Massachusetts Native Seeking Clemson Championship
Christian Wilkins and the Clemson Tigers will take on the Alabama Crimson Tide in the 2017 College Football National Championship Monday night. The Springfield, MA native will be playing for more than just himself.
Wilkins admittedly misses Massachusetts and it’s cold winters. His favorite athlete? Former Celtics superstar Paul Pierce.
Without a doubt, Wilkins is a true Mass native, who finds himself preparing for an NCAA Championship for the Clemson Tigers in Tampa, FL. Wilkins wears his number 42, to honor his late grandfather Eurie Stamps, who was born in 1942.
Stamps was accidentally shot and killed in a 2011 Framingham PD SWAT raid gone wrong. In October, Stamps’s family reached a $3.75 million settlement with the town of Framingham over his death.
The memory and legacy of Stamps, a former MBTA mechanic, lives on every time Wilkins takes the field for Clemson. He has played a key role for the Tigers all season long, and will have to do so again tonight if the team has any shot at knocking off powerhouse Alabama.
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The sophomore defensive lineman leads Clemson with 13 tackles for a loss. Wilkins also has 3.5 sacks, eight pass breakups, and a pair of fumble recoveries. He was a finalist for the Bronco Nagurski Award, which goes to the nation’s best defender.
Clemson and Wilkins will need to shut down a strong Alabama run game Monday night.
"“They got a tough offensive line and three really good running backs, so we’re going to have to put on our big-boy pants and be ready for whatever they throw at us,” said Wilkins. “Go out there and try to dominate the trenches.“If they beat us in the trenches, then that’s the game. You don’t win a game like this without playing well in the trenches. So, it’s all up to us as a D-line to contain them and hold them to less yards than they’re averaging. We’re going to have to put on a good performance up front.”"
Next: Patricia And McDaniels Focused On Winning
If you have no true rooting interest, place your stakes in Clemson and Christian Wilkins, a hometown boy making it big time!