By Heath Bradley.
By Heath Bradley
CLEMSON – When No. 11 Clemson take on Furman in Death Valley Saturday afternoon, it will be the 56th time the two schools have faced off on the gridiron. The two schools are located only 35 miles apart, making Furman the closest Clemson opponent.
Clemson owns a 41-10-4 record versus the Paladins, including a win over Furman in Clemson’s first ever football game. Clemson defeated Furman 14-6 on October 31, 1896 in Greenville, South Carolina. The Tigers are undefeated against the Paladins in Clemson Memorial Stadium, holding an 18-0 record dating back to 1942, the first year the stadium opened.
The Tigers currently own a 29-game win streak over the Paladins and has won 40 straight games over teams from the Southern Conference. The Tigers have not lost to a Southern Conference opponent since leaving the conference to help start the ACC in 1953.
Clemson last played the Paladins during the 2007 season, a game that saw the Tigers win 38-10. In that matchup two current NFL defensive backs recorded interceptions to help lead the Clemson defense. Both Chris Clemons (Dolphins) and Crezdon Butler (Redskins) intercepted passes to help hold Furman to 10 points.
The 2003 matchup also saw two current NFL Tigers lead the way. Charlie Whitehurst (Chargers) passed for 301 yards and two touchdowns, while Leroy Hill (Seahawks) recorded 10 tackles, including three tackles for loss in the 28-17 Clemson victory. Charlie Whitehurst had special ties to Furman, his father David Whitehurst, was a quarterback for the Paladins under Art Baker, who was also a Clemson assistant coach under Frank Howard.
The 2003 matchup turned out to be a bittersweet victory for the Tigers. The Tigers defeated Furman, but it was also the last game Jim Phillips would ever broadcast. The hall-of-fame broadcaster passed away suddenly the next week. Current Clemson Sports Information Director Tim Bourret stepped in for Phillips, broadcasting the Tigers 37-14 victory over Middle Tennessee State University.
The Tigers wore JP decals the remainder of the season and went on to record “The Finish”, winning their final four games. The Tigers recorded over No. 3 FSU, a 63-17 victory over South Carolina, a 27-14 win over No. 6 Tennessee in the Peach Bowl.
One of the most interesting connections between the two programs does not even involve the two programs facing off against one another. On October 6, 1960 the Clemson and Furman football teams shared the same pants. Due to inclement weather the Tigers wore a new water repellent pants in an early afternoon victory over Virginia. The Tigers then sent the pants to Greenville, where the Paladins wore them to victory over William & Mary. In one day, two schools from the state of South Carolina shared pants en route to victory over two schools from Virginia.