Football

Dave Clawson
Dave Clawson
Dave Clawson
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Dave Clawson, who was named Wake Forest University’s 32nd head football coach on Dec. 10, 2013, set a new standard for Wake Forest football.  
 
Clawson, who was named as an American Football Coaches Association Board of Trustee member on Jan. 10, 2022, achieved unparalleled success as the leader of the Demon Deacons football program.  

Since his arrival in December 2013, Clawson revitalized the program, overseeing the most successful stretch in Wake Forest football history. Under his guidance, the Demon Deacons reached new heights, including seven consecutive bowl appearances (2016-2022), an Atlantic Division title in 2021, and the program's first-ever top-10 national ranking – in back-to-back seasons (2021 & 2022). His teams consistently broke records on the field while maintaining academic excellence, earning national recognition for their success in the classroom.
 
Beyond his 11-year run at Wake Forest, Dave Clawson remains the only coach to win at least 10 games in a season at four Division I schools (Fordham, Richmond, Bowling Green, Wake Forest). 
 
Specifically, since the start of the 2016 season, the Deacs tied for the fourth-most wins in the ACC not counting the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Additionally, the Demon Deacons were in the winningest stretch of football in their program's history with Clawson’s teams owning five of the program’s top-five win totals in program history over a five-year span. 
 
1. 38 Wins (2017-21)
2. 37 Wins (2018-22)
3. 36 Wins (2004-08 & 2006-10)
5. 35 Wins (2019-23)
6. 34 Wins (2016-20)
7. 33 Wins (2015-19)
T8. 31 Wins (2020-24)
T8. 31 Wins (1944-48)
10. 30 Wins (1940-44)
 
All that winning led to record-setting crowds, multiple sellouts and the best student attendance in school history, which gave the Demon Deacons a huge edge when playing at home inside Allegacy Stadium. The Demon Deacons hold a 24-13 (.649) record in home contests since the start of the 2019 season, which included a program-record 11-game winning streak spanning from the 2020 to 2022 seasons. The 64.9 percent win rate ranked just outside the top five in the ACC during that time period. 
 
That aforementioned win streak featured a perfect 6-0 record at home in 2021, which was Wake Forest’s first undefeated home record since 1979 and that fall marked just the third time since the Deacs’ 1970 ACC Championship team went unbeaten inside Allegacy Stadium. Meanwhile, six home wins in 2021 tied the program record that Clawson’s 2019 squad had previously set. 
 
In the stands, Wake Forest sold out 11 home games since 2021 and following a seven-home game season in 2024, Wake Forest University & Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium hosted 208,156 fans and a cumulative total of 23,325 students and compiled 11 sellouts since the 2021 season
 
All the aforementioned victories are due to having great players who perform well each week. The Deacs 62 All-ACC honors since 2019,  tied for the fifth most in the ACC. With that, the Deacs are one of just six schools to have more than 60 honorees in that time span.
 
Over the course of his tenure at Wake Forest, Coach Clawson’s staff had six student-athletes (Cam Serigne, TE: 2014, 2015, 2016); Dom Maggio, P: 2016, 2017, 2019; Greg Dortch, 2017: All-Purpose, 2017: Return Specialist, 2018: All-Purpose, 2018: Return Specialist; Essang Bassey, CB: 2017, 2018, 2019; Nick Sciba, K: 2019, 2020, 2021; Michael Jurgens, OL: 2021, 2022, 2023) earn All-ACC honors at least three times during their careers. While Greg Dortch is the only four-time honoree in program history. Overall, there are only 15 players in program history who ever accomplished this feat of at least three all-conference accolades. 
 
During the Deacs run of seven-straight bowl appearances from 2016-22, which was the second-longest streak in the ACC, tied for the 10th longest in the country, and was the longest in Wake Forest lore with the previous best at just three-consecutive years, Coach Clawson’s program defeated two SEC teams (Texas A&M, 2017; Missouri, 2022) and a Big Ten program (Rutgers, 2021) across those postseason games. Overall, Clawson earned five bowl victories at Wake Forest, which is the most in school history, and is tied for fifth in ACC history for postseason wins. He ranks behind Bobby Bowden (Florida State, 11), Dabo Swinney (Clemson, 11), Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech, 6) and Danny Ford (Clemson, 6). Meanwhile, Clawson entered the 2024 season tied with Jimbo Fisher (Florida State, 5) and Ralph Friedgen (Maryland, 5).
 
Overall during his tenure in Winston-Salem, Clawson was an outstanding 4-1 against teams from the SEC. Additionally, with a pair of victories against Vanderbilt and Mizzou in 2022, he led the Deacs to a pair of victories over Southeastern Conference foes in the same season for the first since 2008 and the second time in program history. 
 
The 2021 and 2022 campaigns in Winston-Salem featured a number of program firsts and records. Specifically during that two-year span, Wake Forest went 19-8 and that win total over two seasons was the second-highest in program history (21, 2006-07) and it was tied for the ninth-best mark in all of the Power 5. After climbing into the top 10 of the Associated Press and Amway Coaches Poll in 2021 and 2022, Wake Forest was one of just 17 programs to achieve a top-10 ranking in each of those campaigns. The Deacs climbed to ninth in 2021 and ranked 10th in 2022, both the highest rankings in program history. Additionally, the Deacs were tabbed No. 9 in the country by the College Football Playoff Poll on Nov. 2, 2021. Also, Wake Forest ended the 2021 season ranked No. 15 in the Associated Press Poll, which marked the highest ranking to end a season in program history. 
 
A 6-1 start to the 2022 season, including three-straight home sellout crowds inside Allegacy Stadium and a top-10 ranking, highlighted Wake Forest’s season that fall. The three sellouts marked Wake Forest’s longest-consecutive run since 2011 and the first time since 2006 that the Decs hosted a capacity crowd during the month of September. Additionally, quarterback Sam Hartman was named the ACC’s Brian Piccolo Award winner as he set the ACC record for career touchdown passes late that season and the Demon Deacons had 12 players earn All-ACC honors. 
 
In 2021, the Demon Deacons won the Atlantic Coast Conference Atlantic Division title and the 2021 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Championship. After leading the Deacs to a program-record tying 11-3 record, including a school-best 7-1 mark in ACC play, Clawson was named the 2021 ACC Coach of the Year by the ACC and the Associated Press. It marked the ninth time a Wake Forest head coach has been honored as the ACC Football Coach of the Year and the first since 2006. Clawson was the seventh Wake Forest head coach to win the award. Others who won the award were Jim Grobe (2006), Bill Dooley (1992 and 1987), John Mackovic (1979), Cal Stoll (1970), William Tate (1964) and Paul Amen (1959 and 1955).
 
Individually, the Coach of the Year honor marked his fifth-career accolade. Clawson was the Patriot League Coach of the Year in 2001 and 2002 at Fordham and was awarded the 2005 Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year award and 2007 Colonial Athletic Association Coach of the Year honor at Richmond. 
 
Nationally in 2021, Clawson was a semifinalist for George Munger Collegiate Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Paul “Bear” Bryant and Bobby Dodd National Coach of the Year awards. Prior to earning those accolades, Clawson was the 2002 Schutt Sports/American Football Monthly I-AA Coach of the Year and a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award. In 2005, Clawson earned National Coach of the Year from I-AA.org and was again a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award.
 
Additionally during his tenure at Wake Forest, Clawson led the Deacs to their eighth Big 4 Championship in 2019. Clawson has the third-most wins in school history and is 67-69 in his decade-long tenure with the Demon Deacons. 
 
Clawson and offensive coordinator Warren Ruggiero engineered an offense that rewrote the record books at Wake Forest. The Deacons set nearly 400 school records including marks for points scored, points per game, total offensive yards, first downs and passing yards from 2017-22. Also, the Deacs were the only football program in the ACC to average at least 30 points per game each year during that aforementioned six-year span. That run ranks as the fourth longest in ACC history.
 
Specifically in 2021, Wake Forest scored a program-best 574 points and averaged a school-record 41.0 ppg. That point total ranks 43rd in modern FBS history and the fourth-most in ACC history. Additionally, Wake Forest became just the 20th ACC team in the college football modern era (Post-WWII) to cross over the milestone of 500 points scored in a single season. Individually, the Deacons topped 35 points in a game 12 times during the 2021 campaign. In the College Football Playoff Era, Wake Forest is one of seven teams (2014 Oregon, 2018 Alabama, 2018 Oklahoma, 2019 Alabama, 2019 LSU, 2020 Alabama) to accomplish that feat in a single season.
 
Individually on offense under Ruggiero and Clawson’s tutelage, three quarterbacks at Wake Forest have earned All-ACC honors when they were a starter (John Wolford, 2017; Jamie Newman, 2019; Sam Hartman, 2021 & 2022).
 
Unique due to the tremendous leadership of Clawson and his staff, Wake Forest was the only school in the country to score at least a 990 on the latest Academic Progress Report, Graduation Success Rate and play in a bowl game in seven of the last nine years under the same head coach. Additionally, Wake Forest was one of only six (Duke, Northwestern Stanford, Notre Dame, Vanderbilt) FBS schools with an overall GSR of greater than 96 in each of the past four reports.
 
Academically in the fall 2023 semester, his squad recorded a combined 3.2 grade point average - the highest in program history. Additionally, Wake Forest had 29 Academic All-ACC honorees, which was  tied for the most in the conference. Not to be outdone, the Deacs have totaled 59 honors over the past two seasons and that tally is the highest-mark for a two-year stretch in program history.
 
Finally, Wake Forest football has undergone a facilities transformation following the tremendous success of the Demon Deacons football program over the last 10 years as $150 million has been invested into the Deacs’ world class facilities. 
 
The latest investment was a $38 million dollar facility, the McCreary Football Complex. This facility is 60,000 new square feet adjoining the existing McCreary Football Field House and Sutton Sports Performance Center. It includes locker space for 130 student-athletes, player lounge with a nutrition station, recovery area, entertainment area, football athletic training/treatment space, equipment center and loading dock and a multipurpose space seating up to 200 for team meals, meetings, functions and other activities.
 
Other new facilities during Coach Clawson’s tenure include the opening of the aforementioned Sutton Sports Performance Center in the fall of 2019 and the McCreary Football Field House in 2016. The SSPC gave Wake football a state-of-the-art facility that features a world-class strength and conditioning complex to go with 16,000 square feet of space for coaches’ offices, recruiting space and team meeting areas as well as a specialized nutrition center. Meanwhile, the McCreary Football Field House is an 80,000-square foot structure that features a 120-yard football field and adjoins the Doc Martin Practice Fields.
 
Clawson came to Winston-Salem after five seasons as the head coach at Bowling Green State University where he led the Falcons to the 2013 Mid-American Conference championship with a 47-27 win over No. 16 Northern Illinois. 
 
In his 24 years as a head coach, Clawson has delivered a conference championship at each of his first three stops. Prior to the 2013 MAC title, Clawson helped Richmond to a pair of Colonial Athletic Association titles in 2005 and 2007. His first championship as a head coach came in 2002 when he led Fordham to the Patriot League title.
 
Clawson is the only active Division I head coach to win four conference championships in four different Division I leagues. Overall, he has compiled an impressive 157 wins in his head coaching career, which ranks 14th amongst active FBS head coaches.
 
A 1989 graduate of Williams College in Massachusetts, Clawson earned a degree in political economy and played defensive back.
 
Clawson and his wife, Catherine, are the parents of two children, Courtney and Eric.
 
Wake Forest (2014-2024)
 
Overview:
  • Dave Clawson continued the success of former head coach Jim Grobe (2001-13) as Wake Forest has been the top program in the state of North Carolina this century. 
  • Since the turn of the century, the Demon Deacons hold a record of 32-28 against UNC, NC State and Duke. Also since 2001, Wake Forest football has been the best football program in the state of North Carolina as the Demon Deacons boast an overall record of 48-28 (.632) against all in-state opponents. The Deacs lead in win percentage in this category among its Big Four rivals. 
  • Wake Forest, who won the 2006 ACC Championship title, holds the unique distinction of being the only North Carolina school to claim the title in the Championship era. Additionally, the Demon Deacons and Tar Heels are the only program from the state to qualify for multiple league title games (WF: 2006, 2021; UNC: 2015, 2022) and the Deacs are the only North Carolina school to win the now defunct Atlantic Division. 
  • Wake Forest is the only Big Four school to record 11 wins in a single season twice (2006, 2021) this century. The Demon Deacons are one just seven Atlantic Coast Conference programs to achieve this mark as a member institution of the league.
  • Specifically, since the start of the 2016 season, the Deacs tied for the fourth-most wins in the ACC not counting the COVID-shortened 2020 season. Additionally, the Demon Deacons were in the winningest stretch of football in their program's history with Clawson’s teams owning five of the program’s top-five win totals in program history over a five-year span.  
    • 1. 38 Wins (2017-21)
    • 2. 37 Wins (2018-22)
    • 3. 36 Wins (2004-08 & 2006-10)
    • 5. 35 Wins (2019-23)
    • 6. 34 Wins (2016-20)
    • 7. 33 Wins (2015-19)
    • T8. 31 Wins (2020-24)
    • T8. 31 Wins (1944-48)
    • 10. 30 Wins (1940-44)
  • All that winning led to record-setting crowds, multiple sellouts and the best student attendance in school history, which gave the Demon Deacons a huge edge when playing at home inside Allegacy Stadium. The Demon Deacons hold a 24-13 (.649) record in home contests since the start of the 2019 season, which included a program-record 11-game winning streak spanning from the 2020 to 2022 seasons. The 64.9 percent win rate ranked just outside the top five in the ACC during that time period. 
  • All the aforementioned victories are due to having great players who perform well each week. The Deacs 62 All-ACC honors since 2019,  tied for the fifth most in the ACC. With that, the Deacs are one of just six schools to have more than 60 honorees in that time span.
    • Individually on offense under Ruggiero and Clawson’s tutelage, three quarterbacks at Wake Forest have earned All-ACC honors when they were a starter (John Wolford, 2017; Jamie Newman, 2019; Sam Hartman, 2021 & 2022).
  • During the Deacs run of seven-straight bowl appearances from 2016-22, which was the second-longest streak in the ACC, tied for the 10th longest in the country, and was the longest in Wake Forest lore with the previous best at just three-consecutive years, Coach Clawson’s program defeated two SEC teams (Texas A&M, 2017; Missouri, 2022) and a Big Ten program (Rutgers, 2021) across those postseason games. 
    • Overall, Clawson earned five bowl victories at Wake Forest, which is the most in school history, and is tied for fifth in ACC history for postseason wins. He ranks behind Bobby Bowden (Florida State, 11), Dabo Swinney (Clemson, 11), Frank Beamer (Virginia Tech, 6) and Danny Ford (Clemson, 6). Meanwhile, Clawson tied with Jimbo Fisher (Florida State, 5) and Ralph Friedgen (Maryland, 5).
  • Overall during his career in Winston-Salem, Clawson was outstanding 4-1 against teams from the SEC. Additionally with a pair of victories against Vanderbilt and Mizzou in 2022, he led the Deacs to a pair of victories over Southeastern Conference foes in the same season for the first since 2008 and the second time in program history. 
  • The 2021 and 2022 campaigns in Winston-Salem featured a number of program firsts and records. Specifically during that two-year span, Wake Forest went 19-8 and that win total over two seasons was the second-highest in program history (21, 2006-07) and it was tied for the ninth-best mark in all of the Power 5. After climbing into the top 10 of the Associated Press and Amway Coaches Poll in 2021 and 2022, Wake Forest was one of just 17 programs to achieve a top-10 ranking in each of those campaigns. The Deacs climbed to ninth in 2021 and ranked 10th in 2022, both the highest rankings in program history. Additionally, the Deacs were tabbed No. 9 in the country by the College Football Playoff Poll on Nov. 2, 2021. Also, Wake Forest ended the 2021 season ranked No. 15 in the Associated Press Poll, which marked the highest ranking to end a season in program history. 
  • In 2021, the Demon Deacons won the Atlantic Coast Conference Atlantic Division title and the 2021 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl Championship. After leading the Deacs to a program-record tying 11-3 record, including a school-best 7-1 mark in ACC play, Clawson was named the 2021 ACC Coach of the Year by the ACC and the Associated Press. It marked the ninth time a Wake Forest head coach has been honored as the ACC Football Coach of the Year and the first since 2006. Clawson was the seventh Wake Forest head coach to win the award. Others who won the award were Jim Grobe (2006), Bill Dooley (1992 and 1987), John Mackovic (1979), Cal Stoll (1970), William Tate (1964) and Paul Amen (1959 and 1955).
  • Additionally during his tenure at Wake Forest, Clawson led the Deacs to their eighth Big 4 Championship in 2019. Clawson finishes his career with the third-most wins in school history. 
2023:
  • Wake Forest only returned 11 starters from its bowl champion 2022 squad and rode the highs and lows with many student-athletes playing major roles for the first time in their careers. The team persevered throughout the season and won three home games during the season and earned a road victory at Old Dominion.
    • The Deacs opened the 2023 season with a 37-17 win over Elon. 
      • Dating back to 2000, Wake Forest has won its last 18 games and has gone undefeated against non-Power-5 North Carolina schools since 2000.
    • With the 36-20 win over Vanderbilt in Week 2, the Deacs have five wins over the Commodores since the start of the 2007 season.
    • Wake Forest won at Old Dominion in Week 3 with a 27-24 comeback win.
      • The victory marked the Deacs’ seventh-straight over a program from the state of Virginia dating back to the 2020 season. Over that win streak, the Demon Deacons have outscored Virginia teams 247-142.
      • The win over ODU also clinched Wake Forest’s 12th-straight non-conference victory. That tally was the second-longest in the country at the time before the streak was snapped at Notre Dame on Nov. 18, 2023.  
      • Wake Forest trailed by 17 points in its win at Old Dominion. With that, the Demon Deacons second-half comeback marked the program's largest since Nov. 11, 2017 at Syracuse. 
        • In that contest, Wake Forest also trailed by 17 points and went onto win, 64-43.
        • The 17-point come-from-behind win was tied for sixth in Wake Forest history and tied with the aforementioned 2017 contest at Syracuse for the second-largest in the Dave Clawson era.
    • The Deacs downed Pitt 21-17 at home on Oct. 21, 2023 and that win marked Wake Forest’s first victory over the Panthers in program history.
  • Six Wake Forest football players earned All-Atlantic Coast Conference honors following the 2023 season. The 2023 season marked the seventh-consecutive season the Demon Deacons have had six or more players make the All-ACC teams.
    • The Deacs 54 All-ACC honors is the fifth most overall in the ACC since the 2019 season and Wake Forest is one of just six schools to have more than 50 honorees in that time span.
    • Redshirt senior offensive lineman Michael Jurgens and junior defensive back Malik Mustapha both earned Second Team All-ACC Honors. This was the third time in his Wake Forest career that Jurgens has been named an All-ACC honoree. Junior defensive lineman Jasheen Davis was named Third Team All-ACC. Additionally, redshirt junior offensive lineman DeVonte Gordon, redshirt junior defensive lineman Kevin Pointer and sophomore running back Demond Claiborne all earned honorable mention recognition from the voters.
    • Jasheen Davis recorded at least 0.5 tackles-for-loss in the 20 of his last 21 games to end the 2023 season. Over the last two seasons, Davis has collected 30.0 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks. With 7.5 sacks in 2023, Davis has now tallied 20.0 sacks in his career and that ranks fifth in program history: 
      • 1. Mike McCrary (1989-92) 30.0 
      • 2. Calvin Pace (1999-02)  29.0 
      • 3. Duke Ejiofor (2014-17)  23.5 
      • 4. Carlos Basham, Jr. (2017-20) 20.5 
      • 5. Jasheen Davis (2020-Present) 20.0
  • Wake Forest hosted four sellout crowds and a total of 182,990 fans across the Deacs six home contests. Overall with an average crowd of 30,498 in attendance at each home game inside Allegacy Stadium, the 2023 season marked the first time since 2011 that Wake averaged that many fans per contest. Additionally, Wake Forest’s student attendance for the season was above 21,000 and multiple games featured at least 80 percent of the student body in attendance. 
  • The Demon Deacons started three quarterbacks under-center during the 2023 season. 
    • Redshirt junior Michael Kern started the final two games of the season at Notre Dame and Syracuse. Over the course of those two contests, he went 28-of-44 for 342 yards and three touchdowns through the air with all three passing touchdowns coming against Syracuse and the longest completion of his career with a 59-yard strike to Taylor Morin in the fourth quarter against the Orange.  
    • Kern became the seventh starting QB in the Dave Clawson era:
      • Santino Marucci - Oct. 21, 2023 vs. Pitt: 
      • Marucci threw for 151 yards as he went 12-of-21 with one touchdown pass against Pitt inside Allegacy Stadium hitting redshirt junior Cameron Hite with just seven seconds remaining to earn a comeback 21-17 victory over Pitt to garner its first ACC win of the season on Homecoming Weekend.
    • Mitch Griffis - Sept. 1, 2022 vs. VMI:
      • In Week 1 of the 2022 season, Griffis went 21-of-29 for 288 yards and three touchdowns against VMI. His 72.4 percent in a first career start is the second-best in school history and the best mark since 2006. Also, Griffis’ three touchdown passes against VMI were the second most by a Wake Forest quarterback in his first career start.
    • Jamie Newman - Nov. 8, 2018 at No. 14 NC State:
      • Newman led the Deacons to come-from-behind 27-23 win with game-winning 2-minute drill at No. 14 NC State. He hit TE Jack Freudenthal with a 32-yard pass with 30 seconds left to secure the win for Wake Forest. Overall, Newman completed 22-of-33 passes for 297 yards and three touchdowns and became third QB in school history to throw three TD passes in first career start, joining Keith West vs Vanderbilt (1990) and Norm Snead vs. Maryland (1958).
    • Sam Hartman - Aug. 30, 2018 at Tulane:
      • Hartman had the best statistical debut in school history when he completed 31-of-51 passes for 378 yards (.608 completion percentage) and two touchdowns in an overtime win at Tulane in 2018 the season-opener. Hartman became the first Wake true freshman QB to win a season-opener. All his passing marks were school-bests for a true freshman in their first career start.
    • Kendall Hinton - Sept. 26, 2015 at Indiana:
      • As a freshman, Hinton made his first career start vs. Indiana and had 245 passing yards and completed 19 passes with one touchdown. Hinton also rushed 22 times for 57 yards with two touchdowns.
    • John Wolford - Aug. 28, 2014 at ULM:
      • Wolford became the first true freshman quarterback to start a season-opener in program history and he finished with 97 passing yards, five away from Solomon Everett's 1974 record of 102 for a true freshman in a debut. Wolford also became the first true freshman to complete better than 50 percent of his passes (12-of-22) in his first start.
  • Defensively, Wake Forest took a major step forward in 2023 in the second season of defensive coordinator’s Brad Lambert scheme.
    • Through the regular season, the Demon Deacons have been one of the best defenses in the country, receiving an overall grade of 84.8 from PFF which ranks 45th nationally. Additionally, PFF has the Deacs ranked in the top-50 in run defense (82.4). 
    • Wake Forest has been one of the best teams in the country in redzone defense as the Deacs are tied for 22nd nationally with just 76.9 percent of opponent redzone trips resulting in a score. Additionally just 20 of the 39 opponent red zone tries (51.3 pct.) ended in a touchdown. 
    • The Wake Forest defense made a staple of getting off the field early in drives with 43 3-and-outs. Overall for the season, Wake Forest has forced its opponents into three-and-outs on 28.5 percent of opponents drives (43-of-142).
2022:
  • Wake Forest football’s mantra for the 2022 season was “MINDSET” as the Demon Deacons looked to follow up its historic year in 2021. 
  • The Deacs won eight games in a season for just the 10th time in the 115-year history of the program. 
    • Four of the 10 eight-win seasons have come in the Dave Clawson era (40 percent). 
    • The Gasparilla Bowl victory over Missouri marked Wake Forest’s first ever win over Missouri.
      • Additionally, the Deacs moved to 3-0 against SEC opponents in the Clawson era.
    • With the win over Missouri in the Gasparilla Bowl and a victory in Week 2 at Vanderbilt, Wake Forest defeated two programs from the Southeastern Conference this fall for the first time since 2008, and just the second time in program history the Deacs accomplished this feat in a single season. 
  • Sam Hartman was named the Most Valuable Player of the 2022 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl.
    • Hartman earned his second-straight bowl game MVP honor, as he garnered the accolade following his standout performance against Rutgers in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl in 2021. 
    • Hartman became the first player in program history to earn two bowl game MVPs in their career at Wake Forest. 
  • The 2022 Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl marked Wake Forest’s seventh-straight bowl appearance, a new school record. 
  • Wake Forest finished the 2022 season averaging 36.1 points per game, helping the Deacs post its sixth consecutive season of averaging 30 or more points a game. This is the longest active streak and the fourth longest in ACC history.
  • Wake Forest threw for a team-record 43 touchdowns as a team.
    • Hartman completed 270-of-428 passes (63.1%) for 3,701 yards and 38 touchdowns and was named the ACC’s Brian Piccolo Award Winner. 
    • Hartman broke the Wake Forest all-time passing mark against Liberty in Week 3, eclipsing Riley Skinner (2006-09). Additionally, he became the ACC career leader in passing touchdowns (110) in the Gasparilla Bowl vs. Mizzou. 
  • Another record holder is Perry, as he ended his Wake Forest career with a program record 28 touchdown receptions. 
    • Sam Hartman and A.T. Perry finished their Wake Forest careers as one of the top QB-WR duos in conference history. The pair has combined for 27 touchdowns, which is tied for the second most in ACC history. 
  • Ryan Smenda, Jr., who Clawson named as a captain prior to the season, had a career-high 117 tackles in 2022 and it marked the most in a single season by a Demon Deacon since 2006. He finished his career ranked eighth all-time in program history (355). 
  • Allegacy Stadium hosted a total of 210,350 fans across the Deacs seven home contests last fall and a school-record 23,643 students attended games this past fall.
    • Week-By-Week Notes:
      • In Week 1 on Sept. 1 vs. VMI, 3,752 Wake Forest students attended the Demon Deacons seismic win. That total marked the highest student attendance in an Opening Night since at least 2008. 
      • Wake Forest’s game vs. Army was sold out, which marked the first time since 2011 that Wake Forest has had three-straight home sellouts. 
      • The Liberty and Clemson sellouts mark the first two sellouts inside Allegacy Stadium in the month of Sept. since 2006. 
        • Overall, the Clemson game was just the fourth sellout in the month of September this century. 
      • Allegacy Stadium hosted a near-sellout crowd (31,346) and 4,024 Wake Forest students when North Carolina visited Allegacy Stadium on Nov. 12. 
2021:
  • Wake Forest’s mantra in 2021 was, “Good to Great,” as Coach Clawson and the staff looked to take the next step as a program. 
  • The 2021 Wake Forest football team capped off its historic season on New Year's Eve, defeating Big Ten foe Rutgers in the 77th annual TaxSlayer Gator Bowl 38-10 inside TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville.
    • Redshirt sophomore quarterback Sam Hartman ended his historic single-season campaign with Gator Bowl MVP honors. The Charlotte, N.C. native tossed three touchdown passes in the game and threw for 304 yards.
  • Wake Forest (11-3, 7-1 ACC) became just the second team in program history to win double-digit games and tied the program record with 11 victories while also setting a program record with seven conference victories and finished the home season with a perfect 6-0 mark. Wake Forest went 5-3 on the season in road or neutral site games for the first time since the 2018 season.
  • Additionally with a perfect 6-0 mark this season, the Deacs recorded their first undefeated home record for the first time since 1979 and just the third time since Wake Forest’s 1970 ACC Championship team. Meanwhile, six home wins ties the program record that was set in 2019.
  • Wake Forest was one of 10 Power-5 schools in 2021 to win 11 games.
  • The Demon Deacons were also the first school in the conference to become bowl eligible with a perfect mark of 6-0 in 2021. The Deacs 8-0 start to the season was the best in school history in addition to having the longest winning streak in school history.
  • Coach Clawson was named the 2021 ACC Coach of the Year by the ACC and the Associated Press. It marked the ninth time a Wake Forest head coach has been honored as the ACC Football Coach of the Year and the first since 2006.
    • Clawson is the seventh Wake Forest head coach to win the award. Others who won the award were Jim Grobe (2006), Bill Dooley (1992 and 1987), John Mackovic (1979), Cal Stool (1970), William Tate (1964) and Paul Amen (1959 and 1955).
  • OFFENSIVE NOTES:
    • Wake Forest topped 35 points in a game 12 times during the season. In the College Football Playoff Era, the Demon Deacons are one of seven teams (2014 Oregon, 2018 Alabama, 2018 Oklahoma, 2019 Alabama, 2019 LSU, 2020 Alabama) to accomplish that feat.
    • The Demon Deacons scored a combined 574 points during the 2021 season. Wake Forest became the first team in program history to cross over the 500-point mark. That point total ranks 43rd in FBS history and the fourth-most in ACC history. Additionally, Wake Forest became just the 20th ACC team in the college football modern era (Post-WWII) to cross over the milestone of 500 points scored in a single season.
      • Wake Forest’s program record 574 points ranks seventh in ACC history for points scored in a single season.
    • Wake Forest set a program record by averaging 41.0 points per game and Wake Forest is now the only school in the Atlantic Coast Conference to average at least 30 points per game over the past five seasons.
    • The Demon Deacons set a program record for total yards with 6,550 yards of offense this fall. The average of 467.9 yards per game was also a new program record.
      • Wake Forest reset its program mark for first downs with 354 in 2021.
    • The Deacons air attack set a new program record by 555 yards, as Wake Forest passed for 4,303 yards during the season. Wake Forest set a new mark with an average of 307.4 ypg. through the air, which is the first such season in program lore with an average over 300 ypg.
    • Five student-athletes accounted for a Dave Clawson-era record 31 rushing touchdowns. That total is the most since 2003 and tied for the second-most all-time in Wake Forest history.
    • The Deacs set a program record of completions (302), pass attempts (519) and touchdown passes (39).
    • Wake Forest’s 49 percent conversion rate on third downs (113-of-230) is the highest mark in program history since at least 1996, and it is believed to be the highest percentage in Wake Forest history.
    • The Deacs 113 conversions ranks first in WF lore.
    • The Demon Deacons 62 percent conversion rate on fourth down (13-of-21) is the highest mark since 2013.
  • DEFENSIVE NOTES:
    • The Demon Deacons forced a Dave Clawson-era record 29 turnovers (15 interceptions, 14 fumble recoveries). The total is the most since 2008 when Wake Forest tallied 37 turnovers.
      • The Deacs 15 interceptions are the most by a Wake Forest team since 2008 (18).
      • Overall, 10 different Demon Deacons recorded an interception this season. Wake Forest totaled six multi-interception games in 2021.
      • Sixteen different defenders forced a turnover during the season.
    • Wake Forest’s 38 sacks this fall set a Clawson-era record and it ranks second in program history behind 1992 when the Deacs totaled 46.
      • The Deacs 223 yardage lost by their 38 sacks was the highest mark since at least 1996.
  • FAN ATTENDANCE:
    • Behind Wake Forest’s first back-to-back sellouts (Duke on Oct. 30; NC State on Nov. 13) since 2006, Allegacy Stadium hosted a 6.4 percent increase in average game attendance this fall compared to the 2019 season. That is the seventh-largest increase rate among Power 5 schools and ranks second in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
      • 172,326 fans attended the Demon Deacons six home games in the fall of 2021, which is an average of 28,721 per contest.
      • 20,305 students attended Wake Forest football games at Allegacy Stadium in 2021, with an average of 3,384 per contest. That average total equates to nearly 70% of Wake Forest’s undergraduate enrollment.
2020:
  • Amidst the most unique year in college football history, Clawson led the Deacons to four wins in 2020 and set multiple program records.
  • The Deacs reached their fifth-straight bowl game as they played Wisconsin in the Duke’s Mayo Bowl.
  • The month of October saw the Demon Deacons go a perfect 4-0, marking the first time since the 2007 season a Wake Forest team had accomplished that feat. The run included a three-game ACC winning streak and was highlighted by a 23-16 victory over No. 18 Virginia Tech, which was Wake Forest’s first win over a ranked opponent since 2018.
  • With the help of two 50-plus point games, Wake Forest set a new program record, scoring 36.0 points per game. 
  • Defensively, Wake Forest had its highest turnover margin in the Dave Clawson era with a +10 mark on the season. The Deacs were one of just seven FBS schools to post a +10 or better margin in the country and tied for fourth in that category.
  • Wake Forest finished the year with 14 interceptions and became one of just five schools to have 13 or more interceptions in both 2019 and 2020. 
2019:
  • The 2019 season produced a number of firsts in school history: a record fourth-consecutive bowl invitation, a record 14 players named to the All-ACC team, and a record-tying seven consecutive wins. Wake Forest entered the second week of November with a 7-1 record and a No. 19 ranking from the College Football Playoff. 
  • Wake Forest’s fourth consecutive bowl invitation was to the 2019 New Era Pinstripe Bowl in venerable Yankee Stadium. 
  • With wins over North Carolina, NC State and Duke, the Deacons claimed the Big Four championship for the first time since 2007 and set a school record for home wins in a season.  
  • A program record 14 players were named to the All-ACC team and the Deacons were awarded 12 ACC Player of the Week honors. 
  • The team broke or tied 100 NCAA, ACC and school records in finishing 15th in the nation in total offense while the defense gained the second-most turnovers in the last 11 seasons.
2018:
  • In 2018, Clawson established himself with more wins through his first five seasons than any other coach in school history. Wake Forest boasted a 1,000-yard rusher in Cade Carney and a 1,000-yard receiver in Greg Dortch, marking the first time since 1979 a Deacon team had accomplished that feat. 
    • That season marked Wake Forest’s third-consecutive bowl invitation despite breaking in two first-year starting quarterbacks. Clawson maintained a steady hand at the controls as the Demon Deacons navigated a dozen season-ending injuries to win four of the last six games of the season including the Jared Birmingham Bowl.  
    • The bowl win gave Clawson his third bowl win and made him the fastest Deacon coach to three bowl victories.
2017:
  • The Demon Deacons set 105 records in 2017, tied another 15 marks, and became one of the nation’s most efficient and productive offenses. Wake Forest set major records for points scored in a season, obliterating the record by 97. The offense set new marks for total offense yards in a game and in a season, yards per carry, most touchdowns scored and most TD passes in a season. The defense set a record with 106 tackles for loss. 
  • Two numbers stood out from that campaign, Wake Forest had 11 players selected for 12 All-ACC positions, and as a team, the Deacons beat six bowl teams in 2017.
2014-16:
  • After building the foundation for success in 2014 and 2015, Wake Forest qualified for the 2016 Military Bowl and defeated Temple in the game. 
  • On December 10, 2013, Clawson became the 32nd head football coach in Wake Forest University history. 
Bowling Green (2009-13)
  • The head coach at Bowling Green State University from 2009 through 2013, Clawson led the Falcons to the 2013 Mid-American Conference championship with a 47-27 win over No. 16 Northern Illinois. The championship was BGSU’s first since 1992. 
  • Bowling Green’s 2013 team went 10-3 overall under Clawson and won the MAC East title with a 7-1 record. The Falcons received a bid to the Little Caesar’s Bowl in Detroit. It marked the third bowl appearance in five seasons for Clawson’s team.
  • That team ranked 29th in the nation in total offense and 10th in total defense. The Falcons were one of only two non-power conference teams to rank in the top 30 statistically in both total offense and total defense in 2013. 
  • Led the Falcons to an 8-5 mark in 2012, which included BGSU’s second bowl trip in its last four years.
    • Ranked sixth in the nation in total defense and 10th nationally in scoring defense, yielding just 16.8 points per game.
  • Clawson tutored Falcons QB Tyler Sheehan to All-MAC honors after he threw for 4,051 yards in 2009.
  • Dave Clawson became the 17th head football coach at Bowling Green State University on Dec. 12, 2008.
Tennessee (2008)
  • Replaced David Cutcliffe as the offensive coordinator under Phillip Fulmer at Tennessee.
Richmond (2004-07)
  • In four seasons with the Spiders, Clawson led Richmond to three-consecutive winning seasons for the first time in 52 years - and compiled a 29-20 record. 
  • Won a school-record 11 games in 2007 and reached the semifinals of the NCAA Playoffs for the first time in school history and captured the CAA Football title that fall.
    • Led No. 4 Richmond to a win away from playing for the National Championship.
    • Named the CAA Football Coach of the Year, AFCA Region I Coach of the Year and the Division I Coach of the Year in Virginia - beating out both Virginia Tech's Frank Beamer and Virginia's Al Groh. 
    • Finalist for both the Eddie Robinson and AFCA National Coach of the Year awards.
    • Under Clawson's direction, the Spiders were an offensive juggernaut as the team shattered 10 single-season records in 2007, including points (489), scoring average (34.9), touchdowns (63), total offense (5,675) and rushing yards (3,284). 
    • Individually, tailback Tim Hightower was an All-America selection by four sources and ended his career as Richmond's all-time leading rusher (3,712 yards) and scorer (39 touchdowns). He broke five single-season records in 2007, including rushing yards (1,924) and overall touchdowns (23).
  • After a 3-8 mark in 2004, Clawson led the Spiders to a 9-4 season in 2005, which resulted in an Atlantic 10 Championship and a decisive win over second-ranked Hampton in the NCAA First Round. The Spiders were 6-5 in 2006 with a shutout win at Duke.
Fordham (1999-03)
  • During his five-year tenure at Fordham, Clawson broke 16 team and 45 individual records. 
  • While in the Bronx, he led a program resurgence that produced the 14th-best winning percentage in I-AA football his final three seasons (72.2 percent/26-10 record). 
  • The Rams' 19 combined wins in 2002 and 2003 were the most in back-to-back seasons since 1918-19.
  • A two-time Patriot League Coach of the Year (2001 and 2002), Clawson earned 2002 I-AA National Coach of the Year honors from Schutt Sports/American Football Monthly after guiding the Rams to their first-ever conference championship and I-AA playoff appearance. That Fordham squad defeated Northeastern in the first round of the playoffs and finished the fall ranked No. 12 nationally.
  • During his tenure on Rose Hill, Clawson coached 38 All-Conference performers, including 12 in 2003 when the Rams went 9-3. Fordham boasted the league's best scoring offense (32.9), pass offense (260.2), pass defense (171.5) and field goal percentage (78.6).
  • His attacking offense provided prolific individual performances, establishing school record holders for passing, Kevin Eakin with 6,112 career yards; receiving, Javarus Dudley with 101 receptions for 1,439 yards (2002); and rushing, Kirwin Watson, 1,477 yards and 20 rushing touchdowns (2002).
  • Clawson was also dedicated to his student-athletes' success off the field. His first recruiting class at Fordham produced an 88 percent graduation rate.
Villanova (1996-98)
  • The Wildcats established 70 school records in his three seasons and went to the I-AA playoffs in 1996 and 1997. 
  • Under Clawson's tutelage, Brian Finneran won the Walter Payton award, given to I-AA's Most Outstanding Player, and Brian Westbrook became the first student-athlete in NCAA history to gain more than 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in a season.
Lehigh (1993-95)
  • The Mountain Hawks won the Patriot League title his first and last years, while the offense led the league in scoring, total offense and pass offense each of his final two seasons. Rabih Adbullah, who later played for the Chicago Bears, set a school record with 1,536 rushing yards.
Buffalo (1991-92)
  • During his two-year stint Bulls’ offense set 36 school records, including points and yards in a season.
Albany (1989-90)
  • Earned his Master’s degree while working with the secondary, quarterbacks and running backs.
Background
  • A native of Youngstown, N.Y., located on the shores of Lake Ontario just 30 minutes north of Buffalo, Clawson played defensive back in football and also basketball at Williams College in Massachusetts.
Personal 
  • Clawson and his wife, Catherine, are the parents of two children, Courtney and Eric.
Milestone Moments on Path to 150 Career Wins
  • Win No. 1
    • September 9, 2000
    • In the second game of the season, Clawson and Fordham dominated en route to a 34-7 home victory.
  • Clawson and Rams Clinch 2002 Patriot League
    • November 23, 2002
    • Clawson and the Rams clinched a spot in the I-AA playoffs and a Patriot League title with a win at Bucknell, 34-7.
  • Spiders Win First of Two Titles Under Clawson
    • November 19, 2005
    • Finishing the regular season on a 7-game winning streak, Clawson won the first of two conference titles at Richmond with a win over rival William & Mary.
  • 2013 MAC Champion
    • December 6, 2013
    • In his last game before becoming Wake Forest head coach, Clawson defeated No. 14 and undefeated Northern Illinois, 47-27.
  • First Win at Wake Forest
    • September 6, 2013
    • In his first game at Allegacy Stadium, Wake Forest claimed a 23-7 win over in-state Gardner-Webb.
  • Bowl Bound for the First Time in Clawson Era
    • November 5, 2016
    • With a home win over Virginia, 27-20, the Demon Deacons started their now 7-year bowl streak, earning a spot in the Military Bowl.
  • Deacs Claim 2021 ACC Atlantic Title 
    • November 27, 2021
    • For the first time since 2006, the Demon Deacons captured the ACC Atlantic Division, winning big at Boston College, 41-10.
  • Win No. 150
    • August 31, 2023
    • Behind a sold out Allegacy Stadium crowd, Wake Forest defeated Elon 37-17 to capture the 150th win, ranking 15th among active FBS head coaches at the time of the victory.
Head Coaching Records & Notes
 
Year School Record Pct. Conf. Pct. Postseason Championships
2024 Wake Forest 4-8 333 2-6 .250
2023 Wake Forest 4-8 .333 1-7 .125
2022 Wake Forest 8-5 .615 3-5 .375 Gasparilla Bowl (W)
2021 Wake Forest 11-3 .788 7-1 .875 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl (W) ACC Atlantic Division
2020 Wake Forest 4-5 .444 3-4 .375 Duke's Mayo Bowl (L)
2019 Wake Forest 8-5 .615 4-4 .500 Pinstripe Bowl (L)
2018    Wake Forest 7-6 .538 3-5 .375 Birmingham Bowl (W)
2017 Wake Forest 8-5 .615 4-4 .500 Belk Bowl (W)
2016 Wake Forest 7-6 .538 3-5 .375 Military Bowl (W)
2015 Wake Forest 3-9 .250 1-7 .125
2014 Wake Forest 3-9 .250 1-7 .125
2013 Bowling Green 10-3 .769 7-1 .875 Little Caesars Bowl MAC Champions
2012 Bowling Green 8-5 .615 6-2 .750 Military Bowl
2011 Bowling Green 5-7 .417 3-5 .375
2010 Bowling Green 2-10 .167 1-7 .125
2009 Bowling Green 7-6 .538 6-2 .750 Humanitarian Bowl
2007 Richmond 11-3 .786 7-1 .875 FCS Playoff Semifinals CAA Champions
2006 Richmond 6-5 .545 3-5 .375
2005 Richmond 9-4 .692 7-1 .875 FCS Playoff Quarterfinals A-10 Champions
2004 Richmond 3-8 .273 2-6 .250
2003 Fordham 9-3 .750 4-3 .571
2002 Fordham 10-3 .769 6-1 .857 FCS Playoff Quarterfinals Patriot League Champions
2001 Fordham 7-4 .636 5-2 .714
2000 Fordham 3-8 .273 1-5 .167
1999 Fordham 0-11 .000 0-6 .000
Totals 24 years 153-141 .520 85-92 .480
 
Coaching History
 
Seasons School/Team Title/Position Coached
2014-Present Wake Forest Head Coach
2009-13 BGSU Head Coach
2008 Tennessee Offensive Coordinator
2004-07 Richmond Head Coach
1999-03 Fordham Head Coach
1996-98 Villanova Offensive Coordinator
1994-95 Lehigh Offensive Coordinator
1993 Lehigh Running Backs
1992 Buffalo Quarterbacks / Running Backs
1991 Buffalo Secondary
1990 Albany Secondary
1989 Albany Quarterbacks / Running Backs
   
NFL Players (Round Drafted)
  • DB Malik Mustapha (4th) - Wake Forest '24 - San Francisco 49ers
  • DB Caelen Carson (5th) - Wake Forest '24 - Dallas Cowboys
  • OL Michael Jurgens (7th) - Wake Forest '24 - Minnesota Vikings
  • DL Kobie Turner (3rd) - Wake Forest '23 - Los Angeles Rams
  • WR A.T. Perry (6th) - Wake Forest '23 - New Orleans Saints
  • OL Zach Tom (4th) - Wake Forest '22 - Green Bay Packers
  • DB Ja'Sir Taylor (6th) - Wake Forest '22 - Los Angeles Chargers
  • DL Carlos "Boogie" Basham Jr. (2nd) - Wake Forest '21 - Buffalo Bills
  • LB Justin Strnad (5th) - Wake Forest '20 - Denver Broncos
  • OL Justin Herron (6th) - Wake Forest '20 - New England Patriots
  • OL Phil Haynes (4th) - Wake Forest '19 - Seattle Seahawks
  • DB Jessie Bates (2nd) - Wake Forest ‘18 - Cincinnati Bengals
  • DL Duke Ejiofor (6th) - Wake Forest ‘18 - Houston Texans
  • LB Marquel Lee (5th) - Wake Forest ‘17 - Oakland Raiders
  • DB Kevin Johnson (1st) - Wake Forest ‘15 - Houston Texans
  • DL Chris Jones (6th) - BGSU ‘13 - Houston Texans 
  • OL Dallas Thomas (3rd) - Tennessee ‘13 - Miami Dolphins
  • WR Denarius Moore (5th) - Tennessee ‘11 - Oakland Raiders
  • TE Luke Stocker (4th) - Tennessee ‘11 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • QB Jonathan Crompton (5th) - Tennessee ‘10 - San Diego Chargers
  • OL Chris Scott (5th) - Tennessee ‘10 - Pittsburgh Steelers
  • OL Jacques McClendon (4th) - Tennessee ‘10 - Indianapolis Colts
  • RB Montario Hardesty (2nd) - Tennessee ‘10 - Cleveland Browns
  • WR Lawrence Sidbury (4th) - Richmond ‘09 - Atlanta Falcons
  • RB Tim Hightower (5th) - Richmond ‘08 - Arizona Cardinals
  • WR Arman Shields (4th) - Richmond ‘08 - Oakland Raiders
Personal Information
  • Birthday: August 16, 1967
  • Hometown: Youngstown, N.Y.
  • Education: 1989 - Bachelor’s from Williams; 1992 - Master’s from SUNY Albany
  • Wife: Catherine
  • Children: Courtney, Eric
 
 

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