Though most of the 54,129 fans that walked through the gates an hour before kickoff on November 21, 1976, were hoping to see their Clemson Tigers warm up prior to their 28-9 victory over arch rival South Carolina, all they saw was an empty half of the field, while the Gamecocks went through their pregame warm-ups.
“We did know where they were,” said Clemson Senior Associate Sports Information Director Sam Blackman, who was 14 years old at the time. “We were sitting on the hill, and I kept wondering, ‘Are they going to show?’”
It was easy to see why someone might think the Tigers were going to be a no show.