Roaring History: The Day Tigers Met Tigers in Death Valley

This week, Clemson released the photo from Team 128 in Tigers football history. To be honest, the photo looks very similar to other shots of Clemson teams through the years, but here’s a fun fact: twice in the program's history, they’ve taken photos with a live Tiger in Death Valley, and former SID Tim Bourret shared the story about both events during a recent episode of Clemson Sports Talk on iHeart Radio.

"Two times, there has been a tiger inside Memorial Stadium," recalls former Clemson SID Tim Bourret, recounting the remarkable tale. "A guy brought a tiger that was a smaller Tiger, like a cub, on picture day in 1981." 

© Clemson SID

Former Clemson SID and Ring of Honor inductee Bob Bradley with a Tiger cub in 1981.

The cub's presence added energy to the day. As the shutter clicked, the cub became a temporary teammate. Longtime SID Bob Bradley and numerous players were side by side with this feline ambassador. The photographs captured not just a team but a connection to the wild heart that the Clemson Tigers embody, and ultimately Coach Danny Ford’s team would win the National Championship that season, topping Nebraska 22-15.

“Then you think, 'Well, gee, you did that. Why did you never do it again if you won the national championship?’ Bourret noted. “So that was the only time there's been a live Tiger at picture day."

Fast forward to the spring of 1990, when Clemson was led by Coach Ken Hatfield. Bourret felt that the Tigers' defense was poised for greatness, so he ran an idea past Hatfield to commemorate the group.

"In the spring, after the 1990 season, when we lead the nation in total defense for the first time ever. I went to Coach Hatfield and said, ‘You know, we need to take a picture of this defense. A lot of these guys could be going on to the pros, and I think it's going to be a historic defense.’ Of course, it was,” Bourret recalled. “I think there were eight guys on that defense that went on to start in the NFL. So, I told him about wanting to take the picture.”

But where did the idea of adding a live Tiger to the photo emerge?

“Coach Hatfield lived in Townville, South Carolina, but on his way home, he passed a farm where this guy had a live Tiger. It was Coach Hatfield's idea-- ‘Wouldn't it be cool to have a picture of that defense with a tiger?’ So I said, 'You know, great if you if you think we could pull this off.’"  

That’s when the audacious idea became a reality: a photo of Clemson’s ferocious defense framed by the raw power and grace of a living, breathing tiger.

Bourret paints a vivid picture of that moment: "This guy drives his truck in towing a cage with this tiger. Actually drove it-- in those days, there was the fence opening between the police station and the visiting locker room, and he drove his truck right onto the field. All the guys were like, 'Whoa!!!’ We told them it was going to be something special, but they had no idea.”

The players, accustomed to challenges on the gridiron, were now met with a new kind of opponent—one that prowled— and growled. The late Wayne Simmons, displaying courage befitting a Clemson Tiger, held the tiger on a rope leash as it let out a huge roar, sending the other star defenders scattering.

“So they bring him in, and he's okay. His owner is there with him. We line everybody up for this picture, and just before we're going to snap the picture, with all the players surrounded by him, the late Wayne Simmons had this rope leash that he was holding onto the tiger,” Bourret stated. “So the tiger stands up and growls, and the players scattered, except for Wayne Simmons. He had the guts to stay there and hold on to the tiger.”

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Another player, Pierre Wilson, left Bourret with a laugh after seeking refuge within the confines of the tiger's cage.

“I remember one player had the smarts-- Pierre Wilson was his name; he ran into the tiger's cage and shut the door. He figured the tiger couldn't get at him in there."  

The events of the day were captured on film, as Bourret recalled.

"So they got everybody back together, and finally, we shot some pictures. There actually is video of this whole thing. We took the tiger up to Howard's Rock, and we took some pictures of it with the rock-- he hissed up there-- it's a great picture,” Bourret said. “When we've used the picture of the Tiger up at Howard's Rock, everybody thought it was a fake photoshopped picture, but it was 100% real."

So would Bourret, who was right there when it all happened, do it again?

"I was standing behind the photographer Bob Waldrip. I was a little frightened, and Annabelle Meyers (NC State’s current SID) was there with me-- she was kind of my assistant for football. At the end of the day, when they got the tiger back in the cage and took off, we both looked at each other and kind of said, 'Well, that was great. We got some great pictures, but we're never doing that again.'”

These photos, each a piece of Clemson lore, are hard to dig up online, but the stories and many more like them are now preserved thanks to Tim Bourret and his weekly visits on my radio show. 

As we celebrate Team 128 and the journey ahead, let us also remember the times when Tigers stood alongside tigers, creating a canvas where the worlds of sport and nature intertwined. And as the echoes of cheers reverberate through Death Valley, the legacy of these unique moments roar on, forever etched in the heart of Clemson football history.

For more behind-the-scenes stories and exclusive insights into Clemson's journey, stay tuned to Clemson Sports Talk on iHeart Radio from 4-6 PM on weekdays and relive the historical moments that define the spirit of your Clemson Tigers.

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