As Occam's razor states, "the simplest explanation with the fewest assumptions is usually the best." Why do Clemson football players run down The Hill and into Death Valley after rubbing Howard's Rock? Well, because that is how the stadium is built. The tradition of Clemson players running down The Hill started by walking from Fike Fieldhouse, onto Williamson Street, and then to the field of play.
Simply put, the shortest distance between Fike Fieldhouse and Memorial Stadium was the players walking down Williamson Street and into the closest entrance. When the groundwork of this tradition was laid, Memorial Stadium had just 20,000 seats. It was a different time, right in the middle of World War II. There was not a ton of extra mental and emotional energy to be exhausted during that period.
Initially, running down The Hill did not pick up steam until Howard's Rock was placed at the top of it. From there, it gained traction as a major part of the Clemson football fabric. In time, it gradually grew into the spectacle we know it today. Without the running down The Hill part, how else would rubbing Howard's Rock and entering Death Valley come about? The Hill is the necessary connective tissue.
What separates this tradition from everything else Clemson does is this is their pre-game crescendo. Whether you are watching a Clemson home game in person, or from the comforts of your own home, this series of events will definitely grab your attention and get you out of your seat immediately. It is how Clemson has helped build up such a strong home-field advantage over the years. It is awesome!
Although the players have to play well, Clemson has great in-stadium ops to make everyone jealous.
Running down The Hill only adds to the allure of Clemson's Death Valley
As it is with everything, nearly all of Clemson's great traditions are tied together. The Death Valley moniker would not have come about without the rock that was gifted to Frank Howard by Sam Jones he plucked out of Death Valley, California. While The Hill was always there, it has been the vessel for Clemson players to come from outside of the stadium and then sprint onto the field in one fell swoop.
When you dissect every teams' traditions and pageantry, sometimes you just end up getting lost in the sauce. "Why do we have an animal representing our team when our nickname is something else?" Clemson's Memorial Stadium becomes Death Valley because of Howard's Rock, and how fearlessly Tigers players and coaches run down The Hill into battle. It is a sequence unlike any other out there.
Overall, traditions are only as good, or as memorable, as the programs they are a part of. Whether it be Howard's Rock, The Hill, Death Valley, Gathering at the Paw, or really anything else Clemson does on college football Saturdays, they have become integral parts of the sport because the Tigers are usually pretty good. Why bother celebrating mediocrity when greatness can be found all around us?
College sports are about the students, so running down The Hill keeps everyone youthful in spirit.
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