Clemson football to debut ‘amazing’ new video board in home opener. Here are the specs
It’s nearly five times the surface area of its predecessor. It’s the eighth largest of its kind in the country. And it makes the Tiger sitting atop it look like a kitten.
Clemson fans, meet the DaboTron.
That’s the affectionate and very unofficial nickname some in the football program have given to Clemson’s sprawling new video board, which debuts Saturday when the No. 5 Tigers host Furman in their home opener (3:30 p.m., ACC Network).
The board is 126 feet wide, 56 feet tall, 20 feet off the ground and the most prominent (and visible) perk of an ongoing $70 million enhancement process at Memorial Stadium.
Players, understandably, are excited.
“That thing is huge,” wide receiver Will Taylor said.
“Just being in there for scrimmages, it was amazing,” offensive tackle Blake Miller said.
“If you break one anywhere over 40, 50 yards, you can look up at that thing and see everything you need to,” running back Will Shipley said. “I think it could definitely be used as a weapon.”
Clemson’s old video board, which was last updated in 2012 but hadn’t seen a major renovation since 2005, measured at 62 feet wide, 25 feet tall and 1,550 square feet. That ranked 84th among college football stadiums, The State previously reported.
At 126 by 56, the new video board is 7,056 square feet. That’s the largest display in the state, second largest display in the ACC behind Florida State and eighth largest display in the nation.
As for the screen itself? Crystal clear. Clemson’s new Daktronics video board is 3,872 pixels wide by 1,728 pixels tall, good for 6.7 million pixels total. That’s twenty times the previous board’s resolution (899 pixels wide by 356 pixels tall, 320,000 pixels total) and is among the highest resolutions boards in the country, per the school.
Supplementing the new video board are a new sound system and a revamped lighting system, which features color LED fixtures inside the board, updated ribbon boards, new corner video boards and individual LED light fixture control for the stadium’s eight main light poles.
Those upgrades will not only improve on-field and in-stadium lighting but allow for easier spotlighting of Howard’s Rock as well as moments like Clemson’s pregame run down The Hill during night games. South Carolina debuted a similar system last week against Georgia State.
Here’s a recap of other Phase I Memorial Stadium renovations:
By raising the bottom of the new video board 20 feet off the ground, Clemson has opened up a new 365-day view of Memorial Stadium for visitors. That renovation, which also connects the stadium to the nearby Scroll of Honor veterans memorial, marked the first East Entry adjustment since Clemson added a video board in 2005.
The Tiger, a staple at Clemson home games since the 1970s, is back. And, like the video board it sits upon, it’s bigger. The new 16-foot, 1-inch Tiger is twice as tall as the old one, has light-up eyes and a wagging tail and can be raised and lowered out of the top of the board as needed. The old Tiger gets a blissful retirement, as it’s now an interactive element at Clemson’s pregame Tigertown Tailgate on the lawn of Littlejohn Coliseum.
Clemson has reinstated its postgame Gathering at the Paw in full for the 2022 season. The tradition was previously suspended for the entire 2020 season and all but one 2021 home game, Clemson’s last against Wake Forest, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
On the west concourse, Clemson has added the Master’s Club. It’s a 688-seat premium concourse-level area for IPTAY members that features outdoor seating and a connected indoor area with private bathrooms, food and beverage options and flatscreen TVs.
Clemson expanded northwest and southwest concourse restrooms; added an ADA/family restroom and Wellness Room for nursing in the northwest concourse; updated Ring of Honor and national championship signage; and, amid LED light expansion, partnered with KultureCity to make all of its venues sensory inclusive. It’s the first school in the country to be sensory certified at every venue, per a release.
In all, it’s a bold (and expensive) play to improve Clemson’s already fearsome home-field advantage at Memorial Stadium, the 14th largest FBS stadium in the country.
The Tigers have finished top 20 nationally in home attendance for 41 consecutive seasons and are 53-1 at home since 2014, the top winning percentage in the College Football Playoff era.
Clemson also rides a 34-game home winning streak into the Furman contest and can tie 2006-11 Boise State (35 games) for the 14th longest home winning streak in FBS history with a win. The ACC record is 37 by Florida State from 1992 to 2001.
The Tigers will host a full seven-game home slate for the first time since 2019 with their new video board and other Phase I improvements before starting Phase II of their $70 million project (mostly parking lot and locker room enhancements) after the 2022 season.
“There’s just a lot of cool things going on that I’m excited about,” head coach Dabo Swinney said. “Like I’ve said, there’s never been a better time to be a Tiger than right now.”
Next Clemson game
Who: Clemson (1-0) vs. Furman (1-0)
When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: Memorial Stadium in Clemson
TV: ACC Network
Line: Clemson by 44.5
This story was originally published September 8, 2022 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Clemson football to debut ‘amazing’ new video board in home opener. Here are the specs."
