Upcoming Clemson Tigers Football dates
Dates and live ticket listings appear here as soon as they are on sale. The guide below covers what to know before you buy.
Death Valley seats, decided
For Clemson football, the best all-around seat is a lower-level sideline seat between the 30-yard lines, about 15 or more rows up, on the south side. You see the whole field over the benches, and on afternoon kickoffs the sun is generally behind you. Memorial Stadium, better known as Death Valley, anchors the Clemson campus in the South Carolina Upstate. Its listed capacity is 81,500, standing room pushes crowds past 86,000, and no ACC stadium is bigger. Home Saturdays run from the end of August or early September to late November.
- Best view: lower sideline, rows 15 and up, between the 30s.
- For the entrance: the east end zone, below the Hill.
- For premium: the WestZone suites and club seats at the west end.
- For value: the top decks, high but with a full view of formations.
Sun side, shade side and the top decks
The field runs east to west, so the two sidelines face north and south. As a general rule for that layout, north-side fans look south into the afternoon sun, and south-side fans keep it at their backs. In September, upstate South Carolina can be very hot, and a noon or mid-afternoon kickoff in an exposed north-side seat is a long three hours. Seats sheltered by an upper deck are worth looking for on early-season day games.
The sidelines were double-decked in two steps, Top Deck South in 1978 and Top Deck North in 1983. Those decks put you well above the field. If you can handle the height, they show how plays develop better than a low end zone seat does.
Front rows
The first rows behind each bench sit low enough that players and staff block the near side of the field. Rows 15 and higher see much more.
Families
If you are bringing children who would prefer a calmer section, steer away from the student and band areas, and check the seating map when you buy.
East end or west end
The east end zone is where Death Valley's signature moment happens. Moments before kickoff the team assembles around Howard's Rock on the crest of the Hill, a cannon booms, "Tiger Rag" starts, and the players pour down the slope to the field. In 1985 broadcaster Brent Musburger labeled it "the most exciting 25 seconds in college football." If seeing that up close matters to you, buy in the east end.
The west end zone is the WestZone, enclosed in phases from 2004 to 2015 with suites, club seats and team facilities. It is the premium end.
End zone seats on either end cost less than the sideline, but in a stadium this large, plays at the far end are a long way off. Height helps.
Palmetto Bowl years and other sellouts
Death Valley fills for most games. These draw the most demand:
- South Carolina: played since 1896 and the state's biggest annual sporting event by ticket sales. It was held in Columbia as "Big Thursday" through 1959 and has alternated campuses since 1960, so Clemson hosts every other year. In those years, Clemson's Ranger Club and ROTC cadets guard Howard's Rock for the 24 hours before kickoff. See South Carolina Gamecocks Football.
- Florida State: a permanent ACC rival whose games long decided the Atlantic Division. The 1999 meeting, the first father-versus-son coaching matchup at this level (Bobby and Tommy Bowden), set the stadium record of 86,092. See Florida State Seminoles Football.
- Georgia Tech: a series going back to 1898 between two schools John Heisman coached, now a permanent ACC pairing.
- National visitors: Georgia and Notre Dame have made occasional trips; ESPN's College GameDay set up on campus for the Georgia game in 2013 and the Notre Dame game in 2015.
Night kickoffs and Homecoming lift demand further. Early games against smaller programs are the simplest way in.
The Rock, the Paw and other rituals
Howard's Rock is a stone from Death Valley, California, handed to coach Frank Howard in the early 1960s. It held his office door open until 1966, when it was mounted at the top of the east end zone hill. Players began rubbing it for luck in 1967, once Howard warned them that anyone not giving 110 percent should "keep your filthy hands off of my rock." Today it is protected inside a case.
The run itself began when the team dressed at Fike Field House, uphill from the stadium. Today buses carry the players around to the top of the Hill. When a home game ends, fans are let down onto the turf at a scheduled time for Gathering at the Paw and sing the alma mater together at midfield.
The Death Valley name was popularized by Presbyterian College coach Lonnie McMillian in 1948 and picked up by Howard in the 1950s. By Gate 1 stands the Scroll of Honor, honoring Clemson service members who died on duty.
IPTAY priority and the resale market
Clemson's ticket system runs through IPTAY, the athletics donor organization. Season seats are assigned by IPTAY giving level and by priority points within each level, and as of the 2026 season gameday parking is assigned the same way. Students have their own allocation. The public can buy single-game seats when they exist, but big games may be gone before a public sale begins.
That leaves the secondary market as the realistic path for visiting fans and occasional buyers when South Carolina, a leading ACC team or a night kickoff is on the schedule; the seats come mostly from season-ticket holders with conflicts. Expect prices to follow who is visiting, where Clemson is ranked, what time the game starts and what the weather will be. Smaller September games often get cheaper near kickoff; rivalry games rarely do. Every Reserved Seat order is backed by a 100% guarantee. Check bag, entry and mobile-ticket rules on the Clemson Athletics gameday pages, since they can change each season.
Heisman, Howard and three titles
Clemson played its first game in 1896, with John Heisman coaching in the early years, and helped found the ACC in 1953; no member has won more ACC titles. Danny Ford's unbeaten 1981 team beat Nebraska in the Orange Bowl for the first national title. The 2016 and 2018 teams won College Football Playoff championships, both over Alabama. Under Dabo Swinney, head coach from 2008, Clemson went 15–0 (the first such season since 1897), won six straight ACC titles and reached six straight playoffs from the 2015 through 2020 seasons, and strung together 10-win seasons every year from 2011 to 2022.
The stadium almost was not built. Departing coach Jess Neely told Frank Howard after the 1939 season that 10,000 seats would be all Clemson ever needed. Scholarship athletes did much of the early work, and the stadium opened on September 19, 1942, against Presbyterian with 20,500 seats, now the lower south grandstand. Sideline seating came in 1958 and the west end zone in 1960. The field became Frank Howard Field in 1974, and the Carolina Panthers played their first NFL season here in 1995.
Memorable home games include the 1981 win over defending champion Georgia, the 1988 "Puntrooskie" loss to Florida State, the 2015 win over Notre Dame in heavy rain and a 42–36 win over No. 3 Louisville in 2016. A 2007 game against Boston College measured 133 decibels, then the loudest reading recorded at a college football stadium.
Frequently asked questions
Which side of Death Valley is better for an afternoon game?
Generally the south side. The field runs east to west, so south-side fans have the afternoon sun behind them while north-side fans face it.
Where should I sit to see Clemson run down the Hill?
In the east end zone. The players touch Howard's Rock at the top of the Hill and run down onto the field there just before kickoff.
Are the top decks at Memorial Stadium worth it?
For a full view of formations at a lower cost, yes. They sit high above the field, so they suit fans comfortable with height.
What is the largest crowd in Death Valley history?
The record is 86,092, set when Florida State visited in 1999. Listed capacity is 81,500, though standing room lifts crowds above 86,000.
How does IPTAY affect Clemson tickets?
IPTAY is the donor organization. Your giving level and priority points within it decide season seat locations and, as of 2026, gameday parking.
Does Clemson host South Carolina every year?
No. Since 1960 the game has alternated between Clemson and Columbia, so Death Valley hosts every other year.