Dabo Swinney recalls early moment in his Clemson career when he expected to get fired

While Dabo Swinney is now the most-decorated coach in Clemson history and one of the best college football coaches of all time, his job security wasn’t always a given. At the ACC Football Kickoff on Thursday, Swinney reflected on when he thought he was being fired following Clemson’s 6-7 season in 2010.

“My second year, we won six games, and we had just lost a home game to South Carolina. Man, it was a bad day,” Swinney said. “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.

“It was just brutal, and Kat’s crying, and I’m like, ‘It’s going to be OK, babe. It’s OK.’ And then she’s looking at me… She’s like ‘I’m sorry, but [Clemson athletic director] Terry Don’s in your office.’ She thinks I’m getting fired, and I think I’m getting fired.”

It was a grueling year for Swinney and Co. Clemson started the year with a 2-0 record, but fell in overtime against Auburn in Week 3. Auburn went on to win the national championship later that season.

Clemson’s bad luck didn’t stop there. The Tigers lost their next two games as well, falling to Miami and North Carolina. Clemson only won its next two games, but never strung together two victories again for the rest of the season.

Clemson concluded its regular season with a spirit-shattering 29-7 blowout loss against in-state rival South Carolina. After the game, Clemson’s athletic director at the time, Terry Don Phillips, was waiting to deliver a life-changing message to Swinney.

“It was like I’m walking the plank,” Swinney recounted. “My office door was cracked. Lights were off, and I looked through the crack, and Terry Don Phillips is sitting in there on the couch… I was totally prepared for him to fire me. I was gonna be OK. I was gonna just give him a hug and thank him. And, you know, it’s the business.

“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. 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.’

“Then, he looks at me and he goes, ‘Hey, and if it don’t work, you can help me pack and I’ll help you pack. And he gave me this big hug and walked out. Now, you talk about some conviction and belief and what that did for me.”