Clemson Family,
As we wind down the spring semester on campus, there’s still a lot happening with your Clemson Athletics programs.
SPORTS UPDATES
Baseball is in full swing and if you haven’t made your way to Doug Kingsmore Stadium lately, there’s no shortage of opportunity upcoming. Despite a rough weekend against one of the top teams in the country, Coach Monte Lee has the team in a tremendous position with a top-25 ranking and a 24-12 overall record heading into a 13-game homestand spanning from this Tuesday until mid-May.
Coach Swinney’s team put the wraps on another great spring with a record 50,500 fans in Memorial Stadium a week ago. And last week the football squad was honored for the sixth-consecutive season by the NCAA for having an APR among the top 10 percent nationally.
I enjoyed spending time this weekend at senior day celebrations for both our rowing team and our women’s tennis team as they closed out home seasons. Each of those programs, and our athletic department overall, is better for the contributions those young ladies have made to our university.
Both our women’s and men’s tennis squads earned first-round byes in the ACC Tournament and begin play on Thursday in Cary, N.C.
On the golf course, our men’s team claimed a victory at the first Clemson Invitational and are getting set for the ACC Championship this weekend. Also on the links, our women’s golf team posted a sixth-place finish in the ACC Championships last weekend, the highest in the three-year existence of the young program. We anticipate they’ll be advancing to NCAA regionals in the coming weeks.
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENTS
Last Monday we held one of my favorite events of the year – The Clemmys – in the Indoor Practice Facility. It was a great night to recognize the many accomplishments of our student-athletes, both on the field and courts of play and in the classroom. You can read and see more about the tremendous evening HERE.
On Wednesday of last week, the NCAA recognized three of our programs for outstanding achievement in the classroom. Our football program ranks among the top 10 percent of all FBS programs nationally in the APR, the sixth-consecutive year the program has had a top 10 percent ranking. Women’s golf earned the honor for the second-consecutive year, and our men’s basketball program joined this year as well for the first time. 2016 marks the second straight year with three Tiger teams honored, matching last year’s school record.
Speaking to the special nature of our university and athletics and academics culture, Clemson is one of only eight universities to have had their football and men’s basketball programs honored during the same academic year!
USA TODAY REPORT
This week USA Today releases its annual NCAA financial report. The publication does a thorough job of compiling various data and trying to standardize reporting practices. As with any accounting formula, it differs from school to school and state to state.
The report shows $4.1 million in “subsidies” from the university, but a thorough look shows the transaction is a non-cash credit for out-of-state tuition. Additionally, during the specified year the athletic department and IPTAY paid $8.9 million in scholarships and $1.5 million in general and administrative fees to the university.
STUDENT FOOTBALL TICKETS
While there is no finalized plan for student ticket changes, we look forward to continuing to work with our students and university administration to find a solution that works best for everyone involved.
Over the past 24 months, our athletic department has engaged in meaningful and honest dialogue with student leaders and constituents across the Clemson Family to discuss options to both enhance the student experience at Clemson football games as well as generate needed revenue for our athletic programs.
These discussions have been productive and necessary, and input from student leaders has been critical in shaping our proposals.
Beginning in 2014, our conversations centered around a potential athletics fee for Clemson students and it became apparent very quickly there was strong opposition to a mandatory fee across the student population. In 2015, the discussions refocused on a revised “user fee” by offering season ticket sales, and heard that there was a great desire to keep a portion of seating available at no cost.
This year’s dialogue focused around those items set forth as important to the students and moved away from a ticket cost. It included an enhanced IPTAY Collegiate Club, upgrades to the student ticketing process and sections of free seating (3,000 seats). And to improve the experience of all in the upper levels, we have already begun moving ahead with the consolidation of student seating in that area.
Interestingly, Clemson is the only school in the ACC, Big 12 or SEC that receives no direct financial support from its student population. And as you can see from the attached chart, the revenue derived under our most recent proposal would continue rank in the lower quartile of the schools with which we most often compete.
We remain tremendously appreciative of our student body and the constant support they show every one of our athletic programs.
FOOTBALL TICKET RENEWALS
Through this weekend, we’ve received a little more than 17,000 online renewals from IPTAY members for 2016 football season tickets, double the amount renewed on the same date a year ago. Paper applications began mailing last week and should be in mailboxes this week. We’re looking forward to an exciting season, and want to remind all season ticket holders to renew by the May 3 deadline.
Thanks for all you do to support Clemson Athletics and IPTAY,
Go Tigers!
Dan Radakovich
April 23, 2024
April 22, 2024
