Dabo Swinney joined SportsCenter from ACC Media Days ahead of his 18th season (and 17th full season) as Clemson’s head coach.
In light of LSU head coach Brian Kelly’s recent cracks at Clemson’s Death Valley, Swinney was asked which program plays in the real Death Valley – Clemson or LSU.
“Well, I think, first of all, both programs are for real. These are two great programs. We’ve met a couple times over the years. Great respect for LSU,” Swinney said.
“But I think if you just Google Coach McMillian, who was the head coach at PC – you can go and do that research on your own. But all that matters is how we handle our business in Clemson, South Carolina, on August 30th. So, that’s our focus. But that stuff is historical facts, so I’ll let you do the research on that. You can report back. I’ll be tuned in for your report. You have a homework assignment.”
Clemson is college football’s original Death Valley. The story has been told over and over again over the years. Soon after being beaten by the Tigers, 76-0, on Sept. 22, 1945, the aforementioned former Presbyterian head coach Lonnie McMillian started referring to Memorial Stadium in Clemson as “Death Valley.”
The press picked up on it because McMillian would tell them, “I’m taking my boys to Death Valley,” when he spoke about the Clemson trip every year. Presbyterian and Clemson opened every football season from 1930-1957.
Clemson started calling Memorial Stadium Death Valley in the mid-1940s, while LSU’s earliest account came in 1959. However, the moniker for LSU did not really take hold until the late 1980s and early ‘90s.
Clemson and LSU will kick off the 2025 season at Death Valley in Clemson on Aug. 30.
On another topic, Swinney was asked during his appearance on SportsCenter if it’s more intimidating to run down the hill in Clemson’s Death Valley with his Tigers or to run down the hill with the Savannah Bananas.
Of course, the Bananas put on quite the show at Memorial Stadium on April 26, with the popular barnstorming baseball team amusing 81,000 fans in Death Valley. It was the first time Memorial Stadium was transformed to accommodate a baseball game.
Swinney himself played a part in the event, as he surprised the crowd by leading the Bananas into Memorial Stadium with Clemson’s historic hill run entrance.
“That was crazy,” Swinney said. “Definitely [more intimidating] with the Tigers, because all I had to do there was just kind of get out of the way and go eat some popcorn and watch it. But that was an amazing experience. I tell you, the Savannah Bananas – I didn’t really know much about them prior to them coming to Clemson. But incredible organization, a ton of fun, and one of the coolest experiences I’ve had.”
Swinney also talked about the transfer portal and his expectations for Clemson and quarterback Cade Klubnik. You can check out his interview on SportsCenter below: