Note: The following appears in the Duke gameday football program
In my first year and seventh game at Clemson in 1978, junior safety Rex Varn intercepted a pass at NC State and raced 94 yards for a touchdown. It is still the second-longest “pick six” in Clemson history and his second interception return for a touchdown of 90+ yards, the first and still only Tiger in history to do that. Today, Varn is still Clemson’s career leader in interception return yards (275).
Varn wore #13 at Clemson, and in many ways, he started a tradition of excellence for players wearing that number. He would go on to earn First-Team All-ACC honors as a senior, the first Tiger to receive that accolade while wearing what is supposed to be the “unlucky” #13.
Other players of significance have worn that number with distinction since then. Rodney Williams wore it proudly as Clemson’s starting quarterback from 1985-88, and his 32 career victories as the signal-caller are still tied for most in school history with Tajh Boyd and Deshaun Watson.
The tradition of #13 has taken on new significance in the last 14 years, as wide receivers wearing the number have flourished.
Since 2005, wideouts who have had the number have combined for 431 receptions for 4,461 yards and 26 touchdowns. All three of the pass catchers reached at least 125 receptions and at least 1,000 receiving yards.
The tradition began with a phone call to Tyler Grisham in the spring of 2005.
“Coach (Dabo) Swinney called me during the spring of my senior year of high school,” said Grisham, who came to Clemson from Birmingham, Ala., the same home area of Swinney, who was the wide receivers coach at the time. “I had worn #8 in high school. I was worried I was going to get some number in the 30s (not a popular number for wide receivers), but he asked me if I wanted to wear #13.
“I have never been a superstitious person, and I told him I would take it.”
Grisham went on to have an outstanding four-year career with the Tigers, accumulating 132 receptions for 1,390 yards and eight touchdowns. He went on to play in the NFL with Pittsburgh and is now in his fifth year on Swinney’s staff as an offensive analyst.