The Clemson football program has seen its fair share of historical coaches over the course of more than a century. Here’s a look at the 10 greatest of all-time.
The Clemson football program has seen its fair share of talented and great coaches over the course of its history.
During that time, the Tigers have seen plenty of success, including 25 conference titles (19 in the ACC) and numerous bowl victories as well as three National Titles.
As we continue to see the Clemson football program built into a national powerhouse, here’s a look back at the past. Here are the top 10 coaches of all-time in Clemson football history.
10. Ken Hatfield
Some may scoff at seeing Ken Hatfield’s name on the list. Afterall, Hatfield coached just three seasons at Clemson and was basically forced to resign due to growing discontent with the program’s direction.
During his three seasons, though, Hatfield coached the Tigers to a 32-13 overall record and won an ACC Championship. This was during the period of time where Clemson football was still recovering from NCAA violations punishments from the Danny Ford era. On top of that, Hatfield was now tasked with coaching against the Florida State Seminoles who, as we all know, became the major force to be reckoned with in the ACC for the next decade.
With all of that in mind, it’s easy to see why Hatfield makes the list. There wasn’t much excitement surrounding the program under his leadership, but he did find ways to win games and was much better than what would come after him.
9. Tommy Bowden
Tommy Bowden was never able to get over the hump and win a conference championship as the leader of the Clemson football program.
While many have differing opinions on Bowden’s run as the Tigers’ Head Coach, it should be noted that he took over the program after some of the worst years in its history. He was able to turn things around, get Clemson consistently winning bowl games and beating its in-state rival South Carolina.
As a result, Bowden held the position for a much longer time than most who preceded him. He coached from 1999-2008, finishing with a 72-45 overall record.
One of the most instrumental decisions from Tommy Bowden came on his last days with the Clemson football program. When it was apparent that he was going to have to resign, Bowden recommended to the administration that William Christopher Swinney (also called Dabo) should be the interim.
8. Jess Neely
Here’s a name that I would be willing to bet no one reading this post had the opportunity to watch coach the Tigers.
Jess Neely was the Head Coach of the Clemson Tigers from 1931-1939. During his time, he accumulated an overall record of 43-35-7 and was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Though that record and his accolades don’t necessarily show the story of an elite coach, Neely provided stability during a time where Clemson University was having a tough time keeping a coach for very long. His tenure of nine seasons was the longest in school history at the time and would remain that way until Frank Howard came along in 1940.
8. Josh Cody
Josh Cody was the coach of the Tigers from 1927-30, prior to Jess Neely taking over.
Though his time as the head coach was relatively short, Cody racked up a bunch of wins along the way.
He finished with an overall record of 29-11 and was later inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. To this day, Cody has the third-highest winning percentage of Clemson coaches who coached at least 40 games or more.
6. Charley Pell
Charley Pell’s time in Clemson was short, but he left as one of the most successful in Tiger history.
Pell coached just two seasons, culminating in 23 games, but in that time led Clemson to an overall record of 18-4.
In those two seasons (1977 and 1978), Pell was named the ACC Coach of the Year both years and led Clemson to an ACC Championship in 1978.
Unfortunately, his time in Tiger Town was cut short when he elected to leave to become the coach at the University of Florida.
5. Walter Riggs
The father of Clemson football- and athletics, for that matter- absolutely has to be included on this list.
Riggs coached the Tigers’ inaugural season in 1896, leading Clemson to a 2-1 record. He also coached the team in 1899, finishing with a 4-2 overall record.
Riggs isn’t on this list because of his success on the field, it was more of how he came and dedicated himself to starting the football team and then as a professor. In addition to Riggs’ work as a coach and teacher, he also became the President of Clemson University in 1911 and was instrumental in a new football stadium being built in 1915.
Over 100 years later, that field was named Riggs Field in honor of all he was able to do for Clemson and the athletics program.
4. John Heisman
Perhaps John Heisman shouldn’t be on the list ahead of Walter Riggs simply because it was Riggs who made the decision to hire him.
That being said, we think Riggs knew what he was doing.
John Heisman was hired to be the coach in 1900 following Riggs’ second season as the Tigers’ head coach. Heisman would go on to coach three seasons with an overall record of 19-3-2. Though it was a short time, Heisman does still have the greatest winning percentage in Clemson football history (.833). What may have been most impressive about Heisman’s tenure is that he also took Clemson to three-straight Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Association conference titles.
As we all know, the ‘Heisman Trophy’ would go on to be named after him and, to this day, Heisman remains one of the most historically-great figures to ever be a part of the Clemson football program.
3. Frank Howard
Frank Howard is the winngest coach in Clemson history.
Howard took over the program in 1940 and coached until the 1969 season. During that time, he led the Tigers to two Southern Conference titles and six ACC titles. His best season came when he coached the Tigers to a perfect 11-0 record in 1948.
In addition to Howard’s historical run, he was also instrumental in starting a tradition that will be forever remembered in Clemson when he told his players:
"“If you’re not going to give 110 percent, keep your filthy hands off my rock.”"
To this day, Howard’s Rock sits atop the hill in the East End Zone and the field of Death Valley is named Frank Howard Field.
2. Danny Ford
Things didn’t end how Clemson football fans wanted them to with Danny Ford, but you can’t argue with the success he had during his tenure.
Ford took over as a young, up-and-comer, and absolutely took the Tigers to a level they had never seen before.
Taking over in 1978, Ford was able to lead Clemson to national prominence in a very short period of time. He earned the first National Championship in program history during the 1981 season and went on to win five conference titles.
He finished with an overall record of 96-29-4.
Though Ford faced scrutiny from NCAA punishments, there’s no doubting the success he was able to have and just what he meant to the development of Clemson football.
1. Dabo Swinney
Topping off our list is none other than the current Head Coach of the Clemson Tigers, William Christopher Swinney himself.
Dabo Swinney inherited a program with a lot of flaws but began to take measures in fixing the culture and turning the Tigers into winners. He’s done much more than anyone could’ve ever imagined.
During his head coaching career (which dates back to the middle part of the 2008 season), Swinney has amassed a record of 116-30. That’s a winning percentage of .795, which is good enough for third all-time behind just Heisman (who coached just three seasons) and Pell (who coached just two seasons).
Swinney’s success is also unprecedented.
He has won two National Titles, six conference titles, has appeared in the CFB Playoff five-straight years, and has taken the Tigers to the throne of the College Football world.
It doesn’t get much better than Dabo Swinney and that can be seen through the success he has had over an extended period of time as the Head Coach of the Clemson Tigers.