Letter from Coach Bowden and Champs Sports Bowl Ticket Order Form

Dec. 5, 2005

Ticket Order Form in PDF FormatDownload Free Acrobat Reader

Dear IPTAY Donor:

We are headed to the 2005 Champs Sports Bowl in Orlando on December 27th to play Colorado. The purpose of this letter is to seek your strong support for this bowl game, as we look to the future. Our overriding goal is to consistently put our program in position to play for the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship and gain an opportunity to be invited to a BCS Bowl game. Playing Colorado on national television helps in some very important areas. These include:

1) Recruiting: We are on track to another very good year in regard to recruiting. We need prospects to see the tremendous support of the Clemson Family whether they attend the game or view it on ESPN. Recruits need to see a “Sea of Orange” (Solid Orange) in the stands. Prospects need to hear the television commentators speak to the tremendous support of the program, and the bright future of Clemson Football. Your support in Orlando will be very significant in recruiting. We need you there in “Solid Orange”.

2) Preparation for the 2006 Season: These next few weeks are significant in that they allow our coaches to help our team prepare for the off-season, spring practice and August practice which is just eight months away. In addition, it allows our team to continue working on fundamentals and to improve in our new offensive and defensive schemes.

3) Seniors: This class never lost to the University of South Carolina and has produced some very significant moments in the history of our program. The Peach Bowl Championship over # 6 Tennessee, wins over #3/#17 Florida State, # 10 Miami, # 17 Texas A & M and others. We are one of just six programs with at least three Top 20 wins this season. In spite of some close, heart-breaking losses, these seniors and the team kept fighting and never, ever, ever gave up. This perseverance is a quality of this senior class. A strong “Solid Orange” showing in Orlando can help our seniors set the tone for the 2006 season and get us ready for the future.

4) Orlando: Orlando is a great family destination. Clemson fans can enjoy the Disney properties, Universal Studios, Sea World and many other tremendous attractions.

5) Colorado: We cannot let our guard down. Regardless of the outcome of the Big 12 Championship game against Texas, Colorado is a very capable team. We have to believe that they were embarrassed and relish the opportunity to regain their pride and dignity on national television. History has shown that a devastating loss can be a tremendous springboard for redemption. One only has to look at Florida State in the ACC Championship game to see the rebirth of FSU’s competitive spirit.

The bottom line is that we need your strong “Solid Orange” support in Orlando. It’s just not about the Bowl … it’s the next step we must take to position our program for the future.

In Solid Orange,

Tommy Bowden

Terry Don Phillips