The Ring Ceremony
The Ring Ceremony was made an official tradition by the Board of Trustees in the year of 2000 [1]. The student government at that time wanted to create another tradition for Clemson students in order to make the act of receiving a Clemson Ring even more special than it already was. Its main purpose was to present the different parts of the ring to the different guests at the ceremony to give the ring a more special meaning. The first ring ceremonies were held in Tillman Hall with professor Ben Skardon telling his story about how the ring saved his life when he was a prisoner of war during World War II. Ben Skardon continued to speak at the ring ceremonies until he passed in November of 2021, now the ring ceremony takes the time to remember his life and everything he did for the university. Over the years the ring ceremony has gained more parts to it and with that has gained popularity along with Clemson growing in general. At first it was done in Tillman Hall, then moved to the Madren Center, and now is in Littlejohn Coliseum to fit the large number of people attending the ceremony.
The Student Alumni Council is the group that ensures the ring ceremony runs smoothly each year. It is composed of a large group of students selected by their involvement on campus and their character and love for Clemson. They conduct all that happens during the ceremony and this is the group of students that adds tradition to the ceremony. In 2013 SAC decided to add more military ceremonies into the whole production. This is when the guarding of the rings the night before and the rings being escorted into the stadium and placed down on the stage by Air Force ROTC. This is a nice way to honor the military past that Clemson holds and puts more emphasis on the long history these rings hold.
[1] Board of Trustees, Clemson Trustees Minutes, (28 January 2000), 6.