The book on Danny

When we were running our lengthy series on Danny Ford's tenure a few months ago, the most common reaction from readers was: "Dude. This should be a book."

So, here ya go.

One thing you learn very early on in the journalism business is that it's better to do too much reporting rather than too little. Invariably, the chief cause of writer's block is insufficient information-gathering.

That wasn't a problem in the reporting for the Ford series. Through five weeks of research in January and February, there was a bunch of stuff gathered that didn't make the articles which appeared on TI. You gotta stop somewhere, you know? And if I went with the impulse to chronicle everything that was compelling in the Ford years, I'd probably still be writing and the series wouldn't have run yet.

The book thing was in the back of my mind during the research and writing for the series. So when The History Press, which published State of Disunion last fall, expressed interest in turning the Ford series into a book, the decision wasn't difficult.

It's almost astounding that no one has endeavored to write a definitive account of Ford's 11 years at Clemson. A likely reason is that Ford has never been interested in writing one of those “as told to” deals in which he spends hours upon hours rehashing things he’s not comfortable rehashing, and then someone transcribes it all and puts it together for a book.

Ford neither endorsed nor forbade either the TI series or the book. He did read parts of the series and told me what he read was fair and accurate. The chief aspiration with both works was to be as fair and accurate as possible to Ford and everyone else mentioned in the story.

The research and writing for the rivalry book was a thrill that I didn't think was capable of being matched. Digging into the Ford story exceeded that experience for a number of reasons. A chronicling of that era is enlightening even to those who were around, because memories are hazy after all these years. It also goes a long way toward explaining Clemson fans' animosity toward the ACC and the influence of North Carolina.

A quick explanation for the "Romping and Stomping" in the title:

One of the most enduring snapshots of Ford’s coaching tenure at Clemson comes from the first day of his coaching tenure at Clemson.

Ford, an Alabama boy all of 30 years old, took over a shattered fan base after Charley Pell’s abrupt departure to Florida. He was so nervous at his introductory press conference that he drew the ire of Tiger legend Frank Howard.

Howard watched the proceedings from the back of the room. He was a believer in Ford, but the Tigers’ new coach was so nervous and meek on the podium that Howard yanked him aside afterward and told him he couldn’t hear him.

“You’ve got to romp and stomp,” Howard told him that day.

That anecdote kept coming to mind as I proceeded through this experience. Anyone with even a basic understanding of Ford's persona has to be astounded that he was ever noticeably uncomfortable or at a loss for words in front of a room full of people.

Through the course of editing the manuscript, I had to pinch myself almost every time I turned a page and saw: "THE DANNY FORD YEARS AT CLEMSON" gracing the top of the next page. There's really no other way to describe the feeling of doing this other than by saying: It's an honor.

The book is scheduled for release in July, and soon we'll begin a pre-order for those who want to be first in line when we start sending them out.

LW