Clemson Football head coach Dabo Swinney passed Frank Howard this season to become the winningest head coach in program history. Swinney passed Howard with a win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in November, giving him his 166th win.
Following the Tigers’ victory over the Kentucky Wildcats in the Gator Bowl, Swinney now stands at 170 career victories.
In addition to passing Howard, Swinney also passed these well-known coaches in career wins in 2023.
Fisher DeBerry, Air Force: 169 wins
Ken Hatfield, Clemson/Arkansas/Air Force/Rice: 168 wins
Bobby Dodd, Georgia Tech: 165 wins
Fielding Yost, Michigan: 165 wins
Bill Dooley, North Carolina/Virginia Tech/Wake Forest: 161 wins
Swinney continues to hold a lead over active coaches Mike Gundy (Oklahoma State, 166 wins) and Kyle Whittingham (Utah, 162 wins).
These are some of the coaches that Swinney could potentially pass in 2024 with regular season wins.
Wallace Wade, Alabama/Duke: 171 wins
Mark Richt, Georgia/Miami: 171 wins
Dan Devine, Notre Dame/Missouri/Arizona State: 172 wins
Frank Solich, Nebraska/Ohio: 173 wins
Bob Neyland, Tennessee: 173 wins
Don James, Washington/Kent State: 175 wins
Jackie Sherill, Texas A&M/Mississippi State/Pittsburgh/Washington State: 179 wins
Gary Patterson, TCU: 181 wins
If the Tigers were fortunate enough to win the ACC Championship and run the table in the College Football Playoff, Swinney could also pass or tie these legends.
Dick Tomey, Arizona/Hawaii/San Jose State: 183 wins
Darrell Royal, Texas/Washington/Mississippi State: 184 wins
Johnny Majors, Pittsburgh/Tennessee/Iowa State: 185 wins
The next highest active coach is Brian Kelly from LSU, who stands at 186 wins. Unless the Bayou Bengals have a couple dismal seasons, Swinney will find it challenging to catch Kelly.
These totals reflect games played on the field, and don’t count wins awarded retroactively due to forfeits from opponents.
Clemson kicks off the 2024 season against the Georgia Bulldogs in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia on August 31.