The Invisible Lineman

2008-05-15T20:56:00.000-07:00

Nov. 11, 1995 - On a rainy day in Death Valley, one of the most bizarre moments I've ever seen would take place as Clemson hosted Duke.

In a rare collision, Duke's James Kirkland collided with another lineman and for a few seconds, his opponent's helmet was locked to his own.

The equipment managers had their hands full trying to remove the mask but finally got it off with a set of pliers. Scenes of the staff attempting to remove the helmet led ESPN's Sportscenter that night.

It really is a miracle know one was injured.

At any other game, I probably wouldn't have been the only photographer to capture this moment. Because Clemson was playing Duke, there were only a handful of shooters on the sidelines. If Clemson had been hosting a team like FSU or South Carolina, there would have been another 25 still photographers on the field and a few more shooters would have probably shot this moment.

It's interesting. When people saw the image back in the 90s, they would say something like "Wow, when did that happen?"

Today, when they see the image, most people respond with "Man, how did you Photoshop that other guy out?"

It really did happen.

Clemson beat Duke 34-17 that day and the image appeared in LIFE magazine a few weeks later.

Go Braves

2008-05-09T19:50:00.001-07:00

Oct. 12, 1991 - This was my first time on the sidelines at Clemson.

The Tigers were taking on Virginia that day and in Atlanta, just 2 hrs. down the road, the Braves were playing Pittsburgh in game 3 of the NLCS.

Inbetween plays, the Tiger would get the crowd going with this sign. There was so much excitement about Atlanta because it was the team's 'Worst to First' season.

The Tigers tied the Cavaliers that day 20-20. The Braves beat the the Pirates 10-3 and John Smoltz was the winning pitcher.

Tigers - A Visual History

The Invisible Lineman

Go Braves