"I come out of the press conference, and my wife’s crying": Dabo Swinney recalls painful past at Clemson during 2025 ACC media day speech

Clemson Tigers coach Dabo Swinney went down memory lane on Thursday at the ACC Kickoff. The reigning ACC champion recalled a touching detail from the 2009 season, his second year in charge of the Tigers.

On Thursday, Swinney recalled the time when he was almost sure he would lose his job as the Tigers went 6-7.

“My second year, we won six games, and we had just lost a home game to South Carolina," Swinney said on Thursday. "Man, it was a bad day. I come out of the press conference, and my wife’s crying when I get to the thing… I thought she was just sad for me. It had been a tough year.”

However, that wasn’t the most emotional part of the night for the nine-time ACC-winning coach. He met with Clemson’s athletic director at that time, Terry Don Phillips, who was waiting for him in his office. The only natural thought in his mind was that he would be sent packing. However, the reaction he got from the Phillips was completely different.

“He goes, ‘Dabo, come over here and sit down.’ And he looks at me, and I’ll never forget it… He said, ‘Son, there’s going to be a lot of negativity. There’s going to be a lot of criticism.’ He said, ‘But what I want you to know is I got your back," Swinney said.

"That’s what he told me, and he said, ‘And, here’s what I also want you to know.’ He said, ‘I believe in you more right now in this moment than I did when I hired you.’ And he said, ‘And I believe you’re going to be one of the great coaches that we’ve had.”

Swinney has gone on to prove Phillips right, becoming the Tigers’ most decorated coach. In addition to nine conference titles, he also won the national championship in 2016 and 2018.

Dabo Swinney addresses Clemson’s talent retention ahead of the 2025 season

Dabo Swinney’s Clemson Tigers are entering the 2025 season as one of the most hyped teams in college football. With a quarterback ranked as the best nationally by many analysts and an 80% returning production from 2024, the Tigers look battle-ready.

Swinney commented on the program’s talent retention on Thursday.

“They value the place that they’re at," Swinney said. "These guys, they could all go wherever they want to go, but it’s a close group. They’ve done football life together for a few years now, and they’ve had some success.

"Certainly last year, and getting a chance to maybe get a little glimpse at the top of the mountain, that’s certainly given them a little fuel as they’ve gotten back to work since January.”

Clemson will face LSU on Aug. 30 to kick off their season.