1981

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1981 in Clemson History

Events that occurred in 1981:

  • Mary Lohr replaces Geraldine Labecki as the dean of the College of Nursing. Labecki had served since 1968 and retired on June 30, 1980. Lohr will serve until 1986. Opal Hipps will assume the position in 1987.
  • "Old Clemson College - It Was a Hell of a Place" by Frank M. Mellette, class of 1936, is published, printed by WH Wolfe Associates, Historical Publications Division, Roswell, Georgia. No ISBN number.
  • Victoria Square shopping center is erected on College Avenue.
  • Clemson University assumes operating responsibility for the campus post office from the U.S. Postal Service.
  • January 15: The pilot episode of the NBC television series Hill Street Blues airs at 10 p.m. For the next seven years, Clemson bars will empty out between 10 and 11 p.m. on Thursday nights as students depart to watch the police drama, returning to downtown after it is over.
  • March: The Bookstore bar and disco closes when owner Manning H. Garren dies. (Daugherty, Jim, staff writer, "Arson suspected cause of Bookstore blaze", The Tiger, Thursday 16 April 1981, Volume 74, Number 26, page 1.)
  • March 26: The Clemson Women's Basketball team finishes ranked 20th in the final Associated Press poll, the team's first top-20 ranking in a final poll.
  • March 30: John Hinckley makes an attempt on President Ronald Reagan's life outside the Washington Hilton. The Tiger and TAPS staffer C. Mark Sublette free-lance covers the story from Washington Circle, in front of the George Washington University Hospital where Reagan was taken after the shooting, carried on the South Carolina News Network.
  • March 31-April 1: The greatest prank in Clemson history is pulled by a student who has a penchant for climbing buildings. On two consecutive nights, he rappels from the steeple of Tillman Hall and places large cardboard Mickey Mouse bodies over the spindle of the clock face on two adjoining sides (east and south). The university has to use a cherry-picker lift bucket to remove it. In an Associated Press article in the Aiken (S.C.) Standard, university spokesman Ross Cornwall was quoted in an unofficial statement, "We think campus police have a suspect, D. Duck." University police were still looking for a suspect as well as clues. Chief Jack Ferguson said that they were looking for a pro. "Whoever did it sure is talented," he said. Ferguson stated that he has his best officer on the case, "investigator Brummitt ... He solved the stolen chicken case last year." (Associated Press, "Clemson Gets Giant Mickey Mouse Clock", The Aiken Standard, Aiken, South Carolina, Friday 3 April 1981, page 6A.) The guilty party is never apprehended. And - yes - the Clemson Wiki editor knows who did it. http://www.newspaperarchive.com/SiteMap/FreePdfPreview.aspx?img=103921383 http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1821&dat=19810401&id=3TstAAAAIBAJ&sjid=nb4EAAAAIBAJ&pg=4610,3619739
  • April 11: Ninth annual Bengal Ball held at the Y Beach, sponsored by CDCC. More than 4,000 gather and hear music by rock bands Silverspring and The Winter Brothers. As usual, the Dixie Skydivers drop in. Three Budweiser trucks provide the suds. (Weber, Max, "Bengal Ball Bash", TAPS 1982, Volume 72, pages 18-19.)
  • April 11: Donnie C. McAnelly, a 31-year old textile employee from Pendleton, is arrested at his home around 8 p.m. and is charged with indecent exposure and aggravated assault, after he is identified by his vehicle license tag after at least 20-25 incidents where he was seen jogging nude at East Bank and in the Horticultural Gardens. Police had been after the nude jogger for over a year, with four or five sightings in the last month. Jim Brummitt, chief inspector for campus police, said that he was becoming more brazen, not only in the frequency of his appearances, but also in their severity. "A couple of times recently he has put his hands on females," said Brummitt. "In one instance he tried to pull a female's pants off." The suspect was released on $10,000 bond. (Sifford, Sha, news editor, "Nude jogger suspect caught, out on bond", The Tiger, Thursday 16 April 1981, Volume 74, Number 26, page 1.)
  • April 12: A fire, suspected as arson, damages The Bookstore bar and disco, closed since the death of the owner in March. The Clemson Fire Department receives a call from the Clemson Police Department at precisely 1 a.m. Sunday morning, with 25 firemen responding to the alert. Students passing by the business shortly before the fire apparatus arrived reported noting the smell of "kerosene or something unusual." Magistrate R. G. Hopkins issued a search warrant for any flammable substance which may have been used to set the fire. Firemen quickly extinguished the blaze in two back rooms of the business. Smoke damage was also reported at The Record Hole, Sloan's Store, and Clint's Barber Shop. (Daugherty, Jim, staff writer, "Arson suspected cause of Bookstore blaze", The Tiger, Thursday 16 April 1981, Volume 74, Number 26, page 1.)
  • April 15: Thomas Hunter, Frank Jervey and Strom Thurmond are the first recipients of the Clemson Medallion, the university's highest public honor.
  • April 16: The Buzzard, Volume 15, Number 1, published as twelve page insert in The Tiger. Front page headlines read "Chair given; questioned; faulty sen-see HEADLINE/page 13", "Puke Power Co. revises evacuation plan".
  • May 18: The East Bank recreation area officially opens for swimming for the season, remaining open seven days a week through Labor Day. (Harris, Andy, special to the Tiger, "East Bank begins swim season", The Tiger, Thursday 16 April 1981, Volume 74, Number 26, page 2.)
  • July 8: R.E.M., founded in Athens, Georgia in 1980, releases first song "Radio Free Europe", on the short-lived independent Hib-Tone label.
  • August 1: MTV first goes on the air. First video shown is "Video Killed the Radio Star" by the Buggles. Initially, it is little seen in Clemson as Fort Hill Cable was only just being installed in the area.
  • August: The Spitoono music festival is organized, sponsored by the Redneck Performing Arts Association and hosted in the parking lot of the Esso Club.
  • September 5: In home opener, the Tigers crush Wofford, 45-10. Wofford was a late addition to the schedule when Villanova University opted to drop football in the spring of 1981. (TAPS 1982, Volume 72, page 30.)
  • September 9: Organizations Day, an annual event since 1973, is held on Bowman Field. (TAPS 1982, Volume 72, page 28.)
  • September 12: Clemson wins night game at Tulane, 13-5.
  • September 14: The Clemson University Concert Series presents the Cleveland Orchestra, directed by Lorin Maazel, in Littlejohn Coliseum at 8 p.m. Individual tickets on sale at the Music Department or at the box office (Gate 5). Admission is $6 for adults, $2 for children. Season tickets for entire concert series are $20 for adults, $10 for students.
  • September 18: The First Friday Parade is held before the actual second game of the season. When Wofford was added to the schedule in the spring after Villanova University decided to drop football, Pi Kappa Alpha, parade sponsors, decided not to reschedule due to extensive pre-planning already in place. Grand Marshalls are President Bill Atchley and Capt. Frank Jervey. Free concert in the afternoon on the steps of the YMCA by Stratus, playing contemporary rock music including a Beatles tribute, 3:30-5:30 p.m. The U.S. Army Golden Knights parachute team jumps from their C-7 Caribou and lands on Bowman Field at 5:30. One flies a Clemson flag while another team member delivers the game ball for the Georgia match-up. A pep rally in the Amphitheatre follows the parade, with members of D-3 Johnstone attending in loin cloths. (TAPS 1982, Volume 72, pages 30-33.) Floats in this parade are so ribald and the amount of public intoxication is so wide that the parade never again routes through College Avenue.
  • September 19: The Tigers host number four-ranked Georgia, win, 13-3. This will be Georgia player Herschel Walker's only collegiate loss. collegiate The Allman Brothers Band have third and final Billboard Top 40 action as "Straight From The Heart" enters chart this date, peaks at 39 in short two-week stay. (Whitburn, Joel, "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits", Billboard Publications, Inc., New York, 1985, ISBN 0-8230-7518-4, page 22.)
  • October 3: Fourteenth-ranked Clemson travels to Kentucky, defeating them, 21-3.
  • October 9: At a ceremony in the lobby of the Robert Muldrow Cooper Library, Senator Strom Thurmond signs agreement to donate his papers and memorabilia to Clemson University, and President Bill Atchley announces plans for a three-building complex to be named in honor of the 1923 graduate. (Pepper, William, "Thurmond Center Announced", TAPS 1982, Volume 72, pages 176-177.) Twenty-fifth annual Tigerama held in Death Valley with Miss Universe Shawn Weatherly and WFBC announcer Jim Phillips as emcees. Tiger Band, the 4:30 Thursday singers and the Nickelodean Cloggers entertain. Allison Howell is selected as Homecoming Queen from ten finalists. (Gibson, Monica, "Homecoming 1981", TAPS 1982, Volume 72, pages 50-57.)
  • October 10: Ninth-ranked Tigers blank Virginia in Death Valley for Homecoming, 27-0. The 1956 football team and Coach Frank Howard are honored during the game on their Silver Anniversary. (Gibson, Monica, "Homecoming 1981", TAPS 1982, Volume 72, page 57.) Comedian Red Skelton gives two hours of entertainment in Littlejohn Coliseum in the evening. During his several day stay in Clemson, he also lectures on American humor in several English classes. (Mattison, Keith, "Red Skelton Delights Clemson", TAPS 1982, Volume 72, page 48.) The Atlanta Rhythm Section visits the Billboard Top 40 for the last time as "Alien" enters listings this date, peaking at 29th during four weeks. (Whitburn, Joel, "The Billboard Book of Top 40 Hits", Billboard Publications, Inc., New York, 1985, ISBN 0-8230-7518-4, page 28.)
  • October 17: The number six-ranked Tigers travel to Duke, beating the Blue Devils, 38-10.
  • October 24: Ranked fourth, Clemson defeats N.C. State in Death Valley, 17-7. This was the first game dubbed the Textile Bowl, with trophy awarded to the winning team. CDCC and Beachclub Promotions present the Beach Boys in Littlejohn Coliseum, with some 7,000 in attendence. (TAPS 1982, pages 90-91.)
  • October 31: The third-ranked Tigers blow out Wake Forest, 82-24. Band Commander James Grubb assists the Tiger with push-ups in the fourth quarter.
  • November 7: Second-ranked Tigers travel to number eighth North Carolina, winning, 10-8.
  • November 14: Still ranked second by the Associated Press, Clemson hosts Maryland, winning, 21-7.
  • November 21: The second-ranked Tigers wrap up their first undefeated season since 1948 with a 29-13 defeat of South Carolina in Columbia. Clemson is 11-0, 6-0 in conference, for first place in the ACC.
  • Fall: Coach Danny Ford's football team goes undefeated, 11-0, and then beats Nebraska Cornhuskers, 22-15, in the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, to clinch the Tigers' first National Championship on New Year's Day 1982. Both Associated Press and United Press International final polls list Clemson on top.
  • December 17: Clemson Athletic Department equipment truck departs at 6 a.m for New Smyrna Beach, Florida, where the football team will practice before the Orange Bowl.
  • December 18: Advance party for the Orange Bowl departs from Jervey in university vans for New Smyrna Beach, Florida at 8 a.m. A staff meeting is held at the Islander Beach Lodge, 1601 South Atlantic Avenue, New Smyrna Beach, Florida, at 6 p.m.
  • December 19: Two buses carrying the football team depart Mauldin Hall for New Smyrna Beach, Florida, at 8:30 a.m. Squad meeting, dressed in sweats, is held in the main dining room at the Islander Beach Lodge, followed by a work-out at the city stadium. Curfew at 1 a.m. at 2 p.m. is followed by buses to practice at 3 p.m. with practice in pads at New Smyrna Beach High School at 4 p.m. A buffet is served at at the Islander Beach Lodge from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Curfew at 1 a.m
  • December 20: Following breakfast, the football team meets at 9 a.m., followed by church (coat and tie), and then a lunch buffet at the Islander Beach Lodge. Taping and treatment at 2 p.m. is followed by buses to practice at 3 p.m. with practice in pads at New Smyrna Beach High School at 4 p.m. A buffet is served at at the Islander Beach Lodge from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Curfew at 1 a.m
  • December 21: Breakfast is followed by taping and treatment at 8:30 a.m. Dressed in sweats, the team leaves for New Smyrna Beach High School at 9:20 a.m. with calisthenics and flexes at 9:45 a.m. Practice ends at 11 a.m. From noon to 1 p.m., lunch buffet at the Islander Beach Lodge. Taping and treatment at 1:30 p.m. with buses leaving for practice at 2:50 p.m. Practice in full pads at 3:30 p.m. Dinner buffet at the Islander Beach Lodge from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. Curfew at 1 a.m.
  • December 22: Breakfast is followed by taping and treatment at 8:30 a.m. Dressed in sweats, the team leaves for New Smyrna Beach High School at 9:20 a.m. with calisthenics and flexes at 9:45 a.m. Practice ends at 11 a.m. From noon to 1 p.m., lunch buffet at the Islander Beach Lodge. Taping and treatment at 1:30 p.m. with buses leaving for practice at 2:50 p.m. Practice in full pads at 3:30 p.m. Dinner buffet at the Islander Beach Lodge from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. Curfew at 1 a.m.
  • December 23: Breakfast is followed by taping and treatment at 8:30 a.m. Dressed in sweats, the team leaves for New Smyrna Beach High School at 9:20 a.m. with calisthenics and flexes at 9:45 a.m. Practice ends at 11 a.m. From noon to 1 p.m., lunch buffet at the Islander Beach Lodge. Taping and treatment at 1:30 p.m. with buses leaving for practice at 2:50 p.m. Practice in full pads at 3 p.m. Dinner buffet at the Islander Beach Lodge from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. Curfew at 1 a.m.
  • December 24: Breakfast is followed by taping and treatment at 8:30 a.m. Dressed in sweats, the team leaves for New Smyrna Beach High School at 9:20 a.m. with calisthenics and flexes at 9:45 a.m. Practice ends at 11 a.m. From noon to 1 p.m., lunch buffet at the Islander Beach Lodge. Taping and treatment at 1:30 p.m. with buses leaving for practice at 2:50 p.m. Practice in full pads at 3:30 p.m. Christmas dinner at the Islander Beach Lodge Main Dining Room at 6:15 p.m.
  • December 25: Managers and trainers wake football players at their rooms at 7 a.m. Breakfast in the Main Dining Room at 8 a.m. is followed immediately by check-out from the Islander Beach Lodge. Buses depart for the Dupont Plaza Center, 300 Biscayne Boulevard Way, Miami, Florida, at 9:30 a.m. Lunch at mid-day. The Orange Bowl Welcoming Committee meets the team and coaches in the Foyer at 5:30 p.m. Christmas dinner is served at the Dupont Plaza at 6 p.m., followed by a Christmas party at 9 p.m. Curfew at 1 a.m.
  • December 26: Breakfast is followed by taping and treatment at 8:30 a.m. Buses depart for work-out at Tropical Park at 9:15 a.m. with calisthenics and flexes at 9:45 a.m. Practice ends at 11 a.m. Lunch buffet is served at the Dupont Plaza from noon to 1 p.m. Taping and treatment at 1:30 p.m. followed by buses leaving for practice at 2:30 p.m. Practice in full pads at 3:30 p.m. For dinner, the buses depart the practice field for Wild Hog Barbecue, casual dress. Players' Hospitality Room opens afterwards. Curfew at 1 a.m.
  • December 27: Breakfast is followed by church with Fellowship of Christian Athletes (Coach Danny Ford and designated players.) Orange Bowl Committee member will escort players to churches of their choice (coat and tie). (Players going to church will be transported to a Norwegian Liner.) Buses leave from front of Dupont Plaza (for players not going to church), (coat and tie). Lunch at 12:30 p.m. on the fantail of a Norwegian Liner. Following lunch, team goes directly to Tropical Park for practice. At 7 p.m. buses depart for the Diplomat Hotel for Dinner and Floor Show (coat and tie). Players Hospitality Room opens. Curfew at midnight.
  • December 28: Breakfast is followed by taping and treatment at 8 a.m. Buses depart for practice at Tropical Park at 9:30 a.m. Lunch served at Tropical Park. Buses then leave for the Orange Bowl at 1:45 p.m. Media Picture Day at Orange Bowl in full game uniform (players, coaches, managers, trainers). Bus back to Tropical Park for change of clothes. Dinner buffet held at Dupont Plaza from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. Players Hospitality Room open. Curfew at midnight.
  • December 29: Breakfast is followed by an unscheduled morning. Lunch buffet at the Dupont Plaza. Buses depart for practice at Tropical Park at 2:30 p.m., practice at 3:30 p.m. Dinner at the Dupont Plaza from 6 to 7 p.m. In Clemson, an additional bus departs Mauldin Hall at 6 p.m.
  • December 30: Breakfast. At 7:15 a.m., a bus departs for the FCA Breakfast (optional). FCA Breakfast at 7:30 a.m. (coat and tie). Buffet lunch at the Dupont Plaza, noon to 1 p.m. Taping and treatment at 1:30 p.m. Buses depart for practice at Tropical Park at 2:30 p.m. Dinner at 7 p.m. Jai Alai at 8 p.m. Players Hospitality Room open. Curfew at midnight.
  • December 31: Breakfast. Lunch buffet at the Dupont Plaza, noon to 1 p.m. Sit down dinner at 5:15 p.m. Leave for Orange Bowl at 6:20 p.m. Work-out at the Orange Bowl, 7:15 to 8:15 p.m. Movie, snacks. Curfew - lights out - at midnight.

(Reference: All Orange Bowl trip data is from "1981 Orange Bowl Itineraries", Clemson Athletic Department, prepared by Burt Henderson.)



1980 The 1980's 1982