There is something to be said about self-made success stories.
Oftentimes, it only takes someone willing to dream big and reach for the stars, and occasionally those stars align. Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney was that dreamer. Swinney yearned for success, though he never coveted it. He wanted to create it for himself.
Clemson Tiger football as it is known today is a direct product of Coach Swinney’s willingness to shoot for the stars, as well as those who chose to believe he could succeed.
But when Swinney was named Clemson’s interim head coach midway through the 2008 season, the Tigers were merely an afterthought; a middle-of-the-road and sometimes successful ACC program long removed from the days of Danny Ford and the magical 1981 national championship team he had cultivated.
Born into meager beginnings in Pelham, Alabama, Swinney received his promotion with the same humility in which he had been accustomed to his entire life. Dabo had a vision. Just as he had fought tirelessly to earn a spot on the University of Alabama’s football roster as an undersized walk-on wide receiver, and as he had pulled himself out from the poverty of his early life and carved out a successful career selling real estate, Dabo would throw his entire weight and will into making Clemson football a contender.
His idea was to do it in what he saw as the Clemson way.
When Swinney stepped to the podium on that autumn day in 2008, he said the words that continue to live as the mantra of Clemson Tigers football for the past 15 years.
“All in.”
Everybody who follows college football even casually knows the rest of the story by now. Swinney would take his lumps during his early years, losing five times in a row to South Carolina. Then came the magic of 4th and 16 in the bowl victory over heavily favored LSU, the Orange Bowl triumph over Ohio State in an instant classic, then seven consecutive ACC championships, six straight trips to the college football play-off, four appearances in the national championship game, and two trips to the summit of college football as national champions in 2017 and 2019.
With seven wins in a row over the Gamecocks added in for good measure.
It was Dabo’s dream come to fruition, but as the clock ticks away toward the start of the 2023 season, what is it that keeps people coming to Clemson? What keeps them coming back? And despite the ups and downs of the past two years, what keeps the Tigers ever-present in the discussion as one of the elite programs in the country?
In truth, it is a homogenous concoction of belief, effort, love, faith, and a willingness to grow that has sustained the Clemson program for so long.
Coach Swinney has always had a way of selling his point. Once he laid his foundational building blocks for the program he envisioned, Dabo had to sell the Tigers as a future investment to recruits.
The first star-studded group to go ‘All In’ on Swinney’s plan were the core group of wide receivers that earned Clemson the moniker of Wide Receiver U; Sammy Watkins, DeAndre Hopkins, Martavis Bryant, followed by quarterback Tahj Boyd.
Other future All-Americans joined them. Vic Beasley, Grady Jarrett, and five-star linebacker Stephone Anthony, a major signing day coup, all took a flier on Dabo and the Tigers. That group would give Clemson fans some of their greatest highlights and memories over the next four seasons, from the LSU and Ohio State victories, to top-25 rankings, and a place in the national spotlight that could no longer be ignored.
Swinney’s belief parlayed into success, and success attracted new stars who wanted to be a part of what was happening in the foothills of South Carolina. Deshaun Watson arrived in 2014 as the heir apparent to Boyd, and he would soon be surrounded by the class of players that would elevate the program into national infamy.
The Power Rangers, the fearsome defensive front four of Christian Wilkins, Clelin Ferrell, Austin Bryant, and a year later, Dexter Lawrence joined the fold. Running back Wayne Gallman, tight end Jordan Leggett, defensive backs Cordrea Tankersly and McKenzie Alexander, and an ensemble cast of talent picked right up where the previous group left off.
This time, it would lead to the top of the mountain.
Denied by Alabama in heartbreaking fashion in the 2016 national championship game, the Tigers roared back during the 2016 regular season, and in January 2017 met the Crimson Tide again and claimed their place in the pantheon when Watson found Renfrow in the front right corner of the end-zone with one second remaining on the Raymond James Stadium game clock.
With transcendent stars Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne following the first championship class, the Tigers won their second title in 2019. But despite the success, many wondered, and still do, how Clemson does it. What has made Swinney and the Tigers the tremendous success story they ultimately became?
That is where the final additions to the mixture add their effects to the winning elixir.
Dabo knows the power of love and caring. Make no mistake, he can be a strict disciplinarian, too. Fans have seen ample examples of both sides of Swinney. In the end, however, it is the genuine nature he displays and the loyalty of the entire Clemson program that breeds winning and attracts young men to it.
Many in the national media love to pander over everything Swinney says, and he is at times not what many consider politically correct. He speaks his mind and from his heart, come hell or high water, the opinions of others be darned. His views on topics ranging from paying players, to NIL, and the transfer portal are taken as righteous indignation by many except for those closest to the man. His players and coaches.
Agree with him or not, he is genuine in his beliefs.
Above all else, that is what holds Clemson football’s place among the top programs in the country, year after year. It is the foundation upon which Swinney built his version of the Tigers back in 2008. It is the DNA of two national championship teams and all of Swinney’s other squads that have slain giants through the years.
Dabo gives his loyalty, and in return people are loyal to him. His top assistant coaches stay at Clemson longer than perhaps they would at any other program before seeking head coaching jobs of their own. Players stay and play for four, five, or even six seasons when they could just as easily pursue careers in the NFL. Coach Swinney’s trust in them reflects the love he has for them, and it continues to bring them back.
Current Clemson linebacker Jeremiah Trotter was recently asked about playing for Dabo Swinney and gave the most succinct response that encapsulates how so many of his players, past and present, feel about their coach. In his words, he subtly explains exactly what keeps Clemson football successful.
“He really knows how to talk to his players and encourage them,” said Trotter. “He knows when to ease up on you and when you need a kick in the butt. He’s absolutely one of the top coaches in college football.”
And Swinney draws his love from faith. He has never been shy about proclaiming his Christian faith. Again, like it or not, that is just who he is. Dabo is not going to change just because others want him to. And why would he?
Clemson football is the epitome of the principals that Dabo Swinney lives by; faith, hope, love, and trust. It keeps the Tigers appreciative of the past, grounded in the present, and always looking to better themselves in the future. It is a formula that remains relevant and sustainable because those attributes can be seamlessly passed down to each successive generation of Clemson football players.
That is Swinney’s way, the Clemson way, and it works.
