My fairwell to Clemson

Apr 23, 2004, 5:13 PM

I came to Clemson in the fall of 1987 one of the worst prepared students ever. I was more interested in getting drunk and high than going to class and my grades showed it. In spring of 1989 I flunked out and left Clemson with no intentions of returning. I left with a dislike of Clemson, not even caring about coming to football games. Clemson had beaten me and I knew it.

Well I moved on and grew up. I worked a steady job and started to make something out of myself, but deep inside I was still mad at Clemson for beating me.

During the 1998 football season, my sister convinced me to go to a couple of games with her husband and I started to enjoy Clemson football again (If you can call that season football). However I still felt like I didn’t belong there because of the way Clemson had beaten me. I would stand when the Alma Mater was sung, but I would not sing and wave my hat.

I have failed at many things in my life, but Clemson was the only thing that had beaten me because of lack of effort on my part. Well in 2001 I decided to correct my mistake. I sold my house, resigned my position at work, and enrolled at Clemson for the fall semester determined not to let Clemson beat me again. My past was sitting there waiting on me. A 1.64 GPA with over 60hrs was still on file in Sikes Hall.

I treated school like a job because I was not going to let Clemson beat me again, but something changed along the way. I began to enjoy Clemson. I started to make new friends (even if I was known as the old man) and started to remember the good things about Clemson like playing basketball at Fike, having a beer at the Esso after class, and sitting in the student section during football games. Well I realized that Clemson is not something to battle against, but something to except and receive. When I did this, the grades came easily (I have made 1 B and the rest A’s).

There have been bad times during my second stay at Clemson. 9/11, tuition hikes, and a war that has taken classmates to the other side of the world have been troubling, but I am glad I experience them as a Clemson student.

Now it is time for me to leave and return to the real world, but I leave with pride because I have my ring on my finger and peace in my heart because my love for Clemson has been restored. I need no introduction…I am a Clemson man.

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My fairwell to Clemson

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