Jamal Anderson of the Clemson football team discusses the “Dirty Bird” dance during the spring game.
CLEMSON: The Orange and White spring football game is scheduled for Friday. Clemson linebacker Jamal Anderson gave a preview of what was about to happen. “I told my dad that I was going to get a pick-6 and do the Dirty Bird,” Anderson recalled saying.
That prediction came to fruition Saturday at Memorial Stadium as Anderson returned an interception 24 yards for a touchdown with 1:16 left in the first quarter.
Then came the Dirty Bird – the touchdown celebration dance created and popularized by his father and namesake during his playing days with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.
Between 1994 and 2001, the older Anderson spent eight seasons as a member of the Falcons’ running back unit, totaling 5,339 yards and 41 touchdowns. But the move for which he is most known is the Dirty Bird, which the younger Anderson executed on Saturday with remarkable skill. “You know how to do the dirty bird! Coach (Dabo) Swinney glances at me after I score and sprints to the sideline. And I think, “It’s urgent that I finish this.” It was fantastic. Anderson is knowledgeable with the nuances of the festival.
It’s actually not hard; it’s like a small rock, Anderson remarked. It’s just arm, arm. “A small amount of rhythm is necessary, but that’s about it.” With four tackles, including a tackle for loss, and a pass break in addition to his pick-6, Anderson had an outstanding day overall. He’s going out there and playing some big, big minutes, and that’s what makes a game like this exciting, according to Swinney. “He wrote an absolutely amazing play,” I’m overjoyed for him.