the nation … 11th-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears … named to Clemson’s Centennial team (1996) … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 2004.CHRIS GARDOCKIPlacekicker • 1989,90Second-team All-American as a junior and third-team All-American as a sophomore placekicker … honorable mention All-America punter by UPI as a freshman, sophomore and junior … fourth in punting and tied for fourth in placekicking in the nation as a junior; he was the second player in NCAA history to finish in the top 10 in both categories in the same season and the first to do it twice … tied the ACC record for the longest field goal with a 57-yarder against Appalachian State in 1990 … had a pair of four-field-goal games in 1990 … made 72 consecutive PATs to set Tiger record; he never missed one in his career … had 20 multiple field-goal games in his career … tied Obed Ariri’s career record for field goals (63) … third-round draft pick of the Chicago Bears in 1991; he left Clemson after his junior year … All-Pro selection with the Colts in 1996 … named to Clemson’s Centennial team in 1996 … Clemson’s No. 19 gridder of all-time by a panel of historians in 1999 … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 2001 … played 16 seasons in the NFL, more than any other former Tiger.LEVON KIRKLANDLinebacker • 1990,91Semifinalist for the 1991 Lombardi Award … first-team All-American by Kodak/AFCA, Sporting News, Scripps Howard and Walter Camp, and he was a second-team All-American by UPI and Football News … AP and UPI Second-Team All-American as a junior … only underclassman to be a finalist for the 1990 Butkus Award … had 19 sacks, 40 tackles for loss and seven recovered fumbles in his career … third on Clemson’s No. 1 rushing defense in tackles (67) in 1991 … standout on Clemson’s No. 1 total defense in 1990 … earned MVP honors in the 1989 Gator Bowl with nine tackles, one sack and three quarterback pressures … second-round draft pick of the Steelers in 1992 … All-Pro selection in 1996,97 … highest paid linebacker in the NFL in 1999 … played with the Eagles in 2002 … named to Clemson’s Centennial team in 1996 … Clemson’s No. 8 gridder of all-time by a panel of historians in 1999 … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 2001.ROB BODINEMiddle Guard • 1991First-team All-American in 1991 by the Football Writers and second-team by AP, Sporting News and College & Pro Football Weekly … honorable mention All-American by UPI and Football News … First-Team All-ACC in 1991 for the second straight year … led the nation in tackles for loss (27) as a senior, tying the school record … had 48 tackles for loss in his career … anchored the defensive line on the unit that led the nation in rushing defense in 1991 … accomplished all of this in three years; he played at North Dakota as a freshman … only walk-on non-kicker in Tiger history to be a first-team All-American … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 2009.JEB FLESCHOffensive Guard • 1991First-team All-American by AP, UPI, Football News and Walter Camp … First-Team All-ACC pick … leader of an offensive line that led the Tigers to the 1991 ACC title … team leader in knockdown blocks (72) in the 1991 regular season; he led the team in that category in six different games … had 262 career knockdown blocks … played 2,630 career snaps … started 45 straight games; he ended his career second in Clemson history in career starts by an offensive lineman and second in starts by any player … signed a free-agent contract with the Seahawks in 1992.ED McDANIELLinebacker • 1991First-team All-American by College & Pro Football Weekly and an honorable mention choice by Football News … AP Third-Team All-American and First-Team All-ACC pick … No. 1 tackler (114) on the 1991 defense that led the nation in rushing defense … led the Tigers in tackles three of his four years, including 1990 when Clemson led the nation in total defense, 1991 when Clemson led the nation in rushing defense, and 1988 when the Tigers were in the top-five in total defense … had 389 career tackles … went over the century mark in tackles three times … one of four semifinalists for the 1991 Butkus Award … fifth-round draft pick of the Vikings in 1992 … starting linebacker with the Vikings from 1994-01 … named to the 1998 Pro Bowl.STACY SEEGARSOffensive Guard • 1992,93One of the most decorated linemen in Tiger history; he was a first-team All-American by AP, Walter Camp, Scripps-Howard and Football News in 1993 and was second team by AP and UPI in 1992 … Academic All-ACC in 1993 … fourth Tiger to reach 200 knockdown blocks in a career; he had 213 … averaged five knockdowns per game in his career … two-time All-ACC selection … tied the Tiger single-season record for knockdown blocks (103) in 1992.NELSON WELCHPlacekicker • 1992AP Third-Team All-American as a sophomore, just the second sophomore in Tiger history to be chosen to an AP All-America team … First or Second-Team All-ACC selection all four years, the first Tiger to do that … held 14 school records when he graduated, including field goals in a career (72); that total was also an ACC record … Clemson’s career scoring leader (301) until 2003 … in the top 15 in the nation in field goals per game all four years, including 13th as a senior, 14th as a junior, second as a sophomore and fourth as a freshman … kicked five field goals in a game three times … had 25 multiple field-goal games … kicked the game-winning field goal at Virginia in 1992 with 52 seconds left, giving Clemson a 29-28 win … signed a free-agent contract with the Jaguars (1995) … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 2007.BRIAN DAWKINSStrong Safety • 1995Second-team All-American by AP and Sporting News in 1995 … First-Team All-ACC selection in 1995 and second team in both 1993 and 1994 … eighth in the nation in interceptions (6) in 1995 … set a Clemson record for interceptions in a quarter against Duke with three in 1995; he was named Sports Illustrated’s National Defensive-Player-of-the-Week for that performance … tied for second in Clemson history in career takeaways (15) … finished his career third in Tiger history in tackles by a defensive back … second-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 1996 … NFL All-Rookie selection in 1996 … chosen to the Pro Bowl at the conclusion of the 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008 seasons … named to Clemson’s Centennial team in 1996 … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 2009 … had his #20 jersey retired by the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012.ANTHONY SIMMONSLinebacker • 1995-97Just the second ACC player in history to be named an AP All-American three different years … left Clemson after his junior year with a chance to become just the second four-time AP All-American in college football history … earned third-team All-America honors as a freshman and sophomore, and he was first team as a junior … AP and Playboy First-Team All-American in 1997, Clemson’s first defensive player named to the first team since 1982 … finished his career second in Tiger history in career tackles (486) … led the ACC in tackles in 1996 and 1997 … one of 10 semifinalists for the 1997 Butkus Award … First-Team All-ACC selection three straight years … had 52 tackles for loss in his career … had 25 tackles for loss in 1997 to lead the ACC … Clemson’s top tackler in 28 of his 36 games … had a streak of 17 straight games with at least one tackle for loss to end his career … two-time recipient of the Banks McFadden Award as the top college player in South Carolina … set the Clemson single-season tackle record (178) in 1996 … ACC Rookie-of-the-Year in 1995 … National Freshman-of-the-Year by UPI in 1995; he was the first defensive player in history to win the award … four-time ACC Rookie-of-the-Week and two-time ACC Player-of-the-Week in 1995 … first-round draft pick (No. 15 overall) by the Seahawks in 1997 … leading tackler for Seattle in both 2000 and 2001 … named to the ACC 50-Year Anniversary team in 2002 … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 2008.JIM BUNDRENOffensive Tackle • 1997Second-team All-American by Football News as a senior and third-team choice by Sporting News and AP … first-team Academic All-ACC in 1996 and 1997 … joined Steve Fuller as the only two football players in Clemson history named First-Team All-ACC on the field and in the classroom in consecutive years … earned his degree from Clemson in December 1997 … started all 47 games of his career at offensive tackle, the first Clemson tackle in history to do that … graded 80 percent in every game in 1997 … two-time ACC Offensive Lineman-of-the-Week in 1997 … four-time ACC Offensive Lineman-of-the-Week in his career … started three bowl games in his career … prime reason Raymond Priester (1994-97) became Clemson’s career rushing leader … Clemson finished in top two in the ACC in rushing each of his last three years … seventh-round draft pick of the Dolphins in 1997 … played the 1999 season with the Browns … starting center with the Browns in 2000.ANTWAN EDWARDSDefensive Back • 1998First-team All-American by Football Digest in 1998 … third-team All-American by Football News and AP … First-Team All-ACC selection … first-round draft pick (No. 25 overall) by the Packers in 1999 … 10th in the nation in kickoff returns (26.9) in 1998 … semifinalist for the Thorpe Award … finished his career third in Tiger history in career pass breakups (35) … had 14 pass breakups as a senior to lead the club and finish second in the ACC … first Tiger in history to have two 80-yard plays in one game; he had a 93-yard fumble return for a touchdown and 85-yard kickoff return at Virginia … had 10 takeaways in his career for 299 yards … chosen to play in the 1999 Senior Bowl and 1999 East-West game … Second-Team All-ACC selection in 1997 … had two interceptions, including one returned 42 yards for a score, at South Carolina in 1997.KEITH ADAMSLinebacker • 1999,00Two-time first-team All-American … first-team All-American by Sporting News in 1999 and 2000 … AP Second-Team All-American in 1999 and a first-team selection in 2000 … one of three finalists for the Butkus Award in 2000 … one of five finalists for the National Defensive Player-of-the-Year by Football News … one of three finalists for the Bednarik Award in 2000 … first-team All-American by Walter Camp, Football News and Gannett News Service in 2000 … ACC Defensive Player-of-the-Year in 1999; he was runner-up for the honor as a senior … set 14 Clemson records, including sacks in a game and season, and tackles for loss in a game and season … led the nation in tackles (186) and tackles for loss (35) in 1999 … First-Team All-ACC selection as a sophomore and junior … had 54 career sacks … entered the NFL draft after his junior year and was a seventh-round pick of the Titans … fourth sophomore in Clemson history to earn All-America honors when he was named in 1999 … five-time ACC Defensive Player-of-the-Week in 1999 … won the Banks McFadden Award in 1999 as the top college player in the state of South Carolina … First-Team All-ACC selection as a sophomore and junior … one of five finalists for National Defensive Player-of-the-Year in 1999 and 2000 … had a school-record 27 tackles against South Carolina in 1999 … had six tackles for loss and four sacks against Duke in 1999 … ended his career sixth in school history in tackles (379), including 54 tackles for loss and 23 sacks … played the 2001 season with the Cowboys then with the Eagles from 2002-04 … played in the 2005 Super Bowl with the Eagles … inducted into the Clemson Hall of Fame in 2011.ROBERT CARSWELLFree Safety • 2000Third-team All-American according to AP, CollegeFootballNews.com and Sporting News in 2000 … one of 12 semifinalists for the Thorpe Award in 2000, the only ACC player chosen for the final 12 … First-Team All-ACC in 1999 and 2000 … played in the Senior Bowl … set the school record for tackles by a defensive back (374) … 10th in the nation in interceptions (6) as a junior … had eight career interceptions and three of them were on passes thrown by Michael Vick … Playboy All-American in the preseason of 2000 … named to the AFCA Goodworks team in 1999, the first T9ger named to that team that honors players for community service … made 41 consecutive starts to end his career and played 47 consecutive games … had a career-high 16 tackles against Virginia Tech in 1999 … started three bowl games … in the top 10 in the nation in tackles by defensive backs each of his last three years … set the Clemson record for tackles (129) in a season by a defensive back in 1999 … played with the Chargers in 2001 and 2002.ROD GARDNERWide Receiver • 2000First-team All-American by Gannett News Service and College & Pro Football Weekly … one of 10 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award in 2000 … first-round draft pick (No. 15 overall) by the Washington Redskins … left Clemson as the school’s all-time leader in receptions (166); he set the record with seven for 94 yards against Virginia Tech in the 2001 Gator Bowl … had 2,498 receiving yards and 13 touchdown catches in his career … had two 1,000-yard receiving seasons … set the Clemson record with 80 catches for 1,084 yards in 1999 … had at least two catches in his last 28 games and at least one in his last 30 games … had nine 100-yard receiving games in his career … tied the Clemson single-game record with 11 catches against Marshall in 1999 … tied the Clemson single-game record for touchdown catches with three against North Carolina in 2000 … 23rd in the nation in reception yards per game in 2000 … led the ACC in receptions in 1999 … Second-Team All-ACC as a junior and senior … set nine records at Clemson … had a 50-yard reception with 10 seconds left that set up the game-winning field goal against South Carolina in his final home game in 2000 … had the game-deciding touchdown catch at South Carolina in 1999 … IPTAY Athlete-of-the-Year for 2000-01 … starting wide receiver for the Washington Redskins from 2001-04.KYLE YOUNGCenter • 2000,01Among the most decorated players in Clemson history in any sport … All-American on the field and off in both 2000 and 2001, joining PGA Tour professional Jonathan Byrd as the only athletes in Clemson history to be named All-American on the field and in the classroom in the same year in two different seasons … third-team All-American in 2001 by Sporting News and Football News … first-team Academic All-American three times; he became just the second offensive lineman in college football history to do that and just second ACC player … winner of the National Football Foundation Scholarship, the first Tiger to do that since 1978 (Steve Fuller); he was honored in New York as one of just 18 Division I players … winner of the Jim Tatum Award as the outstanding scholar athlete football player in the ACC … winner of a Weaver-James-Corrigan Scholarship from the ACC for excellence on and off the field … had 168 knockdown blocks in 2001 … had 18 knockdown blocks in the bowl win over Louisiana Tech … named to Sports Illustrated’s All-Bowl team in 2001 … had an average grade of 90.5 percent in 2001, best on the team … one of top 24 candidates for the Outland Trophy at midseason … finalist for the Dave Rimington Award, one of five for that honor … prime reason Clemson averaged 432 yards a game of total offense … started every game at center his final three years and 40 in a row over four years … tied the school record for starts by a center in a career with 36; he started four games at guard as a freshman … big reason Woodrow Dantzler broke 53 Clemson records in his career … three-time first-team All-ACC pick by Football News … played over 3,000 snaps in his career … had a record-tying 21 knockdown blocks against NC State in 100 snaps … had just six missed assignments in 845 snaps by the coaches’ grading system … big reason Clemson averaged a school-record 446 yards per game and set school records for touchdowns and points in 2000 … earned his degree in secondary education with a minor in economics in May of 2001; he was a graduate student during the 2001 season … had a 3.98 GPA in his undergraduate career; he made just one B and the rest were As … named assistant athletic director at Clemson in 2007.BRIAN MANCECornerback • 2002Fourth-team All-American and first-team All-ACC by Sporting News in 2002 … Second-Team All-ACC selection … had at least one pass defended in each of the last 11 games; he was third in the ACC in that category (17) … moved into the top three in Clemson history in career interceptions (12), including one in his home finale against South Carolina … 15th in the nation in interceptions per game; he was second in the ACC behind teammate Justin Miller … had over 1,000 kickoff return yards in his career … might have played his best all-around game as a senior in the win over Wake Forest; he had six tackles, one interception and a game-saving caused fumble; named ACC Defensive Back-of-the-Week … had 60 tackles, six interceptions and 17 passes defended as a senior … 27th in the nation punt returns (13.2) and 30th in kickoff returns (24.5) as a senior … tied the Clemson single-game record for takeaways (3) in the win over Missouri in 2000; he had two interceptions and a recovered fumble … had an 88-yard return against Georgia Tech in 2000 … recipient of the Clemson Special Teams Award on defense in 2000 … named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll in 1999-00.LEROY HILLLinebacker • 2004Concluded his career as one of many former linebacker greats to come through Clemson … two-time, First-Team All-ACC selection in his career … ACC Defensive Player-of-the-Year as a senior in 2004 … first-team All-American by Rivals.com and third-team All-American by AP … played in the Senior Bowl for the South team and was named the squad’s Defensive MVP … had 48 tackles for loss and 16 sacks in his career … at the end of his career, he was 14th in Clemson history in sacks, tied for fifth with 48 tackles for loss and 15th with 311 tackles, 251 of which came in his final two seasons … concluded his career by notching at least one tackle for loss in 22 of his last 24 games … had an incredible performance against Georgia Tech in 2004, totaling 14 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks; named ABC’s Chevrolet Player-of-the-Game and received ACC Defensive Lineman-of-the-Week honors … had 13 tackles, three tackles for loss and one sack at Florida State as a senior … had at least one sack in five straight games in 2004 to tie a Tiger record, including one apiece versus Utah State, NC State and Maryland … led the team in tackles in 2003, including 27 behind the line of scrimmage … second in the nation in tackles for loss per game and fifth in solo tackles per game in 2003 … his 27 tackles for loss tied for the second-best single-season mark in Clemson history … led the ACC in tackles for loss per game … led Clemson with 12 tackles, including two sacks, in the Peach Bowl victory over No. 6 Tennessee; he earned Defensive MVP honors for that performance … led the team in special teams tackles with 21 in 2002 … third-round draft pick of the Seattle Seahawks.JUSTIN MILLERKick Returner • 2004Set the NCAA single-game record for kickoff return yards (282) at Florida State in 2004; he also had two kickoff returns for scores in that game to set a school record and tie an NCAA record … three-year starter at cornerback as one of the greatest kick returners in Clemson history … among the final 12 for the Thorpe Award in 2004 … concluded his career third in Clemson history in career interceptions (13) … had 30.7-yard kickoff return average in his career, best in ACC history and fourth-best in NCAA history … had 50 kickoff returns for 1,534 yards in his career, as that 30.7 average was best in NCAA history given a minimum of 50 returns; he was second in Clemson history in that category behind former teammate Derrick Hamilton; he was just 18 yards short of Hamilton’s total … led the nation in kickoff returns in 2004 with a 33.1-yard average on 20 returns … had a 13.0-yard average in punt returns to finish in the top 25 in the nation; he also had a punt return for a score against Wake Forest; that gave him a Tiger record three kick returns for touchdowns in the same season and a career standard of five (three kickoff, two punt) … had seven tackles in the 2003 win over No. 3 Florida State, seven tackles and a three pass breakups against No. 6 Tennessee in a Peach Bowl win, and 148 return yards in an overtime win over No. 10 Miami (Fla.) in 2004 … named to Sports Illustrated’s All-Bowl team for his performance against Tennessee in the 2004 Peach Bowl … second-round draft pick of the Jets … named to the 2007 Pro Bowl as a kick returner.TYE HILLCornerback • 2005First-team All-American according to Walter Camp Foundation, Sporting News, ESPN.com and Rivals.com … First-Team All-ACC in 2005 … first-round draft pick (No. 15 overall) of the St. Louis Rams … earned his degree from Clemson in December 2005 … one of seven Division I players to make first-team All-American, be a first-round draft pick and earn a degree in the 2005-06 academic year … first Tiger first-round draft pick since Rod Gardner in 2001 … helped Clemson’s defense to a top-25 finish as a starter in 2003 and 2005 … three-year starter overall; he was a reserve running back in 2002; had 225 rushing yards and a 5.4-yard average … tied for the team lead in interceptions (3) in 2005; he had 10 passes defended overall … a major reason Clemson was in the top 25 in six different areas in 2005 … had 54 tackles as a senior, including a career-high five tackles for loss … had a career-high 11 tackles, including three tackles for loss, at Wake Forest in 2005 … had 21 pass breakups in 2004 as a junior, establishing a school record … tied the record for passes defended in a season (21) … had 35 pass breakups and 40 passes defended in his career to finish in the top 10 in both areas … had four passes defended at Miami (Fla.) in 2004, leading Clemson to an overtime win over the No. 10 Hurricanes … played 49 games in his career; he never missed a game in his four years … made 34 starts in the secondary.GAINES ADAMSDefensive End • 2006Second unanimous All-American in Clemson history, joining Terry Kinard … first-team All-American by Football Writers, AP, Football Coaches, Walter Camp Foundation and Sporting News, the five major services in 2006 … first-round draft pick (No. 4 overall) by the Buccaneers in 2007; it tied for highest draft pick in Tiger history … received his degree from Clemson in December 2006; he was one of just two players in 2006 to be a consensus first-team All-American, college graduate and first-round draft pick (Patrick Willis of Mississippi was the other) … tied the Tiger record for sacks in a career with 28, the same number Michael Dean Perry had between 1984-87 … ACC Defensive Player-of-the-Year; he won the award by a wide margin, as he had 56 first-place votes and the second-place player had just eight … second in the voting for ACC Player-of-the-Year behind Georgia Tech’s Calvin Johnson … one of five finalists for the Bronko Nagurski Award, given to the top defensive player in the nation … one of six finalists for the Ted Hendricks Award … one of 12 semifinalists for the Lombardi Award … first-team All-American by Rivals.com, SportLine.com and Sports Illustrated … the most decorated Clemson defensive player since Terry Kinard in 1982 … First-Team All-ACC; he was the top vote-getter among defensive players and second among all players behind Calvin Johnson, who was unanimous … provided Clemson with perhaps the most important play of 2006; he had a 66-yard fumble return on a botched field-goal attempt by Wake Forest on the first play of the fourth quarter; Clemson trailed 17-3 entering that play, the first snap of the fourth quarter; his return for a score was the Pontiac Game Changing Play-of-the-Week for all of college football and was one of four finalists for the play-of-the-year … had 12.5 sacks, best in the ACC, third-most in the nation and tied for the second-most in Clemson history … third in the ACC in tackles for loss with 17.5 and had 63 tackles in 2006 … had a school-record streak of eight consecutive games with at least one sack; the previous record was just five … second in Clemson history among defensive linemen in pass breakups (21) … ACC Defensive Lineman-of-the-Week twice as a senior for his performances at No. 9 Florida State and Wake Forest … key to the win over Florida State when he had 2.5 sacks and seven tackles … finished his career with a two-sack performance against Kentucky in the Music City Bowl … started each of the last 25 games of his career … played 48 games overall and made 26 career starts … had 56 tackles as a junior and 63 tackles as a senior … Clemson’s career leader in quarterback pressures (68); he had 29 as a junior and 27 as a senior … caused five fumbles in the last two years … came to Clemson after playing one year at Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy, where he had 22 sacks and two interceptions in 10 games in 2001 … played his high school football for former South Carolina quarterback Steve Tanneyhill … played at Cambridge Academy in Greenwood, S.C., a program that only had eight-man football … played wide receiver and defensive end in high school; he had 158 career receptions for 4,394 yards and 65 touchdowns.NATHAN BENNETTOffensive Guard • 2006AP Third-Team All-American as a senior in 2006 … First-Team All-ACC selection at offensive guard; he led the team in knockdown blocks (100) and intimidation blocks (22) … allowed just one sack in 2006, a big reason Clemson was fifth in the nation in that category … one of the veterans of the Clemson offensive line; he played 47 games with 38 career starts … played 2,248 career snaps … had 100 knockdown blocks in 2006 and 263.5 in his career … a big reason Clemson was fifth in the nation in rushing yards, and the combination of James Davis and C.J. Spiller was third in the nation as a rushing duo … ACC Offensive Lineman-of-the-Week in Clemson’s win over No. 13 Georgia Tech when he had 10 knockdown blocks and graded a career-high-tying 90 percent in 52 plays … came on strong at the end of 2006; he was Clemson’s highest-rated offensive lineman in six of the last seven games … averaged an 86.7-percent film grade and 8.2 knockdown blocks per game in the last seven games of 2006 … led Clemson in knockdown blocks in five of the last six games … led Clemson in film grade in eight of the 13 games … started eight of the 12 games in 2005, including the victory over Colorado in the Champs Sports Bowl when he had eight knockdown blocks … second on the team in knockdowns in 2005 with 74.5 … had 13 intimidation blocks to tie for the team lead in 2005 … had eight knockdowns in the win over No. 17 Texas A&M in 2005 … had 9.5 knockdowns in the win over No. 16 Florida State in 2005 … started 10 of the 11 games in 2004 and played 510 snaps … started the first six games as a freshman in 2003.CHRIS McDUFFIEOffensive Guard • 2007Second-team All-American according to Sporting News … honorable mention All-American by CollegeFootballNews.com and Pro Football Weekly … First-Team All-ACC selection by AP/ACSMA, CollegeFootballNews.com and Rivals.com … his honors were quite an accomplishment considering 2007 was his first year as a full-time starter … selected for the East-West Shrine Game … fifth-year senior who played 46 career games with 16 career starts … played 619 snaps in 2007 and 1,179 snaps in his career … led Clemson in knockdown blocks in each of the first four games; he had 9.5 in the win over No. 19 Florida State … had a career-high 14 knockdown blocks in the win over Furman when he graded 88 percent in 42 snaps; he was Clemson’s top offensive lineman in that game … led the team in knockdown blocks (11.5) at NC State; he played a team-high 79 snaps … back in the starting lineup against Wake Forest when he played 52 snaps and graded 82 percent.BARRY RICHARDSONOffensive Tackle • 2007First-team All-American by CollegeFootballNews.com … second-team All-American by Walter Camp Foundation … First-Team All-ACC selection each of the last two years; he was the first Tiger offensive tackle to be a first-team pick since Jim Bundren (1996,97) … chosen to play in the Senior Bowl … graduated with a degree in health science in December 2007, quite an accomplishment considering he was at Clemson just three-and-a-half years … two-time ACC Offensive Lineman-of-the-Week in 2007, as he received the honor at Maryland and Duke; he had three selections in his career; he also won the award as a sophomore at NC State … Clemson’s highest-graded offensive lineman eight times in 2007, including five consecutive games … led the offensive line in snaps five times … had a season-high nine knockdown blocks against Furman and 8.5 knockdowns at both South Carolina and Duke … had eight knockdowns in the win at Maryland when he had three intimidation blocks; that was the most intimidation blocks by a Tiger lineman in a game in 2007 … had his best game at Maryland when he graded 93 percent with eight knockdowns in 86 snaps … graded at least 89 percent in four consecutive games (Central Michigan through Wake Forest games); Clemson won all four games … had 8.5 knockdown blocks and a 91-percent grade at Duke; he was named ACC Lineman-of-the-Week for that performance … one of the more reliable linemen in Clemson history, as he played 49 consecutive games and started 44 in a row; the start total tied for eighth-most in school history and second-most in history by an offensive tackle … played 890 snaps in 2007 … played 2,778 career snaps.THOMAS AUSTINOffensive Guard • 2009Third-team All-American by Sporting News in 2009 … Second-Team All-ACC in 2009; he was the Second-Team All-ACC center in 2008 … had 316 career knockdown blocks, including a team-best 112 as a senior in 2009 when he helped the Tigers to the ACC Atlantic Division title and a No. 24 final ranking in the AP poll … started each of the last 38 games and was a veteran of 39 starts in his four years … led Clemson in film grade in 13 games as a senior and led the team in knockdown blocks in all but three games … had a season-best 14.5 knockdown blocks at No. 13 Georgia Tech to go with a 90-percent grade … reliable blocker for C.J. Spiller for four years and had a lot to do with his success … played in the East-West Shrine Game in Orlando, Fla. … played his final year as a graduate student … veteran of 48 games and 39 starts as a Tiger … starter at guard and center over his career … named ACC Offensive Lineman-of-the -Week five times in his career, tied for fourth in total player-of-the-week selections in Clemson history regardless of position and tied for the most among offensive linemen … 2009 co-captain … played 2,592 career snaps, more than any other active Tiger, 12th-most in Clemson history and seventh-most among offensive linemen … three-time ACC Offensive Lineman-of-the-Week in 2008, the first Tiger offensive lineman to win it three times in a year since 1990 (Stacy Long).DeANDRE McDANIELSafety • 2009,10First-team All-America safety according to the Football Writers Association in 2009 … third-team All-American by Rivals.com and Phil Steele in 2010 … first Tiger defensive back to earn first-team All-America honors since Tye Hill in 2005 … second-team All-American by SportsLine.com and Scout.com; he was third team by Sporting News and Rivals.com … First-Team All-ACC by the ACC Sportswriters Association, Sporting News and Rivals.com in 2009 … MVP of the defense by the coaching staff … tied for third in the nation and first in the ACC in interceptions per game in 2009 … third in the ACC in interception return yards (128) in 2009 … had 15 career interceptions … only player in college football with at least eight interceptions and 100 tackles in 2009 … named national defensive player-of-the-week by the Bronko Nagurski Award Committee for his performance at No. 8 Miami (Fla.) in 2009 when he had six tackles and two interceptions, including one that he returned 24 yards for a touchdown … only ACC player to win ACC Defensive Back-of-the-Week honors twice in 2009; he did it for his performances against Miami (Fla.) and Wake Forest … first Tiger in history with eight interceptions and 100 tackles in the same year … led the team in tackles (84) and interceptions (4) in 2010 … played in 53 games as a Tiger and was a two-time, First-Team All-ACC player … played in the 2011 Senior Bowl.C.J. SPILLERRunning Back • 2009First-round draft pick of the Buffalo Bills in 2010, the ninth pick of the draft … ACC Player-of-the-Year in 2009, Clemson’s first one since 1987 (Michael Dean Perry) … first offensive player from Clemson to be ACC Player-of-the-Year since 1978 (Steve Fuller) … MVP of the ACC Championship game against No. 12 Georgia Tech in 2009 … unanimous first-team All-American as a kick returner, just the third unanimous All-American in Tiger history … finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting, tied for the highest finish in Clemson history (Steve Fuller, 1978) and just the second top-10 finish in school history … first-team All-American by Walter Camp as a kick returner and second team as a running back … first player in the history of the Walter Camp All-America team to be first or second-team All-American at two positions in the same year … First-Team All-ACC selection … named ACC Player-of-the-Week four times in 2009, more than any other ACC player … ACC’s career leader in all-purpose yards (7,588); he finished second in NCAA Division I history … first player in ACC history with at least 1,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards; he finished with 1,212 rushing and 503 receiving … broke the ACC record for all-purpose yards per game (191); the record had stood since 1968 … only player in the nation with a touchdown in every one of his team’s games in 2009 (14 in a row) … went over 7,000 career all-purpose yards when he went 88 yards for a score with the opening kickoff at South Carolina; that play was his seventh career kickoff return for a score, an all-time NCAA record … joined Reggie Bush as the only players in college football history with 3,000 rushing yards, 1,500 yards in kickoff returns, 1000 receiving yards and 500 yards in punt returns … finished with eight kick returns for touchdowns in his career, tied for the NCAA record … set 32 Tiger records in various categories, including the record for all-purpose yards, returns for touchdowns and many others … third in Clemson history in career rushing … just the sixth player in ACC history with 3,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards in a career … had 21 career touchdowns of 50+ yards … graduated in three-and-a-half years on Dec. 17, 2009; he received a standing ovation from the Clemson Board of Trustees when he crossed the stage, the first time that had happened for a student-athlete … earned First-Team Academic All-ACC honors in 2008 when he made the Dean’s List … first Clemson running back to earn First-Team Academic All-ACC and First-Team All-ACC honors on the field in same year in school history … three-time All-American in track … first-team strength All-American in 2008 … had a career best time of 6.58 in the 60m and 10.22 in the 100m … named to the Pro Bowl in 2012.Da’QUAN BOWERSDefensive End • 2010Had 179 tackles, 47 quarterback pressures and six pass breakups in 38 games (30 starts) in his career … unanimous first-team All-American who won the Nagurski Award as the nation’s top defensive player and the Hendricks Award as the top defensive end … finalist for the Lombardi Award and the Bednarik Award … first Tiger to win more than one national award in the same year … first-team All-American by AFCA, AP, Football Writers Association, Phil Steele, Rivals.com, Scout.com, SI.com, Sporting News and Walter Camp Foundation … national defensive player-of-the-year by Scout.com … First-Team All-ACC by ACC Sports Media Association and Phil Steele … had 15.5 sacks, most in the nation … his 26 tackles for loss were tied for most in the nation … had a streak of nine straight games involved in a sack, a Clemson record; he broke the mark set by Gaines Adams (2006); Adams and Bowers were close friends, but Adams died of a heart problem in February; Bowers wore the same jersey number (#93) that Adams wore at Clemson … his 15.5 sacks were the most by an ACC player since 1999, when former Clemson All-American Keith Adams had 16 … his 15.5 sacks were the most by a Clemson defensive lineman in history and second-most overall … had 74 tackles, second-most on the team, and led the team in quarterback pressures (20) … had nine tackles, all first hits, four tackles for loss and a sack at No. 15 Auburn … had eight tackles and three sacks against Maryland to earn ACC Defensive Lineman-of-the-Week honors; he was the first Tiger to record three sacks in a game since 2001 … had his ninth straight game involved in a sack at Wake Forest when he had two sacks.DWAYNE ALLENTight End • 2011Had 93 receptions for 1,079 yards and 12 touchdowns in 41 games (33 starts) in his career; the 93 catches tied for the most in a career by a Tiger tight end … declared to forgego his senior season and enter the NFL draft … drafted in the third round (No. 64 overall pick) by the Indianapolis Colts … John Mackey Award winner in 2011; he became the first Tiger finalist and winner of the award … consensus first-team All-American … first-team All-American by AP, ESPN.com, Football Writers Association, Phil Steele and SI.com … second-team All-American by CBSSports.com … honorable mention All-American by Pro Football Weekly … First-Team All-ACC selection … first-team All-ACC by CBSSports.com, ESPN.com and Phil Steele … had 50 receptions for 598 yards and eight touchdowns (tied for fourth-most in school history) in 890 snaps over 14 games (14 starts) in 2011; his receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns were the most by a Tiger tight end in school history … second on the team in receiving touchdowns and third on the team in both receptions and receiving yards … had two receptions, both for touchdowns, for 32 yards against No. 3 Virginia Tech in the ACC Championship game on Dec. 3; named national tight end-of-the-week by College Football Performance Awards.ANDRE BRANCHDefensive End • 2011Had 197 tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss, 17.5 sacks, 40 quarterback pressures and 11 pass breakups in 1,886 snaps over 48 games (27 starts) in his career … made at least one tackle in 41 straight games … emerged as one of the top defensive ends in the nation as a senior … drafted in the second round (No. 38 overall pick) by the Jacksonville Jaguars … permanent team co-captain in 2011 … one of six finalists for the Ted Hendricks Award … second-team All-American by CBSSports.com, Phil Steele, Rivals.com, SI.com and Walter Camp Foundation … third-team All-American by AP … First-Team All-ACC selection … first-team All-ACC by CBSSports.com, ESPN.com and Phil Steele … Senior Bowl invitee … had 85 tackles, a team-high 17 tackles for loss, a team-high 10.5 sacks and 17 quarterback pressures in 755 snaps over 14 games (14 starts) in 2011 … second on the team in tackles … had a team-high 64 first hits … tied for fourth in school history in sacks … 15th in the nation in sacks per game (0.75) … first in the ACC in sacks per game and third in tackles for loss per game (1.2) … had a team-high 11 tackles, a caused fumble and tied the school record for both tackles for loss (6) and sacks (4) in 57 snaps at No. 10 Virginia Tech on Oct. 1 in his home state; all four sacks came in the second half and he was a big reason Clemson held the Hokies without a touchdown at home for the first time since 1995; named national defensive performer-of-the-week and national defensive lineman-of-the-week by College Football Performance Awards; named ACC Defensive Lineman-of-the-Week.SAMMY WATKINSWide Receiver • 2011,12,13National freshman-of-the-year by Columbus (Ohio) Touchdown Club, Rivals.com and Sporting News in 2011 … national offensive freshman-of-the-year by CollegeFootballNews.com in 2011 … first-team All-American by Pro Football Weekly and Rivals.com in 2011; he became Clemson’s first freshman to be named a first-team All-American … first-team All-American (all-purpose) by AP and FoxSports.com; he became the first freshman in ACC history to be an AP First-Team All-American; he became just the fourth first-year freshman in NCAA history to earn AP First-Team All-America honors, joining Herschel Walker (1980) of Georgia, Marshall Faulk (1991) of San Diego State and Adrian Peterson (2004) of Oklahoma … ACC Rookie-of-the-Year … first-team freshman All-American by CBSSports.com, CollegeFootballNews.com, Football Writers Association, Phil Steele, Rivals.com and Sporting News … one of 15 semifinalists for the 2011 Walter Camp Player-of-the-Year Award; he was the only freshman or sophomore among the semifinalists … one of 10 semifinalists for the 2011 Biletnikoff Award … First-Team All-ACC selection (media) as a wide receiver and Second-Team All-ACC selection (media) as a specialist in 2011; he became the first Tiger freshman to earn First-Team All-ACC honors since 1995 (Anthony Simmons) and the first-ever Tiger freshman wide receiver to earn First-Team All-ACC honors … had 82 receptions for 1,219 yards and 12 touchdowns, 231 yards on 32 carries and 33 kickoff returns for 826 yards and one touchdown for 2,288 all-purpose yards in 656 snaps over 13 games (10 starts) in 2011… first-team All-American by Pro Football Weekly in 2012 … Honorable Mention All-ACC selection (media, coaches) in 2011 … had 57 receptions for 708 yards and three touchdowns, 97 yards on 14 carries and one touchdown, three punt returns for 11 yards and 13 kickoff returns for 257 yards in 403 snaps over 10 games (seven starts) in 2011 … drafted in the first round (No. 4 overall pick) by the Buffalo Bills … first-team All-American by AFCA in 2013 … second-team All-American by AP, Athlon, CBSSports.com, Lindy’s, Phil Steele, USA Today and Walter Camp in 2013 … had 101 receptions for 1,464 yards and 12 touchdowns, 11 yards on six carries and 14 kickoff returns for 293 yards for 1,768 all-purpose yards in 658 snaps over 13 games (12 starts) in 2013 … had 240 receptions for 3,391 yards and 27 touchdowns in his career.TAJH BOYDQuarterback • 2012One of 10 finalists for the Manning Award … one of 15 players on the Walter Camp Player-of-the-Year Watch List … one of 16 semifinalists for the Davey O’Brien National Quarterback Award … one of 15 candidates for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award … first-team All-American by AFCA; he became the first Tiger quarterack in history to earn first-team All-America honors … ACC Player-of-the-Year (media, coaches) … ACC Offensive Player-of-the-Year (media, coaches) … First-Team All-ACC selection (media, coaches) … was 287-427 passing for 3,896 yards and an ACC-record 36 touchdowns against 13 interceptions in 959 snaps over 13 games (13 starts) … completed 67.2 percent of his passes and had a 165.6 pass efficiency rating … had 514 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns … had 4,410 total yards and was responsible for an ACC-record 46 touchdowns.DALTON FREEMANCenter • 2012One of six finalists for the Rimington Trophy … one of 50 candidates for the National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award … first-team All-American by AFCA … second-team All-American by AP, Lindy’s, Phil Steele, Scout.com and Walter Camp … First-Team All-ACC selection (media, coaches) … second-team Academic All-American by CoSIDA; he became the first Tiger Academic All-American since 2001 and the fourth Tiger in history to be named an All-American on the field and in the classroom in the same academic year … first-team Academic All-District by CoSIDA … Academic All-ACC selection … NFF Hampshire Honor Society member … NSCA First-Team Strength & Conditioning All-American; he became just the second Tiger in history to be named an All-American on the field, in the classroom and in the strength training room in one season … Senior Bowl invitee … had 28 knockdowns in 959 snaps over 13 games (13 starts).DeANDRE HOPKINSWide Receiver • 2012Drafted in the first round (No. 27 overall pick) by the Houston Texans … one of 10 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award … Maxwell Award Watch List member … second-team All-American by Athlon, CBSSports.com, Lindy’s, Phil Steele and Scout.com … third-team All-American by AP … First-Team All-ACC selection (media, coaches) … had 82 receptions for 1,405 yards and an ACC-record 18 touchdowns in 738 snaps over 13 games (13 starts) … had 206 receptions for 3,020 yards and 27 touchdowns in his career … named to the NFL All-Rookie team in 2014 with the Houston Texans.VIC BEASLEYDefensive End • 2013,14Two-time consensus All-American, one of only two in Clemson history (Terry Kinard) … two-time, first-team All-ACC performer … left Clemson as its career leader with 33 sacks, while compiling 52.5 tackles for loss (fourth-most in school history) … First-team All-American by Athlon, Bleacher Report, CBSSports.com, SBNation.com, SI.com, Sporting News, USA Today and Walter Camp in 2013 … second-team All-American by AP, FWAA and Phil Steele in 2013 … had 44 tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, 12 quarterback pressures, six pass breakups, four caused fumbles and one recovered fumble in 560 snaps over 13 games (13 starts) in 2013 … ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2014, when he was first-team All-American according to AFCA, AP, College Sports Madness and Walter Camp … second-team All-American in 2014 by Athlon, CBS Sports, FWAA, Lindy’s, Phil Steele, Scout.com and USA Today … finalist for the Bednarik, Hendricks and Lombardi awards in 2014 … posted 37 tackles, a team-high 21.5 tackles for loss, a team-high 12 sacks, nine quarterback pressures, three pass breakups, two caused fumbles, one recovered fumble and a 16-yard fumble return for a touchdown in 557 snaps over 13 games in 2014 … selected No. 8 overall in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft by his hometown team, the Atlanta Falcons.GRADY JARRETTDefensive Tackle • 2014Had 207 tackles, 29.5 tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks, 37 quarterback pressures, one pass breakup, two caused fumbles and four recovered fumbles in 1,642 snaps over 48 games (37 starts) in his career … selected in the fifth round (No. 137 overall pick) of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons … third-team All-American by Athlon in 2014 … First-Team All-ACC selection (media, coaches) in 2014 … had 73 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 12 quarterback pressures, two caused fumbles and one recovered fumble in 530 snaps over 13 games in 2014 … honorable mention All-ACC selection (media, coaches) in 2012 and 2013.MACKENSIE ALEXANDERCornerback • 2015Semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award … second-team All-American by the Associated Press … honorable mention All-American by Sports Illustrated … first-team All-ACC (media, coaches) … had 30 tackles, six pass breakups and two tackles for loss in 733 snaps over 14 games … allowed just 12 completions in 47 attempts in coverage all year … selected in the second round (No. 54 overall pick) of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings … first-team freshman All-American by FWAA in 2014 … honorable mention All-ACC (media, coaches) in 2014.GREG HUEGELPlacekicker • 2015Second-team All-American by Sports Illustrated … first walk-on to earn All-America honors in Clemson history while still a walk-on … first-team freshman All-American by USA Today … second-team All-ACC (media) … third-team All-ACC (coaches) … converted national-best 27 field goals (in 32 attempts), an 84-percent success rate … scored 138 points, which set a Clemson single-season record for overall scoring and kick scoring … overall point total passed C.J. Spiller (128 in 2009) for most in Clemson history, and also topped the kick-scoring record of 118 posted by current Arizona Cardinals kicker Chandler Catanzaro in 2011 … missed just one field goal against ACC competition.JAYRON KEARSESafety • 2015Earned first-team All-America honors from ESPN.com … second-team All-American according to Associated Press, Athlon, CBS Sports and Sports Illustrated … first-team All-ACC (coaches) … second-team All-ACC (media) … fifth on the team with 87 tackles, including 6.5 for loss … also had eight pass breakups and five quarterback pressures in 856 snaps in 15 games (14 starts) … selected in the seventh round (No. 244 overall pick) of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings.SHAQ LAWSONDefensive End • 2015Finalist for the Hendricks Award, Lombardi Award and Nagurski Trophy … semifinalist for the Bednarik Award … consensus All-American … first-team All-American by the Associated Press, ESPN.com, AFCA, USA Today and Walter Camp … second-team All-American according to CBS Sports, Sporting News and Sports Illustrated … first-team All-ACC (media, coaches) … had 88 tackles, 25.5 for loss and 12.5 sacks to lead all Tigers in the latter two categories … led all FBS players in total tackles for loss … his 25.5 tackles for loss were sixth-most in a single season in Clemson history … his sack total tied the late Gaines Adams for fourth-most in a single season in Clemson history … had at least one tackle for loss in 14 of the 15 games … third on the team with 15 quarterback pressures … selected in the first round (No. 19 overall pick) of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Buffalo Bills.JORDAN LEGGETTTight End • 2015One of three finalists for the John Mackey Award, presented annually to the nation’s top tight end … second-team All-American by the Walter Camp Foundation … honorable mention All-American according to Sports Illustrated … first-team All-ACC (coaches) … second-team All-ACC (media) … third on the team with 40 catches for 525 yards and eight touchdowns in 892 snaps over 15 starts … his eight touchdowns were most on the team … 34 of his 40 catches went for first downs … notched his eighth touchdown reception against Alabama in the National Championship Game to tie Dwayne Allen (2011) and Brandon Ford (2012) for the school single-season record by a tight end.DESHAUN WATSONQuarterback • 2015Led Clemson to No. 2 final national ranking and 14-1 record after an appearance in the College Football Playoff National Championship Game … Clemson’s first Heisman Trophy finalist; finished third in the balloting with 148 first-place votes … Davey O’Brien and Manning Award winner as the nation’s best quarterback, he was Clemson’s first winner of both prestigious awards … won the Archie Griffin Award, named after two-time Heisman Trophy winner from Ohio State and presented annually to the most valuable player in college football by the Touchdown Club of Columbus … finalist for the Maxwell Award and Walter Camp Player-of-the-Year … first-team All-American by AFCA, Associated Press, CBS Sports, ESPN.com, Football Writers Association and USA Today … second-team All-American by Sporting News, Sports Illustrated and Walter Camp … ACC Player-of-the-Year and ACC Offensive Player-of-the-Year (media, coaches) … first-team All-ACC (media, coaches) … ACC Championship Game Most Valuable Player … named ACC Male Athlete of the Year recipient … Capital One Orange Bowl Offensive Most Valuable Player … four-time ACC Offensive Back-of-the-Week, more than any other player … four-time Manning Award Star of the Week … first player in FBS history with at least 4,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a season … fifth nationally in completion percentage away from home (67.9) and fifth in overall completion percentage (67.8) … third nationally among quarterbacks with 1,105 rushing yards … had five 100-yard rushing performances, all in the last six games; only Woodrow Dantzler had more among Clemson quarterbacks … he and Dantzler are the only Tiger quarterbacks in history to rush for 1,000 yards in a season … his average of 6.9 yards per first down rush was seventh-best in the nation among all players with at least 80 attempts … third among all FBS players in touchdown responsibility (47) and eighth in total offense per game (347.3) and touchdown passes (35) … broke Tajh Boyd’s single-season school record for total offense (5,209) … a clutch player, he was 53-74 (.716) for 652 yards and four touchdows (with no interceptions) in the fourth quarter … set National Championship Game record with 478 yards of total offense, including a passing total of 405 yards against Alabama.
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