In January of 1964, American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan released a song with Columbia Records that would forever be one of his greatest hits. A famous line from that song;
For the loser now
Will be the later to win
For the times they are a-changin’.
In January of 1964, Frank Howard and the Clemson Tigers’ season was already over after a pitiful, yet familiar 3-7 record. Clemson won just 2 ACC conference games that year, and hadn’t won a conference championship since 1959. With predecessors like John Heisman, the pressure to sustain and succeed began to fall on the shoulders of former Alabama alumni and player, Frank Howard. The Tigers would win the ACC in 1965, ’58, and ’59, going on to capture 7 conference championships under the head coach (165-118-12).
Today, the number-one ranked Clemson football program finds themselves in a position to change the times of being only a competitor and contend for the College Football Playoff Championship as the only undefeated FBS team. The Tigers are 55-11 since 2011, recording five ten-win seasons in the last five years. In the past four, Clemson has secured three bowl victories and in the past five, have sent 24 players to the NFL. The most impressive feat of the Clemson Tigers is the climb from competitor to championship contender. A quantum of the Tigers’ success comes from one man: Dabo Swinney.
Clemson Football: The House That Dabo Swinney Built
Following the Howard era, “improvement” would be the theme for Clemson football the next decade surmounting in 1981 as the undefeated Clemson Tigers claimed the National Championship over Nebraska in the Orange Bowl. The Tigers would remain competitive for much of the 1980s and early 90s.
As the program began to become unraveled under Tommy Bowden, Dabo Swinney took over the Clemson program in 2008 after serving as the Tigers wide receivers coach. Before Swinney assumed head coaching duties, Clemson hadn’t recorded a ten-win season since 1990 and hadn’t claimed an ACC title since 1991.
What many people don’t know about Swinney is his past and the connection it has with his life today.
William Christopher “Dabo” Swinney was born in the heart of Birmingham, Alabama. When Swinney was 13, his father Ervil began struggling with alcoholism as his family washing machine repair business was failing. Often times, his father would come home drunk and Dabo would flee to avoid the fighting and screaming, hoping the police wouldn’t be called again. Soon, Swinney’s parents divorced, forcing him to live with family and friends for much of his senior year. Despite a tough living environment, Swinney was an honor student and standout athlete. He went on to attend the University of Alabama, studying biology. Swinney earned a scholarship as a walk-on wide receiver for the Crimson Tide. During his final three years at Alabama, Swinney’s mother – barely making minimum wage- moved into his apartment that he shared with a friend, even sharing a bed with her son.
“That’s just what we had to do,” explained Swinney. “She would drive an hour to Birmingham every day and she’d be off on Mondays, and that’s when she’d cook for all my teammates and I.”
Studying biology on a pre-med track, Swinney aspired to become a pediatrician as it correlated with his passion for making others feel better. But after two years of pre-med, he realized medicine wasn’t where his real passion was, and neither was ten more years of school. It wasn’t until after winning a National Championship for the Tide in 1992 and working as a graduate assistant that Dabo Swinney discovered his true passion.
22 years later, Swinney heads a football program that he revitalized and continues to build from the ground up.
Clemson is very familiar with being close to the top. In 2011, the Tigers were 8-0 before finishing 2-4 in its final six games of the season. Very much the same was the case in 2013, as a 51-14 rout by Florida State tarnished the Tiger’s 6-0 start. But this year, it’s very different for Dabo Swinney and the Clemson Tigers. The 2015 season represents an objective desired by everyone involved in the program, despite the disbelief of many others.
“We’re going to have one of those special seasons,” Swinney says. “It’s gonna happen. Maybe the ball bounces off the guy’s head or whatever and lands in our arms and we run for a touchdown. We’re going to have that year. Am I happy where the program is? You better believe it. Very, very happy. Am I satisfied? Not even close. I want to get to the top. I want to be the best. But I want to do it the right way and to enjoy the whole deal.”
And the Clemson Tigers are certainly on their way to an already-incredible year. What’s more incredible about the man leading the top-ranked Tigers is not the 13-0 record, Coach of the Year awards, or other individual acknowledgement. Instead, it’s the vibrant and compassionate man leading the herd of orange down the famous hill into Death Valley on Saturdays.
That is most impressive.
“I don’t know how to be anything other than me,” says Swinney.
Fans, the people of Clemson, South Carolina, and those watching on Saturdays will see Dabo on any day, well, being Dabo. From the post-game dance-offs in the locker room following every win to the collection of Swinney-crafted acronyms; P.A.W. (Passionate About Winning), ALLIN (Attitude, Leadership, Legacy, Improvement, New Beginnings) to the most well-known BYOG, which was unveiled in the post-game interview following a win over then sixth-ranked Notre Dame in torrential rain. The “Bring Your Own Guts” acronym comes from a pre-game speech Dabo gave to his players in which he told them he could give them their stipends, food, and scholarships, but it was up to them to bring the guts to win.
Swinney’s relationship with fans began early on during his tenure in South Carolina. From the introduction of “Tiger Walk” – the 200-yard walk through fans on game day mornings to the pizza party of 20,000 in Death Valley to celebrate the Tigers 2015 ACC Championship and playoff berth, Swinney has won the hearts of both fans and players at Clemson. Swinney’s relationship with his players is one that not many college coaches have.
“As I matured as a coach, and went through the years, I’m 46 now. I just think it’s sad when winning is a relief. I think its sad when you win, you still have some coaches coming in and yelling at their players ‘cause they didn’t play well. How about we achieve the objective? You know, the fun is in the winnin’. This is college, I want them to have a good time.”
“We’re always gonna have things to correct, there’s always gonna be things we can do better. But lets have fun. Life’s too short. Pressure is chemo and radiation, that’s pressure. Pressure is having a tube stuck down you in a hospital and telling you that you’ve got two months to live. And I’ve seen that. Pressure is seeing your child go off to war and not sure if they’re gonna come back. That’s pressure. This is a game.”
It’s that prophetic logic and mentality from Dabo Swinney that explains why his players respect him and why he continues to win.
In a recent interview, Swinney reflects on his life from the struggles of his childhood, walking-on at Alabama, to coaching.
“When I look back on my life; things that I questioned, those times that I hated, now if I could go back I wouldn’t change it. It’s made me who I am.”
Thursday, top-ranked Clemson University takes on fourth-ranked Oklahoma for a chance at the 2015 College Football Playoff Championship. Dabo Swinney finds himself in a position to change the times of not only his football team, but his own life as well.
For the times they are a-changin’.
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