From the Desk of Dan Radakovich – Nov. 6, 2013

Hello Tiger fans!

Congratulations to the Tiger football team on a fantastic effort on Saturday at Virginia.  Coach Swinney and his staff have done a great job this season, as we moved to 8-1 overall and 6-1 in the ACC with just one conference game remaining.  In the next 10 days, IPTAY donors should receive both electronic and printed communication detailing our postseason opportunities.  I have had countless discussions with bowl scouts at our games this season, and they all rave at how wonderful our fans travel to support the Tigers.  I have no doubt that will continue.  Please take some time to familiarize yourself with the process.  The deadline to return these ticket applications will be Wednesday, December 4.

I want to again extend my thanks to the Clemson University Board of Trustees for giving final approval to a pair of facility projects and providing pre-concept approval for several others.  I also want to thank the IPTAY Board of Directors for their support as we continue to expand and enhance the Clemson Athletics experience for our student-athletes, coaches and investors.  On our Web site, Don Munson and I broke down some of the ideas behind these concepts and plans here.

For only the second time in the past 11 years, Clemson will host a home Thursday night football game on November 14.  This certainly presents unique challenges while school is in session.  Most of our parking lots will open after 2:00 PM, so please plan accordingly.  More detailed information will be available on ClemsonTigers.com the week leading up to the game against Georgia Tech.

Basketball season gets underway this week!  We are excited to start the Audra Smith era and continue to improve our efforts on the men’s side under Brad Brownell.  A number of players showed out in the men’s team’s 98-44 exhibition win over Francis Marion on Friday, and for the Lady Tigers in a pair of exhibition victories.  Last week, we announced the sale of single-game men’s tickets and season women’s tickets here.

We urge you to support the men’s soccer team in its final home game of the regular season this Friday, as we honor our outgoing seniors against Duke.  The women’s soccer season came to a heartbreaking close last week, but Eddie Radwanski and his staff did a great job this season setting the foundation for great things to come in the future.  We would also be remiss if we did not mention the great job J.T. Horton and the women’s golf team did this fall, as the Tigers finished no worse than fifth in any tournament.  It will be really fun to follow their progress as the program builds.

Finally, we want to welcome Jonathan Gantt into the Clemson Athletics family.  Jonathan joined us after working with the Tampa Bay Rays in Major League Baseball, and as our Director of New Media, he will be a crucial asset to our programs as we enhance the social media and online experience here at Clemson.

Dan Radakovich