CLEMSON — The greatest play in the history of the Clemson-South Carolina rivalry happened by circumstance.

At least that is the way the guy who orchestrated what is known as “The Catch” in the rivalry remembers it.

“The fans in the stadium were so loud, and as a receiver in that huddle, you are trying to listen for the play,” said former Clemson great Jerry Butler at last week’s South Carolina Football Hall of Fame induction ceremony at the Hotel Hartness in Greenville, S.C. “Steve [Fuller] is a good play caller, but it was so loud, and he has a high-pitch voice anyway, so I really could not tell what play he called.”

Regardless of what Fuller called, it was not the play that made Butler so loved by Clemson fans and so scorned by Gamecock fans. The play, of course, was a leaping, twisting 20-yard catch where Butler fell in the end zone with 49 seconds to play. The miraculous catch came after South Carolina rallied from 24 points down to take a 27-24 lead with 1:48 to play.

“The Catch”, as it is known today, gave the Tigers a 31-27 victory and clinched a spot in the Gator Bowl, the program’s first bowl invitation in 18 years at the time.

Fuller admitted the pass was not a throwaway, necessarily, but it was a throw that was designed that nobody could have a chance to touch the football but Butler.

However, when the play started, Butler had no idea what was going on. He did not hear the play, so he had to guess what he was supposed to do.

As Butler noted, Williams-Brice Stadium was loud, especially after their Gamecocks had rallied from so far behind to take the lead.

“I either got an out, a hitch, a go, post or a corner,” Butler said. “Those were my options, right? So I figured, when I took off, I looked back. It was not a three-step drop, so I know I have to go further than that, then I got caught between a corner and a post.

“[Fuller] probably said, ‘Butler does not know what the heck he is doing.’ So, he just threw it up there. So, I will make it up to him. I am sure I confused Carolina, too, but it was only because they were so loud, I did not get the full rest of the play.”

But he made “The Catch” and Clemson won.

Butler’s catch redefined Clemson football and how it is viewed today. “The Catch” ushered in a new beginning for a program that fell off the national map in the 1960s. The Tigers went on to win the ACC that next season and finished with an 11-1 record, which included a Gator Bowl over Ohio State.

Three years later, Clemson won its first national championship and has not looked back since.

“When I think about all the things I put my body through, the first thing I think about is, ‘Oh! Do you remember The Catch?’ I’m like, ‘Yeah, I remember. You made that catch and you came down and I totally had no wind left in my body.’ I had knocked every bit of air out of my body,” Butler said. “All of my teammates came running, and I was trying to catch my breath.

“You can’t forget a moment such as that because is changed the dynamics and trajectory of Clemson University Football. I think, since that point, we have been on a tear, and we have not stopped and we do not plan on stopping.”

Since 1977, Clemson has been one of the winningest programs in college football. They have won three national championships, 16 ACC Championships, 23 bowl wins, 46 bowl appearances and 45 non-losing seasons.

There are just four seasons—1992, ’94, ’98 and 2010—where the Tigers failed to hold a .500 or winning record.