Clemson, SC (WLTX) - The Clemson Tigers heard a chorus of roars of happy fans, as the team returned to campus nearly one day after winning the college football national championship.
The team arrived in buses to the school's athletics facility around 9:50 p.m., after touching down at Greenville's airport an hour earlier.
"I'm so appreciative of this spirit, this is what makes Clemson special, the spirit of our fans, our students, this university, and this town," Clemson Head Coach Dabo Swinney said.
It was a hectic last 24 hours. Monday night, they throttled the previous champion, Alabama, 44-16 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, CA. The win gave the Tigers their second title in three years, and third championship overall.
"Our team, we left here with a very clear vision of what we wanted the game to look like, and these guys made it happen,' Swinney said. "It's something we'll never forget.
They also handed the Tide their worst loss in the Coach Nick Saban era, and their largest setback in 20 years. In doing so, Clemson became the first national champion to post at 15-0 record, and the first Division I team to win that many games since the end of the 19th Century.
"There's only one team ever to be 15-0, and that's this bunch here," Swinney said as he pointed at his players.
Next up for the Tigers will be a parade Saturday and a ceremony. The school said the event will start at 9 a.m. Eastern before ending at the Tigers stadium, where coach Swinney and several players are expected to speak.
Swinney said he hopes to have a full building. After Clemson won the championship two years ago, fans filled much of the upper deck of the stadium, which seats 81,500.
Earlier in the day, the team was congratulated by none other than President Trump himself.
In a tweet , Trump called the Tigers "a truly great football team" that pulled off an "an incredible win last night against a powerful Alabama team." Trump also called it a big win for South Carolina.
Trump says he was looking forward to seeing Clemson and coach Swinney for a second time at the White House. The Tigers visited in 2017 after their championship run the previous season.
