IPTAY

IPTAY is an athletic booster club founded in 1931 to provide athletic scholarships for all student athletes at Clemson University.

History

On October 16, 1931, Clemson University's football team suffered a 6-0 loss against The Citadel in a game played in Florence, SC. After the game, Captain Frank Jervey, Head Coach Jess Neely, assistant coach Joe Davis and Captain Pete Heffner of the university military staff met in a car outside the stadium to discuss ways Clemson could help its football program get back on track. The meeting started the ball rolling towards the establishment of the IPTAY Foundation. Clemson would score just three touchdowns and win just one game during the 1931 season.

Soon Dr. Rupert Fike came into the picture through correspondence with Jervey. Jervey wanted to form the "50 ($50) Club" but Fike wanted a smaller amount, which he thought, would mean more members and more money. Neely believed that if he could get $10,000 a year, he could give the Clemson fans a winning football team.

Then in 1934, Dr. Fike wrote his now famous letter to Neely, stating "Last night we had a little meeting at our house and organized the IPTAY club." So began Clemson's athletic support group, which in those days, stood for "I Pay Ten A Year." At this time the purpose of IPTAY was "to provide annual financial support to the athletic department at Clemson, and to assist in every way possible to regain for Clemson the high athletic standing which rightfully belongs to her."

The organization was first established as a secret organization and initial membership dues were set at $10.00 a year (I Pay Ten A Year). A little more than $1,600.00 came into the coffers the first year of IPTAY, even in the heart of the Great Depression. Some payments were made in the form of barter. Milk, sweet potatoes, turnip greens and the like were accepted in the initial efforts to build membership.

Today there are over 22,000 combined members. The organization plays a major role in ensuring that all 19 of the varsity sports at Clemson are given the maximum amount of scholarships offered by the NCAA. IPTAY donors have contributed over $200 million since the inception of IPTAY, including over $14 million in 2006 fiscal year.

Priorities

In accordance with the IPTAY Constitution, the four priorities are as follows:

• The payment of the annual cost of athletic scholarships.
• The payment or reimbursement of the operating expenses of IPTAY.
• The establishment and maintenance of an adequate reserve fund deemed appropriate by the IPTAY Board of Directors.
• Any expenditures other than those established under the previous three priorities, shall be limited to either direct or indirect aids to the athletic program of Clemson University and must be approved by the IPTAY Board of Directors.

Athletic Facilities

Since 1934, the direction of IPTAY has widened. Besides providing for athletic scholarships, IPTAY is a key fundraiser for building and maintaining athletic facilities on campus. In recent years, IPTAY has broadened its scope by building and renovating facilities that can be used by the entire Clemson University family - students, faculty, and administrators.

In 1991 IPTAY funded the construction of a 27,000 square foot facility to accommodate the extended schedules and needs of student-athletes. When this facility, Vickery Hall, opened in 1991 it was the first support facility in the country built solely for the all-around education of student athletes. To this day, Vickery Hall and its programs are completely supported by funds from IPTAY. IPTAY is also heavily involved in raising money to construct the WestZone Club, located in the West Endzone area of Memorial Stadium, and the construction of a “One Clemson” museum, which will document the history of the university and its athletic program.

Other Efforts

IPTAY fully supports the mission of Clemson University. The IPTAY Academic Scholarship Endowment was created to help meet the need for more academic scholarships for non-athletes who are qualified academically. The IPTAY Academic Scholarship Fund is presently the second largest scholarship of its kind at Clemson, and as of 2009 has helped more than 1200 students attend Clemson University.

Expansion

The IPTAY Tiger Cub Club was created in 1993 to give Clemson fans ages infant to 18 years old an opportunity to support Clemson Athletics. The Tiger Cub Club had over 3,000 members in 2007. The two types of Tiger Cub memberships are a Sustaining Cub and an Annual Cub Club member. A Sustaining Cub is a donation of $500 and the cub is a member from the date they sign up until they are 18 years old. An Annual Cub member is a donation of $30 and the cub is a member for one ITPAY calendar year.

The IPTAY Collegiate Club started in 1997, and as of 2009 had grown to nearly 5,000 members. The Collegiate Club was designed to connect students to a Clemson tradition during and beyond college. For every year as a collegiate club member, students will earn a priority point towards their IPTAY account. Upon graduation, when a former Collegiate Club member joins IPTAY, they will have the points that they built up as a Collegiate Club member. Collegiate Club dues are $40 per year or $130 for four years.