"There is something in these hills that brings together and binds together and holds together men and women of all persuasions, of all heights, sizes, weights, and cultural backgrounds. Something that cuts across every difference, spans every gap, penetrates every wall. Something that makes a man or a woman stand taller, feel better and say with high pride to all within earshot, ‘I went to Clemson.’" - Joe Sherman
I'm not sure if its the orange tiger paws you see when you're driving down the road.
Maybe it's the feeling of excitement you get when you see the top of the stadium even when you're across campus and you think about standing in the stadium screaming at the top of your lungs.
It could be the sense of pride you feel when you put on your orange t-shirt.
Maybe its the sound of the Tiger Rag.
It may be the orange and purple sunsets that spread across the sky without fail each night.
Or it might be the overwhelming sense of family and community that emanates throughout the air here.
Sure, it may sound cliche, but there really is something in these hills.
I've been a Clemson student for a just a few weeks now. But I've been a fan for a lot longer.
From as far back as I can remember I've been taught that Clemson is special. From being dressed up as a tiger on one of my first Halloweens, to having tiger paws painted on my face as a toddler at football games, to hearing the story of how my parents met at Clemson, to helping my older brother move in many years ago, to coming to basketball games with my dad as a child and falling asleep in my carseat on the way home...I truly can see that Clemson is not just a school, but a way of life.
It's no secret that Clemson fans are a different breed. We truly do bleed orange and purple and take great joy in the fact that we get to be a part of the greatest school (in my opinion) in the entire world.
Clemson is a family. People talk about the "Clemson family" often, and some people may not truly believe that it is a thing. But it is. Clemson is a place where people smile at you on the way to class. It's a place where you don't have to be scared to ask someone for directions on the first day of class if you're new and you don't know where you are going. Clemson is a place where the whole stadium comes together as one while singing the alma mater in the stadium. Clemson is a place full of people from all different cultures and backgrounds...but we all have one thing in common. Clemson is our home.
Clemson isn't just a school. It's not just a place where you go to get a degree. It's not just a place where four years of your life are spent and then you leave. It's more than a place with a really good football team. Clemson is place where you can come back to again and again and again, long after you've graduated and gotten your degree. And just like Joe Sherman said in the excerpt at the beginning of this article, you will forever say with pride to everyone that can hear, "I went to Clemson."
