Clemson's P.A.W. Journey in a League of its Own
Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney prides himself on many things but a family atmosphere and building men of great character that will be successful long after they leave Clemson rank high on his list.
Enter stage left, P.A.W. Journey. Swinney started the program on Oct. 13, 2008, when he became the interim head coach of Clemson following the program's mid-season separation with Tommy Bowden.
P.A.W., an acronym for “Passionate About Winning,” encourages football student-athletes to maintain a continually competitive posture towards all aspects of the journey of life. Composed of three pillars that former Clemson linebacker Jeff Davis believes best prepare football players for their future roles as leaders in their careers, communities, and homes, P.A.W. Journey develops football student-athletes holistically.
Clemson offensive guard Matt Bockhosrt discussed how unique the program is and his wish to see similar ones become available for student-athletes across the country.
"If I got the opportunity, I could talk about P.A.W. Journey all night," Bockhorst said. "The opportunities that P.A.W. Journey provides for football student-athletes at Clemson are unbelievable. I think it takes a really mature recruit to be able to recognize that and the value that."
Bockhorst said as a veteran player entering his fourth year on a squad that has made three trips to the college football playoffs with a pair of National Championship appearances and one title, he's realized just how special of an opportunity he's provided at Clemson.
"I know what they've done for me, and it has taken some personal ownership of that and effort," Bockhorst said. "But every player here at Clemson has the world at their fingertips and unbelievable connections and opportunities to be made. I'm just so appreciative of that program because I don't know if the NFL is going to be a reality or not. Regardless if it does happen, my confidence lies in who I am and who I've developed into as a man through P.A.W. Journey."
During last week's media availability, Coach Swinney referenced his initial vision for the program and how it has grown over the last 12 years.
"If you go back to that time, nobody had real support staff. There were nine coaches, couple graduate assistants, and an operations guy," Swinney said. "As an assistant, I just felt that our guys didn't have enough outlets or places to go and talk about certain life issues."
Swinney said he approached former Clemson All-American Linebacker and 1981 National Champion, Jeff Davis, to spearhead the program that has grown ever since that 2008 season.
"I had known Jeff for six years and told him this is what I want, here's my vision," he said. "I just want someone to coach life, every day. I want someone to be available for the players that is not a coach. So that's how it started. Jeff Davis took it from there and he was a one-man shop for the first several years. But then we were able to create a team around him, Rashard Hall, Travis Blanks, Reggie Pleasant, Savannah Bailey, and they are unbelievable. All they do is coach life and create opportunities. They wake up every day and their job is to serve our players while they are here and prepare them for their post-career and to be connected to everything Clemson offers."
Bockhorst said that P.A.W. Journey is way ahead of the game and he doesn't think there is anything like it at other big schools but he hopes that will change. Most importantly, he hopes his teammates at Clemson appreciate the gift and take advantage of its benefits.
"I have a tremendous amount of confidence going into my next season of life because of P.A.W. Journey".
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