On Our Last Day as National Champions

All week, various people have been consoling me about my Clemson Tigers. It's almost as if the roof of the Mercedes-Benz Superdome caved in and pulverized every last one of them, the way folks have reacted. I even had a former neighbor (who shall remain nameless to protect him from his own alumni base), a die hard Gamecock, tell me he had been pulling for Clemson and was really disappointed our season came to an end. I'm not going to say that the Sugar Bowl loss wasn't disappointing, but after over two decades of being a Tiger fan, you won't catch me complaining about a 12-2 season, either.

When I was a student at Clemson, we were not what you would call a football powerhouse. I never realized it, though, because Clemson fans always show up, are always enthusiastic, are always what we have now termed "all in." It never occurred to me that we weren't the best team around because of all the pomp and circumstance that always surrounded the games. We tailgated in our orange best, we were in the stadium ready for kickoff, we sang the alma mater and cheered, and after the game, we gathered at the Paw down on the field (I don't do that any more, since the great fibula break of 2016, but I'm there in spirit). There were many seasons when Clemson finished somewhere around 6-6 or 7-5, and we were all content. "Next season!" became our battle cry, and we meant it. I suppose that in my mind, a national title was perpetually just around the corner. Hope among the Clemson faithful has always sprung eternal.

And then there was this day last year. My beloved Clemson Tigers were (as always) the underdogs playing Alabama's Crimson Tide in the College Football National Championship. We had been in this same spot a year before and suffered a heartbreaking loss. I couldn't be there because of that aforementioned broken ankle, but I sent a Flat Susie doll with a friend and lived vicariously, and what an adventure that little doll had! I watched from my couch as pictures rolled in of Flat Susie with Peyton Manning, quarterback Deshaun Watson's mother, Deann, the Clemson cheerleaders and band, even Kirk Herbstreit from ESPN. If you haven't read about Flat Susie's trip to the National Championship game, or you just want to revisit all the fun she had, her story is here.

I'm sure I don't need to remind you how that game ended, but for the sake of strolling down glorious memory lane, I will: in the final seconds of the fourth quarter (while all our hearts were stopped), Watson threw a 2-yard touchdown pass, caught by Hunter Renfrow, to win the game. That's right: WIN. THE. GAME. Clemson Tigers win!

Confetti fell as the players embraced. Grown men wept with emotion. 310-pound linemen dropped into splits out of pure jubilation. We were all collectively shocked, awed, ecstatic. David had beaten Goliath, and a 35-year drought since Clemson's last national championship win was over. I hope I never forget that feeling.

I'm not sure I ever fell asleep that night, but rather laid in bed with a smile on my face as I processed what had just happened. I never strayed from my television the entire next day, listening to recaps of that amazing game, watching that final play again and again and pinching myself. I got goosebumps as I saw the miles and miles of what we know as Clemson family, lining the roads of the town to welcome the champs home after their hard-fought victory. Midweek, I wore a Clemson shirt to buy groceries and had total strangers stop to congratulate me on the Tiger victory. I've never had a better shopping experience in my life!

We went to Clemson that following weekend for the celebration and parade. I can't adequately describe the energy flowing through tiny downtown Clemson that Friday evening, as throngs of fans waited in queue lines to buy championship merchandise. If joy has a radio frequency, that was what was in the airwaves that particular weekend. The long wait was over, there was no need for our "next season!" battle cry: this was our season. Finally! I bought two shirts, a banner for our tailgate, a koozie or three, and a magnet for the car. I stood in the overcast dreariness the next day and watched that parade until my face hurt from smiling.

What a year it's been as the national champs. Our guys went to the White House and presented our President with a Clemson jersey. There have been wondeful anecdotes (like the team coming to the aid of a car crash victim during practice), and plenty of humorous moments (such as Dexter Lawrence's desire to "get some of them doughnuts" --meaning beignets--when he got to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl). We are Clemson, and we know that, champions or not, we are not perfect. We stumble, we make mistakes, and because of that, we don't take our winning for granted. We learn from our blunders, and hopefully we come roaring back. What a ride!

As a girl from the South who grew up in pageants, when it's time to crown a successor, the titleholder is given her final walk: a last moment to reflect on her reign, one more time to shine, one last moment to hold that spotlight. Tonight there will be a new national titleholder, but not yet; today, this one last day, the Clemson Tigers are the national champions. I'm wearing orange in honor of the occasion, and I hope you'll take some time today to soak it all in, one last time, and remember that feeling we all had just a year ago when it all came together in a magical moment. Dabo has a saying, "The fun is in the winning," and to say winning the national championship was "fun" would be a gross understatement. Instead, as this most awesome time comes to its close, I'll refer to another saying we have among the Clemson faithful: "It's always a great day to be a Clemson Tiger!" Especially today.