Pearse is the star of old Clemson
February 1991
“WHERE the Blue Ridge Yawns it’s greatness, Where the Tigers play, Here the sons of dear old Clemson, Reign Supreme always”.
Chorus: “Dear old Clemson, we will triumph, And with all our might, That the Tigers ‘roar may echo, O’er the mountain height.”
That’s the battlecry of Clemson College, South Carolina, home since 1987 of Millmount based Pearse Tormey who has developed into one of the most accomplished players on the US College circuit.
In fact during his first season there as a freshman he starred on the team with Bruce Murray, the United States star of the World Cup and the highest scorer of all time in the American senior team.
In 1990 the man who helped Boyne Rovers in the FAI Cup early in the year was described as “one of the finest players in Clemson College history”, and in 1989 was honoured as an All American and first team all league representative in the highly competitive Atlantic Coast Conference.
Pearse has also got into the coaching side of things when working with local youths in Anderson, Carolina last year and also tried his hand at American football but decided against it. He admits his first impression of the ‘Grid Iron’ game was not a very enthusiastic one. “The first game I went to was at Clemson as a freshman. I remember sitting on the hill and falling asleep.”
His team-mates in past season’s have been mainly from various parts of the States from Miami, Texas and Ohio to Virginia and Georgia. Others have come from Canada and Holland.
Tormey was the team’s leading scorer during the 1988 and ‘89 seasons and closed his soccer career in the college as only the second player in Clemson history to reach the 40 mark in both goals and the widely respected “assists” poll. The top player was Bruce Murray.
Last season he was very much the play maker setting up the goals for the flying Jimmy Glenn.
In October he was honoured with the Budweiser College player of the week award in ‘Soccer America’ and also entered the U.S. Soccer Hall of Fame. But he was highly critical of the general soccer scene in the States, regarding the restricted playing season and the lack of a senior league.
In April ‘87, John Rootes, an assistant coach, came to Ireland and watched him in a number of games and he was offered a full scholarship. Then the success story began.
In his earlier days he attended St. Marys school and played for the Irish U-15 basketball team but after starring for the Dublin U-14 and U-15 as well as the national U-15 soccer team, he knew he had to make a decision.
The only other Irish people at Clemson include tennis star, Eoin Casey.