WelbornTiger
- Joined: Jan 20, 2014
- Last Login: Sep 30, 2022, 12:29pm EDT
- Posts: 1
- Comments: 466
Clemson University Alumnus '05 M'07 (History); University of Georgia, Ph.D. 2014 (History) My name is James Hill "Trae" Welborn III and I am a Clemson Alum ('05, M '07). I was born in Charleston, SC and grew up in Fernandina Beach, FL (home of Terrance Flagler, Jeff Stockstill, and Rick Stockstill). My father was a 1983 Clemson grad (mechanical engineering) and I was indoctrinated into the Clemson Family early, so my blood has runneth orange for as long as I can remember. My earliest Clemson memory is watching the 1989 Clemson-FSU game at the house of several of my parents' college friends, and "flying" around the yard at halftime imitating Wayne Simmons' 73-yd interception return for a TD. That '89 team (Powerline '89!) remains my sentimental favorite. My first football game in person was the 1990 Clemson-UGA game in Death Valley, which the Tigers dominated 34-3. I shared in the travails of losing Danny, despising Hatfield, pulling for West, and all of the "close-but-no-cigar" frustrations of the Bowden Era. I believe in the program Dabo has built and revel in the pride we can all now feel in our Tigers on and off the field. Clemson football is my first love, but I am equally passionate about Tiger baseball, basketball, and soccer. In professional sports, I've always pulled for the Oakland A's in the American League (my first Little League team circa 1990 when the "Bash Brothers" reigned) and the Atlanta Braves in the National League (on every night via Turner Broadcasting, and for much of my childhood the only true "Southern" baseball squad to pull for). I pull for the Panthers (because they played their first season in Death Valley), the Jaguars (because I grew up on the "First Coast"), and even occasionally root for the Falcons in the NFL. I pull for Atlanta United in the MLS (epsecially now that they've provided me and orange and white kit; had trouble wearing red and back before the "King Peach" kit resolved the issue). I don't watch the NBA, or PGA regularly and thus don't have a dog in those fights (though I keep tabs on the successes of former Clemson golfers). Despite these proclivities, however, my only true professional sports loyalties are to former Tigers in the pros, so my loyalties shift year to year as alums move from team to team. I was a history major at Clemson, and subsequently finished my PhD in history at the University of Georgia. I always look at Clemson (sports and otherwise) from a historical perspective, and like to contemplate connections and divergences between past and present. I hope to bring some of this historical perspective to STS, focusing on the links between historical moments and contemporary events, to capture the emotional highs and lows of Clemson fandom through the ages. We all share a common bond via our Tigers, and my goal is to capture the essence of that bond, to communicate why we all appear so "obsessed" (as outsiders often allege) with our Tigers and our Alma Mater.