In 1981, Clemson’s and NC State’s athletic departments agreed to call their annual battle on the gridiron, the Textile Bowl. They called it the Textile Bowl due to Clemson and NC State having two of the largest university-level textile schools in the world, and from the textile industry’s historic importance in the economic development of South Carolina and North Carolina.
But these days, the rivalry is known more for the antics that have been brought about by the school’s two head football coaches. The bad blood between Clemson’s Dabo Swinney and NC State’s Dave Doeren is so bad, neither will speak to the other in an elevator ride, as witnessed by North Carolina sports reporter Bridget Condon this past July at the ACC Football Kickoff in Charlotte.