Danny Ford was promoted from offensive line coach to head coach in 1978, after Charlie Pell left for the University of Florida.
 He won his first game, the 1978 Gator Bowl, with a 17–15 victory over Ohio State and legendary coach Woody Hayes, who punched MG Charlie Bauman in the throat after making the game-clinching interception.
In his third season, Ford guided Clemson to the summit of college football by winning the National Championship, and recording the program's fifth undefeated season.
The Tigers, who were unranked in the preseason, downed three top-10 teams (Georgia, North Carolina and Nebraska) during the course of the 12–0 season that concluded with a 22–15 victory over Nebraska in the 1982 Orange Bowl.
Ford, named National Coach-of-the-Year in 1981, holds the record as the youngest coach (33 years old) to win a national championship on the gridiron.

The 1981 college football season was one of the craziest and most unpredictable in the history of the sport.
It seemed nobody wanted to win the national championship.
At several points in the season, six different teams were ranked No.
1 by the Associated Press.
 Most of them were beaten just as quickly as they earned the top spot.
The Tigers slow rise to No.
1 quickly gained momentum with an early season 13–3 upset victory over defending national champion Georgia.
The Clemson defense contained Georgia's great tailback Herschel Walker and kept him out of the end zone.
Week after week, Clemson was getting better.
Offensively the team was led by junior quarterback Homer Jordan, who was a dual threat as a runner and passer.
It was a run-oriented offense featuring a fine tandem of tailbacks in Cliff Austin and Chuck McSwain.
When they needed a big play, Jordan often threw deep to receiver Perry Tuttle, who later became a first round draft choice of the Buffalo Bills.
But the true strength of the Clemson team was its defense.
The Tigers had three All Americans including safety Terry Kinard, linebacker Jeff Davis and defensive end Jeff Bryant.
All three went on to solid pro careers.
But the most famous member of the Clemson defense was a large freshman defensive tackle named William Perry.
Perry would later gain fame for his nickname "The Refrigerator" and became a football folk hero with the Chicago Bears as a lovable overweight defensive lineman who sometimes scored touchdowns while lining up at fullback.

After finishing the regular season with a perfect 11–0 record, Clemson was invited to the Orange Bowl to play Big 8 champion Nebraska.
To mark its first trip to the Orange Bowl in over 30 years, Clemson wore all orange uniforms for the second time.
 The Tigers took a quick 3–0 lead in the first quarter behind a Donald Igwebuike 41-yard field goal.
  But Nebraska came back with some trickery when I-back Mike Rozier threw a 25-yard option pass to Anthony Steels for a touchdown to take the lead 7–3.
 Leading 13–7 in the third quarter, Clemson took control for good when Homer Jordan threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Perry Tuttle, giving the Tigers a commanding 19–7 lead.
 Clemson held on to win 22–15 bringing home a consensus national championship.
  At 34-years-old, Danny Ford became the youngest coach to lead his team to a national title.

Ranked No.
10 before the 1982 season began, with six players entering the NFL Draft, including First Round picks DE Jeff Bryant and WR Perry Tuttle, along with Hollis Hall, Center Tony Berryhill, Brian Clark, and linebacker and former team captain Jeff Davis, there were obvious questions as to how well the team would perform in 1982 in the aftermath of a championship season.
The Tigers opened the season on the road playing border rival and SEC champion Georgia, losing this time in another close game by 6 points in front of a crowd of over 82,000.
 The following weekend, Clemson hosted Boston College, in another fourth quarter game that resulted in a 17–17 tie.
 Like the previous season, the Tigers gradually improved as the season progressed.
 In November, Clemson's defense was resilient enough to hold of No.
18 Maryland and No.
18 Nor
Danny Ford was promoted from offensive line coach to head coach in 1978, after Charlie Pell left for the University of Florida.  He won his first game, the 1978 Gator Bowl, with a 17–15 victory over Ohio State and legendary coach Woody Hayes, who punched MG Charlie Bauman in the throat after making the game-clinching interception. In his third season, Ford guided Clemson to the summit of college football by winning the National Championship, and recording the program's fifth undefeated season. The Tigers, who were unranked in the preseason, downed three top-10 teams (Georgia, North Carolina and Nebraska) during the course of the 12–0 season that concluded with a 22–15 victory over Nebraska in the 1982 Orange Bowl. Ford, named National Coach-of-the-Year in 1981, holds the record as the youngest coach (33 years old) to win a national championship on the gridiron.
The 1981 college football season was one of the craziest and most unpredictable in the history of the sport. It seemed nobody wanted to win the national championship. At several points in the season, six different teams were ranked No. 1 by the Associated Press.  Most of them were beaten just as quickly as they earned the top spot. The Tigers slow rise to No. 1 quickly gained momentum with an early season 13–3 upset victory over defending national champion Georgia. The Clemson defense contained Georgia's great tailback Herschel Walker and kept him out of the end zone. Week after week, Clemson was getting better. Offensively the team was led by junior quarterback Homer Jordan, who was a dual threat as a runner and passer. It was a run-oriented offense featuring a fine tandem of tailbacks in Cliff Austin and Chuck McSwain. When they needed a big play, Jordan often threw deep to receiver Perry Tuttle, who later became a first round draft choice of the Buffalo Bills. But the true strength of the Clemson team was its defense. The Tigers had three All Americans including safety Terry Kinard, linebacker Jeff Davis and defensive end Jeff Bryant. All three went on to solid pro careers. But the most famous member of the Clemson defense was a large freshman defensive tackle named William Perry. Perry would later gain fame for his nickname "The Refrigerator" and became a football folk hero with the Chicago Bears as a lovable overweight defensive lineman who sometimes scored touchdowns while lining up at fullback.
After finishing the regular season with a perfect 11–0 record, Clemson was invited to the Orange Bowl to play Big 8 champion Nebraska. To mark its first trip to the Orange Bowl in over 30 years, Clemson wore all orange uniforms for the second time.  The Tigers took a quick 3–0 lead in the first quarter behind a Donald Igwebuike 41-yard field goal.   But Nebraska came back with some trickery when I-back Mike Rozier threw a 25-yard option pass to Anthony Steels for a touchdown to take the lead 7–3.  Leading 13–7 in the third quarter, Clemson took control for good when Homer Jordan threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Perry Tuttle, giving the Tigers a commanding 19–7 lead.  Clemson held on to win 22–15 bringing home a consensus national championship.   At 34-years-old, Danny Ford became the youngest coach to lead his team to a national title.
Ranked No. 10 before the 1982 season began, with six players entering the NFL Draft, including First Round picks DE Jeff Bryant and WR Perry Tuttle, along with Hollis Hall, Center Tony Berryhill, Brian Clark, and linebacker and former team captain Jeff Davis, there were obvious questions as to how well the team would perform in 1982 in the aftermath of a championship season. The Tigers opened the season on the road playing border rival and SEC champion Georgia, losing this time in another close game by 6 points in front of a crowd of over 82,000.  The following weekend, Clemson hosted Boston College, in another fourth quarter game that resulted in a 17–17 tie.  Like the previous season, the Tigers gradually improved as the season progressed.  In November, Clemson's defense was resilient enough to hold of No. 18 Maryland and No. 18 Nor
Clemson Tigers football