MOM DYMON’S HEART
IS FOREVER IN
BY RACHEL EAGLETON
DYMON ADAMS’ LIFE CHANGED FOREVER 17 YEARS AGO WITH THE PASSING OF HIS MOTHER DURING HIS FIRST GAME AS A TIGER. AFTER A LONG JOURNEY, HE RETURNS TO CLEMSON TO MAKE HIS COACHING DEBUT WITH THE LOVE FOR HIS MOTHER EVERPRESENT IN HIS HEART.
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eptember 5. This date on the calendar will forever hold memories of football games played, friends made and tailgates attended. But as the years go by, most will forget the final score of the game, forget exactly how they met that one special friend and forget what kind of food they ate before heading to see the Tigers play. What they will not forget is how exactly they felt on that day. For one Tiger, student assistant coach Dymon Adams, September 5 holds the memory of tragedy, strength and eventually, triumph. He is no stranger to the Clemson family. “I grew up with Clemson since I was a little kid,” he smiled. “I believed I was destined to come here.” After verbally committing to Clemson in high school, Adams enrolled in junior college for a year and a half after just missing the mark on his SAT. 122
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“I had a lot of growing up to do,” admitted Adams. “I felt obligated to come back because Clemson stuck with me (through junior college).” When Adams made it back to Clemson in the spring of 1998, his expectations were high. “I had a great spring, a really great spring. There were many high expectations. I was going to be a really big part of the team.” Adams was right. On April 4, 1998, he had 141 yards on 26 carries in the Spring Game. He outrushed Travis Zachery and Woodrow Dantzler that day. It is still the most rushing yards by a Tiger in a Spring Game. When the Tigers ran down the Hill on Sept. 5, 1998 before Clemson played Furman, Adams’ mother, Rosa, was in the stands to see her son play. “My mom had dedicated a lot of time, energy and work to see me get back to playing shape,” recalled Adams. “She knew how badly I wanted it...it was something we wanted together. “My sister says it was the happiest she has ever seen my mom, the day they came here. I was happy because I had been in Iowa playing (at a junior college) and I wanted her to see me play.” The game began as any other in Memorial Stadium and Adams was waiting for his chance to head into the game.
“I was going to get my chance towards the middle or the end of the second quarter and finish out the rest of the game,” remembered Adams. “Right
before I went on the field, one coach was giving me a play in this ear and coach Tommy West grabbed my arm, and that’s when they told me.”