Perspective from a Tarheel/Gamecock (long)

Nov 28, 2022, 6:39 AM

I am a Tarheel ('83) and a Gamecock ('87.) I love Navy football and Texas A&M football because my husband graduated from both schools. We were at A&M when Jimbo Fisher arrived. However, I also love Clemson football after my brother, the Clemson grad, introduced me to Coach Dabo Swinney, back in his first few years as a head coach. I have monitored Tigernet for years. I have prayed for y'all when you list prayer requests, know about Joe21, followed along with clover65 when he shared his Vietnam stories (my husband's dissertation is about the USMC in Vietnam), read bretfsu postings, know marleyii prays through the roster (I pray for the team and staff regularly), etc. This year I even made a donation to P.A.W. Journey.

The message board has been ugly. My husband tells me I should stay away, and he is right. However, today I decided I had to post a message (something I have never done on any message board.) I know how this works - some will approve and many will complain about how money Dabo is paid or whatever. (Dabo didn't create the current payment system for coaches which is nuts in my opinion. No more proof needed than Jimbo's buyout.)

I thought some "outside" perspective might be helpful. Y'all are SO BLESSED to have a Coach like Dabo Swinney, a man who cares about not just football but about the complete development of his players in to men. Will Clemson leave a locker room trashed or allow the players to smoke cigars in the visitors' locker room after an upset - NO! His efforts to stress education and life after the players leave Clemson are why I wanted to support P.A.W. Journey.

I know Saturday was hard. I can't even watch Clemson play because I get so nervous, and I know there are problems. However, if you think this year has been tough, try being a Navy fan (or this year an Aggie fan. By the way, Jimbo signed a bunch of five stars and unlike Coach Swinney there must not have been much effort made to evaluate character because some of them have turned out to be a complete mess.) Imagine losing for 43 years straight to Notre Dame. In 2007 when the Mids beat Notre Dame to break the streak, I realized how much it all meant when I watched my husband's reaction. Plus, the worst feeling for a Navy fan is to lose to Army. My husband told me that when the Mids lose this game, it creates a pall over the Naval Academy that lasts for months.

Clemson fans have so much to be thankful for in this time of thanksgiving. You have a great Coach who I believe will figure out what changes need to be made and a football program that has accomplished amazing things the last decade which is why Saturday's defeat is so difficult. For most of you there is a tight knit community on this board that welcomes the guests from Oregon or the Florida State fan who posts on this board or you pray for each other. The negativity this year has been shocking. It seems to me the energy would be better spent building players and coaches (hope they don't look at some of these posts) up before this coming Saturday when you play for the conference championship, than to fling so much vitriol to twenty-something year old kids. Additionally, think about how your former Offensive Coordinator has spent the past week - flying around on the New England Patriots' jet with his players to attend funerals. That really puts things in to perspective. They didn't even have the chance to play their rivalry game. I'll be a Clemson fan as long as Coach Swinney has the kind of program that he does at Clemson, and I believe with that will come more opportunities to do great things - starting on Saturday. Go Tigers!

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Perspective from a Tarheel/Gamecock (long)

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