Thursday March 06, 2008

Something We Can Be Proud Of

Something We Can Be Proud Of
Earlier this week I was in the middle of my usual once (sometimes twice) a week trip to Mac’s Drive In. This trip was like most in that the food was great and the conversation with good friends was special. Mac has been in and out of the hospital so sometimes now the trip is as much about checking in with him and his health as it is the food. Mac’s is a lot like the other places we frequent like Sardi’s, Goober’s, TD’s, Just More Bar-B-Que or the Esso because the food is good but the friends are the draw. To me the food is always secondary to experience because if given a choice of a meal being special food or special people I will always take the special people.

This trip became a little different though when four huge mountain men walked through the doors. Jock McKissic, Rashaad Jackson, Rickey Sapp and Da’Quan Bowers came probably more for the food considering they probably had a bigger appetite than me or my son Ryan. We found out this was Sapp and Bower’s first trip to Mac’s. I can forgive Bowers because he just got to town a few weeks earlier but Sapp has been here long enough and has no excuse for not coming before now.

It did not take long for these guys to make an impression that most of their teammates make though. I just noticed how well mannered and polite each came across.

The impression was made and it led me to today’s blog. I know wins and losses are very important and maybe some folks could care less about what kind of kids they support each week but I still think most do care.

For the past couple of days I have taken a very informal poll among my friends who own restaurants or businesses here in town that come across the student-athletes. I have made inquires to several of my good friends who are faculty or staff on campus as well with the purpose of finding out their impressions of our student-athletes.

It appears to me that sports talk radio, sports internet sites, Sports Center and our sports pages are too often filled with stories of athletes who are in trouble with the law. Hitting girlfriends, DUIs, fights, drug busts, run-ins at strip clubs, illegal fire arms and suspensions for violating team rules seems to dominate the news instead of feel good stories. Heck, I would like to see or hear someone break down a game and the results of a game instead of hearing another lawyer break down a case or an athlete’s chance at beating the rap.

Also, let me preface the conversation by saying Clemson has had its troubles in the past and will again in the future. The other small print item to attach to the conversation is the fact that we never really know anyone. So many times we get surprised by someone’s actions because we had no idea they COULD be capable of such.

With that said, I wanted to take a few minutes and applaud the Clemson student-athletes and those that help them throughout their days here. It is an absolute pleasure to be around these kids.

I still have friends and know people that say they really don’t get into all of the off of the field stuff but winning is the most important aspect to them. Here is my attempt to change that opinion because you should care. Your donations to IPTAY are important and you should expect a lot in return. I know many who give more than they might should so you need to expect more in return. Billy D and the folks at Clemson have done a good job of changing the message and the focus of IPTAY because it really is more about scholarships and opportunities instead of tickets and parking. But you need to be proud of where your money goes and you should expect a lot in return.

I don’t think we have the right to expect a certain win total or a certain number of championships but I do think it is OK to expect the off the field issues to be in good standing because a program should be able to have direct control of this.

I am thankful that our student-athletes don’t put our coaches and fans in embarrassing situations. Do you know how hard it is for a coach to have to defend his/her players seemingly every week? The excuse of “the wrong place at the wrong time” just gets old after a while. I am thinking about opening a bar in some college towns and call it “The Wrong Place at the Wrong Time.” That way their players could always just tell their coaches they actually were at “The Wrong Place at the Wrong Time.”

Clemson student-athletes are young and will make mistakes but it has seems to happen less frequently here. I am friends with several members of the police departments in the city and at the university and would have to think they like doing their job well without criticism from biased fans and coaches claiming they are picking on their poor little ol’ student-athletes.

Clemson has done a nice job of branding. We are familiar with Tillman Hall, Bowman Field, The Tiger Paw, Death Valley, Howard’s Rock and The Hill. I think this current group of student-athletes, coaches, administrators and support staff has also done a terrific job of branding as well. In our local community, Clemson student-athletes are now thought of in terms of their civic responsibility also. They are known more for growing number that have been saved and found Christ. Many of us notice the influence of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and the great job Tony Eubanks and his people have done here.

Today when Clemson student-athletes walk into restaurant or business the locals have taken interest in them as people also. I have seen Clemson student-athletes walk into Mr. Knickerbockers and a local ask, “How is school going? I saw where you made the Dean’s List last semester” instead of “Are you guys gonna win tonight?”

Clemson is special and unique in many ways and one of those is the size of our community. My wife thinks I am crazy when I describe Clemson as “a nice village.” Because we are small we have better ties within the community. My next door neighbor is an architecture major and a when I found out I began to inquire about Cliff Hammonds. My neighbor always insists that you can’t find anyone any more dependable than Cliff and always says Cliff is a special person.

I remember seeing Rashaad Jackson at a gas station soon after I found out he made the Honor Roll and enjoyed his reaction to my congratulations. My son always remembers consoling Anthony Waters at Zaxby’s after we found out Waters’ Clemson career was over after he tore his ACL but I always remember Waters’ graciousness with his time.

In summary, I just wanted to accomplish a few things in today’s blog. First, it is important that our student-athletes handle themselves with class and dignity because they represent a great place. Second, our community does a good job in taking interest in these young people and that is important also. Third, our kids and support staff have done an incredible job in the classroom and in our community. We are proud of the young people and they deserve credit for being good citizens as well. And finally, we should also be reminded that occasionally we will have slip ups but it just seems to be much less frequent here and now than in other places.

864-834-6060

The Brad Hughes All-State Insurance Agency