CLEMSON LIFESTYLE

President Donald Trump says the Tigers are
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney presents a Clemson jersey to President Trump

President Donald Trump says the Tigers are "a winning machine"


by - Senior Writer -

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The National Champion Clemson Tigers were honored in a ceremony at The White House Monday afternoon, and President Donald Trump said that head coach Dabo Swinney has turned Clemson into a winning machine.

The following is a transcript of the President’s remarks during the ceremony.

“Good afternoon, everybody. Today I'm truly proud to welcome to The White House our College Football Playoff National Champions, the Clemson Tigers. And they look like the real deal, don't they?

Congratulations to all of you and to your terrific coach, and you know who that is, right? Do we love him? Dabo? Dabo Swinney. I was with Coach (Bill Belichick and he said this guy's a real coach. That's a pretty good compliment, right? You can't do better than that. You have many dedicated fans and distinguished members of Congress here to celebrate your victory. Lots of them. I especially want to thank your governor, Henry McMaster, my friend, my endorser. Don't forget me, he endorsed me when it wasn't exactly in vogue to do that. Right, Henry?

“Thank you, Henry and everybody, for joining us today. Clemson Tigers. You gave America an incredible game that will go down in the record books as one of the hardest-fought and probably one of the most exciting games ever played. Last second, boom. That's pretty good, coach. Good job, coach. All of you played with such tremendous heart and determination. You never ever gave up. You can never give up in life and it all paid off. With your grit and resolve, you proved one of the most important truths in life that success is about how hard you are willing to fight in order to overcome and in order to win. After being down 14-0, I don't think the coach was worried. Were you worried? Down 14-0 almost halfway through the game, like true Tigers Clemson roared back and with the whole nation watching, and beyond the nation, Deshaun Watson (going to be a great NFL player, watch). Hey, fellas, is he that good? Tell me. You better believe it. He's going to be fantastic. He passed the ball to Hunter Renfrow. Hunter, you're so lucky you caught that ball. To score the game-winning touchdown with just one second left on the clock. That's pretty cool. It was an inspirational finish to a historic season for Clemson. The team willed their victory. You willed it. That was a victory that was willed. Arnold Palmer, he would will a victory. Jack Nicklaus, he would will a victory.

“The great champions tend to do that. The team willed their whole way to victory. You came so incredibly close last year against Alabama. You don't remember that game, coach, do you? You'll never forget. And you wanted the rematch. You got the rematch and you went on and you earned it. You beat great teams like Florida State, Ohio State and of course your big rival, South Carolina. You believed in yourselves. You believed in each other and you won a championship victory for the ages. It's one of the greatest games I ever watched actually. People are going to be talking about what you did for a very, very long time. That victory and the great comeback was the product of a vision that began nine years ago when Coach Swinney assembled a team of assistant coaches who believed in his vision.

“They recruited great, great players and together you worked hard, had fun and turned Clemson into a winning machine. That's what it is. The Tigers have gone an astonishing 89-28 - how do you lose 28 games? Oh, it was the early seasons, right? Most of them were while you were building. Under the coach's leadership, he helped forge a new culture at Clemson. It was on display in the locker room right after the big game. The coach recalled how he told the team that the theme of the college football playoffs this year is Chasing Greatness. He told them nobody's better than us and we've got to believe it. It's great. Tell yourself that, nobody's better. You chased greatness and now you've achieved true greatness. I understand that on the inside On your championship ring there's a Tiger climbing upwards and it says, 'a little extra.' That's often the difference between winning and losing, just a little extra. Right, coach? Is that right?

“And, by the way, standing next to the coach is another winner, your El Presidente. That's another winner. Number one, he made a lot of good decisions. Number two, what people don't realize about Clemson is that it's a great academic school, one of the Top 25. And as a combination, probably number one. That's how Clemson achieved great things. When you set an expectation of maximum effort and a culture of confidence from the top, you inspire every person to perform at their very, very best and that’s exactly what you have done. More Tigers this year than ever before, nine of you, went to the NFL's Scouting Combine and two of you were drafted in the first round. That's pretty good. But during that championship game, all of you shined, every single one. Offensive MVP, quarterback Deshaun Watson, took some very hard hits. But he never rattled.

“He's great under pressure. I've seen that. I've heard that. He's great under pressure. He is great under pressure. He always got right back up and he fought and he fought and he kept winning. Now he will bring that toughness to the Houston Texans and I have the owners of the Texans here some place. I just saw them, and they are so excited about Deshaun. Defensive tackle Carlos Watkins had an incredible game, and he will be joining Deshaun in Houston. I'm going to be watching that team very closely. Nobody can read plays like defensive MVP Ben Boulware.

President Trump and Dabo Swinney smile for the cameras

“First team All-American defensive end Christian Wilkins was a big part of the defensive effort in the championship game, and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow had 10 receptions that night. I want to send our best wish to defensive end Richard Yeargin, who suffered a neck injury in a recent automobile accident and is out for the 2017 season. But he will be back and we'r praying for you, Richard, I know you're going to get better and be all set. All of you are continuing a proud sporting tradition at Clemson established long ago by some of football's greatest champions and leaders. Your school was home to the legendary coach Heisman. Heisman Trophy, who delivered a win in the first Alabama matchup way back in 1900. I know Coach Heisman would be very proud of you coach today, looking down.

“Be very proud. He liked to win. He knew winners and his team's most recent, incredible and most exciting victory. So thank you for being here today. It's our honor to be in the company of great, great champions and that is what they are. I wish you all the best in your careers, wherever they may take you, whether it's football or business or anything else. You're going to be very successful, and if you work hard, fight hard and believe in yourselves, perhaps I'll see you one day back here right at The White House. In fact, I think one of the folks behind me has a really good chance of standing where I am today as a future President of the United States. They have that tremendous, incredible talent, more than just athletic talent. So congratulations again to the College Football Playoff National Champions, the Clemson Tigers.”

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CinTiger1
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