Hootie Ingram Cecil W . " Hootie " Ingram ( born September 2 , 1933 ) is a former American football player , coach , and college athletics administrator in the United States . He played for the University of Alabama from 1952 to 1954 and was selected as an All - SEC defensive back in 1952 . He worked as an assistant football coach at several colleges , including the University of Georgia and University of Arkansas before receiving a head coaching assignment at Clemson University from 1970 to 1972 . He was an administrator with the Southeastern Conference in the 1970s and later served as an athletic director at Florida State University ( 1981 – 89 ) and Alabama ( 1989 – 95 ) . Early years . A native of Tuscaloosa , Alabama , Ingram was the son of Wayne and Ella Ingram . He attended Tuscaloosa High School where he received four varsity letters in basketball and three each in football and baseball . In his senior year , he was selected as an All - State halfback , elected to the All - Fifth District basketball team , and played East - West All - Star baseball game in Birmingham , Alabama . He graduated from Tuscaloosa High School in 1951 . University of Alabama . Ingram enrolled at the University of Alabama in the fall of 1951 where he was a multi - sport star . He won three letters each in football and baseball . He won acclaim as a football player for the Crimson Tide football teams from 1952 to 1954 . As a sophomore in 1952 , Ingram was selected as an All - SEC defensive back . In December 1952 , the United Press International ran a feature story on Ingram calling him the " Tide ' s Honorable Thief , " due to his talent for intercepting passes . The story gave warning to Alabama ' s Orange Bowl opponent , " Pre - Orange Bowl warning to Syracuse : beware of Cecil Ingram , an honorable thief . The slender Alabama sophomore safetyman stole more passes thrown by opponents than any other man in the Southeastern Conference this year . " His ten interceptions in 1952 ( including two returned for touchdowns ) tied the Southeastern Conference record for interceptions in a season . He added an eleventh interception in the 1953 Orange Bowl game on January 1 , 1953 , as Alabama crushed Syracuse 61 – 6 . He also set an Alabama Orange Bowl record with an 80 - yard punt return in the 1953 Orange Bowl . During the 1953 football season , Ingram was moved to the quarterback position on an Alabama team that included Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Bart Starr . He also played at the halfback position in 1953 . As a senior in 1954 , Ingram played at the halfback position , with Bart Starr filling the quarterback position for the Crimson Tide . In September 1954 , he ran 68 yards for a touchdown against LSU . In March 1955 , Ingram signed a contract to play professional football for the Philadelphia Eagles , though he never played in any regular season games for the Eagles . Football coach . Ingram began a coaching career in July 1956 when he was hired as an assistant football coach at Manatee High School in Bradenton , Florida . At Manatee , he served on the staff of head coach Wheeler Leeth , who had been Ingram ' s high school football coach in Tuscaloosa . In June 1957 , he returned to Tuscaloosa to serve as a head football coach at Brookwood High School . In February 1958 , he was hired as the head football coach and athletic director at Tuscaloosa County High School . He then held assistant coach positions at Wake Forest ( 1960 ) , Virginia Tech ( 1961 – 1963 ) , and Georgia ( 1964 – 1966 ) . From 1967 to 1969 , he served as a defensive coach under Frank Broyles at the University of Arkansas , earning a reputation as " a defensive genius . " In December 1969 , he was hired as the head football coach at Clemson University . He served three seasons as Clemson ' s head coach from 1970 to 1972 , compiling a 12 – 21 record . He resigned as Clemson ' s head coach in December 1972 . He is notable for having introduced the trademark " tiger paw " logo to Clemson . Athletic director and administrator . After resigning his position at Clemson , Ingram spent eight years working on the staff of the Southeastern Conference , first as assistant commissioner for administration as associate commissioner . In January 1981 , Ingram was hired as the athletic director at Florida State University . During Ingram ' s tenure at Florida State , the school won the NCAA Division I national football championship in 1987 . Ingram remained as Florida State ' s athletic director until September 1989 , at which time he returned to his alma mater , signing a five - year contract as the University of Alabama ' s athletic director . Ingram hired Gene Stallings as Alabama ' s football coach , and the Crimson Tide won the NCAA Division I national football championship in 1992 . Ingram stepped down as Alabama ' s athletic director in August 1995 after being reprimanded for his role in rules violations that led the NCAA to place the school on probation for three years . Ingram said he could no longer effectively serve as athletic director after the NCAA ' s rebuke and asked to be re - assigned . Honors and awards . In 1991 , Ingram was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame . In 1999 , he was inducted into the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame . He was also honored in 1992 as a second - team defensive back on Alabama ' s " Team of the Century . " In 2007 , the University of Alabama National Alumni Association presented Ingram with the Paul W . Bryant Alumni - Athlete Award . The award recognizes athletes whose accomplishments since leaving the University are " outstanding based on character , contributions to society , professional achievement and service . "