Swinney on retirement of John McKissick |
”First, I want to congratulate Coach John McKissick on an incredible career and the contributions he has made to this profession. He has had such a positive impact on the lives of so many coaches and players dating to when he started in 1952.
“I played and coached at the University of Alabama, a school whose history includes Bear Bryant. Coach McKissick won nearly twice as many games as Coach Bryant. That is almost impossible to comprehend. “Each year I have had the privilege of spending some time with Coach McKissick and I have learned so much from him. I want him to know that we will all miss him on the sidelines, but understand that we will always appreciate what he has contributed. “The commitment he has made to the sport and to that community is unprecedented. “One thing that stands out to me took place my first year as a head coach at Clemson. I was asked to speak at the state high school clinic and as I started my talk I noticed Coach McKissick sitting on the front row taking notes. “Here he was over 80 years old and he was still setting a great example. His presence told me that you can never stop improving, never stop striving to get better, and never be satisfied with your past accomplishments.” Note: Ten Clemson football lettermen played high school football for John McKissick at Summerville High. The list includes Sonny Callahan (TB, 1971), Rickey Bustle (WR, 1974-75-76), Bo Blanton (QB, 1979-80), David Bounds (OL, 1981); Keith Jennings (WR, 1985-86-87-88), Holland Postell (OT, 1995-96-97-98), Bernard Rambert (RB, 1999-2000-01-02), Bo Charpia (PK, 2001), Dustin Fry (OG, 2003-04-05-06) and Bryan Baker (OL, 2007). Jennings and Fry went on to play in the NFL.
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