On his Tuesday radio show, Paul Finebaum asked his listeners is the tombstone tradition at Clemson fair or foul? Of course, I understand what Finebaum was doing. He was playing to his audience, which are mostly Alabama fans.
Ever since Clemson unveiled its new tombstone to commemorate its 35-31 victory over the Crimson Tide in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Alabama fans have been going crazy about it. They have taken it personal, acting as if this is the first time Clemson has done this and writing on twitter stuff like “this is motivation for the next time we play.”
My answer to them is they need to get over themselves. This is a Clemson tradition that has been going on for nearly 30 years and it has nothing to do with them other than the fact Clemson is continuing its tradition of commemorating wins over top 25 teams away from Death Valley.
If any fan base should be mad about Clemson’s tombstone tradition, it should be Florida State’s. The Seminoles are the reason Clemson does it in the first place.
After FSU beat then No. 3 Clemson in the now famous “Puntrooskie Game” in 1988, the Seminoles ripped up part of the turf at Death Valley and took it back to Tallahassee, buried it and placed a marker on top to commemorate the win. This is a tradition know as FSU’s Sod Cemetery, a tradition that began with a 1962 road win at Georgia. Anytime the Seminoles are a road underdog and win the game, a piece of the sod is taken from that stadium and buried in its sod cemetery as a tribute to the win and to be enjoyed by the Seminole faithful.
When news got back to then Clemson head coach Danny Ford after the game about the Seminoles’ tradition, he used it as motivation for when his underdog Tigers returned the favor in 1989 and visited the 16th-ranked Seminoles in Tallahassee. He felt tearing a piece of sod out of Clemson Memorial Stadium was disrespectful, or at least that was the card he played.
It worked. Clemson won the 1989 game 34-23, and when they got back, the first tombstone was placed in what is now known as “The Graveyard” which sits in front of the Tigers’ indoor practice facility. The Clemson Graveyard can be viewed and enjoyed by the Clemson faithful on any day of the year.
Currently, 23 tombstones stand in The Graveyard to commemorate the program’s 77 wins over top 25 opponents away from Clemson.
So get over yourself Alabama fans, this tradition has nothing to do with Alabama, other than beating the Crimson Tide in the national championship Game is “another notch in the old belt” if you will.
For the record, I have never heard a Florida State fan claim foul about Clemson’s tombstone tradition or The Graveyard, and their Seminoles are the reason why it began. I think they wear it as a badge of honor because it is a compliment to their program for the success they have had.
By the way, the only two programs other than yours to truly cry about Clemson’s tombstone tradition were Ohio State and Oklahoma. Ask those fan bases what happened the next time they got an opportunity to play Clemson after their tombstones were placed in The Graveyard? Let’s say you might not want what you ask for.
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