Clemson Football: Running Down the Hill Rated Top Entrance
By Dan Kelley
USA Today’s College Football Fan Index rated Clemson football’s running down the hill entrance as the best in all of college football.
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When it comes to the best entrances in college football, the masses have reached a conclusion, and it won’t surprise many Clemson football fans.
USA Today polled college football fans on the subject of the best entrances and concluded that the best in the sport is Clemson’s traditional run down the hill.
Of course, the tradition wouldn’t be the same without the inclusion of rubbing Howard’s Rock. Here is how USA Today described that bit of history:
"Things changed in the 1960s, when S.C. Jones, a Clemson alum, gifted then-coach Frank Howard a hunk of white flint from Death Valley, California. (By then, Memorial Stadium had been nicknamed Death Valley.) Howard hated the present at first, but eventually came around. In 1966, the rock was positioned on top of a pedestal located on top of the hill. The players didn’t begin rubbing what became known as Howard’s Rock until September 23, 1967."
And of course, you can’t forget Frank Howard’s famous quote:
“If you’re going to give me 110 percent, you can rub that rock. If you’re not, keep your filthy hands off it.”
Most Clemson fans won’t need the history lesson but the recognition is nice. Clemson’s run down the hill really is the most exciting entrance in college football and it is certainly the most unique.
In case you were wondering, Clemson beat out Virginia Tech, Colorado, Miami, and South Carolina, who made up the rest of the top five.
And if you haven’t seen it at least a dozen times, make sure you watch this video about the run down the hill, courtesy of Jeff Scott’s YouTube page.