Clemson = Temu Auburn?

Clemson's connection to Auburn is very strong for both the colors and the Tiger nickname, but the historical record isn't completely unanimous on the mascot's origin.

The Auburn connection
Walter Merritt Riggs, who is generally regarded as the father of Clemson football, came to Clemson in 1896 after graduating from and playing football at Auburn University (then the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama). He brought football to Clemson and coached its first team.

Colors: Clemson's orange-and-purple combination grew directly out of Riggs's Auburn connection. Clemson's own historical materials say Riggs brought some of Auburn's old orange-and-navy uniforms to Clemson. The story is that the navy had faded substantially from washing, producing the purple that became associated with Clemson.

There's a little more complexity here: Clemson initially used garnet and navy blue, and in 1899 Riggs changed the official colors to gold and purple. Historical sources describe this as a modification of Auburn's orange-and-blue rather than simply copying Auburn exactly.

Tiger nickname: This is less certain. Auburn was already known as the Tigers, and Riggs certainly brought that Auburn tradition with him. Clemson itself, however, says the players chose "Tigers" in 1896, possibly inspired by Princeton, which had just won the national championship.