The Venue- Memorial Stadium

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Located fittingly enough on Avenue of the Champions, Memorial Stadium has become synonymous with glorious moments and Championship teams. Built during the Second World War, Memorial Stadium hosted its first game on September 19, 1942 with a 32-13 victory over Presbyterian College. The stadium opened with a capacity of 20,500 and has undergone numerous expansions with today’s being four times as much at approximately 81,500 seats, making Memorial Stadium the largest one in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Many people also know Memorial Stadium as “Death Valley,” the moniker placed on it during the 1950s by Clemson’s historic head coach, Frank Howard, after hearing an opposing coach saying that he takes his team up to that death valley where he never wins. Also, Memorial Stadium is seeping in regalia and fanfare, and no better example is “Howard’s Rock,” as ever since 1967 it has become tradition for players to touch the famous rock as they run down the hill entering into the stadium.

One can walk through Memorial Stadium during games and even tour it online. One of the most interesting parts of the stadium is the relatively new West End Zone which has luxury and box seating, and also houses state-of-the-art facilities like a high tech weight room and posh locker rooms. While you’re in the West End Zone, you can also catch a glimpse of the football staff offices, including the head coach’s office as well. But one of the most poignant features, located outside Gate 1 of the stadium, is Clemson’s “Scroll of Honor, a memorial dedicated to the 493 Clemson service personnel killed while on military duty. Lastly, Memorial Stadium has not only been home to Championship Clemson football teams, but has also hosted various concerts for some of music history’s most prominent bands like the Rolling Stones in 1989, Pink Floyd in 1994 and U2 in 1997.