It is time Clemson football renamed Frank Howard Field
After 46 years, it’s time for Clemson football to rename Frank Howard Field.
Change, death, and taxes are the only three guaranteed things in life and evolution is a part of the change. For 46 years, the field Clemson football calls home at Memorial Stadium has been named after former head football coach Frank Howard and for 46 years, it’s been a good ride.
However, nothing lasts forever.
This isn’t going to be some political post about monuments, buildings, and past repeating itself, we get all of that elsewhere. Rather, there have been thousands of people who have come through Clemson the last time that Frank Howard stepped foot on campus and they deserve an opportunity to be recognized in the way that Howard has been.
University of Texas this week announced that they were going to name their field after their two Heisman Trophy winner – Earl Campbell and Ricky Williams. Unfortunately, Clemson does not have one yet, but we do have quite a few former players who have meant more to this program than former coach Frank Howard.
If we are all being honest, the problem with naming anything after someone, is eventually there will be someone more deserving or there will be someone with more money to buy that same honor. Even as I write this, at some point over the next two decades, Dabo Swinney will have a legitimate argument to have his name on nearly every surface of Clemson football.
That does not mean we should wait as there are several highly deserving Tigers who deserve the field named after them now.
Steve Fuller
One of the three or four best players in Clemson football history. His number four was the first to ever be “retired” by the program. When Deshaun Watson wanted to wear this number during his time, Fuller had to grant permission for him to do so. I think Fuller would agree that Deshaun lived up and surpassed all the expectations on and off the field.
Fuller was both an academic and college football All-American during his time in a Clemson uniform and in his final two years of eligibility guided the Tigers to 19 wins and just four losses.
While his NFL career never matched the success he had in college, he did win a Super Bowl as the backup quarterback for the famed 1985 Chicago Bears team.
Brian Dawkins
The only former Clemson football to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Dawkins played with a fire that only the greats have, which is why he is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Good was never good enough, he knew he could be better than just great and he has lived that on and off the field. His Pro Football Hall of Fame speech is one of the best all-time.
His accomplishments on the field are well known.
- 9× Pro Bowl
- 4× First-team All-Pro
- 2009 Second-team All-Pro
- NFL 2000s All-Decade Team
- Philadelphia Eagles Hall of Fame
- 1995 Second-team All-American
- 1995 First-team All-ACC
However, it’s his off the field dedication that sets him apart. In 2013, Clemson established the Brian Dawkins Lifetime Achievement Award to honor former Clemson players for their “performance on the field, contributions in leadership and community service”.
C.J. Spiller
For this generation, he is the best Clemson football ever. There are thousands of Tiger fans around the country because of what this man showcased on a week to week basis.
He chose Clemson as one of the most wanted recruits in the country. He chose Clemson again after his daughter was born and he could have transferred closer to home in Florida to be near her. And he chose Clemson a third time after deciding to come back for his senior year of college, putting his NFL dreams on hold to wear the purple and orange one more time.
Even after his NFL career ended, he came back to Clemson. He and his family live in Keowee Springs and he serves on the IPTY Board of Directors.
Next. There’s no law mandating Clemson and South Carolina to play. dark
Only three numbers in Clemson football history are retired – 4, 28, and 66. Four was retired in honor of Steve Fuller, 66 is retired in honor of Banks McFadden and 28 in honor of C.J. Spiller. He will always have a special in these hills and choosing his name to sit on the field at Memorial Stadium would be fitting given the number of times he has chosen Clemson.