ED McDANIEL
122
LINDA RUTTER
TIM TEUFEL
FOOTBALL • 1988-91
SWIMMING • 1982-86
BASEBALL • 1979,80
Ed McDaniel was a four-year starter during a great era in Clemson football. During McDaniel’s career, he was a part of a program that finished in the top 20 all four years, won two ACC championships and won three bowl games. In 1991, McDaniel was named a first-team AllAmerican by College & Pro Football Weekly and was an AP Third-Team All-American that season. He also received First-Team All-ACC honors and was one of four semifinalists for the Butkus Award. Today, he would have gotten a trip to Orlando and the College Football Awards Show, but there was no such program in those days. McDaniel had 114 tackles in the 1991 season, when Clemson led the nation in rushing defense. He paced the Tigers in 1990 as a junior with 109. That Clemson defense led the nation in total defense, the only Tiger team other than the 2014 squad to lead the nation in total defense. McDaniel suffered some injuries his sophomore year and finished with just 62 tackles, but he helped that team to a 10-2 record, with wins over Florida State and West Virginia. As a freshman, the inside linebacker had 104 tackles to lead the team that finished No. 9 in the polls. In his career, McDaniel had 389 tackles, sixth most in school history. His fierce hitting also caused 10 fumbles, tied for first in school history with Jeff Davis. McDaniel was drafted in 1991 by the Minnesota Vikings. During his NFL career, he earned his degree from Clemson. Playing his entire 10-year professional career with the Vikings, he was named to the Pro Bowl in 1998. He retired in 2001.
Linda Rutter earned several honors throughout her Clemson career, including All-America honors in consecutive season (1985,86). Perhaps her top career honor took place at the ACC championships, where she won the 200 freestyle three consecutive years (1984-86). She is still the only ACC swimmer to win that event at the conference meet three straight years. She joins Paulette Russell (500 free, 1991-93) as the only Tigers to win an event at the ACC championships three consecutive years. As a sophomore in 1984, she won the 200 freestyle and 500 freestyle at the ACC championships, joining diver Nancy Wellish as the only Tiger to win two events at that ACC championship. Later that season, she participated in the Olympic Trials in the 400 and the 1000 freestyle events. The 1985 season included another individual ACC championship in the 200 freestyle, and she was a part of the championship 800 freestyle. For the first time in her celebrated career, she also earned All-America honors in the same two events. Rutter’s final year (1986) was just as successful. She was an ACC champion in the 200 freestyle for the third straight year and was again part of the 800 freestyle relay championship squad. At the NCAAs, she earned All-America honors in the 400 medley relay, 800 freestyle relay, 200 butterfly and 500 freestyle. Clemson had landmark success as a team in 1986, as she helped Bob Boettner’s squad to a school-record No. 7 final ranking at the NCAA championships. Rutter finished with six ACC championships and six All-America honors. She is third in the Clemson recordbook for fastest time in the 200 butterfly.
Tim Teufel was a starter for Clemson in each of his two years with the program. He helped the Tigers to the NCAA Tournament and a final top-20 national ranking both seasons, including a trip to the 1980 College World Series. Clemson also won the ACC championship both years. The native of Greenwich, Conn., batted .367 over his two seasons, ninth highest in Clemson history, but fifth among players with 200+ at-bats. He is even higher in terms of slugging percentage with a .668 figure, third in school history thanks to 244 total bases in 365 at-bats. Teufel had 24 home runs in those two seasons, including 11 in 1980 when he led the ACC as a secondbaseman. He is the only Tiger second-baseman in history to lead the ACC in long balls. Teufel’s 1980 season was remarkable. In addition to the 11 home runs, he totaled 66 RBIs in just 46 games, hit a team-high .387, had a 43/13 walk-tostrikeout ratio and had 16 doubles. At the end of that season, he was named a Sporting News All-American, an All-Atlantic Region member and finished 11th in the country in RBIs per game. He was named Clemson team MVP as well. Teufel had a knack for playing well against rival South Carolina. In the game that clinched the berth in the College World Series, he hit a first-inning home run against the Gamecocks in the 1980 regional championship game at Clemson. Teufel played in the major leagues for 11 years with the Minnesota Twins, New York Mets and San Diego Padres. He was a member of the 1986 world champion New York Mets. He is now the third-base coach for the Mets.