Referred to by opposing teams as “Death Valley,” Memorial Stadium, home of the Clemson Tigers, is one of the most intimidating stadiums for visiting teams in the country. The intensity begins with one of the grandest entrances in college football. Before each game, a cannon fires as the Clemson Tiger Band plays “Tiger Rag.” The Tiger football team then touches Howard’s Rock for good luck before running down the hill onto the field as fans at Memorial Stadium go crazy.
The history of Memorial Stadium dates back to the mid to late 1930s, when Clemson officials began discussing the construction of a new stadium for the football team. Football coach Jess Neely was opposed to building a new stadium, but his departure in 1939 cleared the way for a new facility. In 1940, university officials decided to build a new stadium on the west side of Clemson’s campus. Land was cleared, and a 20,000 seat stadium was constructed at a cost of $125,000. Named Memorial Stadium, the Clemson Tigers played their first game at the new facility on September 19, 1942, defeating Presbyterian College.
As the team’s success and popularity grew, so did the stadium. By the start of the 1958 season, 18,000 seats had been added along the sidelines. Two years later, an additional 5,600 seats were constructed in the west end zone. These additions increased the capacity of Memorial Stadium to 53,000. As Clemson continued to enjoy success and attract larger crowds, upper decks were added in 1978 and 1983, bringing the capacity to more than 78,000. The main lower grandstand is horseshoe shaped, with suites and luxury seating areas located between the lower and upper decks on the north and south sides of the stadium.
The latest major addition to Memorial Stadium was completed before the 2006 season. The project on the west side of the stadium included club and general seating, an athletic heritage museum and new locker rooms, increasing the seating capacity to 81,500. A new massive videoboard nicknamed “DaboTron” measuring 126 feet wide by 56.5 feet tall was installed in 2022.
The Clemson Tigers remain one of the premier programs in the ACC. Throughout their history at Memorial Stadium, the Tigers have won more than 70 percent of their home games. The stadium became known as “Death Valley” for several reasons. It sits in a valley, the university cemetery once overlooked the field before the upper decks were constructed, and opposing teams have claimed to have been “killed” at Memorial Stadium.
One of the most recognizable symbols at Memorial Stadium is “Howard’s Rock,” located at the top of the hill in the east end zone. The rock was given to Coach Frank Howard by an alumnus in 1966 and originated from Death Valley, California. Today, Howard’s Rock remains an important part of Clemson’s pregame tradition as players touch it for good luck before making their famous run down the hill. Memorial Stadium has been home to four national championship teams, winning titles in 1981, 2016, 2018 and 2019.
