ATLANTA — Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney got do something on Wednesday no one else has done … he sat behind the desk of the great General Douglas MacArthur.

Earlier in the afternoon Swinney took part in the MacArthur Bowl Trophy ceremony at the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta. Swinney and his Tigers were recognized by the National Football Foundation and the College Football Hall of Fame as the 2018 National Champions.

During the ceremony, Swinney was asked by the National Football Foundation to sit behind MacArthur’s desk following the press conference.

“That’s amazing,” Swinney said. “The MacArthur Bowl, and I did not know the history of it until after the first time we won the national championship, but just watching that video again, it is pretty amazing. The MacArthur Bowl represents history in college football and the best of the best.”

Much like the NHL’s Stanley Cup, the national champion’s name is etched on the outside of the trophy alongside all the other former winners. The trophy is made from 400 ounces of sliver and is fashioned in the shape of a football stadium. The trophy was named after MacArthur, a founder of the National Football Foundation.

The MacArthur Bowl Trophy has been presented to the national champion of college football every year since 1959. Clemson now has its name etched on the trophy three times … from 1981, 2016 and 2018.

“To be associated with that is really cool and is an honor,” Swinney said. “I’m thankful to be a part of it today and then have a chance to go sit at General MacArthur’s desk, that is not something I ever envisioned happening.”

MacArthur’s desk, where he sat during meetings with former Presidents of the United State and sports icons such as Vince Lombardi, will be a new display at the College Football Hall of Fame. MacArthur used his desk at the famous Waldorf Astoria Hotel in New York. MacArthur spent his last years in the penthouse of the Waldorf Towers with his wife Jean.

The Waldorf Astoria is currently being renovated, so the College Football Hall of Fame and the National Football Foundation talked the new owners into allowing them to borrow MacArthur’s Desk and display it at the Hall of Fame. It will be displayed for college football fans to see later this spring.

MacArthur was an American 5-star general and Field Marshal of the Philippine Army. He was Chief of Staff of the United States Army during the 1930s and played a prominent role in the Pacific theater during World War II. He received the Medal of Honor for his service in the Philippines Campaign.