The Curse of 1939: Clemson Basketball Destined for Disappointment

Clemson fans have known the joy of supporting one of the best football programs in the history of college football. Watching the Tigers win national titles in 1981, 2016, and 2018, along with years of national success, football fans can relish being a top-flight program.

But the Tigers haven’t been able to replicate the same success on the basketball court. While there have been moments of glory, their overall history in basketball is marred by underachievement and missed opportunities. The narrative of Clemson's basketball woes dates back to 1939, when the team won its first and only Southern Conference Championship.

Despite this triumph, Tigers athletic director and football coach Jess Neely turned down postseason berths in both the NIT and NCAA Tournaments. This decision was rooted in the desire not to disrupt spring football practice for legendary star Banks McFadden and other players.

It worked out, as the football team earned a trip to the Cotton Bowl that season, setting the course for a future filled with football success. Little did Neely know that this decision would set the tone for decades of frustration and disappointment for Tiger basketball.

At that time, the NIT was new, founded in 1938 and the NCAA Tournament was in its initial year; the Tigers were invited to both as SoCon champs. Ned Irish, promotor for Madison Square Garden, representing the NIT, wanted the Tigers calling McFadden “one of the best centers I’ve ever seen.”

Back then, the Southern Conference was a 20-team league, including all the original Atlantic Coast Conference members. The Tigers managed to fight their way into the 8-team tournament, and McFadden, the MVP, and a unanimous all-tournament selection would lead Clemson to glory, knocking off Maryland by twelve.

The Tigers' success in the Southern Conference Championship was tarnished by the accidental breaking of the tournament trophy during the celebration—a fitting metaphor for the highs and lows that would characterize Clemson basketball in the years to come.

“I remember we were so happy, and I had the trophy,” Dude Buchanan, a star on the 1939 team, noted. While we were celebrating, I dropped the trophy, and we had to leave it back in Raleigh to get repaired.”

A conference title won. Trophy broken. NIT and NCAA Tournaments turned down. It all adds up.

Like Marty McFly in Back to the Future, I’d love an opportunity to go back and accept one of the two bids to see where the Clemson program would be today. 

Over the decades, Clemson has experienced numerous heartbreaks, from stunning defeats to missed opportunities. The memory of Tate George's iconic Sweet Sixteen buzzer-beater in the 1990 NCAA Tournament still haunts fans—and former Clemson head coach Cliff Ellis to this day. 

While blame may sometimes be directed at the coaches, Clemson's struggles run much deeper than any individual's tenure. 

These types of disappointment aren’t new—as a Tiger, you’ve had a lifetime of gut-wrenching performances. Less than a year ago, the Tigers fell as a No. 1 seed in the NIT against Morehead State at home. It is one thing to be in the NIT after likely deserving an NCAA bid, but laying that egg was tough to digest. Then, last night's 76-55 loss, less than a year later, was indicative of a team that once again wasn’t ready to play.

Now former Clemson assistant Earl Grant, the winning coach last night for Boston College, has won multiple games at the ACC Tournament twice in three seasons-- Brownell has never won two games in the conference tourney.

This season, the Tigers had two chances to win a record-setting sixth road game in the Atlantic Coast Conference, dating back to 1953, and they failed in both attempts, losing to Notre Dame and Wake Forest.

Despite flashes of promise, this season has been another chapter in Clemson's saga of underperformance. The team's failure to secure a double-bye in the ACC Tournament proved significant—and predictable.

While some may dismiss the notion of a curse as mere superstition, for many Clemson basketball fans, it offers a way to make sense of decades of disappointment. Whether or not one believes in the curse, there's no denying the weight of history that hangs over the program.

Last night's loss doesn’t eliminate Clemson from the NCAA Tournament. Still, it absolutely dampens what was expected to be a memorable season—thus far, the only thing memorable is how it all fell apart. The Tigers are 10-10 in their last 20 games, and making any noise during March Madness would be a surprise.

I searched to see if the Clemson Basketball Curse of 1939 had ever been written about, and I couldn’t find anything. But just because it hasn’t been written about doesn’t make it true—but now it exists online.

The good news is that the Tigers’ season isn’t over-- but with a curse like this hanging over the program, tournament success isn’t likely from this observer's perspective. The old saying is that you save your best for last; unfortunately for Clemson basketball, they’ve always delivered the worst—at least since 1939.