Clemson football has seen nearly every high and low since Coach Dabo Swinney was named as the permanent head coach on December 1, 2008.
Despite beating South Carolina and winning four of his five regular-season games, there were not a lot of Tiger fans that were excited about Swinney being named the 25th head coach in Clemson football history.
Despite coaches like Steve Spurrier and Lane Kiffin expressing interesting or being interviewed for the job, former Clemson athletic director Terry Don Phillips made the right call in promoting Swinney, even if it was a little rough at first.
Coach Swinney has that innate ability to make every person in the world feel like they are the most important to him at the moment. When he gives you his attention, he is dedicated to you for that moment and not looking for ways to be gone from your presence. Anyone that has interacted with Coach Swinney understands how genuine he is and that none of it is an act.
Through all the ACC championships, the playoff appearances and the state titles, there are five moments of his head coaching career that stand out among the rest as being the five most important. Without these five moments, Clemson football isn’t a multi-time national champion nor are they a household name from coast to coast.
These five moments are pivotal to the legacy that Coach Swinney is building at Clemson and without them, who knows where we would be.