Littlejohn Coliseum – Clemson Tigers
- Dave Cottenie
- Apr 9
- 5 min read
Updated: Apr 12
Photos by Dave Cottenie, Stadium Journey
Stadium Info FANFARE Score: 3.71
Littlejohn Coliseum 219 Perimeter Road Clemson, SC 29634
Year Opened: 1968
Capacity: 9,000
Dominating Orange
One of the themes at Clemson University is domination. Sometimes this is a good thing. Sometimes … not so much. For example, the city of Clemson, South Carolina is dominated by the university. Everywhere you look in Clemson, the colors of orange and purple are dominant. The university was founded in 1889 and currently welcomes over 28,000 students, which dwarfs the city population of just 17,000. The Clemson Tigers basketball team first took the court in 1911 and currently plays in a conference that is dominated by basketball powerhouses like Duke and North Carolina. The lone conference title came for the Tigers in 1939. The Tigers basketball team also plays in an area that is dominated by football crazed fans. To describe Clemson as a football school would be a bit of an understatement. The basketball Tigers have earned 14 NCAA Tournament appearances. The best showings for the Tigers were the 1980 and 2024 seasons where they made it to the Elite Eight. Some distinguished Tigers to go on to play in the NBA include Tree Rollins, Horace Grant, Elden Campbel and Dale Davis.
Littlejohn Coliseum is the home of the Tigers and can be found on the campus of the university. It opened in 1968 and currently has a capacity of 9,000. The arena is named after Clemson’s first business manager, James C. Littlejohn, from the Class of 1908. A massive renovation took place in 2002 to make Littlejohn Coliseum more of a modern facility. Although it is undeniable that Clemson is a basketball school and they play in the ACC dominated by Carolina schools, fans should not sleep on the experience of Tigers basketball.
Food & Beverage 4
Concession options at Littlejohn Coliseum are pretty good and offer a bit of local flair. All of the typical concession options can be found along with a few interesting items. Some items worth considering include BBQ Pork tacos, or nachos, Buffalo Chicken tacos or nachos, Crumbl Cookie, Nashville Chicken and pulled pork mac and cheese. Coca-cola products are the soft drink of choice at Littlejohn Coliseum.
Atmosphere 4
Although built on a hill, Littlejohn Coliseum is not very intimidating from the exterior. The shape is essentially a square with large, rounded expansions along the sides. It is fairly low profile with an attractive exterior. There are plenty of Tigers logos around and contrasts smartly with the light siding and brown brick. Upon entry, fans will stumble upon a bronze bust of James Littlejohn. Inside the arena, the concourses are full of orange and purple, with little exposed building materials and plenty to look at. Displays for the “Littlejohn Legends,” top men and women’s players who have donned the orange for Clemson, are found at a number of spots in the concourse. Other displays for the history of the coliseum and history of the mascot can be found and give fans plenty to peruse during the pregame.
Inside the arena, the court runs from east to west with the north side being the best spot for that perfect center court logo photo. A huge, state-of-the-art videoboard hangs above the court and provides fans with just about any statistic that they could want. Banners for the honored numbers of Banks McFadden, Tree Rollins, Dale Davis, Sharone Wright, Elden Campbell, Horace Grant, Jaron Blossomgame, Greg Buckner and Larry Nance hang on the east side of the videoboard. The championship banners and tournament appearance banners hang in the northeast and southeast corners. Seating consists of a separated upper and lower bowl and excellent sightlines are provided throughout the arena.
The gameday production at Clemson is a typical college atmosphere. The band and students are found in the west end and the cheer team and dancers perform on the sidelines and during breaks in the action. The end of the game finds the players and cheer team gather for the singing of the alma mater.
Neighborhood 4
Littlejohn Coliseum is located on the campus of Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina. Clemson is very much a college town and their orange and purple is found all over town. There are plenty of spots for pre and post game food and drink that are not terribly far. Some options include Traditions on the Lake, Roller Mills Smokehouse, Evolve Kitchen & Table, Walk-Ons, TD’s of Clemson and Delish Sisters. Clemson is the only sports game in town, but the university does offer a full complement of sports including football and baseball. For sports travelers, it is of note that Clemson is pretty much equidistant from Atlanta, Charlotte and Knoxville, making it a good spot to hit on a sports roadie. Other tourist options in Clemson include Fort Hill, South Carolina Botanical Gardens and Hanover House. For fans wishing to stay in the area, The Shepherd Hotel, The Abernathy, Best Western and Holiday Inn are all good options.
Fans 4
Clemson enjoys solid support for basketball, even though it is definitely a football school. At the time of writing, Clemson welcomed over 7,800 fans per game. This marked the best year in the ACC in few years ranking them 8th in the conference. There is a bit of wiggle room here of course, but the fan support at Clemson is nothing to sneeze at. The fans in attendance are loud and very supportive and the students make their presence known as well. A huge percentage of fans at Tigers games are decked out in their best orange.
Access 3
Littlejohn Coliseum is located on the campus of Clemson University in Clemson, South Carolina, near Memorial Stadium. Getting to the coliseum is not terribly difficult. It is south of Old Greenville Highway, Highway 93. It is a bit of a drive from the interstate, so traversing through town will be a requirement. There is plenty of parking on campus, however much of the parking for basketball is found on the fields surrounding the arena. For fans wishing to take public transit, can find CATbus availability on Highway 93. Fans should consult the Clemson Area Transit website for fares, schedules and maps. Getting around Littlejohn Coliseum is not that difficult, however, getting to the arena from parking could be a challenge for fans with some mobility issues.
Return on Investment 4
Tickets for Tigers basketball begin at $20 for upper deck seats. Tickets at a lower prices can often be found on the secondary market and fans should consult them before purchasing. Parking can be found on the lawn for free and concession prices are decent. The return for fans is a surprisingly strong college basketball experience in a place that most fans would not consider to be all that strong.
Extras 2
An extra mark for finding orange EVERYWHERE in Clemson.
An extra mark for the southern hospitality which fans will no doubt experience at a Clemson game.
Final Thoughts
There is no doubt that Clemson is a football school and fans will absolutely think gridiron when they hear Clemson Tigers. However, even though the Tigers reside in a conference dominated by the North Carolina schools, they provide a great experience for basketball fans, and hoop dreamers should not sleep on Clemson.
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