"I never once in my entire life thought of coaching": Dabo Swinney opens up on how legendary CFB coach changed his life forever
Clemson coach Dabo Swinney’s path to greatness is mesmerizing. He never dreamt of becoming a coach but circumstances led him to. The bold decision taken by college football Hall of Famer Gene Stallings to drag Swinney into the coaching world and not let him take another job before getting married changed his perspective towards life.
Recalling the good old days, Swinney narrated a wholesome story of how he entered football despite making up his mind to get a full time job and have a happy family.
On Thursday, he had a sit-down interview with ESPN's Rece Davis, along with fellow ACC coach Bill Belichick, where they talked about their life experiences and changes in college football. Davis asked Swinney about his biggest coaching influences. Without any second thoughts, he named Stallings a game changer in his life, as well as legends like Bill Curry and more.
“I never once in my entire life thought of coaching," Swinney said (1:02:50). " ... I never dreamed of it. Although I wanted to go get a job and make some money, I wanted to help my mom. It was a challenging time, but Coach Stallings really fueled the belief as well. And when I finished playing, we won the national championship my senior year.
"And it's one of those things where you go out to springboard spring ball, I was finishing school, graduating in May, and he was like, "Hey, you need to get a master's degree.' I'm like, 'Coach, I am not getting a master's degree. I'm getting married. I got a job, 35 grand. I'm gonna be rich. I'm getting a car, I'm moving to Birmingham.'"
Swinney continued and shared what Stallings told him.
"And he's like, 'Hey, I need you, get a master's and I need a GA and you're starting July,'" Swinney said.
"What do you not understand about that? And I'm kind of mad, like, 'Who's he think he is telling me what I do in my life?' And I just remember calling my now wife, saying, 'Hey, maybe we'll get engaged next year or something, you know. And I was more afraid of Coach Stallings than I was the guy.”
Dabo Swinney will be entering his 17th season as Clemson coach
It was a long journey for Dabo Swinney leading a big program like Clemson for the last 16 years. Heading into college football as a young graduate assistant at Alabama, learning the nuances under Gene Stallings and leaving at the age of 31 forever changed his life. Over that period, Clemson won two national championships.
The 2018 championship team is still regarded as one of the greatest college football teams in history. The legacy goes on and continues to produce some of the finest talents in the football world.
This upcoming season, it will be Cade Klubnik who will play for the program as QB1 while Swinney looks to win his third national championship.