Fansided

50 best college football stadiums

By Connor Muldowney

Oct 4, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; General view of Neyland Stadium during the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 4, 2014; Knoxville, TN, USA; General view of Neyland Stadium during the game between the Florida Gators and Tennessee Volunteers. Mandatory Credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 29, 2014; Clemson, SC, USA; A general view of the field prior to the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Clemson Tigers at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 29, 2014; Clemson, SC, USA; A general view of the field prior to the game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and the Clemson Tigers at Clemson Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joshua S. Kelly-USA TODAY Sports /

12. Memorial Stadium (Clemson)

Rubbing the rock is one of the traditions that is as iconic as the stadium itself. Clemson’s Memorial Stadium, also known as “Death Valley”, opened its gates in 1942, providing one of the toughest places to play in the country.

Although many might believe Memorial Stadium got its “Death Valley” nickname from the difficult playing atmosphere for opposing teams, but in reality, it derives from the cemetery that once overlooked the field of play before the upper decks were constructed. That name is also not very original as there is a Death Valley National Park in California where this stadium got the nickname from originally.

Howard’s Rock, a gift given to former head coach Frank Howard, sits atop a hill on the northeast end of the stadium in which Clemson players surround before each game. The tradition of running down the hill and touching the rock before doing so has become one of the greatest traditions in the game and if you asked a college football fan which pre-game tradition was the best, two out of three would likely point to this one.

Fighting for supremacy in the ACC with Florida State for the past few seasons, Clemson has done its best to protect home-field advantage with a 71 percent win rate at Memorial Stadium and one of the loudest crowds in all of college football, nearly breaking the all-time decibel record.

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