Clemson Tigers reach football program milestone with win over NC State

With their victory on Saturday over NC State, the Clemson Tigers won their first ACC game of the season. But in the football program's competition, it was historic.

The win was the 800th in Clemson football history. The Tigers' all-time record now stands at 800-473-45, making them the 14th FBS program to ever win 800 games. They also became the first ACC program to reach that milestone. Clemson did it in 1,318 games.

The Tigers also posted their fastest 100-win streak on Saturday, thanks in part to the immense success of the program under coach Dabo Swinney.

Clemson earned its 700th win against Wake Forest on Nov. 21, 2015, when it defeated the Demon Deacons 33-13 at home. With Saturday's win, the Tigers climbed from 700 to 800 total wins in just 118 games.

The fastest phase before that was from 400 to 500 wins, which the Tigers achieved in 134 games.

Clemson won its first game on October 31, 1896, beating Furman 14-6.

From there, the Tigers reached No. 100 on October 13, 1922, when they beat Presbyterian 13-0. On October 22, 1942, Clemson reached 200 wins by beating its same-state rival, South Carolina, 18-6.

Clemson's 300th win came on December 19, 1959, when it beat TCU 23-7. It was the only time Clemson won a milestone victory in a game played on neutral ground.

Georgia — which beat Clemson in its season opener this year — earned win No. 400 when the Tigers beat the Bulldogs 12-7 on Sept. 22, 1979. Win No. 500 also came against Wake Forest when the Tigers beat the Demon Deacons 24-6 on Oct. 27, 1990.

South Carolina earned its 600th win when the Tigers defeated the Carolina Panthers 29-7 on November 20, 2004.

At the end of the 2015 season, the Tigers won the ACC for the first time since 2011 and made their first appearance in the College Football Playoff, but lost in the national championship game. This was the beginning of a winning streak that included two national championships, three more College Football Playoff appearances, and six consecutive ACC titles through the 2020 season.

Although the win was important for the team, the Tigers are far behind the all-time leader in most wins, Michigan. The Wolverines entered the season with 1,004 wins since their first season in 1879. Right now, Michigan is the only major college program with 1,000 or more wins.