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From the Quad
12/16/2024 3:11:00 PM | General
Presented by Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
Good Afternoon Demon Deacon Nation!
In a few minutes, we will announce that Head Football Coach Dave Clawson has decided to step down from his current position and transition to a new role serving Wake Forest as Special Advisor to the Director of Athletics.
While this is not the news we had wanted to share, we support Coach Clawson in this decision which he made after deep introspection with his family and through transparent conversations with President Susan R. Wente, myself, and other respected advisors. With that, I am delighted that he and Catherine will remain in Winston-Salem and I am confident that his new role will have a great and positive impact on multiple areas throughout the University.
Wake Forest University is a world-class institution because of people like Dave Clawson. He is a Hall of Fame coach and a first-class leader and person. He has poured his heart and soul into this program and our community for the past 11 years. He elevated the Demon Deacons football program back to national prominence with the run of seven-straight bowl berths from 2016-22 and achieving top-10 rankings in those latter two campaigns being the most sustained run of success in school history. Dave led the program with his guiding pillars of smart, tough young men who love football, and his model of recruit, retain, and develop benefited over 1,000 players during his transformational run as our head coach.
We are also deeply grateful for all the members of Coach Clawson's extended football staff and their families who continue to be so devoted and dedicated to the Wake Forest community, many of whom came with him 11 years ago from Bowling Green State University and now consider Winston-Salem home.
As I briefly mentioned earlier, here is a quick recap of the legacy Coach Clawson and his staff established here:
Another unforgettable moment came on Nov. 13, 2021, when his 12th-ranked team defeated 16th-ranked NC State in front of a packed Allegacy Stadium. Seeing the smile on Dave's face as he watched the joy of our packed student section and sold-out crowd celebrating that victory on the field is a memory I'll cherish forever.
Whether it was the seismic win at Florida State in 2022 when our team out-physicaled the Seminoles into submission in front of a silenced Doak Campbell Stadium, or the daily impact he had on our student-athletes' growth, Dave's contributions to our program, University, and community are immeasurable.
I am also honored in Dave's trust to confide in me over the past few weeks as he contemplated his situation. I know that it is incredibly difficult for him to transition away from 25 years of being a head football coach. And I held out hope, until our meeting earlier today, that he would change his mind.
But, at the same time, succession is the ultimate test of leadership, and I believe that Coach Clawson is making this decision in part out of love for Wake Forest and to position our program for even greater heights going forward.
He is a true servant leader.
Tomorrow, we invite Deacon Nation to join us virtually for a "Celebration Event / Press Conference" in the morning at 10 a.m. inside the world-class Fox Family Commons of the McCreary Football Complex, which will be live streamed on our Wake Forest Athletics YouTube page.
Our players love Coach Clawson and this is obviously a moment of transition like many of them have never experienced in their lives. He and I met with the team a short while ago via Zoom to share this news first with them, and with Coach Clawson's leadership, we are fully engaged in supporting them through this process.
We have outstanding young men in our program who are poised to lead Wake Forest to success in the 2025 season such as returning captains Nick Andersen & Luke Petitbon, standout performers like Demond Claiborne, Donavon Greene, Deuce Alexander, Matt Gulbin, Davaughn Patterson, Jamare Glasker, Dylan Hazen and so many others, a standout incoming freshman class in the fold and the tremendous interest we have witnessed from prospective student-athletes currently in the transfer portal.
Amidst the most tumultuous time in the history of college athletics, the foundation and infrastructure of Wake Forest football is more solid than ever before. As we detailed in our Nov. 21st edition of From the Quad, Wake Forest University is fully committed to thrive in the new era of intercollegiate athletics with the pending House Case settlement.
Remember, President Wente and our Board of Trustees further affirmed our four core institutional pillars in Wake Forest University's Strategic Framework as we approach the beginning of our third century in 2034:
As you would expect, with the support of President Susan R. Wente, Deputy AD Scott Garrett, Counsel/Senior Athletics Strategy Advisor Pete Paukstelis, and many others, for just the third time this century we are now fully engaged in a thorough, inclusive and expedient search process to identify and secure the new leader of Wake Forest football.
Those conversations are ongoing and I look forward to updating our football student-athletes and the entire Wake Forest University community as soon as possible. Naturally, you will hear many rumors and much speculation during the process. Do not assume a rumor to be true unless you hear it directly from me!
From the Quad Big 3
Finally, as we move forward together, here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Deacs:
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Vice President & Director of Athletics
Good Afternoon Demon Deacon Nation!
In a few minutes, we will announce that Head Football Coach Dave Clawson has decided to step down from his current position and transition to a new role serving Wake Forest as Special Advisor to the Director of Athletics.
While this is not the news we had wanted to share, we support Coach Clawson in this decision which he made after deep introspection with his family and through transparent conversations with President Susan R. Wente, myself, and other respected advisors. With that, I am delighted that he and Catherine will remain in Winston-Salem and I am confident that his new role will have a great and positive impact on multiple areas throughout the University.
Wake Forest University is a world-class institution because of people like Dave Clawson. He is a Hall of Fame coach and a first-class leader and person. He has poured his heart and soul into this program and our community for the past 11 years. He elevated the Demon Deacons football program back to national prominence with the run of seven-straight bowl berths from 2016-22 and achieving top-10 rankings in those latter two campaigns being the most sustained run of success in school history. Dave led the program with his guiding pillars of smart, tough young men who love football, and his model of recruit, retain, and develop benefited over 1,000 players during his transformational run as our head coach.
We are also deeply grateful for all the members of Coach Clawson's extended football staff and their families who continue to be so devoted and dedicated to the Wake Forest community, many of whom came with him 11 years ago from Bowling Green State University and now consider Winston-Salem home.
As I briefly mentioned earlier, here is a quick recap of the legacy Coach Clawson and his staff established here:
- Seven consecutive bowl appearances (2016-22) with five postseason victories—the most under any Wake coach.
- Program-best 11-3 record in 2021 when the Deacs won the ACC Atlantic Division title, which earned Clawson ACC Coach of the Year honors.
- Back-to-back top-10 national rankings (2021, 2022), a feat matched by only 17 Power 5 programs during those two seasons.
- 62 All-ACC honors since 2019—tied for 5th most in the ACC.
- School record with 13 alumni on 2023 and 2024 NFL rosters.
- Numerous records set, including legendary quarterback Sam Hartman's ACC career touchdown passes.
- Coached three Jim Tatum Award winners and two Brian Piccolo Award recipients.
- Highest-ever team GPA in fall 2023.
- ACC-leading 29 Academic All-ACC honorees in 2023.
- Maintained a 990+ Academic Progress Rate and a 97 Graduation Success Rate.
Another unforgettable moment came on Nov. 13, 2021, when his 12th-ranked team defeated 16th-ranked NC State in front of a packed Allegacy Stadium. Seeing the smile on Dave's face as he watched the joy of our packed student section and sold-out crowd celebrating that victory on the field is a memory I'll cherish forever.
Whether it was the seismic win at Florida State in 2022 when our team out-physicaled the Seminoles into submission in front of a silenced Doak Campbell Stadium, or the daily impact he had on our student-athletes' growth, Dave's contributions to our program, University, and community are immeasurable.
I am also honored in Dave's trust to confide in me over the past few weeks as he contemplated his situation. I know that it is incredibly difficult for him to transition away from 25 years of being a head football coach. And I held out hope, until our meeting earlier today, that he would change his mind.
But, at the same time, succession is the ultimate test of leadership, and I believe that Coach Clawson is making this decision in part out of love for Wake Forest and to position our program for even greater heights going forward.
He is a true servant leader.
Tomorrow, we invite Deacon Nation to join us virtually for a "Celebration Event / Press Conference" in the morning at 10 a.m. inside the world-class Fox Family Commons of the McCreary Football Complex, which will be live streamed on our Wake Forest Athletics YouTube page.
Our players love Coach Clawson and this is obviously a moment of transition like many of them have never experienced in their lives. He and I met with the team a short while ago via Zoom to share this news first with them, and with Coach Clawson's leadership, we are fully engaged in supporting them through this process.
We have outstanding young men in our program who are poised to lead Wake Forest to success in the 2025 season such as returning captains Nick Andersen & Luke Petitbon, standout performers like Demond Claiborne, Donavon Greene, Deuce Alexander, Matt Gulbin, Davaughn Patterson, Jamare Glasker, Dylan Hazen and so many others, a standout incoming freshman class in the fold and the tremendous interest we have witnessed from prospective student-athletes currently in the transfer portal.
Amidst the most tumultuous time in the history of college athletics, the foundation and infrastructure of Wake Forest football is more solid than ever before. As we detailed in our Nov. 21st edition of From the Quad, Wake Forest University is fully committed to thrive in the new era of intercollegiate athletics with the pending House Case settlement.
Remember, President Wente and our Board of Trustees further affirmed our four core institutional pillars in Wake Forest University's Strategic Framework as we approach the beginning of our third century in 2034:
- A world-class academic institution that embraces excellence at all levels;
- A vibrant and engaged residential living-learning community;
- A partner for economic development and a marquee employer in Winston-Salem;
- A highly competitive Division I, Power 4, ACC athletics program with a robust slate of extracurricular and experiential learning opportunities.
As you would expect, with the support of President Susan R. Wente, Deputy AD Scott Garrett, Counsel/Senior Athletics Strategy Advisor Pete Paukstelis, and many others, for just the third time this century we are now fully engaged in a thorough, inclusive and expedient search process to identify and secure the new leader of Wake Forest football.
Those conversations are ongoing and I look forward to updating our football student-athletes and the entire Wake Forest University community as soon as possible. Naturally, you will hear many rumors and much speculation during the process. Do not assume a rumor to be true unless you hear it directly from me!
From the Quad Big 3
Finally, as we move forward together, here are today's Big 3 ways to help the Deacs:
- Join us this week inside Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum as we have a pair of home basketball games. First, Coach Forbes' squad hits the hardwood against James Madison at 7 p.m tomorrow. following a week off for finals, Coach Megan Gebbia's team returns to action on Friday at 3 p.m. when we welcome our Triad partner UNC Greensboro for a non-conference contest. With that, we will honor Coach Clawson and his family at the under-16 timeout on the court in the first half of the men's basketball game tomorrow night. Come out and salute him for his transformational tenure as our head football coach!
- Read about how Wake Forest University recently received a remarkable $30 million gift to propel its Center for Entrepreneurship to new heights. This anonymous donation, one of the largest in University history, will expand opportunities for undergraduate students, enhance course offerings, and fund cutting-edge facilities for the program. Pro Humanitate at its finest!
- Chip Rives, a former Wake Forest football player, founded Santa's Helper in 1986 to help provide holiday presents to children in Winston-Salem, and again this year, student-athletes, coaches, staff, Deacon Club members, and friends of Wake Forest recently gathered to wrap and deliver thousands of presents to underprivileged families. If you are able and would like to make a gift to this great initiative, click here!
Go Deacs!
John Currie
Vice President & Director of Athletics
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