Swinney’s Fondest Memory as Clemson’s Coach Came at BC

Tigers’ coach reflects on his first win as a head coach.

CLEMSON, S.C. — A coach will always cherish their first victory as a head coach.

It’s different than any other they earn throughout their career. The bond it has with them, and their players is never broken.

For Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney, his first win as a head coach means even a little more. His came when the Clemson Football program was at one of its lowest points.

Nineteen days before, Tommy Bowden was asked to resign as head coach after a lackluster 3-3 start to a 2008 season that had so much promise. The Tigers were ranked as the preseason No. 9 team in the Associated Press Top 25. They were picked to win the ACC.

But none of that happened.

Instead, Alabama blew out Clemson to start the season and then losses to Maryland at home and at Wake Forest cost Bowden his job. Swinney was hired by Terry Don Phillips to babysit the program, while also getting and on-the-job interview at the same time.

After an emotional few weeks, including a heartbreaking loss to Georgia Tech in Swinney’s first game as interim, the Tigers headed to Chestnut Hill, Mass., where they desperately needed something good to happen.

“That was a huge, huge win for us, especially how we won,” Swinney recalled during his weekly press conference on Tuesday. “For that team in particular, they just needed something good to happen. How we lost to Georgia Tech in that first one and then the open date and all that was going on. That was huge for that team.

“That just kinda helped us solidify what we were trying to do down the stretch.”

Clemson won the game thanks to 242 all-purpose yards from C.J. Spiller, now Swinney’s running backs coach. The Tigers led 17-0 at halftime, but the Eagles came back with 21 unanswered points. But Spiller returned BC’s final kickoff 64 yards, setting up Cullen Harper’s go-ahead touchdown pass to Aaron Kelly.

The Tigers added a field goal before safety DeAndre McDaniel, a senior defensive analyst on the current Clemson staff, intercepted BC’s last chance to rally, sealing a 27-21 victory.

“They are all big. That one was just one game, but I think it was what that team needed to be able to rally and to stay the course,” Swinney said, “and to create the type of belief we needed to have a good finish.”

Clemson won four its final five games to become bowl eligible, as Swinney became the first interim head coach to take over a program at midseason and qualify for a bowl game.

“If we don’t win that game, I am probably not here,” Swinney said. “So, they are all big, but you just do not realize how big they are, right? Not until later on down the road.”

That’s one season why coming to Boston is always special to Swinney. It’s where he got his first win. It’s where he got to share in a special moment with Spiller, McDaniel, Thomas Austin, Tyler Grisham, Kavell Conner, Antoine McClain and Ricky Sapp. All seven are now on Swinney’s Clemson staff.

“It was special. That is one that I real never forget,” Swinney said. “I have a picture of that in that locker room. All the guys that were a part of that, and, again, it is cool for those on staff to be able to reflect a little bit when you go up (to Boston).”

Swinney hopes he and his former players, now coaches, can have another good memory to add to the existing one when No. 5 Clemson visits Boston College on Saturday (7:30 p.m., ABC).

Clemson is currently 20.5-point favorite, according to Fanduel.

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