I doubt anyone out there was around for the late 1930s and early ‘40s, when Jess Neely had the Clemson football program rolling. First he helped start IPTAY and then guided the Tigers to their first bowl game and victory in the 1940 Cotton Bowl.
Frank Howard took over the next year and guided the Tigers to the Southern Conference Championship. Clemson won another conference title in 1948, while going 11-0.
In the 1950’s Howard took the program to new heights by winning the program its first ACC Championship in 1956, plus an Orange Bowl victory in 1951 and another appearance in 1958.