Phillips is thinking of Oklahoma State this week

The State has a story about Clemson athletic director Terry Don Phillips' emotional bonds with Final Four team Oklahoma State, where he was athletic director from 1994 to 2002.

NEVER TOO EARLY FOR A PREVIEW: College Football News has a very, very early preview of Clemson's 2004 football season. Check it out.

RAINEY RETIRING: Senior associate athletic director Dwight Rainey, perhaps best known to Clemson football fans as the guy who did the Olympic sports report on the Tiger Tailgate Show, will retire in June 2005.

THE FRIDAY FIVE: Nothing this week, but here's an older one:

1. What was your first job?
Baskin-Robbins on South Boulevard in Charlotte. It was 1983, my junior year in high school.

2. How old were you when you had your first kiss?
Fifteen. (I was a late bloomer.)

3. What was your first car? What happened to it?
Oh boy. My first car was a white 1970 Toyota Corolla. I got it in 1982 and wrecked it in 1984.

Me and a couple of my Olympic High School soccer teammates were turning into Myers Park High School during rush hour in Charlotte, and I got mashed pretty bad. (Yep, it was my fault.) Thankfully, nobody got hurt, but I left my cleats in the car when it was towed away and I had to borrow someone else's to play in the game. We did go on to beat the preppies 1-0, which was nice. (They've always been one of the better soccer programs in the state.) We'd never beaten them before, and probably haven't beaten them since.

4. What was your first concert?
Jimmy Buffett, Carowinds, 1983. I'm not a big Parrothead, but it was a great show. That was the last stop on his tour that year, and he played for like four hours.

5. How do you plan to spend your weekend?
If the weather breaks, I think the fiancee and I will hop on the Metro and go to the Cherry Blossom Festival.