Clemson sponsors teams in eight men's and eleven women's
NCAA sanctioned sports. The first intercollegiate match in Clemson history was a baseball game on April 24, 1896, against
Furman. The school's
first football team followed that fall. Five women's sports were introduced in 1975 after the passage of
Title IX. Women's diving was the most recent sport to be dropped, following the 2017–18 season, while three sports have been added in recent years: softball (2020), women's lacrosse (2023), and gymnastics (2024).
Timeline Team national championships marked with red lines. DateFormat = mm/dd/yyyy ImageSize = width:900 height:auto barincrement:20 Period = from:01/01/1896 till:07/01/2025 TimeAxis = orientation:horizontal PlotArea = right:30 left:0 bottom:50 top:5 Colors = id:barcolor value:rgb(0.95,0.5,0.4) id:line value:black id:bg value:white id:Bar1 value:rgb(0.8,0.8,0.7) id:Bar2 value:rgb(0.9,0.9,0.6) PlotData= width:15 textcolor:black shift:(5,-5) anchor:from fontsize:s bar:BSB color:skyblue from:01/01/1896 till:end text:Baseball (1896–present) bar:FB color:skyblue from:07/01/1896 till:end text:Football (1896–present) at:07/01/1981 mark:(line,red) at:07/01/2016 mark:(line,red) at:07/01/2018 mark:(line,red) bar:MOT color:skyblue from:07/01/1905 till:end text:Men's Outdoor Track & Field (1905–present) bar:MTN color:skyblue from:07/01/1907 till:07/01/1931 text:Men's Tennis (1907–1931, 1934-35, 1937-43, 1946-present) bar:MTN color:skyblue from:07/01/1934 till:07/01/1935 bar:MTN color:skyblue from:07/01/1937 till:07/01/1943 bar:MTN color:skyblue from:07/01/1946 till:end bar:MBB color:skyblue from:01/01/1912 till:end text:Men's Basketball (1912–present) bar:MXC color:skyblue from:07/01/1915 till:07/01/1931 text:Men's Cross Country (1915–1931, 1954-present) bar:MXC color:skyblue from:07/01/1954 till:end bar:MSD color:skyblue from:01/01/1919 till:07/01/2012 text:Men's Swimming & Diving (1919–2012) bar:BOX color:skyblue from:01/01/1928 till:07/01/1948 text:Boxing (1928–1948) bar:MG color:skyblue from:01/01/1930 till:end text:Men's Golf (1930–present) at:07/01/2003 mark:(line,red) bar:MIT color:skyblue from:07/01/1931 till:end text:Men's Indoor Track & Field (1931–present) bar:MSC color:skyblue from:07/01/1934 till:12/31/1939 text:Men's Soccer (1934–1939, 1967-present) bar:MSC color:skyblue from:07/01/1967 till:end at:07/01/1984 mark:(line,red) at:07/01/1987 mark:(line,red) at:07/01/2021 mark:(line,red) at:07/01/2023 mark:(line,red) bar:MFC color:skyblue from:07/01/1970 till:07/01/1982 text:Men's Fencing (1970–1982) bar:WBB color:pink from:07/01/1975 till:end text:Women's Basketball (1975–present) bar:WFC color:pink from:07/01/1975 till:07/01/1982 text:Women's Fencing (1975–1982) bar:WSW color:pink from:07/01/1975 till:07/01/2012 text:Women's Swimming (1975-2012) bar:WDV color:pink from:07/01/1975 till:07/01/2018 text:Women's Diving (1975-2018) bar:WTN color:pink from:07/01/1975 till:end text:Women's Tennis (1975-present) bar:WR color:skyblue from:07/01/1975 till:07/01/1995 text:Wrestling (1975–1995) bar:FH color:pink from:07/01/1977 till:07/01/1981 text:Field Hockey (1977–1981) bar:WVB color:pink from:07/01/1977 till:end text:Women's Volleyball (1977–present) bar:WXC color:pink from:07/01/1978 till:end text:Women's Cross Country (1978-present) bar:WIT color:pink from:07/01/1981 till:end text:Women's Indoor Track & Field (1981–present) bar:WOT color:pink from:07/01/1981 till:end text:Women's Outdoor Track & Field (1981–present) bar:WSC color:pink from:07/01/1994 till:end text:Women's Soccer (1994-present) bar:ROW color:pink from:01/01/1997 till:end text:Women's Rowing (1997–present) bar:WG color:pink from:01/01/2013 till:end shift:-50 text:Women's Golf (2013–present) bar:SB color:pink from:01/01/2020 till:end shift:-70 text:Softball (2020–present) bar:WLX color:pink from:01/01/2023 till:end shift:-140 text:Women's Lacrosse (2023–present) bar:GYM color:pink from:01/01/2024 till:end shift:-150 text:Women's Gymnastics (2024–present) bar:N color:Bar1 from:07/01/1896 till:07/01/1921 text:Southern Intercoll. Athletic Assn. bar:N color:Bar2 from:07/01/1921 till:07/01/1953 text:Southern Conference bar:N color:Bar1 from:07/01/1953 till:end text:Atlantic Coast Conference ScaleMajor = gridcolor:line unit:year increment:10 start:01/01/1896
Baseball at
Russ Chandler Stadium , the Tiger baseball team has posted a combined 32 ACC regular season and tournament championships (the most in the conference), 43 NCAA Tournament appearances, 17 NCAA Regional Titles, four NCAA Super Regional titles, and 12
College World Series appearances. Much of the baseball program's success occurred under
Bill Wilhelm during his 35 seasons as Clemson's head coach.
Erik Bakich is the Tigers' current head coach, having replaced
Monte Lee after the conclusion of the 2022 season.
Basketball The Clemson men's basketball team has qualified for the
NCAA Tournament 13 times, and reached the Sweet 16 four times and the Elite Eight once. They are currently coached by
Brad Brownell since 2010. The Clemson women's basketball team began in 1975, and saw its biggest success in the late 1980s and 1990s. The Tigers reached the NCAA Elite Eight in 1991, and the Sweet Sixteen three times (1989, 1990, 1999). Women's basketball won two
ACC Tournament championships in 1996 and 1999, and the regular season title in 1981. The team is currently coached by
Amanda Butler.
Football Clemson has three national championships in football, the most recent coming in 2018 with a victory over Alabama 44–16 in the
2019 College Football Playoff National Championship. Clemson has appeared in the last six playoffs and won two national championships during those visits. The Tigers also possess the most Atlantic Coast Conference championships with 20, including winning the last six. It has also won greater than 60% of its games, placing it in the top 25 on the all-time winning percentage list. Clemson also won two
Southern Conference titles before joining the
ACC. The 1981 squad, led by Head Coach Danny Ford, became the first athletic team in school history to win a national championship. Clemson defeated Nebraska 22–15 in the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida, to win the 1981 NCAA Football National Championship. Stars of the game included Homer Jordan (QB) and Perry Tuttle (WR). Clemson finished the year 12–0 and ranked #1 in the Associated Press and Coaches polls. Some of the most notable coaching names in Clemson football history are
John Heisman (who also coached at Akron, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Penn, Washington & Jefferson, and Rice; the
Heisman Trophy is named after him),
Jess Neely,
Frank Howard (whom the playing field at Death Valley is named after), and
Danny Ford. After
Tommy Bowden resigned midseason on October 13, 2008,
Dabo Swinney took over as interim head coach. On December 1, 2008, Swinney was named head coach of the Clemson Tigers football team. Before each home game, the team ends pre-game warm ups and proceeds to the locker room. With five minutes to go before game time, three buses leave the street behind the West Endzone carrying the Clemson football players. The buses pull to a stop at the gate in front of The Hill, and the Tigers gather at the top, where each player proceeds to rub "Howard's Rock", which is an imported rock from Death Valley, California that was presented to Frank Howard in 1967. While Tiger Rag is played and a cannon sounds, the Tigers run down the hill onto the field in front of over 83,000 screaming fans. This tradition has been dubbed "The most exciting 25 seconds in college football" by sportscaster
Brent Musburger.
Golf The Tiger men's golf team have a tradition of being among the best in the ACC and the nation, having won several ACC titles and regularly qualifying for the NCAA Tournament. In 2003, Clemson defeated Oklahoma State to win its first
National Championship in golf and the 4th overall for the school. In addition to that victory, Clemson also won the ACC and NCAA East Regional titles that year, making the Tigers the first program in NCAA history to win its conference, regional, and national championship tournaments in the same year. Two Tigers have won individual NCAA Championships:
Charles Warren in 1997 and
Turk Pettit in 2021.
Gymnastics Clemson began sponsoring a women's gymnastics program in the 2024 season. The Tigers have appeared in the NCAA tournament in each of their first three seasons and captured the 2026 ACC Gymnastics Championship.
Lacrosse Clemson began sponsoring a women's lacrosse program in the 2023 season. The Tigers made their first
NCAA Tournament appearance in 2025.
Rowing In 2009, the Lady Tigers rowing team became the first team other than Virginia to win the ACC Championship since the ACC began sponsoring the women's rowing championship in 2000. That year, Kelly Murphy, Lydia Hassell, Callen Erdeky, Allison Colberg, and Meredith Razzolini, won the
NCAA title in Fours. In their 36 appearances in the NCAA tournament, the men's soccer team garnered runner-up finishes in 1979 and 2015, and has appeared in the NCAA Final Four ten times, with the 2023 squad being the most recent team to accomplish that feat. In addition to their NCAA titles, the men's program has won 16 combined ACC regular season and tournament titles, with the last one coming in the 2014 ACC Tournament. The Tigers have known five coaches in their history: Fred Kirchner (1934–1939, 8–6–4 record),
I. M. Ibrahim (1967–1994, 388–100–31 career record), Trevor Adair (1995–2008, 50–48–10 record at Clemson),
Phil Hindson (Interim coach in 2009, 6–12–1 record) and
Mike Noonan (2010–present). Famous former Tigers include
Oguchi Onyewu,
Stuart Holden and
Paul Stalteri, all three whom are capped for their respective nations, and
Hermann Trophy winners
Bruce Murray (1987),
Wojtek Krakowiak (1998), and
Robbie Robinson (2019). Women's soccer became a varsity sport at Clemson in 1994. The women's soccer team has won the ACC regular season crown twice, and advanced to the NCAA tournament twenty-four times. The team has never been able to advance past the Semifinals of the NCAA tournament. However, the team has been able to reach the Quarterfinals six times, advancing to the Final Four in 2023. The Tigers have known five coaches in their history
Tracey Leone (1994–1998, 89–39–4 career record),
Ray Leone (1999–2000, 33–10–3 career record),
Todd Bramble (2001–2007, 80–51–17 career record),
Hershey Strosberg (2008–2010, 14–39–1 career record), and
Eddie Radwanski (2011–present).
Softball The Tigers first fielded a softball team in the
COVID-19 pandemic-shortened 2020 season. In each of their full seasons, the Tigers have made the NCAA Tournament, and reached the Super Regional three times. Pitcher
Valerie Cagle won both the
Softball America and
USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year awards in 2023. Clemson won the ACC Regular Season Title in 2021 and the ACC Softball Tournament in 2025.
Tennis Men's tennis became a varsity sport at Clemson in 1907. The Tigers have participated in the
NCAA Tournament 23 times since dual match play began in 1977, and has been ranked in the top 25 by the
Intercollegiate Tennis Association 19 times. Additionally,
Lawson Duncan was runner-up in the
1984 NCAA Tournament in singles.
Jay Berger was a two-time All-American for Clemson, and went on to a pro career in which his highest world ranking was #7. The Tiger women have played in 22
NCAA Tournaments since 1976, reaching the semifinals in 2004 and 2005, and the quarterfinals in 1983. They also have 28 ITA Top 25 seasons, including finishing 5th in 2004. Individually,
Josipa Bek and
Keri Wong were finalists in doubles in 2011, and
Gigi Fernández was finalist in singles in 1983, before winning Olympic gold medals in doubles in 1992 and 1996.
Track & field and cross country Men's track and field was the third official sport at Clemson, with the program beginning in 1905. Cross country was added in 1915, and Clemson began indoor competition in 1931. The men's team finished second at the
NCAA indoor meet in 1992 and 1993, and third in 1998 and 1999. Tiger athletes have won 12 indoor and three outdoor individual national titles, and the team has won 12 indoor, 11 outdoor, and seven cross country ACC championships. Women's cross country began in 1975, followed by indoor & outdoor track & field in 1981. Women's athletes have won seven indoor and five outdoor national championships, while the team has won six indoor, seven outdoor, and one cross country ACC titles. The women's team has a best NCAA finish of third at the 2001 indoor meet.
Volleyball The Tiger women's volleyball team has won one ACC Tournament championship (1997) and two regular season championships (1999 & 2007). The team has participated in the
NCAA Tournament eight times since its inception in 1977.
Discontinued varsity sports ;Boxing Clemson began a boxing team in 1928. The team won the 1938 and 1940
Southern Conference championships, and produced seven individual SoCon champions. ;Fencing The Tigers began sponsoring men's fencing in 1970, followed by women's fencing in 1975. The men's team won the
ACC championship in 1979, and participated in the
NCAA tournament every year from 1976 through 1982, when they finished as runners-up. Three Tigers were named All-Americans: Steve Renshaw (1977, 1979–1980), Jay Thomas (1979–80, 1982), and Steve Wasserman (1980–1982). The women's team reached the
AIAW National tournament in 1981 and the inaugural women's NCAA tournament in 1982. The programs were discontinued following the 1982 season. ;Field Hockey Clemson's short-lived
field hockey program operated from 1977 until 1981. The team had one All-American selection, Barbie Johnson in 1981. ;Swimming & Diving The Tigers men's swimming & diving team was established in 1919, and won the Southern Conference championship in 1939, and the ACC team championship in 1986. The women's swimming & diving team began in 1975, and won 4 ACC championships (1987, 1988, 1989, 1997), and
Mitzi Kremer won 4 NCAA championships. Both swimming teams and men's diving were discontinued after the 2012 season, and women's diving was discontinued after 2017. ;Wrestling Wrestling at Clemson University was discontinued in 1995, despite the success of the program, due to financial shortages from Tiger Athletics' funding from the university. The wrestling program began in 1975 winning the ACC title as a team under coach
Eddie Griffin in 1991. The Tiger wrestling program produced eight All-Americans, two NCAA Champions, and a finish at the NCAA Championships as high as 7th in 1994.
Noel Loban won Clemson's first national title in 1980, and went on to win a bronze medal in the
1984 Olympics.
Sammie Henson is a former standout at Clemson, as one of the most accomplished Tiger wrestlers, with 1993 and 1994 NCAA Champion titles, who eventually earned a
2000 Olympics silver medal and became a World Champion in 1998 in
freestyle wrestling. ==Championships==