‘All in’ the Family

January 20, 2017

Father, son share destiny, number on Tigers title teams

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) – When we first spoke with Bill Smith of the 1981 Clemson National Championship Team it was by phone because he was driving back from Tampa the day after watching his son Cannon win a national title with Clemson University.

Since then, we caught with Bill and Cannon in person and learned these champions are separated in years, but not much else.

“I’m proud of him, told him I loved him and told him to appreciate the moment he’s in because it doesn’t come around often,” Bill Smith said, reflecting on what he shared with his son the moment after the National Championship.

RELATED: See photos of Bill and Cannon Smith through the years.

“It’s just real surreal actually,” Smith said. “God has a purpose for everything in our lives, and we don’t know today what that purpose serves, but it’s very humbling to have your son experience what you did 35 years ago.

“It was a great game,” Smith said, referring to the memorabilia on his desk honoring the Tigers’ big win. “Between us and Nebraska, we were the little small town Clemson- and they were the ‘Big Nebraska’ and had a lot of All-Americans on their team.”

Smith, No. 84, was a starting defensive end for Clemson in 1981. He had what many called the game of his life during that game.

“My son had the first tackle of that game,” Bill’s mom, Rebecca Smith, said. “I remember that distinctly.”

Rebecca says they are memories that have flooded back as she’s watched her grandson Cannon do what his dad did 35 years ago.

“Every time I see him out there, it’s a flashback,” she added. “I get teary-eyed on that, too.”

Born 14 years after Bill became a national champion, Cannon found a passion for football just like his dad.

“I always made sure that’s what he wanted to do, and he was doing it for himself not because he was trying to follow in my footsteps,” Bill said.

From Pee Wee football to a star standout at Hammond High School, Cannon excelled, and he’s done it wearing the same number as his dad.

“Somehow Cannon has always, even in high school, he had the number 84,” Rebecca said.

When the Clemson Tigers were welcomed back from Tampa as champions on Saturday, Cannon shared that wearing 84 has always been intentional.

“I was like, ‘I’m going to represent my dad and wear that number,'” Cannon said. “When I got here. No. 84 was opened up again, so I thought I’m just going to take that number and keep on the legacy.”

It’s a legacy that could have been written differently. The redshirt sophomore tight end and special teams player was offered a scholarship to Alabama. But Cannon says in his mind, the story was always in stone.

“I always knew in my heart I was going to be coming to Clemson. This is like home to me. I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else,” Cannon said.

That home has served as a place to make history for both father and son and their family who is “all in.”

When asked if they ever had dreams of both winning a championship for Clemson while wearing the same number, Bill said the first time they thought about it being possible was when Clemson played Alabama for the title last year. He says while losing that game was tough, they were presented with a date with destiny when the Tigers got a chance to play the Crimson Tide once again.