A new statue that pays tribute to the culture of Clemson football sits outside of the Reeves Football Complex. Tiger fans will enjoy seeing the new addition this fall.
Just a short walk from Death Valley and in front of Clemson football’s Reeves Football Complex sits a new statue that was unveiled back in April.
The statue depicts the “Culture of Care” in the Clemson football program and the standard that the players, coaches and staff attempt to hold themselves to each and every day.
The statue is actually a depiction of a picture taken for the cover of the 2015 Wofford game, that feature Stanton Seckinger standing and Joe Gore kneeling, signing autographs for young Clemson football fans, including Tianna Guess- the daughter of former Tiger wide receiver Henry Guess.
For the statue, Christian Wilkins takes the role of Seckinger, standing and signing a football for Clay Swinney, Dabo Swinney’s youngest son. Seckinger is the second football player- assuming the pose of Joe Gore- and signing an autograph for Tianna Guess.
College sports statues don’t get better than this display outside the @ClemsonFB Reeves Complex pic.twitter.com/RmdZCg6FIa
— @sapakoff (@Sapakoff) April 3, 2019
Thoughts:
The statue is a perfect depiction of how the Clemson football program is managed. It is only fitting, in my opinion, that Christian Wilkins was part of the statue.
Wilkins is one of the best players in Clemson football history and he helped the program ascend to new heights. Wilkins already had his Bachelor’s degree, but still chose to come back and get his Master’s and play one more season for the Tigers instead of chasing his dreams of becoming an NFL player.
He loved the program enough that he wanted to come back and go out on top with a win over Alabama in the National Championship game.
The statue will be a reminder for Tiger fans just what is being taught to players in the program and the importance and emphasis that Dabo Swinney places on caring for the community and becoming more than just a good football player, but a great citizen.