Swinney says eight day safari trip to see lions was 'fascinating'

Dabo Swinney was on a safari during the ACC spring meetings.

David Hood - Senior Writer - Wednesday, May 31 2023

GREENVILLE – Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney missed the ACC spring meetings to spend time with a Clemson group on safari in South Africa, and spending time up close with the king of the beasts was a highlight.

Swinney met with the media for a quick question and answer session at the Greenville Prowl and Growl Tuesday night and was asked about his trip to Africa.

“We were over there for about eight days. It was fascinating,” Swinney said. “Obviously, I have never been on that continent. So, it was a new continent and a fascinating country. It was a big kind of Clemson group; I think we had about 30 people that went and it was actually planned in May of 2020. And so it kept getting postponed and we finally were able to do it and an amazing, amazing experience.”

What stood out to Swinney?

“Lions, I mean, it was all cool,” Swinney said. “Everything was really, really fascinating to see but to see those lions up close and just to be in their habitat, it's one of the coolest things I've ever done for sure.”

Swinney tried to plan his trip around the spring meetings, but the conference changed the date and Swinney missed for the first time as a head coach.

“It's never good to miss those meetings and for 14 years I was there and it was always the same week,” Swinney said. “They knew since last August that I wasn't going to be there. It wasn't something that just happened and then they kind of changed the week. This was something that had been planned for a long, long time and it was honestly planned around the meetings. And then the meetings moved.”

However, Swinney was never out of the loop.

“We meet as ACC coaches,” Swinney said. “We meet once a month. We zoom every month. We're all connected. I went over everything with Michael Strickland (the ACC’s Senior Associate Commissioner for Football) and the coaches before the meetings and communicated during the meetings. I sent them some fun pictures too. I had a good time with those guys.

“I've been to a bunch of them so (ACC spring meetings) and it’s kind of the same old, same old and, everybody knows what everybody's talking about and very informed.”