Daniel Rodriguez after scoring in the fourth quarter. (Joshua S. Kelly/USA TODAY Sports)
Here’s your feel-good, tell-your-friends story of the day. First, a little background.
Before joining Clemson’s football program in 2012 as a walk-on, wide receiver Daniel Rodriguez spent five years in the Army, serving 18 months in Iraq and one year in Afghanistan. On Oct. 3, 2009, Rodriguez was one of 38 U.S. troops who battled 300 Taliban insurgents in the Battle of Kamdesh; for his valor and heroism in battle, Rodriguez was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star Medal With Valor Device.
He’s been a part-time contributor from the start, pitching in as a special-teams dynamo and lightly used wide receiver in the Tigers’ wide-open offense. More than anything, however, Rodriguez has served as an inspiration for both his teammates and current and former members of our armed forces. Last winter, after one season on the roster, Rodriguez won the Discover Orange Bowl-FWAA Courage Award.
#Clemson WR Daniel Rodriguez carrying the flag onto the field. #MilitaryAppreciationDay pic.twitter.com/yfsYVm0MGr
— Sefton Ipock (@SeftonIpock) November 23, 2013
This takes us to Saturday – fittingly, Military Appreciation Day at Clemson, which played host to Citadel, a military academy in South Carolina. (That’s Rodriguez above, carrying the flag onto the field before kickoff.)
One thing Rodriguez hadn’t achieved as a Tiger was score a touchdown; that changed early in the fourth quarter, when Rodriguez took a short flip from backup quarterback Cole Stoudt into the end zone for a two-yard score. Check it out:
Just a wonderful story out of Clemson. The Tigers would beat Citadel 52-6 to move to 10-1 in advance of the season finale against rival South Carolina.
