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HOOVER, Ala. -- Five days after Ken Hatfield and Clemson announced a separation, Tommy West was named the Tigers' 23rd head football coach on November 29, 1993.

West was a familiar name in Clemson, having served as an assistant coach under Danny Ford from 1982-89. And the fact that he spent much of the 80's as a Ford disciple immediately put him in good graces with the Clemson fan base.

But West inherited an 85-man roster that no longer resembled the top 10 program he had left in January of 1990. Though the longtime Tiger assistant was able to upgrade personnel, an 8-4 ledger in 1995 would be the program's high water mark under his watch. Three years later West would exit following a 3-8 campaign.

In late May of 2011 I sat down with West in Hoover, Ala. for an exclusive, one-on-one interview where the coach stepped back in time once more to place himself in the Clemson head coaching job to recall his five-year run as the program's front man.

West spoke candidly about the ups and downs of his program, keeping the ship afloat during a tumultuous 1996 campaign, recruiting battles, excessive attrition and the final days of his tenure where rumors began to swirl before the end of the 1998 season about an up-and-coming coach from Tulane who would soon end up in Clemson.

PUBLISHER's NOTE: When Tommy West prepared to ring in the New Year in late 1993, hours after receiving his first paycheck as Clemson's new head coach, he wasn't alone. That's because in December of 1993, Clemson's administration had three head football coaches on the payroll, as it was still making payments on contract settlements for Danny Ford and Ken Hatfield.

A decade earlier Clemson's football program had been recognized for pushing the envelope in facilities initiatives, so much so that Auburn had sent directors to Upstate, South Carolina to take a peek at the Tigers' box suites in Death Valley. By the time West took over in November of 1993, the program had fallen badly behind in football infrastructure with no real movement in ten years after Ford had begged the administration, notably foolhardy president Max Lennon, for additional football-related facilities.

By the time West took over as Clemson's head coach, in-state prospects the Tigers were used to landing under Ford were now leaving the Palmetto State with alarming regularity with Florida State, Tennessee and Penn State serving as the primary beneficiaries. Clemson also had been a strong, consistent recruiting presence in both Georgia and North Carolina and that too had abated.

Hatfield would sign just one top 20 recruiting class in four years. Four of West's five recruiting classes would rank inside of the top 20, yet the former Ford disciple would never finish a season ranked inside of the top 25, as massive academic casualties in recruiting, off-the-field problems, aging facilities and a lack of continuity on offense proved too much to overcome.

West would later meet with a young Tommy Bowden weeks after Bowden took over as head coach in 1998. Bowden wanted advice. The first thing West told him; "Stay on these people for facilities because you're way behind."

West's initial staff at Clemson was his best, but the coach backfilled with questionable hires, notably former UNC offensive coordinator Darryl Moody in 1996, a move West acknowledged in this interview was a mistake.

Nevertheless, in late November of 1993, a majority of the Clemson fan base had been quite eager to send Hatfield packing. Ford was not an option for the administration, so West - at the time - represented the perfect compromise, at least on the surface and despite just one year of head coaching experience at UTC-Chattanooga.

West would win his debut as Clemson's head coach in dramatic fashion in Atlanta, weeks later signing the 16th-best recruiting class in the country. Season ticket sales improved and sentiment held that the Tigers were on their way back.

This interview occurred at a hotel in Hoover, Ala. in May of 2011 not long after West had taken a job as the defensive coordinator at UAB. West, who now serves as an assistant coach at Middle Tennessee State under former Clemson assistant coach Rick Stockstill, acknowledges to this day that Clemson fired a better coach than it hired, a contention hard to dispute as Memphis had not gone to a bowl game since 1971 prior to West taking over as head coach in 2001. Before he left, Memphis had competed in five bowls in a six-year span, more than the program had participated in all-time.

This is Tommy West, in his own words.

This is his story.

Ard. Coach, it's good to see you again. It's been a long time. I just left Hootie Ingram a couple of hours ago and he said hello. We've got some ground to cover, so let's get started. Ken Hatfield and Clemson announced a separation on November 24, 1993. Five days later you're named head football coach. Do you remember at what point in 1993 when you were at UT-Chattanooga where you began to hear rumblings that Clemson's administration was considering making a change?

West. "Yes I do. I had been at Clemson for a long period of time, eight years and had been gone for four years, but I still knew a lot of people. I kept hearing that coach Hatfield's situation wasn't working out. They were winning, but it wasn't a good fit. I knew at that time it wouldn't have mattered who they hired. It wasn't going to be a good fit because it wasn't coach (Danny) Ford. They could have brought in anybody and the people wouldn't have wanted him. The Clemson people - the majority - wanted coach Ford. They never wanted a change. So when that had happened in 1990, it was very unpopular, as we all know. I know. I was there. But yes, I had heard rumblings that there might be a change at the end of the year."

Ard. It was widely thought that Bobby Robinson made up his mind that he was going to make a change after the Wake Forest game in 1993. Do you remember at what point in 1993 you were contacted about the job?

West. "No, I don't remember exactly. Bill D'Andrea called me. He said if a change was made I'd probably be on the list. He said, 'I just want to make sure, if you're contacted would you be interested?' I said, 'Are you kidding me?' I told him I was flattered that I'd even be on the list."

Ard. Who were the other candidates who interviewed for the job?

West. "It was myself, Chuck Reedy, Bobby Johnson and they interviewed Mickey Andrews. Those were the four and all had Clemson backgrounds. Clemson guys."

Ard. You had been with Ford all those years, he ranked third in the nation among active coaches in wins in late 1989, his last season. But as you were away from 1990-93 at Tennessee, South Carolina and UTC, as you observed the program under Hatfield, obviously you were aware of the slippage. What were your impressions of the personnel at Clemson as you followed the program some from the outside?

West. "I didn't see anything (out of the ordinary) in 1991. In 1992 Clemson had lost to South Carolina. There were still good defensive players, but I thought they had lost some on offense. But they were still a good team. Competitive."

Ard. The day you find out you're the guy, the day you get the job, do you remember that moment?

West. "Oh yes. That was Sunday evening (November 28, 1993) around midnight. They called and said they had made their decision. They said they were going to send a plane to pick me up the next day. Of course at this point I'm scrambling because I had to meet with my athletics director, my staff and our players, because there was no question what I was going to do."

Ard. What was your reaction?

West. "It wasn't a total shock when they called. I thought the interview had gone really well."

Ard. Where did you interview?

West. "I interviewed Saturday in Atlanta at the Airport Marriott. I was the last interview."

Ard. How long was the interview?

West. "About five hours."

Ard. But you felt pretty good when you walked out of the interview?

West. "I thought the interview was really good. You always sit down and re-evaluate what's said and what's happened. You always think, 'Man, I wish I had said this or that.' But there was nothing that was asked or said that I second-guessed. And I didn't know how to prepare for that interview. I just answered the questions. I think it was just more of my feelings towards Clemson. I mean I really liked Clemson. I fell in love with Clemson after being there as an assistant coach."

Ard. Tim Bourret told me a few weeks ago that of all the former head coaches he worked with, he thought you wanted to be the head coach at Clemson more than anyone else he had been around.

West. "I really wanted that job. I really did. I had been there at a great time and it even had gotten to the point where I wasn't leaving. I loved working for coach Ford. I loved being there, I loved living there. I had opportunities to leave, but I didn't. Coach (Johnny) Majors tried to get me to leave and go to Tennessee one time and I didn't and he got mad. But once we did leave when coach Ford got fired, I did go back to Tennessee. I just loved Clemson."

Ard. The day comes where there is a press conference announcing you as the new head coach. What was that day like, as you're getting ready to be announced as the new head coach?

West. "Well the first thing I did, I wore a bad tie. (Laughing) I wore a sports coat and I didn't even think they were going to put an orange sports coat on me. I was like, 'Gosh, I should have thought about this.' (Laughing)

"It was really exciting. But I wasn't nervous or anxious. I kind of felt in place. I had wanted to be there. I felt good about it. I knew there was a lot of work to do. And I knew when I got the job it wasn't like everybody was all of a sudden over coach Ford. I knew that there would be some of, 'Well, he's a coach Ford guy.' Which I was and I am. But yet I knew I wasn't coach Ford. We're different in a lot of ways. I knew it wasn't going to be easy and all of a sudden things would be great again. But gosh, what a day."

Ard. One of the things you said the day you were announced as head coach was, "Danny Ford did a lot for me and I'm very appreciative of that, but personally I think I got the job because of who I am."

But clearly the fan base wanted someone who resembled Ford or reminded them of Ford. The administration felt you fit that bill. And that was the perception surrounding your hiring at the time. Wasn't that a fair perception?

West. "I think so, sure. But I really believe that being a Clemson disciple was more important than being a Danny Ford guy, although I think in the back of their minds (administration), it didn't hurt that I was there under Ford. In the interviews, everyone had Clemson ties. They were going to hire someone with Clemson ties, someone who understood the ways of Clemson."

Ard. But the administration, at this point, you feel like they were very aware of what fans wanted as their head coach?

West. "Yes."

Ard. Tommy Bowden told me that he consulted with all the former head coaches when he got the job because he wanted their insight into the job. Did you call Hatfield when you got the job?

West."No. Because I knew Clemson. And I don't want to speak for coach Hatfield, but I think he was a little bit bitter at the time about it. I didn't want to bother him. It's odd because when coach Ford got fired and coach Hatfield got hired, coach Hatfield came out to coach Ford's farm. And I was out there that day with coach Ford hanging out. I was about to take a job at Tennessee."

Ard. Max Lennon was still the president at the time you were hired. A lot of people were and are still upset with him because of the way things were handled with Ford in late 1989 and early 1990. Because Lennon was still there, and because you were on Ford's staff in 1989 and had experienced all that, was this awkward for you? Were there still some hard feelings?

West. "I was still sour about that, oh yeah. Oh yeah. But I wasn't going to not take the job because of it. But yes, sure, I was sour when all that happened. And I've still got a little bit of a sour feeling about that."

Ard. Hatfield doesn't coach the bowl game, so you're now preparing for that, you have to quickly get at it in recruiting, get to know your team and put a staff together. What was this process like?

West. "It was a lot of fun but it was also terrible. I started in Clemson as soon as I got there. It got where everybody I tried to bring in, the media was chasing to find out who I was interviewing. So I left town, go down to Myrtle Beach and get a place down there to do my interviewing. And I knew I had to go really fast because we had a game we had to play soon. Even though I knew that game wasn't going to define anybody, I was still thinking, 'What a way to get started if we can win it.' There just weren't enough hours in the day at that time to do all those things. When you're the new head coach, everybody wants you to come by and speak and I just didn't have time that month. It was crazy. We were trying to hire, get bowl plans, everything. It was hectic."

Ard. Your initial meeting with the football team, what was that like?

West. "I think I came in on a good note because of my background. The players at that time, all they had heard is how good it had been in that era. And there were still some guys that we had signed or recruited, Brentson Buckner, Terry Smith, Tim Jones (recruited by Ford's staff, signed by Hatfield) and some others and I think those guys were saying some positive things about the way they remembered it to other players, so it got around. Our team was upbeat. A lot of times they're hesitant and you understand that because they're tied to the guy that got fired. Our guys didn't seem that way, even though I'm sure they liked coach Hatfield. So it was upbeat. I think they were ready to go to work.

"There wasn't a lot of time left between then and the bowl game, so we talked about practice, the hard work that was ahead. I told them, 'Here is what we are going to do and then we're going to go down to Atlanta and win this bowl game.'"

Ard. You had obviously seen some highlight footage of the team throughout the year. You had been there in 1989 when the cupboard was heavily stocked. You finally begin bowl practice and watch this team go through the paces. In that initial evaluation, how far did you think the talent had fallen off from what was left in the spring of 1990?

West. "I thought defensively we were still a fairly talented group. The first thing I did was try to compare (to 1989-1990). We were talented but not as talented and not as deep. The McGlocktons, the Johnsons, the McDaniels, the Simmons, those guys were gone. They weren't there anymore. Offensively I felt Clemson had gone downhill. I thought things had slipped."

Ard. I want to talk about Bobby Robinson for a moment. When you got the job, did he sit down with you and outline any objectives or his expectations? Because this wasn't a situation where the team had not won games over the last four years.

West. "All he ever said to me was, 'You did an unbelievable job in the interview. Don't try to change now. Just be you. Be who you were in that interview. You got the job because of who you are. Just do that. I know you'll work your butt off.'

"But I knew when I got the job what we had to do. I knew at some point in time we would have to beat Florida State. We had played them in the late 80's and had split with them. But they had kind of taken over things since. I mean they were great at this point and were just about to win the national championship. They had separated from Clemson. But I knew we had to catch Florida State.

"I knew that if we caught Florida State that's what would endear me at Clemson. But ... we didn't get it done."

Ard. Let's talk about your initial staff. You retain Les Herrin, Rick Stockstill, you bring in Miles Aldridge to run your defense, Clyde Christensen to co-coordinate with Stockstill, Rich Bisaccia to coach running backs, you hire James Earle to coach tight ends, Reggie Herring who coached inside backers for you, Ellis Johnson who coached outside backers and John Latina as your offensive line coach. Tell me about Miles, because you had a long history with him.

West. "He and I had worked together at Clemson and South Carolina. I have a lot of respect for him as a defensive coach. Les and Miles and I had worked at Clemson on defense under Bill Oliver. I thought it would be an easy transition. He was a good recruiter as well."

Ard. And Clyde Christensen. Talk about bringing him aboard.

West. "Clyde and I had been graduate assistant coaches way back at Ole Miss. Of course now he's the OC at Indianapolis, so he's done very well.

"The reason for Clyde and Rick for co-coordinator is that Rick understood the Clemson way, the hard-nosed, the toughness part of Clemson, which I think makes it a unique place. Yet, offensively I wanted to do things with a bit more skill. Clyde was a run-and-shoot guy and that's what they had done at Maryland where he was. I wanted us to be able to throw the football, but not get away from the run either, obviously. I knew we'd have to be able to throw the football to beat Florida State. So that's the reason for that mix."

Ard. And Latina.

West. "I called a guy at Notre Dame and asked him who he thought the best line coach in the country was and he said John Latina. John was the offensive coordinator at Kansas State, but John was best friends with Clyde, too. Clyde had an influence on him leaving K-State and coming to Clemson. And they had it rolling at K-State at that time."

Ard. Talk about Rich Bisaccia's hiring.

West. "Rich is now the guru of special teams in the NFL. He was at Tampa Bay forever and is now at San Diego. Rich and I had worked together at South Carolina. I think Rich is one of the finest coaches I've been around. I just think he does a great job. He's a tremendous recruiter. And he did a great job coaching our running backs. He did a great job with Raymond Priester and our recruiting."

Ard. Knowing that staff, when I look back on your era and I think of all the coaches who worked for you, the one that stands out to me as a Tommy West disciple, perhaps the most loyal West guy or what I'd characterize as a Tommy West guy, it's Bisaccia.

West. "I have a tremendous amount of respect for Rich Bisaccia, not just as a coach but as a person. And he's a tough son of a gun. Rich is the guy that would come in my office and I would run something by him and ask him a question and I knew I'd get the truth. He'd tell me, 'Are you crazy? Are you full of it?' He'd tell me the truth. You have a lot of guys who don't want to make you mad. He didn't care. If I asked a question, he'd answer it. And you have to have that guy on your staff who will tell you the truth. And he was my guy."

Ard. Talk about Reggie Herring.

West. "Look where he's gone. He's in the NFL. Reggie brought - defensively - just the toughness and intensity.

"Now, you talk about a great defensive staff, what we had there on staff, defensively, we had a great staff."

Ard. Talk about Ellis, because he's another one who's gone on to have a lot of success, though he wasn't well known when you hired him.

West. "He has gone on and has been great everywhere he's been. He left us to go to Alabama just because he thought he could be a head coach quicker out of Alabama than he could have out of Clemson. And Ellis and I have been real close for a long time."

Ard. Did you offer any other Hatfield assistant coaches when you got to Clemson, or were Stockstill and Herrin the only ones?

West. "We did offer Bobby Johnson in the secondary, but not as a coordinator. And he was the coordinator. At that time he was still under contract. And I told Bobby Robinson I would love to keep him because he's a hell of a football coach, but that I had another coach in mind for the coordinator spot. But I did have an opportunity for him. Bobby is a great coach."

Ard. How awkward is that; meeting with coaches from a previous regime to interview them or tell them their fate?

West. "I didn't meet with them."

Ard. Why not?

West. "I never have done that. I never will. The reason I don't do that is because I don't want somebody to meet with me if they know they're not going to hire me. Don't bull me. If I have a legitimate shot to get a job with you, man I'd love to sit down and talk with you. But if you know you're not going to try to hire me, then let me go on and get another job."

Ard. So how did they learn their fate?

West. "Bobby, I'm sure, told them. I'm sure he probably told them, 'If he wants to keep you, I'm sure he'll call you.'"

Ard. You get into recruiting and wrap up your first signing class. And it was a good one, ranked 16th nationally. Here are some notables: Priester, Howard Bartley, Donald Broomfield, Matt Butler, Kenya Crooks, Jamie Day, Anthony Downs, Lamont Pegues, Nealon Greene, Tony Horne, Kevin Laird, Mark Landry, Zane Lewis, Tony Plantin and Holland Postell. What do you remember about gathering this class?

West. "We knew we had to have a running back. We had Terry Allen at the end there at the Ford era, but we didn't have one now. We had to have one now. And we got three talented players in that class. Now, it didn't turn out in the end for all of them because Pegues transferred and Anthony, I had to let him go later. Priester went on to be the school's all-time leading rusher."