# 1989 Clemson Tigers football team

The 1989 Clemson Tigers football team represented Clemson University in the 1989 NCAA Division I-A football season. The Tigers were led by head coach Danny Ford, who was serving his final season as head coach at Clemson. The Tigers played their home games in Memorial Stadium. The Tigers finished the 1989 season with a 10–2 record and defeated West Virginia 27–7 in the 1989 Gator Bowl.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 1:00 p.m. | No. 1 (I-AA) Furman* | No. 12 | Memorial StadiumClemson, SC | | W 30–0 | 80,508 |
| September 9 | 7:30 p.m. | at No. 16 Florida State* | No. 10 | Doak Campbell StadiumTallahassee, FL (rivalry) | ESPN | W 34–23 | 61,897 |
| September 16 | 7:00 p.m. | at Virginia Tech* | No. 7 | Lane StadiumBlacksburg, VA | | W 27–7 | 47,152 |
| September 23 | 12:00 p.m. | Maryland | No. 7 | Memorial StadiumClemson, SC | JPS | W 31–7 | 77,301 |
| September 30 | 12:00 p.m. | at Duke | No. 7 | Wallace Wade StadiumDurham, NC | JPS | L 17–21 | 22,600 |
| October 7 | 2:30 p.m. | Virginia | No. 15 | Memorial StadiumClemson, SC | CBS | W 34–20 | 80,638 |
| October 14 | 1:00 p.m. | Georgia Tech | No. 14 | Memorial StadiumClemson, SC (rivalry) | | L 14–30 | 81,550 |
| October 21 | 4:00 p.m. | No. 12 NC State | No. 22 | Memorial StadiumClemson, SC (Textile Bowl) | ESPN | W 30–10 | 81,569 |
| October 28 | 1:00 p.m. | Wake Forest | No. 21 | Memorial StadiumClemson, SC | | W 44–10 | 71,335 |
| November 4 | 12:00 p.m. | at North Carolina | No. 17 | Kenan Memorial StadiumChapel Hill, NC | JPS | W 35–3 | 44,500 |
| November 18 | 7:30 p.m. | at South Carolina* | No. 15 | Williams–Brice StadiumColumbia, SC (rivalry) | ESPN | W 45–0 | 74,509 |
| December 30 | 8:00 p.m. | vs. No. 17 West Virginia* | No. 14 | Gator Bowl StadiumJacksonville, FL (Gator Bowl) | ESPN | W 27–7 | 82,911 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from AP Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||||

## Personnel
### Incoming recruiting class

Source:
* Nick Blinsky (C; Struthers, Ohio; Struthers HS)
* Rodney Blunt (TB; Pensacola, Florida; Pine Forest HS)
* Brentson Buckner (MG; Columbus, Georgia; Carver HS)
* Greg Burk (FB; Lawton, Oklahoma; Lawton HS)
* Pat Burris (DB; Rock Hill, South Carolina; Northwestern HS)
* Arthur Bussie (OLB; Camden, New Jersey; Camden HS)
* Darren Calhoun (LB; McCormick, South Carolina; McCormick HS)
* Jason Davis (WR; Pensacola, Florida; Pine Forest HS)
* Steve Derriso (LB; Huntsville, Alabama; Grissom HS)
* Garth Fennigan (QB; Harlingen, Texas; Harlingen HS)
* Eric Geter (CB; Newnan, Georgia; Newnan HS)
* Tyrone Gibson (LB; Hartsville, South Carolina; Hartsville HS)
* Rudy Harris (TB; Brockton, Massachusetts; Brockton HS)
* David Hogue (OG; New Castle PA; Laurel HS)
* Brent LeJeune (OT; Lake Charles, Louisiana; Barbe HS)
* Richard Moncrief (QB; Montgomery, Alabama; Davis HS)
* Robert O'Neal (CB; Clarkston, Georgia; Clarkston HS)
* Thad Ridgley (FB; Ambridge, Pennsylvania; Ambridge HS)
* Larry Ryans (CB; Greenwood, South Carolina; Greenwood HS)
* Stacy Seegars (MG; Kershaw, South Carolina; Andrew Jackson HS)
* Ashley Sheppard (OLB; Greenville, North Carolina; North Pitt HS)
* Tyrone Simpson (DT; Rock Hill, South Carolina; Northwestern HS)
* Terry Smith (WR; Clemson, South Carolina; Daniel HS)
* Daniel Telley (OLB; Anderson, South Carolina; T.L.Hanna HS)
* Franklin Thomas (TE; New Orleans, Louisiana; St. Augustine HS)
* James Trapp (SS; Lawton, Oklahoma; Lawton HS)
* Scott Vaughn (OT; Phillipsburg, New Jersey; Phillipsburg HS)
* Pierre Wilson (DT; Jackson, Mississippi; Provine HS)

### Depth chart

Source:
Defense :
* FS
* James Lott
* Norris Brown
* Chris Hart
| WLB | MLB | SLB |
| ⋅ | Ed McDaniel | ⋅ |
| Kenzil Jackson | Vince Taylor | ⋅ |
| Dorian Mariable | Shane Scott | ⋅ |
* SS
* Arlington Nunn
* Tyron Mouzon
* Marc Taylor
* CB
* Dexter Davis
* Mitch Belton
* Lee Kendall
| DE | DT | DT | DE |
| John Johnson | Vance Hammond | David Davis | Otis Moore |
| Wayne Harps | Danny Sizer | Rob Bodine | Chester McGlockton |
| Jeff Taylor | ⋅ | Al Richard | ⋅ |
* CB
* Jerome Henderson
* Tony Mauney
* David Joye
Offense :
* WR
* Rodney Fletcher
* Chip Davis
* Fernandez West
| LT | LG | C | RG | RT |
| Bruce Bratton | Jeb Flesch | Hank Phillips | Eric Harmon | Stacy Long |
| Les Hall | David Pluckett | Mike Brown | Mike Samnik | Kelvin Hankins |
| Chris Ogle | Jamison Temples | John Harris | Ron Wessinger | Mark Shirley |
* TE
* Stacy Fields
* Chris Twiss
* Mike Berry
* WR
* Gary Cooper
* Doug Thomas
* Robbie Spector
* QB
* Chris Morocco
* DeChane Cameron
* Michael Carr
* RB
* Terry Allen
* Joe Henderson
* Charlie James
* FB
* Wesley McFadden
* Tony Kennedy
* Junior Hall
* Special teams
* PK Chris Gardocki
* PK Scott Davis
* P Chris Gardocki
* P Chet Horton

### Coaching staff

* Danny Ford – Head coach
* Chuck Reedy – Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks
* Bill Oliver – Defensive coordinator/inside linebackers
* – Co-defensive coordinator/defensive backs
* – Assistant head coach/tackles and tight ends
* – Associate head coach/offensive guards and centers
* – Defensive tackles
* – Running backs/special teams
* – Defensive ends
* Woody McCorvey – Recruiting coordinator/wide receivers