Paul Finebaum Reignites 'Real Death Valley' Debate with Clemson Fan on Live Broadcast

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Zach Lentz | Last updated Apr 21, 2025 6:41 AM ET

Few rivalries in college football are as strangely specific — or as fiercely debated — as the one surrounding the nickname “Death Valley.” And on Friday’s episode of The Paul Finebaum Show, the longtime SEC voice added fresh fuel to that fire, locking horns with a Clemson fan over which school truly owns the iconic moniker.

It all began when a caller named Jerry, a passionate Clemson supporter, phoned into the show with a lighthearted — yet pointed — proposal. He invited Finebaum and retired College GameDay legend Lee Corso to the highly anticipated Week 1 matchup between Clemson and LSU, suggesting Corso could don the mascot head of whichever team he believed represented the "real" Death Valley.

Finebaum, never one to shy away from a debate — especially when it involves the SEC — didn’t hesitate to shut down the idea.

“I can settle that for you right now, Jerry,” Finebaum said. “I don’t have to come to Clemson. It’s in Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge. It doesn’t matter how much longer Clemson has been called Death Valley… Sometimes it’s just the way it feels.”

That response didn’t sit well with Clemson faithful, who have long held that Memorial Stadium in Clemson, South Carolina earned the Death Valley title first. The Tigers’ home stadium has carried that nickname since the late 1940s — well before LSU’s Tiger Stadium adopted the same moniker.

But for Finebaum, logic and timelines matter less than atmosphere and perception. And in his eyes, LSU’s raucous night-game environment — one of the loudest and most intimidating in college football — gives Baton Rouge the edge.

This isn’t the first time Finebaum has needled Clemson or its head coach Dabo Swinney. He has a well-documented history of SEC loyalty and Clemson skepticism. But even he acknowledged that the Tigers of the ACC laid claim to the “Death Valley” nickname well before their Baton Rouge counterparts.

Still, in a sport built on passion, traditions, and rivalries, facts rarely end debates — they often just give them more legs. Whether it’s geography, history, or pure intimidation factor, both Clemson and LSU fans are steadfast in their belief that their stadium is Death Valley.

And come Week 1, when the two programs collide on the field, the war of words may finally give way to a more definitive answer — at least until next season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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