Dabo Swinney Biography

Dabo Swinney ( born as William Christopher Swinney) is an American college football coach born on 20th November 1969 in Birmingham, Alabama, US. He is the head coach of Clemson University. He has the second-most wins in Clemson history.

He as well led the 2016 Clemson Tigers football team to a victory in the 2017 College Football Playoff National Championship, capturing a national championship. He as he has the 2nd most wins in Clemson history behind only Frank Howard.

Dabo Swinney Age|Dabo Swinney Religion

Dabo Swinney Family

Dabo was born the second child of Carol and Ervil Swinney. He was nicknamed “Dabo” by his parents at a very young age. It was made up by Swinney’s brother, who called him “that boy” as an infant.

It was hard for his sibling to pronounce that right as he was only a year and a half, so it sounded more like “da bo”. He was raised in Pelham, Alabama.

Dabo Swinney Education

Swinney got enrolled at Pelham High School and later joined the University of Alabama where he acquired his college education.

He played in the position of walk-on wide receiver. Between 1990–1992 Swinney played for the school’s football team, The Alabama Crimson Tide. He was part of the victorious Crimson Tide’s 1992 National Championship team.

He graduated in 1993 with a degree in commerce & business administration. He as well earned a master’s degree in business administration from the same institution in 1995.

He then served as a graduate assistant for the Tide’s football team in 1995 handling wide receivers and tight ends. He was fired along with the entire coaching crew in 2001 after which he took a break from his coaching career till 2003.

Dabo Swinney Wife

Dabo Swinney was the student at the University of Alabama, studying business and finance. He started his football career in the league of 1989, playing as a wide receiver. Between 1990 and 1992, he played in three different teams. As a member of one of them, Crimson Tide’s, he won the National Championship in 1992 led by Gene Stallings.

His football career ended after three successful seasons with his graduation in 1993. In 1995 Swinney earned his Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree. Dabo Swinney is married to Kathleen Swinney, the pair tied the knot way back in 1994. The pair friendship dates back to their first grade at Pelham High School.

They took their friendship to the next level when they were old enough. Just like her husband, Kathleen Swinney is also an alumnus of the University of Alabama. She earned her bachelor’s degree in education after which she worked as a school teacher.

Kathleen is dedicated to Alabama University’s Clemson Tigers which has earned her the title “first lady of Clemson football”. The pair couple was made honorary alumni of the university at the 2017 “All In Ball”, hosted by Dabo’s All In Team Foundation.

Dabo Swinney Wife Cancer

Dabo Swinney wife “Kathleen Swinney”, has overcome her initial nervousness in standing before a room filled with 350 women to share her own family’s experience with breast cancer.

Her older sister was diagnosed with breast cancer while in her mid-30s, and a cousin had also been battling the disease already in 2003.

Her sister tested positive during the course of her treatment for the BRCA (breast cancer) gene mutation, which indicates a 90 percent chance of getting breast cancer for women who are carriers.

Her sister’s cancer was found in what was thought to have been a benign cyst on her breast, and she had a mastectomy a month later.

But cancer had already spread to her lymph nodes. Her sister is now doing well and has been cancer-free for seven years. It was not long after her illness, however, that Swinney said she faced the possibility that she could be carrying the mutated gene.

Dabo Swinney Children | Dabo Swinney Son

The pair has 3 grown children together, sons Will, Drew, and Clay, They both Swinney sons play football at their various schools. Will Swinney is the oldest of Swinney’s 3 sons. He was born in 1998 in Clemson.

He had his high school education at Daniel High School and he was a top receiver for his high school football team. In 2017, Will Swinney joined Clemson University’s football team as a walk-on. Joining the Clemson Tigers is really a dream come true for the young Swinney who has always been a huge fan of the Tigers.

Dabo Swinney Career

While completing work on his MBA, Swinney started off his career as e a graduate assistant at Alabama under Gene Stallings. He received his MBA from Alabama and became a full-time assistant coach for the Crimson Tide in charge of wide receivers and tight ends.

He retained these posts under Stallings’ successor, Mike DuBose. He was later fired with all of DuBose’s staff in early 2001.

In 2002, his former position coach at Alabama, Tommy Bowden, He was given an offer to become wide receivers coach at Clemson, and he later joined in 2003.

He as well took over as Recruiting Coordinator from popular longtime coordinator Rick Stockstill. Swinney proved to be both an excellent wide receivers coach as well as recruiting coordinator, coaching ACC-leading receivers and being named one of the nation’s top 25 recruiters in 2007 by Rivals.com.

He was named the interim head football coach on October 13, 2008, after previous head coach Tommy Bowden resigned six games into the 2008 season.

The Tigers had started the year ranked at position 9 in the preseason polls, but then went 3–3 (1–2 ACC) in their first six games. At the time he was informed of his promotion, he was working with the wide receivers on their upcoming game.

His recruiting reputation became evident when he produced five top-20 ESPN recruiting classes in a row, including top 10 classes in 2011 and 2012.

As a result, Clemson was one of only 10 schools to be ranked in the top 20 of recruiting five years in a row (along with LSU, Alabama, Texas, USC, Florida, Georgia, Florida State, Ohio State, and Oklahoma), and as of 2014 Swinney was one of only four active head coaches at the time accomplish the feat (along with Nick Saban, Les Miles, and Bob Stoops).

He then became the best in 2015, leading the Tigers to a 14-1 record with an ACC championship and an appearance in the national championship game. Clemson had fallen short to Alabama in the title game 45-40 after Nick Saban, the head coach of Alabama, surprised Clemson with a successful onside kick.

The season marked Clemson’s like the best run since the 1981 national championship season. Swinney was named Associated Press Coach of Year, Walter Camp Coach of the Year, Home Depot Coach of the Year, and the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award. The 2015 Tigers set a record for single-season wins under Swinney with 14. Clemson ended the season ranked 2nd in both the Associated Press and Coaches Polls.

Swinney later signed a six-year contract extension with the Tigers. Swinney once again recorded a banner season as Clemson’s coach, he led the Tigers to a 12-1 regular-season record and another ACC Championship, the third in Swinney’s career. He then posted big wins during the 2016 season over and was ranked 3rd Louisville at home and was ranked 12th Florida State on the road.

Swinney punctuated the regular season with a 56-7 home victory over arch-rival South Carolina, the largest margin of victory over the Gamecocks in Swinney’s career and the largest in over 100 years in the history of the storied rivalry.

Following Clemson’s ACC title win over position 19 Virginia Tech, the Tigers secured the position 4 seed in the College Football Playoff. On Dec 31, Swinney and the Tigers defeated position 3 Ohio State 31-0 in Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer’s first career shutout to set up a rematch of the 2015 National Championship against ranked 1st Alabama. On January 9, 2017, Swinney led the Tigers to a 35–31 comeback win over Alabama in the National Championship.

In 2017 Clemson and Swinney looked to fill big shoes with the loss of many offensive starters, including standout quarterback Deshaun Watson who switched to the NFL draft.

Although the Tigers had once again risen to the national prominence with a 12-1 regular-season record and their third straight ACC championship in a row.

Clemson dominated 7 Miami 38-3 in the ACC championship game and secured the ranked 1st seed in the College Football Playoffs. The Tigers also posted big wins in the season with a 14-6 win over ranked 13th Auburn, a 47-21 victory over ranked14 Louisville, and a 31-17 win over ranked 12th Virginia Tech.

The win over Virginia Tech was Swinney’s 101st as Clemson head coach, vaulting him past Danny Ford to become the second-winningest coach in school history.

Swinney capped off the regular season with another convincing win over rival South Carolina, 34-10, marking his fourth win in a row over the Gamecocks.

The Tigers faced ranked 4th Alabama in the Sugar Bowl for the first round of the playoffs. Alabama defeated Clemson 24-6. Clemson finished ranked 4th overall in the final standings and was ranked in the top 10 throughout the entire 2017 season.

Dabo swinney Alabama

While completing work on his MBA, Swinney became a graduate assistant at Alabama under Gene Stallings.

In December 1995, Swinney received his MBA from Alabama and became a full-time assistant coach for the Crimson Tide in charge of wide receivers and tight ends.

He retained these posts under Stallings’ successor, Mike DuBose. He was fired with all of DuBose’s staff in early 2001.

Swinney sat out the 2001 season while receiving his contractual payments from Alabama. His former strength coach at Alabama, Rich Wingo, had become president of Birmingham-based AIG Baker Real Estate and offered him a job.

From April 2001 through February 2003, he did not coach and instead worked for AIG Baker Real Estate on development projects in Alabama.

Dabo swinney Post Game

Swinney held his post-game press conference after this team had a record of  24-10 win over No. 12 Texas A&M.

Opening statement:

“I’m really proud of everyone who played in today’s win. There’s a lot for us to build on. Guys accepted the challenge. It was a heck of a win today. This gives us really great momentum. Great teams get better as the season progresses. We’ll have an opportunity to go on the road and improve our team in ACC Atlantic play next week. I’m excited to see how we respond.”

On the offensive performance:

“Offensively, we left a little bit out there, but I thought that we controlled the game. We held the ball effectively. Our offensive line took over. I cannot say enough about those guys. Travis [Etienne] had a career-high in receiving yards, and Lyn-J [Dixon] was a spark for us. I’m really proud of them.

That’s quite a 1-2 punch. [Tee] Higgins had another big day. [Justyn] Ross had a career-high in catches. [Trevor] Lawrence played the quarterback position extremely well today. He was gutsy, tough and showed a lot of great heart and leadership.”

On the defensive performance:

“We did a tremendous job of being well-positioned, and we made great plays on the ball. A.J. [Terrell] was tremendous. Nolan [Turner] missed a tackle in the first half but came back from that and made some great plays on the ball.

[Tanner] Muse got another interception. Structurally, we did some great things. We did a nice job, assignment-wise. We put pressure on the ball. Our guys up front were ready for the challenge. They’re having fun playing defense.”

Dabo Swinney Twitter

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Dabo Swinney Coaching Teams

Head coaches under whom Swinney served:

• Gene Stallings: Alabama (1993–1996)
• Mike DuBose: Alabama (1997–2000)
• Tommy Bowden: Clemson (2003–2008)

Assistants under Swinney who have become head coaches:

• Chad Morris: SMU (2015–2017), Arkansas (2018–present)
• Billy Napier: Louisiana–Lafayette (2018–present)

Dabo Swinney Contract

On 29th of April, it was announced that Dabo Swinney had agreed to a new 10-year, $93-million contract at Clemson. The contract included an “enhanced buyout” should he one day leave for the Alabama job.

Swinney, a Pelham native, and Alabama graduate is now the highest-paid coach in college football at an average of $9.3 million per year through the 2028 season. The Crimson Tide’s Nick Saban previously topped the list at an average of $9.25 million per year.

Dabo Swinney Salary

He has an estimated salary of $6 million and a $1.5 million signing bonus. Other records claim that he is now the highest-paid coach in college football at an average of $9.3 million per year through the 2028 season. The Crimson Tide’s Nick Saban previously topped the list at an average of $9.25 million per year.

Dabo Swinney Net Worth

He has an estimated net worth of around $20 million.

Dabo Swinney House

Swinney and his family moved into a new home in Clemson in October 2017. The home is was built with the intent that future Tiger’s coaches might find it convenient due to its proximity to the campus.

Dabo Swinney HouseThe home which has been described as a “castle” lies on 15,000 sq.

ft. and contains multiple master suites, several living rooms and dozens of rooms.

It equally boasts of all the indoor and outdoor facilities you could think of; a theatre room in the basement, a basketball court, a personal gym, and an outdoor pool.

Dabo Swinney Quotes

• “The only disability in life is a bad attitude.”
• “To be an overachiever, you have to be over believers.”
• “Don’t let anyone walk through your mind with dirty feet.”
• “If you’re gonna be great, you can’t ever be satisfied.”
• “Whatever the results you get, learn and grow from it and move
• on to the next one.”
• “Bad things happen in life… but it’s how you respond that counts.”
• “Let the light that shines in you be brighter than the light that
• shines on you.”
• “You can’t be afraid to play. Commit to playing and you live with them
• results.”
• “Think about your dream. Then, put your head down and go to work.”
• “Do common things in an uncommon way.”
• “We have three rules in our program that everyone must follow: 1.
• players must go to class, 2., they must give effort and 3. they must
• be good citizens. It’s as simple as that.”
• “Do common things in an uncommon way.”
• “Attitude, work ethic, love, respect for others, that doesn’t know any color.”

Dabo Swinney’s Speech at Clemson’s White House Visit

Dabo Swinney Autograph|Dabo Swinney Autograph Requests

Clemson University Athletic Department can not facilitate any autographs from Clemson Student-Athletes.

The timing of autograph request fulfillment cannot be guaranteed due to a large volume.

This Autograph Request Form must be completed by the person/organization seeking the autograph. This form includes Guidelines for Autographed Items and the NCAA Bylaws Regarding Promotional Activities.

Any person requesting an autograph item other than an autograph photo of a head coach must provide the item (football, basketball, etc.). No items will be provided by the Clemson University or the Clemson Athletic Department.

If the item(s) or proceeds from the auction are going to benefit high-school-age students or student groups in any way, we cannot help. These students are potential student-athletes and therefore, it is an NCAA violation for us to donate to these fund-raisers.

All requests will be reviewed for compliance with Clemson University, ACC, and NCAA regulations. Only after the request has been approved by Compliance, will it be considered for a donation from Clemson University Athletics.

Below are additional guidelines:

1. Clemson University Athletic Department can not provide tickets to any sporting event
2. Clemson University Athletic Department can not facilitate any autographs from Clemson Student-Athletes
3.  Due to a large volume, the timing of autograph request fulfillment cannot be guaranteed
4. Please note that we do ask that you limit your request to 1-2 items. Any requests over 5 items will not be approved.

The requestor will be informed when their item(s) have been approved or denied.

Dabo swinney All In|Dabo Swinney All In Foundation

Clemson’s Dabo Swinney use  “All In” as a slogan. These two words do not represent their slogan but also mean a leadership philosophy to them.

Dabo Swinney will never forget the details of Oct. 13, 2008, a day when, by “unintended consequence,” a new organizational mantra was born in Tigertown: “All In.”

It was at 4 p.m. Following a stunning conversation with (then) athletic director Terry Don Phillips – who informed Swinney he was, effective immediately, the interim head coach upon Tommy Bowden’s mid-season exit – Swinney entered the locker room and asked all who weren’t players to leave.

Dabo, then just 38 – a wide receivers coach lacking even a coordinator line item on his resume – had just become the second-youngest head coach in Clemson football history behind legendary Danny Ford. He recalls his team address vividly.

“Listen, guys here is the deal,” he said. “For the next six weeks, we’re going to do things differently. I know I don’t have much of a chance to get this job, but I have a chance. For the next six weeks, I’m all in – everything I’ve got.”

He told them they had practice in two hours. He told them they didn’t owe him or Clemson anything. If they didn’t want to be under his leadership and part of his program, no problem – they should do whatever they wanted to do. But for the next six weeks, certain things were going to change – and then Swinney articulated his plan.

Afterward, he told them, “I’m all in. And if you’re going to be all in with me, because that’s what it’s going to take for this to work – for us to turn this season around –then show up to practice at 6:00 tonight. Otherwise, no hard feelings.”

The day turned into what Swinney describes as an “emotional night.” The practice had perfect attendance.

Since that fateful day, Swinney has evolved from a fresh-faced and distinctly charismatic position coach to head coach for six full seasons. He’s posted a 60-26 overall record.

He has led the Tigers to two ACC championship appearances, won an ACC title, won or shared three division titles and been the first Tiger head coach since Ford to be named a national coach of the year. He’s also continued to produce nationally lauded recruiting classes, often cited as a top recruiter in the country.

Swinney sat down one-on-one with UBJ to discuss management and leadership – his own ability and style; how he develops the will to lead and accountability in hundreds of young men; the impact of a strong organizational culture, and more.

Dabo Swinney And Nick Saban