As Clemson gets set to host fourth-ranked Florida State on Saturday, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney was asked during his radio call-in show Monday night to recall his favorite game against the Seminoles that he has been involved in.

That wasn’t a difficult choice for Swinney, who quickly pointed to the Tigers’ 26-10 win over the Noles at Death Valley on Nov. 8, 2003.

Of course, Swinney was then in his first year as Clemson’s receivers coach. Entering that game, Tommy Bowden’s Clemson team was 5-4 on the season, while Bobby Bowden’s FSU squad was 8-1 and ranked No. 3 in the nation.

It ended up being Tommy’s first win in the Bowden Bowl, and Clemson’s first-ever win over a top-three team. Going into the game, there was plenty of uncertainty about Tommy’s job security coming off a 45-17 loss at Wake Forest the previous week – and Swinney himself believes he likely would have been out of a job if it weren’t for the Tigers winning that game.

“Well, that’s easy. That’s 2003, because I probably wouldn’t have a job if it wasn’t for that one,” Swinney said when asked to name his fondest Clemson-FSU memory.

“I would’ve been probably moved on somewhere else. We had been building a house. That was my first year. I’ll never forget it, that was when, ‘Oh my God, we lost to Wake Forest.’ I mean, 13 years at Alabama, I had never been to Wake Forest. I don’t know anything and we go up there, and it was a miserable game. But we get beat, and we’re 5-4, and I had been building this house since I moved. I was like, ‘Oh my gosh.’ And I remember going out that week – because they were like No. 3 in the country, undefeated. It’s the Bowden Bowl. It’s my first time to be a part of that. I remember turning the tape on that Sunday, going, ‘Oh my Lord, these guys are monsters.’”

As for the aforementioned house Swinney mentioned he was building at the time, he recounted a conversation that he had with his builder – and a comment he made to Swinney, which Swinney didn’t take kindly to.

“I remember going and meeting with my builder like on, I don’t know, like Wednesday of that week, and I remember it was just checking on the house or something because we were going to be done in like March,” Swinney said. “So this was November, (Clemson was) 5-4, and we’re walking out. His name was Scott and he says, ‘Hey listen, Dabo, I don’t want you to take this the wrong way. I just want you to know if things don’t work out at work, I’ve got somebody that will buy this house.’ And I just remember, I was so pissed off in that moment right there. I’m like, ‘Look, we’re moving in this freakin’ house. We might only stay in there for two weeks, but we’re moving in this house.’”

Things turned out very well for Swinney and the Tigers, who never trailed against FSU in that game en route to snapping an 11-game losing streak in the series.

“I just remember that week of meetings with my receivers,” Swinney said. “I had Kevin Youngblood, who was a senior. Our captain was the guy named Tony Elliott. I had Airese Currie, I had Derrick Hamilton. I remember challenging those guys, like, ‘Hey man, we’re going to have to make some plays. It’s press man the whole night.’ Charlie (Whitehurst), we had a great quarterback, and we got the lead and I don’t think we ever trailed in the game. I think we led the whole game and won like 26-10.”

Swinney doesn’t know where he’d be right now if it wasn’t for that victory.

“I’ve been a part of a bunch of unbelievable Clemson-Florida State games… I’ve been in some crazy ones, good and bad,” Swinney said.
“But if I had to say one, it’d have to be the ’03 game because without that game, I’m probably living in Minnesota or something right now.”

–Photo courtesy of Clemson Athletic Communications