CLEMSON – Since Bill Wilhelm took over the Clemson Baseball program in 1958, baseball and football have been the constant at Clemson.

For decades baseball has been known as the sport that gets Tiger fans to football season. Though Clemson has always had men’s basketball, and now gymnastics and softball are stealing some headlines, baseball has always been the program many football fans attached themselves to in the off-season.

Of the revenue sports, football and baseball have had the most success. Clemson has won 27 conference championships in football, three national championships, seven College Football Playoff appearances, 52 bowl games and the list of accomplishments can go on and on.

Clemson baseball has had similar success. Though the Tigers have not won a national championship in baseball, they have had a lot of success on the national scene.

The baseball program has gone to 12 College World Series and finished as national semifinalists two times. Wilhelm and Jack Leggett won more than a combined 2,000 games in their coaching careers at Clemson.

The Tigers have also won 36 regular season-and-conference tournament championships through the years, have made the NCAA Tournament 47 times. Starting in 1958, Clemson baseball produced 63 consecutive winning seasons, one college baseball’s most historic feats.

From 1987-2019 Clemson made the NCAA Tournament every year except in 2008.

Why am I throwing all this at you? If you have not noticed, football had its worst season in 15 years this past fall, while baseball is the middle of its worst season in ACC play since 1957.

It has been since 2008 that both had bad years at the same time. In 2008, the football program went through a coaching change, while baseball missed the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 21 years. So, you can understand the historic ramifications here.

Can they be fixed?

And if so, when?

But importantly, how can they be fixed?

I am sure they are trying to figure out something at Clemson. Athletic director Graham Neff is a smart guy, I am sure he and his staff are burning the midnight oil trying to get on top of things.

The issues, however, are not simple. Yes, the Tigers need better players, but how do they get better players. Yes, they need more money for NIL, but again, how to they get more money.

For the first time in almost 100 years, Clemson athletics is at crossroad. Never before has success in football and baseball been needed, which ironically has never been an issue at Clemson.

However, Clemson is struggling in both sports at the moment, and it is hard to see that changing in the near future. But Dabo Swinney, Erik Bakich and Neff need to find a way to get things turned around and they need to do it quickly.

If not, Clemson might get left behind and that is something I never thought I would write.