Capture this moment. You are walking through a tunnel that leads to the view of a green field, a football field that is, but it’s not just any ordinary football field. It’s Clemson’s Death Valley. You take your seat amongst the 80,000 other fans wearing orange ponchos trying to stay dry during the rain that continues to fall. You look at the scoreboard. There’s only five minutes left until kickoff.

You start to hear the sounds of Tiger Band as they make their way up middle of the field to spell out “Tigers.” You look at the scoreboard once again. There is only 2 minutes left until kickoff. The stadium becomes louder. The rain pours harder.

Out of the corner of your eye, you see lights. I’m not talking about stadium lights. I’m talking about red and blue police lights.  Right then and there you realize you are about to experience the most exciting 25 seconds in college football.

Fast forward. A loud boom goes off in your ear. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney is leading the way down the hill with his army of players right behind him. The stadium grows louder. Your heart beats faster.

Fast forward. Everyone’s voices are gone and rain continues to come down in sheets. The current score is 24-22 in the fourth quarter. The opposing team just scored with seven seconds on the clock. A snap and a two-point conversion will determine Clemson’s fate. The opposing quarterback signals for the ball. The ball is snapped. Raindrops disperse like shattered glass as the Clemson defenders collide with the opposing team to stop the run that would devastate the Clemson family.

The game is over. Death Valley goes crazy.

Now FREEZE. Observe the atmosphere. A sea of orange rushes the field. From your view, it looks as if there is a giant wave of orange forming on the hill getting ready to crash amongst the players and thousands of fans, who have already made their way to the paw in the center of the field. You see fans jumping over the wall. You hear C-L-E-M-S-O—-N like you have never heard it before.

Suddenly, people began wrapping their arm around each other and swaying. You realize how lucky you are to be apart of one of the most amazing traditions in college football. You grab the person beside and begin singing, “Where the blue ridge yawn greatness where the tigers play….” You look down onto the field. The players, the coaches, and the fans are all joined together swaying to their alma mater. They begin to raise their hands as they sing the last part of the song, “That the tigers roar may echo….” You look at the scoreboard where “Tigers Win” jumps out at you. You realize you have just experienced a moment that you will never forget.

I was motivated to write this article because I read a lot of tweets after the Florida State game that made fun of Clemson fans rushing the field because they were No.1 and “they needed to act like they have been there before.”

The thing is we have been there. We have experienced everything you want to experience in college football. Through blood, sweat and tears, we have watched our team fight their way to the top to be No. 1 and now we celebrate.

We don’t rush the field because we haven’t ever been there before. In fact we have been there every game since Clemson opened Memorial Stadium in 1942. We rush the field at Clemson because it is tradition. We have done it during the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. We are the only major college in the country that can and still does.

Win or lose, Clemson fans all come together on the field and join hands to congratulate our Tigers for a job well done or a heartfelt “Good effort. We will get them next time.”

See Clemson fans have been there before. Obviously you critics out there have not.