The Clemson Year

[livermush]

1995. Most people know that it came down to playing that season in either Clemson or at South Carolina but did you know that there was also an idea on the table to play that first season at Lowes Motor Speedway in Concord?

Lay out a football field in the infield and open the doors to 150k seating capacity. Never was seriously considered because the field would be too far away from the fans but it was an idea during brainstorming after the franchise was awarded.

[CBDellinger]

That would have been in-sane!

[Cyberjag]

I remember that and I was hoping they would do it.

[panthers55]

I am glad they didn't go that route. You would have been way too far away from the field. Although I have to admit that some days going down I-85 in bumper to bumper traffic and navigating that road into Clemson before and after the game was incredibly trying. I did learn all the backroads and how to use those services roads to skirt alot of traffic. If only I had my GPS back then, I could have been alot happier. I remember sometimes getting ahead of the traffic jam going the back way out to the highway and not risking stopping for food or a bathroom break until I was way out in front. Luckily I never got a ticket.

All in all though I was so excited to be seeing professional football and the Panthers for the first time, it was all good. One thing that was nice was that we got to park almost right next to the stadium.

[Squirrel]

That would have been hell on traffic Speedway blvd hadn't been built yet.

[Scrumtrilescent]

Originally Posted by panthers55

I am glad they didn't go that route. You would have been way too far away from the field. Although I have to admit that some days going down I-85 in bumper to bumper traffic and navigating that road into Clemson before and after the game was incredibly trying. I did learn all the backroads and how to use those services roads to skirt alot of traffic. If only I had my GPS back then, I could have been alot happier. I remember sometimes getting ahead of the traffic jam going the back way out to the highway and not risking stopping for food or a bathroom break until I was way out in front. Luckily I never got a ticket.

All in all though I was so excited to be seeing professional football and the Panthers for the first time, it was all good. One thing that was nice was that we got to park almost right next to the stadium.

Yep. Tossing the football around and hitting the concourse was about the only good thing about that stadium.

Once we found out the route the team buses took, we just followed them back most of the way. That was a horrible drive regardless.

[Mintal]

Sitting 5 rows behind the visitors bench was fun though, we got a few New Orleans players to lose a little focus...

[Fiz]

oh man. can you imagine if they'd just let, for like the first preseason game, anyone come that wanted to? open admission?

that'd be incredible

[JakeFlake]

Panthers fans can thank Mike McGee, the former AD at South Carolina, for playing at Clemson that year. He turned them away from playing at Williams-Brice Stadium.

[Hoopty]

would have been cool...they could have a race going on in the oval at the same time a game is going on in the infield. Players on the bench could help out on pit-stops.

[monstercat]

Originally Posted by JakeFlake

Panthers fans can thank Mike McGee, the former AD at South Carolina, for playing at Clemson that year. He turned them away from playing at Williams-Brice Stadium.

I'd like to know what his reasoning was, because surely it couldn't have been a financial concern. It must have been either a scheduling problem, or maybe they didn't have the groundskeepers to handle all the extra field maintenance.

[JakeFlake]

Originally Posted by monstercat

I'd like to know what his reasoning was, because surely it couldn't have been a financial concern. It must have been either a scheduling problem, or maybe they didn't have the groundskeepers to handle all the extra field maintenance.

Some of that yes, but mainly, if I recall correctly, he didn't want anyone "competing" with Gamecock football. He thought the Panthers would dilute his product. He never lived it down and he took A LOT of heat.

[Scrumtrilescent]

Yep. My family is still a little mad at that.

[monstercat]

Originally Posted by JakeFlake

Some of that yes, but mainly, if I recall correctly, he didn't want anyone "competing" with Gamecock football. He thought the Panthers would dilute his product. He never lived it down and he took A LOT of heat.

Yeah, that's a pretty lame excuse. It's a damn shame too, since they're straight down I-77.

[livermush]

I basically had to give my other ticket away to compensate for somebody driving down that year. The distance wasn't the problem as much as the bumper to bumper traffic.

I would have loved to see Humpy Wheeler get the opportunity to market an entire NFL season at the speedway though. The entertainment would have been better than what the Panthers come up with.