Sport: | football |
Year: | 2006 |
Team: | Clemson Tigers |
Conference: | Atlantic Coast Conference |
Division: | Atlantic Division |
Short Conf: | ACC |
Record: | 8–5 |
Conf Record: | 5–3 |
Hc Year: | 8th |
Off Coach: | Rob Spence |
Oc Year: | 2nd |
Dc Year: | 2nd |
Off Scheme: | Multiple |
The 2006 Clemson Tigers football team represented Clemson University in the 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was coached by Tommy Bowden and played their homes game in the Memorial Stadium.
Portions of the season, specifically the games against Florida Atlantic and Florida State, were featured in the 2020 film Safety, which is about sophomore safety Ray McElrathbey taking care of his little brother while their mother receives treatment for drug addiction.
Entering the season, the Tigers had high expectations, hoping to compete for a spot in the ACC Championship Game. After a defeat at Boston College in the second game of the season, Clemson achieved off six straight victories, during which they averaged nearly 42 points a game. But things soon fell apart, with Clemson losing four out of their last five, including a loss to Kentucky in the Music City Bowl, and a 31–28 loss to arch rival South Carolina. The team finished the season with a disappointing 8–5 record.
ESPN's College Gameday show made its first-ever appearance in Clemson for the game between the Tigers and the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets on October 21. Kirk Herbstreit mentioned both during and after the show, that he felt that Clemson hosted one of the best Gameday audiences he'd ever seen. The Gameday audience at Clemson also set a new noise record when measured in the latter half of the show.
See also: 2006 NCAA Division I FBS football rankings.
Part of that game would be recreated at halftime of the Clemson game between UNC Charlotte on September 21, 2019 as part of a Disney movie.
Clemson's first win in Tallahassee since 1989.