Former Clemson Head Coach Hootie Ingram Passes Away

CLEMSON, S.C. — Hootie Ingram, who served as Clemson’s head coach from 1970-72, passed away Monday morning according to reports from WVUA in Tuscaloosa, Ala. and AL.com. He was 90 years old.

Ingram was officially hired as Clemson’s head coach on Dec. 17, 1969, following three seasons as Arkansas’ defensive backs coach under Frank Broyles. Ingram recorded a 12-21 record as Clemson’s head coach before transitioning into various administrative roles at conference and school levels.

Ingram’s tenure coincides with two iconic Clemson traditions. Prior to his first season in 1970, he called a meeting with Clemson administrators with the intent of refreshing Clemson’s image. That July, Clemson officially unveiled its now-omnipresent Tiger Paw logo that debuted on the Tigers’ helmets that fall.

For the final game of his tenure, Ingram also reinstated Clemson’s Running Down the Hill tradition that had stood dormant for several years following the construction of locker rooms in Clemson’s west end zone. Clemson won that game, a 7-6 victory against South Carolina, in a cold rain when Jimmy Williamson batted down a two-point conversion attempt in the fourth quarter.

Ingram, a native of Tuscaloosa, Ala., graduated from Alabama in 1955. He was an All-SEC defensive back for the Crimson Tide. He was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 1991 and into the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame in 1999.

Ingram later became the athletic director at Florida State from 1981-89 and at Alabama from 1989-95. One of Ingram’s acts as Alabama’s athletic director was to hire head coach Gene Stallings, the man who would coach walk-on wide receiver Dabo Swinney and the 1992 Crimson Tide to the national championship. Stallings would later give Swinney his first opportunity in coaching as a graduate assistant in 1993.

Per AL.com and Alabama Media Group, funeral services are set for Saturday at Calvary Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa, with visitation from 10-11:30 a.m.