Brad Scott Retires from Coaching

Feb. 2, 2011

CLEMSON, SC – Clemson veteran offensive line coach and Associate Head Coach Brad Scott announced his retirement from active coaching on Wednesday. Scott will move into an administrative area within the Clemson athletic department, working primarily with the football office.

Scott came to Clemson in 1999 after serving as the head coach at the University of South Carolina for five years. Scott worked under Tommy Bowden and Dabo Swinney on the offensive side of the ball and contributed to some of the top offenses in Clemson history. His 12-year tenure is tied for the ninth longest for a Clemson assistant football coach in the program’s history.

Clemson recorded seven of the top nine yards/play seasons in school history, six of the top eight seasons in total offense per game, each of the top five touchdown scoring teams, and each of the top nine passing yardage teams in during his career.

From 2001-03, Scott served as offensive coordinator and in that time Clemson had two of the top four total offense per game figures in school history. The 2003 offense set a passing yardage record with 3,687 yards that still stands today. That top 25 team that beat third ranked Florida State and sixth ranked Tennessee at the end of the season averaged 432.0 yards per game, still the second best in school history.

Clemson’s offensive line of 2006 had a lot to do with the team’s ability to run the football. That team, with Scott as offensive line coach, averaged a school record 5.72 yards per rush and 6.50 yards per play, breaking records that had stood for over 50 years.

“Coach Scott came to me in December to talk about his desire to transition out of coaching and into administration,” said Swinney, who has been on the same Clemson staff with Scott since 2003. “After a few meetings I could see he was serious about this career move. I am pleased that he will remain with us in some capacity and will continue to be an asset to our program and the Clemson Athletic Department.

“He certainly went out on top in this recruiting season. He is the reason we have two five-star signees from the state of Florida. His years of cultivating relationships through his credibility as a coach and his high character as a person have had a positive impact on our recruiting efforts from the first day he came to Clemson. Brad Scott is one of the finest coaches we have ever had at Clemson and one of the best men I have ever known. He has been a great role model to me as a young coach raising three sons.”

Clemson was bowl eligible all 12 years Scott was on staff and the Tigers played in 11 bowl games in those 12 years. The Tigers had five top 25 seasons, including 2009 when Clemson won the Atlantic Division of the ACC. He coached 15 first or second-team All-ACC players, including five who made All-America honors.

“I have given this a lot of thought and discussed this with my family for some time,” said Scott, who became a college coach for the first time in 1983 when he was a graduate assistant under Bobby Bowden at Florida State. “But, when I approached Coach Swinney about this in December I was comfortable with the decision. The timing is right because we have a veteran offensive line returning.

“Coaching at this level for nearly 30 years has been a rewarding life for me, my wife Daryle and my sons Jeff and John. I have had the opportunity to work with hundreds of young men who have made my life richer. I hope I have had a positive impact on them as well.

“I am not ready to retire to the golf course and know I can be an asset to this football program and this athletic department in an administrative position. I am looking forward to the new challenges that will come with it.”

Scott served under Bobby Bowden at Florida State from 1983 to 1993. He was the program’s offensive coordinator from 1990-93. During the 1993 season Florida State won its first National Championship and Seminoles quarterback Charlie Ward became Florida State’s first Heisman Trophy winner.

Scott became the head coach at South Carolina in 1994. That year he guided the Gamecocks to a 7-5 record, including the program’s first bowl victory.