Hours after Clemson University’s national championship win on Monday night, hundreds of fans rushed into sports stores in Rock Hill to stock up Clemson colors.
"My husband was like, 'I'm going to wear it all year long, that's all I'm going to do,'" alumna Kelly Ford said.
Academy Sports in Rock Hill opened for three hours at midnight for a sea of orange and purple fans who were ready to score special shirts.
"Oh, my husband is like, '500 bucks at least,' he's like, 'Whatever, what's money?'" Ford said.
As the fans shopped and waited at registers, dozens of people started shouting Tiger chants.
"Last night, we probably saw upwards of 500 people,” store director Trey Hewitt said.
Clemson won the title in what was arguably the greatest title game in college football history.
The Tigers pulled off the win with a touchdown that happened in the literal last second of the game, dethroning the Alabama Crimson Tide.
"It's been a good morning even on about four hours of sleep," fan Bill Fowler said.
Clemson's comeback victory was made even sweeter after a bitter loss to Alabama in last year's championship game. So on Tuesday, alumni and bandwagon fans showed up in force to buy their bragging rights.
"Tonight, I have a meeting with some Ohio State people and will put on my national championship shirt and say, ‘Look who came out on top,’” Clemson alum Angela Alexander said.
Academy has already sold thousands of Clemson shirts and hats in Rock Hill. Even if they run out of sizes, store clerks are making sure fans still get their gear. They're using scanners to special order sizes requested by customers.
The Tigers' close win was so incredible, it's one the fans and even future Tigers will always remember.
"He's going to be a Clemson fan, he has no choice," Ford said of her 1-year-old boy who was wearing an orange Clemson sweatshirt emblazoned with a tiger's paw print.
Clemson's last championship win was back in 1981.
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