Clemson football had an incredible year in 2018. The Tigers completed the first 15-0 season in over a century and won their third national championship in program history. Clemson honored its 2018 season by placing tombstones outside of the Reeves Football Complex, as is tradition for wins over Top 25 teams.
The tradition is that the team adds a tombstone outside the football facility for every top 25 team the Tigers beat away from home. Clemson has one of the best home-field advantages in the country, aptly getting the nickname “Death Valley.” The Tigers are not the only team to claim that mantra for their home stadium as LSU is also home to “Death Valley.”
Clemson added three tombstones to remember the team’s victories over Boston College, Notre Dame, and Alabama. The College Football Playoff victory over the Crimson Tide got special treatment as the tombstone was in black, compared to the other gray ones outside the facility.
Today, we unveiled our newest tombstone additions next to Reeves Football Complex.
For every Top 25 team the Tigers defeat away from Death Valley, we add a tombstone.
There were several new additions after this season 🐅🏆 #ALLIN pic.twitter.com/hY4tP0LMWb
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) March 14, 2019
The Alabama tombstone also had the letters in white, so that they would stand out more against the background. It also had the words “national champions” and “best ever” to commemorate the 2018 team as one of the best teams of all time.
Each tombstone is individualized for the team the Tigers beat. The Notre Dame tombstone had a shamrock on top of it. The tombstones were revealed individually in the order that the victories took place, starting with the victory over Boston College and ending with Alabama.
Clemson has made it a habit of adding tombstones since Dabo Swinney became the head coach in 2008. The Tigers have knocked off 18 ranked teams away from home in Swinney’s tenure at Clemson. That number is surely going to increase in the coming years as the Tigers look to national championship contenders for the next couple of years.
The tombstone tradition at Clemson is definitely unique and is one that will continue in the next couple of years.
