Dabo Swinney on "amazing, amazing place" that is Clemson, pageantry of college football

Swinney likes his commute and much more about Clemson.

by TigerNet Staff - Wed Sep 08 12:16:03 GMT-04:00 2021

Dabo Swinney loves Clemson and college football.

The Tigers head coach, who is in his 19th season as a member of the Clemson coaching staff, talked about both with The College Chaps podcast that's hosted across the pond in the United Kingdom.

Swinney talked about how he loved seeing Justyn Ross back from injury on Saturday and also the story of Florida State QB McKenzie Milton, who made his return off the bench in an OT loss to Notre Dame Monday after two seasons away from the game due to a serious leg injury.

"There is nothing like the pageantry of college football. It is amazing," Swinney said. "You have all these stories. I’m sitting there on the edge of my seat. I’m doing the tomahawk chop and pulling for Florida State. This kid -- I’m like are you kidding me? This guy has his helmet knocked off and this guy comes in and looks like Joe Montana. And not to mention you have this unbelievable storyline. How cool is that? College football is unique. You just never know.

"You have this 3-3 slugfest that comes down to a pick-six in Clemson-Georgia. Two great teams. And then you get this shootout, overtime, with Notre Dame-Florida State with all the storylines. It just really is what makes college football special."

Swinney was then asked about what makes Clemson special, and he had plenty to say.

"The best thing for me is that I get to live here. Because this place is special," said Swinney. "When this is your profession, sometimes you just have to live somewhere where it’s a great job, but it’s a tough place to live. You have traffic and whatever. Here at Clemson it’s the simplicity of life. I’ve been able to raise all three of my sons in this town. There is just this quality of life and simplicity of life here that makes it special. It’s truly one of the most beautiful places you could see...It’s just a beautiful, beautiful part of the country. And we just have our own little world. The city is the college. We have one of everything...There’s just this energy and connectivity with being a part of the university that’s special.

"For me, I can be home in six minutes. I can run home and get a workout in and be back in six minutes. There’s a lot of places you couldn’t do that because you live 30 minutes away or have traffic. I think that’s one of the reasons we don’t have a lot of turnover on our staff because you can win at the highest level. It’s a great place to recruit to and there’s an unbelievable quality of life and place to live. I love that about Clemson. I love the traditions of Clemson. I love the passion of Clemson people. We’ve got some of the most unique traditions. Who gets on a bus for seven minutes and goes through the parking lot and rubs a rock and goes down a hill like modern-day gladiators? It’s just a phenomenal experience. It really is. And then the people. There’s just a bunch of good people here. And that’s why I’ve stayed here."

He then offered up an invitation to the podcast crew.

"It’s an amazing, amazing place. If you’re a college football fan, you should experience it. If you guys fly across the pond, I’ll make sure you’ve got a ticket to check out the game so let me know," said Swinney.