VR program allows Clemson fans on hospice to experience last game
CLEMSON, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - There’s something magical about college football in the south. No matter your team, you know the feeling that comes from being in your favorite stadium surrounded by fans. But for some, getting that experience just isn’t possible anymore.
That’s why a group at Clemson University is working on a virtual reality experience to help fans enjoy one last game.
“If you need to have oxygen, if you have to navigate crowds and be able to transport yourself around campus, there’s just so many layers that make it really difficult to experience one last football game,” said Dr. Olivia McAnirlin.
Dr. McAnirlin is the co-director of the Virtual Reality and Nature Lab at Clemson. She created Tandem VR to help people check off their bucket lists in a setting still comfortable for their medical conditions.
Husband-and-wife duo named new co-head coaches of Clemson gymnastics
Former WCGA National Coaches of the Year and reigning ACC Coaches of the Year Justin Howell and Elisabeth Crandall-Howell have been named Co-Head Coaches of the Clemson Gymnastics program.
“We’ve sent our cameras to places like Antarctica and Norway,” said Dr. McAnirlin. Their cameras capture real life experiences to create a virtual reality world patients can enter through a headset.
When her team asked hospice patients here in the upstate what they wanted to see one last time, it wasn’t a far off place.
“It came up surprisingly that a lot of people in the local area were like, ‘I just want to experience a Clemson football game one more time,’” said Robert Martin.
Martin is a student who works with the Tandem VR team and captured some of the most iconic moments from Clemson games.
Clemson president makes national headlines after graduation video goes viral
Clemson University’s President James Clements is making national headlines after a video of him and his daughter at graduation went viral.
“I was very fortunate. I got to bring out a lot of audio equipment and go and record people at tailgates,” he said. “We got media es to go on the field. That was very special, once in a lifetime moment.”
By capturing the sights and the sounds of gameday in Tiger Town, the Tandem VR team will bring Saturdays in the South to patients who can’t travel.
Dr. McAnirlin says it can be easy for fans, herself included, to take going to a game for granted, but this experience has taught her its a privilege.
“My little bit of tiger blood, I guess I could say, is thrilled that we were able to do a signature Clemson experience,” she said. “I think that it truly, it truly has left a lasting impression on me.”
The recreation of Clemson’s gameday experience is almost done and will roll out very soon to patients wanting to experience one last game.
Copyright 2025 WRDW/WAGT. All rights reserved.
