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lemson has a rich bowl tradition. The Tigers have 20 bowl wins, 17th-most in history, and their 39 bowl games are tied for 17th-most in history. Their first bowl game was in the 1940 Cotton Bowl when the Tigers defeated Frank Leahy (Boston College) 6-3. The Tigers have played in a bowl game 27 of the last 31 years (including the 2015 season). That is among the top-10 bowl appearances since 1985. Clemson has also been bowl-eligible 17 consecutive years. The Tigers have beaten some of the top programs in college football history in bowl games. The list of schools Clemson has beaten in a bowl game includes prominent programs Louisiana State, Miami (Fla.), Nebraska, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Penn State, Stanford, Tennessee and West Virginia. Clemson won its first three bowl games, wins over Boston College, Missouri and Miami (Fla.). The three coaches Clemson beat in those games were Frank Leahy, Don Faurot and Andy Gustafson, and all three are in the College Football Hall of Fame. Clemson has a football program that has been steady over the years in bowl games, no matter who has served as head coach of the Tigers. No less than seven different head coaches (Jess Neely, Frank Howard, Danny Ford, Ken
BOWL HISTORY BOWL RESULTS (20-19) Year Bowl Site Opponent (Rank) W-L Score 1939 Cotton Dallas, Texas Boston College (11,NR) W 6-3 1948 Gator Jacksonville, Fla. Missouri W 24-23 1950 Orange Miami, Fla. Miami (Fla.) (15,16) W 15-14 1951 Gator Jacksonville, Fla. Miami (Fla.) L 0-14 1956 Orange Miami, Fla. Colorado (20,18) L 21-27 1958 Sugar New Orleans, La. Louisiana State (1,1) L 0-7 1959 Bluebonnet Houston, Texas TCU (7,8) W 23-7 1977 Gator Jacksonville, Fla. Pittsburgh (10,9) L 3-34 1978 Gator Jacksonville, Fla. Ohio State (20,NR) W 17-15 1979 Peach Atlanta, Ga. Baylor (19,19) L 18-24 1981 Orange Miami, Fla. Nebraska (4,4) W 22-15 1985 Independence Shreveport, La. Minnesota L 13-20 1986 Gator Jacksonville, Fla. Stanford (20,17) W 27-21 1987 Citrus Orlando, Fla. Penn State (20,19) W 35-10 1988 Citrus Orlando, Fla. Oklahoma (10,11) W 13-6 1989 Gator Jacksonville, Fla. West Virginia (17,17) W 27-7 1990 Hall of Fame Tampa, Fla. Illinois (16,17) W 30-0 1991 Citrus Orlando, Fla. California (14,14) L 13-37 1993 Peach Atlanta, Ga. Kentucky W 14-13 1995 Gator Jacksonville, Fla. Syracuse L 0-41 1996 Peach Atlanta, Ga. Louisiana State (17,16) L 7-10 1997 Peach Atlanta, Ga. Auburn (13,13) L 17-21 1999 Peach Atlanta, Ga. Mississippi State (15,16) L 7-17 2000 Gator Jacksonville, Fla. Virginia Tech (6,5) L 20-41 2001 Humanitarian Boise, Idaho Louisiana Tech W 49-24 2002 Tangerine Orlando, Fla. Texas Tech L 15-55 2003 Peach Atlanta, Ga. Tennessee (6,7) W 27-14 2005 Champs Sports Orlando, Fla. Colorado W 19-10 2006 Music City Nashville, Tenn. Kentucky L 20-28 2007 Chick-fil-A Atlanta, Ga. Auburn (22,21) L 20-23 2008 Gator Jacksonville, Fla. Nebraska L 21-26 2009 Music City Nashville, Tenn. Kentucky W 21-13 2010 Meineke Car Care Charlotte, N.C. South Florida L 26-31 2011 Orange Miami Gardens, Fla. West Virginia (23,22) L 33-70 2012 Chick-fil-A Atlanta, Ga. Louisiana State (9,7) W 25-24 2013 Orange Miami Gardens, Fla. Ohio State (7,6) W 40-35 2014 Russell Athletic Orlando, Fla. Oklahoma (NR,24) W 40-6 2015 Orange Miami Gardens, Fla. Oklahoma (4,3) W 37-17 CFP National Championship Glendale, Ariz. Alabama (2,2) L 40-45 Note: Years are regular season, not necessarily the calendar year the game was played; rankings by AP,USA.
DEXTER DAVIS, WHO BROKE UP THE GAME’S FINAL PASS IN THE ENDZONE, HELPED CLEMSON TO A 13-6 WIN OVER NO. 10 OKLAHOMA IN THE 1989 CITRUS BOWL.
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2016 FOOTBALL MEDIA GUIDE
BANKS McFADDEN LED THE TIGERS TO THEIR FIRST BOWL WIN IN HISTORY ON JANUARY 1, 1940.