1951 Clemson Tigers football
Gator Bowl, L 0–14 vs. Miami (FL)
ConferenceSouthern Conference
Ranking
APNo. T–19
Record7–3 (3–1 SoCon)
Head coach
CaptainBob Patton
Home stadiumMemorial Stadium
Seasons
← 1950
1952 →
1951 Southern Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   T W   L   T
No. 3 Maryland + 5 – 0 – 0 10 – 0 – 0
VMI + 5 – 0 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Washington and Lee 5 – 1 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
William & Mary 5 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
No. 19 Clemson 3 – 1 – 0 7 – 3 – 0
Duke 4 – 2 – 0 5 – 4 – 1
South Carolina 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
Wake Forest 5 – 3 – 0 6 – 4 – 0
George Washington 2 – 3 – 1 2 – 6 – 1
North Carolina 2 – 3 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
West Virginia 2 – 3 – 0 5 – 5 – 0
NC State 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 7 – 0
Richmond 2 – 6 – 0 3 – 8 – 0
The Citadel 1 – 3 – 0 4 – 6 – 0
Furman 1 – 4 – 1 3 – 6 – 1
Davidson 1 – 5 – 0 1 – 8 – 0
VPI 1 – 7 – 0 2 – 8 – 0
  • + – Conference co-champions
Rankings from AP Poll

The 1951 Clemson Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Clemson College in the Southern Conference during the 1951 college football season. In its 12th season under head coach Frank Howard, the team compiled a 7–3 record (3–1 against conference opponents), finished fifth in the Southern Conference, was tied with Holy Cross at No. 19 in the final AP Poll, lost to Miami (FL) in the 1952 Gator Bowl, and outscored all opponents by a total of 196 to 97.[1][2] The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.

Bob Patton was the team captain. The team's statistical leaders included tailback Billy Hair with 1,004 passing yards and 698 rushing yards and end Glenn Smith with 42 points (7 touchdowns).[3]

Billy Hair and Glenn Smith were selected as first-team players on the 1951 All-Southern Conference football team.[4] Four Clemson players were named to the All-South Carolina football team for 1951: Hair, Smith, tackle Bob Patton, and guard Dan DiMucci.[5]

Schedule

DateTimeOpponentRankSiteResultAttendanceSource
September 22 8:00 p.m. Presbyterian*
W 53–6[6]
September 29 9:15 p.m.at Rice*
W 20–1435,000[7]
October 6 8:00 p.m.at NC State No. 18
W 6–020,000[8]
October 13 11:00 p.m.at No. 20 Pacific (CA)* No. 16
L 7–21[9]
October 25 2:00 p.m.at South Carolina
L 0–2035,000[10]
November 3 2:00 p.m. Wake Forest
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Clemson, SC
W 21–624,000[11]
November 10 2:00 p.m. Boston College*
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Clemson, SC (rivalry)
W 21–214,000[12]
November 17 2:00 p.m.at Furman
W 34–14[13]
November 24 2:00 p.m. Auburn*
  • Memorial Stadium
  • Clemson, SC (rivalry)
W 34–018,500[14]
January 1, 1952 vs. Miami (FL)* No. 19
L 0–1437,208[15]
  • *Non-conference game
  • Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
  • All times are in Eastern time

[16]

References

  1. ^ "2016 Media Guide" (PDF). clemsontigers.com. Clemson Athletics. 2016. pp. 200–208. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
  2. ^ "1951 Clemson Tigers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 2, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. ^ "Clemson 1960 Football Media Guide". Clemson University. 1960. pp. 40–42. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
  4. ^ Clemson 1960 Football Media Guide, p. 22.
  5. ^ Clemson 1960 Football Media Guide, p. 23.
  6. ^ "Clemson's Bengals smash Hose, 53–6". The Charlotte Observer. September 23, 1951. Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. ^ "Clemson nips Owls, 20–14". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. September 30, 1951. Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. ^ "Clemson edges Wolfpack, 6–0". The Atlanta Journal. October 7, 1951. Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ "COP churns past Clemson 21–7 to stay undefeated". The Press Democrat. October 14, 1951. Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. ^ "Defense Is Offense As Birds Shine". The Greenville News. October 26, 1951. p. 18 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. ^ "Clemson rips Deacons 21–6". The Nashville Tennessean. November 4, 1951. Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ "Hair provides Clemson's spark as B.C. bows, 21–2". The Boston Globe. November 11, 1951. Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  13. ^ "Tigers lace Furman in lively tilt, 34–14". The Charlotte Observer. November 18, 1951. Retrieved September 13, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  14. ^ "Clemson batters Auburn 34–0, in homecoming". The State. November 25, 1951. Retrieved February 10, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ "Revengeful Miami blanks Clemson in Gator 14–0". The State. January 2, 1952. Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  16. ^ "Clemson Football Media Guide - 1951". Clemson University. 1951. p. 2. Retrieved November 7, 2023.
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