GREENVILLE, S.C. — Furman head coach Clay Hendrix huddled his entire team at midfield and wrapped up Saturday’s practice by challenging his players to get better as August camp moves forward.
A quick prayer and the Paladins headed for the team buses, players crossing the red-painted end zone with “Red Raiders” filled in for the home team. A smattering of fans watched from the home side, while a row of others lined the shaded walkway up to the top of the hill.
It was a warm, humid and nostalgic afternoon in downtown Greenville, as the Furman football team returned to the stadium it once called home for 41 seasons (1936-1980).
Filled with history, memories and on this day Paladin coaches were shouting instructions to the 2026 edition of the Furman program, Sirrine Stadium was popping on this Saturday afternoon in the heart of Greenville’s downtown. It marked only the second time since the 1980 season that Furman had returned to work out inside Sirrine Stadium, now home to the Greenville High School Red Raiders.
“I’ve been down here a lot of times and in 2017 we came in to practice and also I’ve been to some high school games,” Hendrix said of Sirrine Stadium. “I just thought it would be pretty cool, the 90th year of Sirrine and the 200th year of Furman and trying to get downtown. What a great job they’ve done with this facility. The turf is great and looks great. It got hot today and we needed some heat.”
Hendrix just barely missed the Sirrine experience. He joined the program in 1982 and took his recruiting visit to campus a year earlier when Furman hosted Tennessee-Chattanooga in then-brand-new Paladin Stadium.
Sirrine holds a lot of significant moments during Paladin football history. It’s where Furman played its first game as a member of the Southern Conference, hosted both Clemson and South Carolina a combined 20 times until the 1950s. It’s also where the Paladins won their first SoCon title, knocking off rival The Citadel 28-15 in 1980, the final year playing at Sirrine Stadium.
Hendrix knows the history and significance of what the stadium has meant to Furman over the years, which is a reason he wanted to bring his team in for a workout.
“I told a few of them the last time I had been here, I saw Greenville High play Hillcrest and we have a player from each team,” he said. “Hillcrest got the better of them and we were talking about that last night.
“We love to be Greenville’s team. This is just a really neat venue. I mean, how many places are left like this, particularly in the downtown with what they’ve done and just the fact it’s been preserved the way it has.”
Nostalgia was dripping from all corners of the stadium on this particular day. Will Bouton, a two-time All-American linebacker and SoCon Defensive Player of the Year for the Paladins (2000-01), was in the house to watch his son, current freshman wide receiver Banks, work out on the same high school field where he once led the Red Raiders.
Banks said, after practice, it was a full-circle moment for the family.
“It’s really special,” he said. “My dad wore this jersey and played in this stadium. I had grandparents that played here who were in the stands today, so this was exciting.”
Hendrix mentioned seeing a lot of former players and people with ties to Furman before practice and in the stands during it, which made it even more special.
“I don’t think there was ever a great place to park down here,” he said laughing. “I don’t think the old field house has changed a lot. But I saw a lot of people here today and they were proud to see us come down here.”
For now, the Furman head coach is focused on growing and moving forward as the Paladins prepare for their season-opener against Anderson University on Thursday, Aug. 27.
“We’ll grow from this and I like where we are,” Hendrix said. “We have a ways to go and this was day eight in pads. I think we repped about 90 to 95 guys today and when you do that it’s going to get a little sloppy.”