There are some things you do not mess with. The tradition of the Clemson Tigers running down the hill is one of them.

There are several things to complain about when it comes to what preludes the Tigers charging down the hill on the east side of Memorial Stadium and flooding into Death Valley these days.

Whose idea was it for Tiger Band to play the Orange Bowl March and then wait five minutes before playing Tiger Rag as the Tigers run through the tunnel?

I mean, it is not appealing, and it takes away from the tradition of the hill. As one fan told me on Sunday, “It looks kinda out of sync.”

For those who have not attended a Clemson game this year, you probably do not know what I am talking about. For some reason, someone inside Clemson Athletics thought it would be a good idea to change the way they do things prior to the Tigers charging down the hill.

I really do not understand why they did it. It was not broken. Why fix something that is not broken?

I did not hear any of the players and coaches complaining about the old way they were doing it. I did not hear fans complaining, either.

So why change it?

Here is what I do know. The way they are doing things now does not look good, and fans are complaining. A lot of fans that were at last Saturday’s NC State game do not like the changes to the Tigers running down the hill.

In the past, Tiger Band, after playing the alma mater, would start playing the Orange Bowl March and form the tunnel for the Tigers to run through.

During this part, the Tigers made it to the hill, unloaded the buses and gathered at Howard’s Rock. Since Dabo Swinney has been the coach, he usually stands in front of the team and waves his arms to get the Death Valley crowd fired up. It makes for a grander entrance.

It set the tone for the game and made Death Valley even more intimidating for the opposing team.

It usually took the band a minute to form the tunnel and perform the Orange Bowl March. Once they got in position and the song ended, the cannon fired, and the team charged down the hill.

This is why legendary broadcaster Brent Musburger called it “The Most Exciting 25 Seconds in College Football” back in 1985. All of what I described is what makes it work.

Here is what the athletic department changed it to now, and you can watch it here.

After the alma mater, Tiger Band performs the Orange Bowl March, forms the tunnel and then stops. Once the band has stopped performing, nothing happens for 20 seconds, then a video, starring Clemson legend Christian Wilkins, is played. Once that video is over, the song “We will Rock You” is played over the loudspeakers.

This goes on for about 90 seconds, then a second video about the Hill and Howard’s Rock is played that lasts about 30 seconds. Once the video is complete, the cannon fires and the Tigers run down the hill.

My first complaint is why is the band just standing on the field for five minutes doing nothing. It makes no sense.

Secondly, do we need two videos? If you like the videos, that is fine, but can we figure something else out, please.

Also, doing it the old way, fans are more involved. Clemson fans clap during the Orange Bowl March, which keeps them engaged, which makes for a better atmosphere.

During the new way, they are watching a video and doing nothing really. If you watched the video link I provided, you see most of them are on their phone and are not participating like they have in the past.

The whole thing is clunky, and it takes away from one of the great traditions in college football. It really hurts the whole atmosphere, in my opinion.

Oh, by the way, get rid of the song, “We will Rock You.” There is nothing unique about it. And it has nothing to do with the Hill or Clemson. It does not need to be used before the Tigers run down the hill.

The hill is what makes Clemson unique, so let’s keep it unique.

Let’s go back to the old way of doing things. Let’s make the Tigers running down the hill be about “The Most Exciting 25 Seconds in College Football” and nothing else.

—photo by Bart Boatwright

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