Swinney earns fan respect, Clemson job

Alan Hawes
The Post and Courier

Clemson interim head coach Dabo Swinney hugs Scotty Cooper as the Tigers and Clemson fans celebrate.

CLEMSON — In the waning moments of the game the home crowd removed all doubt by chanting his name, "Da-bo, Da-bo, Da-bo, Da-bo."

Indeed, Clemson's 31-14 win over South Carolina here Saturday should be the deciding vote in removing the word interim from Dabo Swinney's head coaching title.

Given the reins of this team at midseason when Tommy Bowden suddenly resigned, Swinney guided the Tigers out of the disappointing doldrums of a 3-3 start to a 7-5 finish and the promise of a bowl game.

It was a pivotal moment for this program, steeped in football tradition and wobbling on the axis of anxiety. Truth be known, it could have gone either way.

In modern society, today's players are fickle and skittish. As much as we think the adults are in charge, they control the future.

At that crucial moment, back in mid-October, the future of Clemson football was literally hanging in the balance.

Coach them up

Sitting there after Saturday's big game, in his orange tie with a big orange tiger paw pin on his lapel, the man with the funny first name seemed satisfied with his performance and confident that the job might soon be his.

Still, he doesn't overplay his hand. He knows the rules. He understands the game.

"It's not about me," the 39-year-old Swinney continued to preach in the wake of the win. "It's about the players. My job was to coach them up."

Which he did.

Despite two losses to Georgia Tech and Florida State, the Tigers showed renewed energy and life as they regained their footing, winning big road games at Boston College and Virginia.

The ultimate test, however, was South Carolina. Archrival. Perennial whipping boy. A must-win if Swinney was to lay claim to this team and this job.

Toughest team

They did that in fine fashion here Saturday on a day Swinney said was a great day for football — gloomy, cold, and rainy.

The Tigers scored the first 24 points, let Steve Spurrier's club back in it with a swoon in the middle, but clearly dominated the game, scoring the final two touchdowns, salting away the win.

"I think we were the toughest team today," Swinney said of his Tigers. "I'm proud of what went on in the trenches."

That, of course, is where every football game is won. On the line of scrimmage, where the big boys swap blows for every yard, every foot, every inch.

In that battle of the beasts, Clemson was stronger, meaner and more determined than the Gamecocks. It showed. Even to their coach.

"They've got a better team, a better-coached team," Spurrier said after his team lost its last two games to finish 7-5.

Think about it. That's one of the game's most veteran coaches talking about an interim coach. Not a bad endorsement.

Neither were the resounding cheers coming from a cold, soggy group of Clemson fans who sat through the worst of the weather, enjoying the show.

Asked what it felt like to hear his name chanted by a stadium full of fans, Swinney said, "It was awesome. Like Britney Spears or something."

Easy decision

College football, of course, is a lot like Britney Spears or something. It's a business, show business, which means somebody has to make business decisions.

Swinney expects to meet with Clemson athletic director Terry Don Phillips today, after church, to discuss his future with the program.

Most observers now see this meeting as a formality, assuming Swinney has done the job and deserves the job. This is, after all, his moment in the sun.

Life can be funny that way. Because, truth is, Dabo Swinney, a run-of-the-mill receivers coach, might have had a tough time getting a head coaching job at a Southern Conference school like The Citadel had this turn of fate not come his way.

But it did. Like lightning striking when you least expect it.

"I've prepared for this job my whole life," Swinney said. "To go 4-2 under the circumstances, I'm very satisfied. I hope I've made a difference in these players' lives. I think I've brought Clemson back together."

On all those counts, you have to put a check mark by Dabo Swinney's name. And when it comes time to name a new head coach, just listen to the crowd of Clemson fans, chanting in unity, "Da-bo, Da-bo, Da-bo."

Hearing that, the decision should be an easy one.

Reach Ken Burger at kburger@postandcourier.com or (843) 937-5598.