1959 Clemson Tigers football team

The 1959 Clemson Tigers football team was an American football team that represented Clemson College in the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) during the 1959 NCAA University Division football season. In its 20th season under head coach Frank Howard, the team compiled a 9–2 record (6–1 against conference opponents), won the ACC championship, was ranked No. 11 in the final AP and Coaches Polls, defeated TCU in the 1959 Bluebonnet Bowl, and outscored opponents by a total of 285 to 103.^[1][2] The team played its home games at Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina.

1959 Clemson Tigers football
ACC champion Bluebonnet Bowl champion
Bluebonnet Bowl, W 23–7 vs. TCU
Conference	Atlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
Coaches	No. 11
AP	No. 11
Record	9–2 (6–1 ACC)
Head coach	Frank Howard (20th season)
Captain	Paul Snyder, Harvey White
Home stadium	Memorial Stadium
Seasons ← 1958 1960 →

1959 Atlantic Coast Conference football standings

v t e	Conf							Overall
Team	W		L		T			W		L		T
No. 11 Clemson $	6	–	1	–	0			9	–	2	–	0
North Carolina	5	–	2	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
Maryland	4	–	2	–	0			5	–	5	–	0
South Carolina	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Wake Forest	4	–	3	–	0			6	–	4	–	0
Duke	2	–	3	–	0			4	–	6	–	0
NC State	0	–	6	–	0			1	–	9	–	0
Virginia	0	–	5	–	0			0	–	10	–	0
$ – Conference champion Rankings from AP Poll

The annual game against South Carolina was played on Thursday at the South Carolina State Fair for the final time.^[3] Clemson's 300th win came in the Bluebonnet Bowl against TCU.

Center Bill Thomas was the team captain. The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Harvey White with 770 passing yards, and fullback Doug Cline with 482 rushing yards, and halfback Bill Mathis with 70 points scored (11 touchdowns, 4 extra points).^[4]

Tackle Lou Cordileone was selected as a first-team All-American by Time magazine and a third-team All-American by the Associated Press (AP) and United Press International (UPI). Four Clemson players were selected as first-team players on the 1959 All-Atlantic Coast Conference football team: Cordileone; halfback Bill Mathis; end Gary Barnes; and center Paul Snyder.^[5][6]

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 19	2:00 p.m.	at No. 12 North Carolina	No. 18	Kenan Memorial Stadium Chapel Hill, NC	W 20–18	43,000	^[7]
September 26	1:20 p.m.	at Virginia	No. 5	Scott Stadium Charlottesville, VA	W 47–0	13,000	^[8]
October 3	2:00 p.m.	at No. 7 Georgia Tech*	No. 6	Grant Field Atlanta, GA (rivalry)	L 6–16	44,174	^[9]
October 10	2:00 p.m.	NC State		Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC (rivalry)	W 23–0	19,000	^[10]
October 22	2:00 p.m.	at South Carolina	No. 17	Carolina Stadium Columbia, SC (rivalry)	W 27–0	47,000	^[3]
October 31	8:00 p.m.	at Rice*	No. 12	Rice Stadium Houston, TX	W 19–0	27,000	^[11]
November 7	2:00 p.m.	Duke	No. 10	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	W 6–0	40,000	^[12]
November 14	2:00 p.m.	Maryland	No. 11	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	L 25–28	26,000	^[13]
November 21	2:00 p.m.	Wake Forest	No. 19	Memorial Stadium Clemson, SC	W 33–31	34,000	^[14]
November 28	2:00 p.m.	at Furman*	No. 14	Sirrine Stadium Greenville, SC	W 56–3	12,000	^[15]
December 19		vs. No. 7 TCU*	No. 11	Rice Stadium Houston, TX (Bluebonnet Bowl)	W 23–7	55,000	^[16]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[17]

References

1. "2016 Media Guide" (PDF). clemsontigers.com. Clemson Athletics. 2016. pp. 200–208. Retrieved June 23, 2017.
2. "1959 Clemson Tigers Schedule and Results". SR/College Football. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved October 3, 2019 – via Newspapers.com.
3. Jim Anderson (October 23, 1957). "Tigers Blast Birds, 27–0, In Last 'Big Thursday'". The Greenville News. pp. 1, 30 – via Newspapers.com.
4. "Clemson 1960 Football Media Guide". Clemson University. 1960. pp. 40–42. Retrieved October 3, 2019.
5. ""Home-Grown" All-ACC Team Picked By Associated Press". The Progress-Index. December 2, 1959. p. 24.
6. "Clemson Puts Four on All-ACC Selection". Statesville Record & Landmark. December 2, 1959. p. 17.
7. "North Carolina suffers 20–18 loss to Clemson". Beckley Post-Herald & The Raleigh Register. September 20, 1959. Retrieved January 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
8. "Mathis, Shingler lead Clemson to 47–0 field day at Virginia". Winston-Salem Journal & Sentinel. September 27, 1959. Retrieved January 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
9. "Crisp blocking Tech rips undefeated Clemson, 16–6". The Charlotte Observer. October 4, 1959. Retrieved January 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
10. "Tigers rip Wolfpack in 23–0 rout". Asheville Citizen-Times. October 11, 1959. Retrieved January 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
11. "Tigers post 19–0 victory over Rice". Fort Worth Star-Telegram. November 1, 1959. Retrieved January 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
12. "Tigers near bowl trip". Kingsport Times-News. November 8, 1959. Retrieved January 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
13. "Soph's passes carry Maryland to upset of Clemson, 28 to 25". St. Louis Post-Dispatch. November 15, 1959. Retrieved January 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
14. "Tigers downs Deacs". Florence Morning News. November 22, 1959. Retrieved January 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
15. "Bowl-hungry Clemson rolls over Furman, 56–3". The Greenville News. November 29, 1959. Retrieved September 15, 2022 – via Newspapers.com.
16. "Clemson explodes past TCU, 23–7". The Tyler Courier-Times. December 20, 1959. Retrieved January 18, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
17. "Clemson Football Media Guide - 1959". Clemson University. 1959. p. 1. Retrieved November 8, 2023.