When Dabo Swinney was named the interim head coach following Tommy Bowden’s resignation on October 13, 2008, many people, including some Clemson fans, said, “Who?”
Swinney was the wide receivers’ coach at Clemson from 2003-’08. And though he was well thought of in the coaching ranks, especially for his ability as a recruiter, the outside world knew very little about him.
Swinney ultimately earned to have the interim tag removed in front of his title, and despite many fans’ objections with him being named Clemson’s head coach in 2008, he eventually won the entire fan base over and has become the greatest and most beloved head coach the program has ever had.
In his 10-plus years running the Clemson program, Swinney’s teams have posted a 116-30 record. He has guided the Tigers’ to two national championships and five ACC titles. His teams have won nine bowl games and have finished ranked in the top 25 nine times, the top 10 team six times and the top 5 four times.
Below is a list of the 10 impactful wins in the Dabo Swinney era that has allowed Clemson to become one of college football’s elite teams.
November 1, 2008, Clemson at Boston College: Clemson defeated Boston College in Chestnut Hill by a score of 27-21 to claim the first O’Rourke-McFadden Trophy, which is given to the winner of this rivalry game each year. It was Clemson’s first win over the Eagles in 50 years. C.J. Spiller had 242 all-purpose yards to win the first “Leather Helmet Award.” Aaron Kelly became Clemson’s career leader in receiving touchdowns when he hauled in his 19th on a four-yard reception from Cullen Harper in the fourth quarter. James Davis became Clemson’s career rushing touchdown leader when he ran for his 43rd on a 23-yard carry in the first quarter. But more importantly It was Swinney’s first win as a head coach, a win that showed the players he could get it done after taking over as interim head coach following Tommy Bowden’s resignation on October 13.
November 29, 2008, South Carolina at Clemson: Clemson defeated South Carolina, 31-14. It was the Tigers 10th win in 12 years over the Gamecocks. It was also a win that secured then athletic director Terry Don Phillips’ decision to hire Swinney as head coach. Clemson finished the 2008 regular season with four wins in its last five games to become bowl eligible for a 10th straight year. Swinney was the first interim head coach in college football history to take over at midseason and lead his squad to a bowl game. On December 1, 2008, the interim tag was removed from Swinney’s title and he was named the head coach of the Tigers.
September 17, 2011, Auburn at Clemson: Clemson defeated defending National Champion Auburn, 38-24, in Death Valley. The win elevated Clemson’s record against a defending National Champion in games played at Clemson to 3-0 and it ended Auburn’s 17-game winning streak, the longest winning streak snapped by a Clemson football team in history. The Tigers gained 624 yards of total offense, their most-ever against an SEC team at the time.
December 3, 2011, ACC Championship Game, Clemson vs. Virginia Tech: Clemson won its first ACC title in 20 years with a 38-10 win over Virginia Tech in Charlotte. Virginia Tech was ranked No. 3 in the nation in the coaches’ poll and the win tied for the highest-ranked team Clemson beat in its history at the time. Tajh Boyd was named MVP, as he completed 20-of-29 passes for 240 yards and three scores. The win clinched Clemson’s first Orange Bowl berth in 30 years, but more importantly it got Clemson over the hump and back on top of the ACC. The Tigers have won four ACC Championships since then. It was also their 10th victory that night, ending a 21-year drought in that category. Clemson has won at least 10 games every year since.
December 31, 2012, Chick-fil-A Bowl, Clemson vs. LSU: Chandler Catanzaro kicked a 37-yard field goal as time expired to give Clemson a 25-24 win over No. 7 LSU in the Chick-fil-A Bowl. The ACC Tigers trailed 24-13 entering the fourth quarter but scored the final 12 points for the dramatic victory. It was Clemson’s 11th win of the season, its highest total since its National Championship season of 1981, and gave the Tigers a final USA Today ranking of No. 9. The winning drive was kept alive with Deandre Hopkins made a sliding 26-yard catch of a Tajh Boyd pass on fourth-and-16 from the Clemson 14-yard line.
Clemson’s Sammy Watkins set an Orange Bowl and Clemson record with 16 catches for 227 yards and two scores in the Tigers 40-35 win over Ohio State in 2014. (File Photo/The Clemson Insider)
January 3, 2014, Orange Bowl, Clemson vs. Ohio State: Clemson concluded its second straight 11-win season with 40-35 victory over No. 6 Ohio State. It gave Clemson wins over a top-10 team to end the season in consecutive year, the only FBS team to do that in 2012,13. Sammy Watkins set an Orange Bowl and Clemson record with 16 catches for 227 yards and two scores. Tajh Boyd had 505 yards of total offense and accounted for six touchdowns in his final game. He also had a career-high 127 rushing yards. Vic Beasley had a Clemson bowl game record four tackles for loss. Stanton Seckinger caught what proved to be the winning touchdown on a pass from Boyd in the fourth quarter. At the time, it was Clemson’s biggest win on a marquee stage since it beat Nebraska in the 1982 Orange Bowl. It was a sign of things to come for the Clemson program.
November 29, 2014, South Carolina at Clemson: Playing with a torn ACL, Deshaun Watson threw for two scores and ran for two others in Clemson’s 35-17 win over South Carolina that ended the Gamecocks’ five-game winning streak in the series. Artavis Scott had seven catches for 185 yards and two scores, the most receiving yards by a Clemson player against South Carolina and the most ever by a Tiger in Death Valley. Wayne Gallman added 191 yards rushing on 27 carries, the second most rushing yards by a Tiger against South Carolina. It was the first of five straight wins of their own for the Tigers over the Gamecocks in the long-time series.
Clemson stopped Notre Dame on this 2-point conversion attempt with seven seconds to play to secure its 24-22 win over the Irish. (File Photo/The Clemson Insider)
October 3, 2015, Notre Dame at Clemson: Clemson defeated sixth-ranked Notre Dame in the first meeting between the two teams since 1979. In a torrential downpour, the Tigers jumped out to a big lead and escaped with a 24-22 win in the final seconds as Carlos Watkins led a host of tacklers that stopped the Fighting Irish’s two-point try with seven seconds left to play in the game. The win over the Irish catapulted the Tigers into the top 10 with a No. 6 ranking the following week. Clemson has not left the top 10 since and, along with Alabama, has been college football’s most dominant team.
January 9, 2017, CFP National Championship, Clemson vs. Alabama: Clemson wins its second national title in history and first in 35 years with a 35-31 victory over No. 1 Alabama, who had entered the game with a 26-game winning streak. Hunter Renfrow scored the winning touchdown with just one second remaining on a two-yard pass from Deshaun Watson. It was Clemson’s first win over the nation’s No. 1 ranked team.
January 7, 2019, CFP National Championship, Clemson vs. Alabama: Trevor Lawrence became the first freshman since 1985 to lead his team to a national championship thanks to Clemson’s 44-16 win over Alabama. Lawrence played a big role in why the Tigers dominated the Crimson Tide like they did. He completed 20-of-32 passes for 347 yards and three touchdowns to earn MVP honors. The win was historic because of the nature in which the Tigers beat ‘Bama and because it clinched a 15-0 perfect season, the first in major college football since 1897.
—Clemson Athletic Communications contributed to this story