The Ring of Honor is the highest honor a Clemson student-athlete can receive. A recipient must first be a member of the Clemson Hall of Fame, earn at least an undergraduate degree, and make a significant contribution to the heritage of Tiger athletics. Honorees will have their jersey retired.
Clemson’s Ring of Honor Members (PDF)
CLEMSON UNIVERSITY RING OF HONOR GUIDELINES
Purpose: The charge of this committee is to bestow the highest athletic award presented by the Clemson Athletic Department on deserving candidates. The committee will examine the careers of candidates in all Clemson sports.
Nominations: Nominations are made by any member of IPTAY, faculty or staff personnel, or relative of a worthy candidate, and are accepted 30 days prior to the committee meeting. The committee will meet once every two years in the month of April to vote on the nominations. Nominations will be made in the form of a letter with a complete list of accomplishments, and submitted to the chair of the committee, who will retain an active file of nominations. Letters of support may also be submitted. All nominations will remain on file for a period of three voting committee meetings (five years). The Chair of the Committee will screen all nominations to make sure they meet eligibility requirements.
Committee: The Committee will be composed of 11 members:
Eligibility: This committee will recognize individuals who have demonstrated consistent and unique national excellence in their sport during their Clemson career. Their accomplishments must be significant on an individual and team basis. Their statistical accomplishments must be noteworthy, but they should also have an outstanding record in terms of leadership. In general, they must have made a noteworthy contribution to the history of the Clemson Athletic Program.
Athletic accomplishments after their Clemson career are not a primary consideration in the nomination, but they must retain a commendable record of citizenship after they leave Clemson. A candidate must be a member of the Clemson Hall of Fame and must hold a baccalaureate degree from an accredited four-year University or college.
Financial contributions to Clemson University will not be a consideration when evaluating the candidates. For a coach to be nominated, he or she must be retired from coaching that sport at the college level.
Selection Process: Each committee member will cast one vote per sport. An honoree must obtain at least seven votes to be selected. There will be just one ballot. The committee does not have to select any honorees at its meeting. There shall be no more than one honoree in a sport for every two years. The committee then submits its recommendation to the president who makes the final decision.
Conferring: In the sport of football, the honoree will have his name, number, years participated and helmet enshrined in the Ring of Honor at Clemson Memorial Stadium. In the sport of basketball, the honoree’s jersey will be hung from the rafters of Littlejohn Coliseum. In the sport of baseball a jersey replica will be hung from the fence of Tiger Field. Other sports will establish appropriate sites at the home facility.
When a student-athlete is selected the person’s jersey is honored, but the jersey number may be worn in the future.
The nature and organization of the ceremony will be determined from a meeting between the honoree, the athletic director, the committee chair and the head coach of the sport involved.
