{"id":15815,"date":"2016-09-01T08:00:59","date_gmt":"2016-09-01T12:00:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/?p=15815"},"modified":"2016-09-01T08:00:59","modified_gmt":"2016-09-01T12:00:59","slug":"dabo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/dabo\/","title":{"rendered":"It&#039;s How You Win That Matters"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><div id='fullscreen_slider_1'  class='avia-fullscreen-slider main_color   avia-builder-el-0  el_before_av_one_fifth  avia-builder-el-first   container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><a href='#next-section' title='' class='scroll-down-link ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue877' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/a><div   data-size='extra_large'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids='16326'  data-video_counter='0'  data-autoplay='false'  data-bg_slider='true'  data-slide_height='100'  data-handle='av_fullscreen'  data-interval='5'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id='fullscreen_slider_1'  data-scroll_down='aviaTBscroll_down'  data-control_layout=''  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment=''  data-min_height='0px'  data-stretch=''  data-default-height='100'  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-1 av-slider-scroll-down-active av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-extra_large av_fullscreen   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 58.3333333333%;' ><li style='background-position:top left;' data-img-url='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/DaboSwinney26.MC_a_NEW-1500x875.jpg' class=' av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-1' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><div class = \"caption_fullwidth av-slideshow-caption caption_right\"><div class = \"container caption_container\"><div class = \"slideshow_caption\"><div class = \"slideshow_inner_caption\"><div class = \"slideshow_align_caption\"><h2  class='avia-caption-title  '  itemprop=\"name\" >It\u2019s How You Win That Matters<\/h2><div class='avia-caption-content  '  itemprop=\"description\"  ><p>by Nancy Spitler<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div id='after_full_slider_1'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-15815'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-1  el_after_av_fullscreen  el_before_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-2  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><blockquote>\n<p>Family. It\u2019s one of those words that conjures up so many different images. When you ask Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney what it means in the context of the football program, he boils it down to one four-letter word: \u201cLove.\u201d<br \/>\nHe then proceeds to explain one of the most-discussed episodes of last season with <a href=\"http:\/\/newsstand.clemson.edu\/andy-teasdall-puts-best-foot-forward-on-field-and-in-classroom\/?platform=hootsuite\">punter Andy Teasdall<\/a>. At the ACC championship game against North Carolina, Teasdall opted to try to run the ball rather than punt it away. Swinney, clearly, was not happy, and as Teasdall came off the field, he let him know that.<br \/>\n\u201cI have three boys and a wife,\u201d said Swinney, \u201cand I don\u2019t always like them. But I always love them. And family is love. And when you are a family, you can celebrate the successes together. I always laugh about Teasdall, and say, \u2018I showed great restraint. I wanted to choke him.\u2019<br \/>\n\u201cIt was not okay. We all have bad days and make mistakes, and it was a tough situation, but because you have a relationship\u2026.\u201d Swinney paused. \u201cHe knows I love him. He knows I care about him. I promise you if every home out there had a national TV audience watching it every day, every moment &#8230;\u201d He chuckles. \u201cI don\u2019t even think about those things. That\u2019s our home \u2026 there would be tough moments in every home.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-4  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_fullscreen  avia-builder-el-last  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='fullscreen_slider_2'  class='avia-fullscreen-slider main_color   avia-builder-el-5  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth   slider-not-first container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><a href='#next-section' title='' class='scroll-down-link ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue877' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/a><div   data-size='extra_large'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids='15738'  data-video_counter='0'  data-autoplay='false'  data-bg_slider='true'  data-slide_height='100'  data-handle='av_fullscreen'  data-interval='5'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id='fullscreen_slider_2'  data-scroll_down='aviaTBscroll_down'  data-control_layout=''  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment=''  data-min_height='0px'  data-stretch=''  data-default-height='100'  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-2 av-slider-scroll-down-active av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-extra_large av_fullscreen   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 66.6666666667%;' ><li style='background-position:top left;' data-img-url='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/08\/DaboSwinney-4-1500x1000.jpg' class=' av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-2' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><div class = \"caption_fullwidth av-slideshow-caption caption_right caption_right_framed caption_framed\"><div class = \"container caption_container\"><div class = \"slideshow_caption\"><div class = \"slideshow_inner_caption\"><div class = \"slideshow_align_caption\"><div class='avia-caption-content  '  itemprop=\"description\"  ><p>Swinney and members of the football team work at a local Habitat for Humanity site.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div id='after_full_slider_2'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-15815'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-6  el_after_av_fullscreen  el_before_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-7  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3>You can\u2019t fabricate family<\/h3>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Swinney certainly hasn\u2019t used his own personal experience as a model for what family means, but he says the struggles with an alcoholic and violent father, the breakup of his parents\u2019 marriage and foreclosure of the family home did help him be a better father and a better husband. \u201cSometimes you learn more from the bad than you do from the good,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cMy experiences growing up shaped me from a mental toughness standpoint, a drive, a work ethic, a perseverance, an attitude of hope,\u201d he said. \u201cSometimes that\u2019s all you got \u2014 hope!\u201d<br \/>\nHe follows that up with a saying that is one of many \u201cDabo-isms:\u201d \u201cIf you\u2019ve got hope, that gives you power in the present.\u201d<br \/>\nWatching his dad over the years finally get control over alcohol and his life, Swinney also learned the lesson that it\u2019s never too late to do what\u2019s right. \u201cYou can\u2019t change certain things,\u201d he says. \u201cYou just gotta love \u2019em and pray for \u2019em and model it.\u201d<br \/>\nLove \u2019em and pray for \u2019em and model it. That\u2019s a pretty good definition of coaching in the world of Dabo Swinney, who is concerned not only about modeling good football for the young men who wear orange, but modeling what it means to be a father and a husband and a person who serves the community. \u201cEverybody\u2019s an example to somebody,\u201d he says. \u201cYou have a circle of influence.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>The term \u201cClemson Family\u201d in the context of Tiger football is a very literal term. Wednesday evenings during the season are family nights, where all the coaches and their families gather for dinner with the team. On Sunday evenings, always a long night for the coaching staff, the coaches\u2019 wives take turns bringing in dinner. Coaches are encouraged to have their kids on the sidelines during practice once they turn 10. \u201cOur wives are all involved in the recruiting process,\u201d Swinney says. \u201cThey\u2019re a part of this program. Our kids are at practice all the time; they\u2019re on the sidelines. So the players see us in a different light, in a different environment than just as a coach. It\u2019s important for us to understand as well that our kids are watching us \u2014 watching how we coach this guy, how we respond to negativity or criticism.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>When you hear Swinney talk about family, it can sound a bit corny. Maybe hokey, even. Punter Andy Teasdall says that to those not involved in the football program, all the talk of family \u201ccould seem a little fake or clich\u00e9.\u201d But Teasdall, who is in his last season, calls it genuine and authentic. And it\u2019s not only with the players and the coaches. The coaches\u2019 wives, he says, \u201care always asking about our families and our parents and how we\u2019re doing. People genuinely care about how we are \u2014 outside of just Saturday afternoons on game day and how we\u2019re playing.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cYou can\u2019t fabricate family,\u201d Swinney says. \u201cIf it\u2019s not a genuine, authentic part of every single day, people are going to know that. Everybody understands that there is no perfect family. You have problems from time to time. But when you truly love the people you work with, the place you work, you can work through anything. You\u2019ve got each other\u2019s back.\u201d<br \/>\n\u201cIf you like Clemson or not,\u201d says Swinney, \u201cif you\u2019ve watched us play over the last seven years, the one thing that jumps out is that these guys care about each other. They play with passion and toughness and unselfishness. And from time to time, there\u2019s some discipline situation, and they rally around each other. That\u2019s because we have a family atmosphere.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cYou kind of have to experience it,\u201d Teasdall says.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-9  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_fullscreen  avia-builder-el-last  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='fullscreen_slider_3'  class='avia-fullscreen-slider main_color   avia-builder-el-10  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth   slider-not-first container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><a href='#next-section' title='' class='scroll-down-link ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue877' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/a><div   data-size='extra_large'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids='15856'  data-video_counter='0'  data-autoplay='false'  data-bg_slider='true'  data-slide_height='100'  data-handle='av_fullscreen'  data-interval='5'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id='fullscreen_slider_3'  data-scroll_down='aviaTBscroll_down'  data-control_layout=''  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment=''  data-min_height='0px'  data-stretch=''  data-default-height='100'  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-3 av-slider-scroll-down-active av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-extra_large av_fullscreen   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 66.5333333333%;' ><li style='background-position:top left;' data-img-url='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/Dabo-Walking-2-1500x998.jpg' class=' av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-3' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div id='after_full_slider_3'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-15815'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-11  el_after_av_fullscreen  el_before_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-12  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3>Relationship-driven, not results-driven<\/h3>\n<p>There are two large display boards leaning in the corner of Swinney\u2019s office, mounted versions of the <em>Wall Street Journal<\/em> \u201cGrid of Shame.\u201d The grid has one axis that ranges from \u201cWeakling\u201d to \u201cPowerhouse\u201d that takes into account performance on the field, and another that ranges from \u201cEmbarrassing\u201d to \u201cAdmirable\u201d that considers academic performance, NCAA violations, arrests and other factors including what the publication characterizes as the \u201cick\u201d factor. Clemson is positioned in the top right quadrant, at the intersection of \u201cAdmirable\u201d and \u201cPowerhouse,\u201d in a small group of institutions that includes Wisconsin, Stanford and UCLA.<a href=\"http:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/the-college-football-grid-of-shame-1409185352\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-15740 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/clemson.world\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/DaboSwinney-Grid-of-Shame-213x300.jpg\" alt=\"DaboSwinney Grid-of-Shame\" width=\"213\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/08\/DaboSwinney-Grid-of-Shame-213x300.jpg 213w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/08\/DaboSwinney-Grid-of-Shame-768x1080.jpg 768w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/08\/DaboSwinney-Grid-of-Shame-732x1030.jpg 732w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/08\/DaboSwinney-Grid-of-Shame-501x705.jpg 501w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/08\/DaboSwinney-Grid-of-Shame.jpg 890w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 213px) 100vw, 213px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>With an office full of trophies, Swinney calls this the best trophy of all and \u201cthe best accomplishment of our program.\u201d For him, that chart is proof that it is possible both to run a football program \u201cthe right way,\u201d and to win.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>\u201cIn six out of seven years,\u201d he says, \u201cwe\u2019re top 10 academically. That\u2019s culture. We\u2019re the only school in America that was top 15 on the field four years in a row and top 10 academically four years in a row.\u201d He pauses for emphasis. \u201cThe only program in America \u2014 out of 128 programs.\u201d He explains that with another Dabo-ism, a quote borrowed from George Washington Carver: \u201cDo the common things in an uncommon way and you command the attention of the world.\u201d<br \/>\nFor Swinney, the right way of running a football program involves being \u201crelationship-driven,\u201d which he describes as serving players\u2019 hearts and not their talent. \u201cServe, care, love,\u201d he says. \u201cWe\u2019re here to serve our players, to care for them, to love them. Sometimes that means disciplining them.\u201d Sounds sort of like a family.<br \/>\n\u201cWe\u2019re not perfect,\u201d he says, \u201cbut it separates us from a lot of other places out there.\u201d<br \/>\nThose other places he\u2019s referring to are results-driven \u2014 they put the goal of winning a championship above all else. \u201cSuddenly,\u201d he says, \u201cthey\u2019re not graduating their players like they should or equipping them with tools like they should, because they\u2019re looking the other way, cutting corners. They\u2019re creating entitlement, creating their own culture, and as a result a lot of kids are having a bad experience.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>In Swinney\u2019s relationship-driven model, he says, \u201cWe want our players to graduate, to leave here equipped with tools for life. Because of our program, they are equipped, they know what discipline means, they know how to show up on time, they know how to handle adversity, respect others, be a good teammate. They understand what it means to be a part of something bigger than yourself. No sense of entitlement, and they know how to win and lose. Those are tools for life. If we do a great job with that, whether they make All American, or never get above third team, they will still have a great experience.\u201d<br \/>\nOn the other hand, he says, \u201cIf you\u2019re serving their talent and not their heart, then you know they\u2019re doing the wrong things and you play them anyway, you reward bad behavior. That\u2019s just not what we do.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>That became very clear to players at last season\u2019s Orange Bowl, according to Eric Mac Lain, who finished up his Clemson football career at the 2016 National Championship game. Prior to the game against Oklahoma, three Clemson players \u2014 wide receiver Deon Cain, kicker Ammon Lakip and back-up tight end Jay McCullough \u2014 were suspended for a violation of team rules and sent home.<br \/>\n\u201cCoach would rather lose the biggest game of his coaching career so far than play and win with people who didn&#8217;t follow the rules and didn&#8217;t deserve to be there.&#8221; Mac Lain said. \u201cCoach Swinney is the epitome of class and character, and this story set that in stone for me.\u201d<br \/>\nSwinney put the action in a different context. \u201cI care so much more about meeting them at 35 than I do their feelings sometimes at 21,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s just how we do it. They all know \u2026 everybody in this program knows. I would rather lose trying to do it right and to make sure I can look at the man in the mirror than I would win knowing we did it the wrong way.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-14  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_fullscreen  avia-builder-el-last  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='fullscreen_slider_4'  class='avia-fullscreen-slider main_color   avia-builder-el-15  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth   slider-not-first container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><a href='#next-section' title='' class='scroll-down-link ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue877' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/a><div   data-size='extra_large'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids='15741'  data-video_counter='0'  data-autoplay='false'  data-bg_slider='true'  data-slide_height='100'  data-handle='av_fullscreen'  data-interval='5'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id='fullscreen_slider_4'  data-scroll_down='aviaTBscroll_down'  data-control_layout=''  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment=''  data-min_height='0px'  data-stretch=''  data-default-height='100'  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-4 av-slider-scroll-down-active av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-extra_large av_fullscreen   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 91.6666666667%;' ><li style='background-position:top left;' data-img-url='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/08\/DaboSwinney-JeffScott-1500x1375.jpg' class=' av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-4' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div id='after_full_slider_4'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-15815'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-16  el_after_av_fullscreen  el_before_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-17  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3>The Clemson fit<\/h3>\n<p>Dabo Swinney spends a lot of time and energy trying to convince young men focused on football that life is about a whole lot more than football. And he starts that during the recruitment process.<br \/>\nWhen he talked with a large group of top high school recruits and their families before the Florida State game last season, he emphasized academics and character and graduation. Going to class, being engaged and graduation were expectations, he told them, as was earning your spot on the team. And recruits would be judged on more than just their skill on the field. \u201cEvery Monday morning, I get a spread sheet of all our recruits,\u201d he told them. \u201cThere\u2019s a column on there that\u2019s \u2018Questionable Social Media Content.\u2019 If there\u2019s a check mark in that column, I look at the coaches and ask, \u2018Why\u2019s this kid still on the list?\u2019\u201d<br \/>\nAll around the room, you could see mothers making eye contact with their sons, raised eyebrows communicating the message, \u201cYou listening to this?\u201d<br \/>\nNamed ACC Recruiter-of-the-Year and one of the top-25 recruiters in the nation in 2015 by <em>Rivals.com<\/em>, Co-offensive Coordinator Jeff Scott says that after having worked with Swinney for close to eight years, he can tell in the first five minutes of meeting a young man whether he\u2019s going to be a great fit at Clemson, or whether he\u2019s going to be looking elsewhere. That great fit, says Scott, is a young man who is goal-oriented and family-oriented and who understands the value of a college degree.<br \/>\nThere are measurables \u2014 evaluation criteria for each position \u2014 that have to be checked off, but it\u2019s these intangibles as well that Scott and the other coaches know have to be a part of the package. \u201cObviously, they have to be a good player,\u201d says Swinney. \u201cBut we don\u2019t get caught up into offering a guy because he\u2019s got a bunch of offers. He might be a great player, but he may not fit here.\u201d<br \/>\nIn today\u2019s world, many of those players don\u2019t come from two-parent homes, but most of these young men, according to Scott, \u201cwould not be at the point they are, in terms of college and playing football and earning a full scholarship, if there wasn\u2019t someone who stepped in to help in their journey \u2014a grandmother, grandfather, coach, teacher \u2014 who\u2019s helped along their way and changed their lives.\u201d And these young men see a great value in having close relationships with their future coaches.<br \/>\nFor Swinney, coaches were a critical part of his development as well as his survival through a tough childhood and tougher adolescence, and he sees a lot of young men who come from similar circumstances. While he says he doesn\u2019t recruit to that story, he says his background is probably more common than not among young athletes. His background does provide him credibility with these young men, and he is passionate about \u201cimpacting young lives the way my coaches impacted me.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-19  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_fullscreen  avia-builder-el-last  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='fullscreen_slider_5'  class='avia-fullscreen-slider main_color   avia-builder-el-20  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth   slider-not-first container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><a href='#next-section' title='' class='scroll-down-link ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue877' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/a><div   data-size='extra_large'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids='15737'  data-video_counter='0'  data-autoplay='false'  data-bg_slider='true'  data-slide_height='100'  data-handle='av_fullscreen'  data-interval='5'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id='fullscreen_slider_5'  data-scroll_down='aviaTBscroll_down'  data-control_layout=''  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment=''  data-min_height='0px'  data-stretch=''  data-default-height='100'  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-5 av-slider-scroll-down-active av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-extra_large av_fullscreen   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 66.6666666667%;' ><li style='background-position:top left;' data-img-url='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/08\/DaboSwinney-3-1500x1000.jpg' class=' av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-5' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div id='after_full_slider_5'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-15815'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-21  el_after_av_fullscreen  el_before_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-22  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3>\u201cCoaching gave me a clarity\u201d<\/h3>\n<blockquote>\n<p>If you had asked Swinney what he was planning to be when he grew up, he would probably have told you he wanted to be a pediatrician. He thought that if he were a doctor, he wouldn\u2019t have to deal with the kind of things he dealt with growing up \u2014having the car repossessed, losing his house, sleeping at friends\u2019 homes. And so when he headed to Alabama, it was as a pre-med student.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>At some point, he realized he didn\u2019t want to go to school for the next 10 years, so he switched to business with plans to major in hospital administration, where, as he put it, \u201cthe doctors would work for me.\u201d He was feeling the need to get to work, make some money and move on. In the meantime, Alabama won the national championship his senior year, a great capstone to his college career on the field.<br \/>\nSpring semester, an internship with a local hospital and job hunting resulted in a job offer in Birmingham with a salary of $30-$35,000 and a car to boot, which was more than he could even fathom. But that spring, as he prepared to graduate, he went out to watch practice a few times. \u201cFor the first time in my life, I wasn\u2019t on a team,\u201d he says. \u201cI played three sports since I was three years old. I felt like a man without a country.\u201d<br \/>\nIt was to one of his coaches, Woody McCorvey, that he went for advice. (McCorvey is now on staff at Clemson as associate athletic director for football administration.) A graduate assistant position came open, and head coach Gene Stallings offered him the spot. \u201cI was sick of school,\u201d he says, \u201cbut I couldn\u2019t tell Coach Stallings \u2018no.\u2019 I was scared to death of him. It was easier to call my new employer about my change of direction, that I was going to get my MBA and be better prepared for the workplace.\u201d<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>As soon as he began working as a graduate assistant coach, things became clear to him. \u201cI knew that was what I was called to do,\u201d he says. \u201cCoaching gave me a clarity to my life. God was preparing me for exactly what I\u2019m doing right now. The things I dealt with in my life \u2014 there are a lot of people just like that, and so I was armed with all this credibility and experience that a lot of people didn\u2019t have.\u201d<br \/>\nThose experiences have found their way to the positive side of the balance sheet. \u201cA lot the things I dealt with in my life that were painful at the time, things I saw as liabilities, are now assets to me. They\u2019re some of the greatest assets I have.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-24  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_fullscreen  avia-builder-el-last  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p class=\"p1\"><strong>VIDEO:<\/strong><\/p>\n<span  class=\"av_font_icon avia_animate_when_visible avia-icon-animate  av-icon-style-  av-no-color avia-icon-pos-left \" style=\"\"><a href='http:\/\/www.clemsontigers.com\/mediaPortal\/player.dbml?id=5114212'  target=\"_blank\"   class='av-icon-char' style='font-size:40px;line-height:40px;' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue897' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' ><\/a><\/span>\n<p class=\"p1\"><strong>Dabo Swinney&#8217;s Childhood: Hot Dog Hairdo<\/strong><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.clemsontigers.com\/mediaPortal\/player.dbml?id=5114212\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-15904 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/clemson.world\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/video-300x181.jpg\" alt=\"video\" width=\"300\" height=\"181\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/video-300x181.jpg 300w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/video-705x426.jpg 705w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/video.jpg 720w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><br \/>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='fullscreen_slider_6'  class='avia-fullscreen-slider main_color   avia-builder-el-27  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth   slider-not-first container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><a href='#next-section' title='' class='scroll-down-link ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue877' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/a><div   data-size='extra_large'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids='15736'  data-video_counter='0'  data-autoplay='false'  data-bg_slider='true'  data-slide_height='100'  data-handle='av_fullscreen'  data-interval='5'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id='fullscreen_slider_6'  data-scroll_down='aviaTBscroll_down'  data-control_layout=''  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment=''  data-min_height='0px'  data-stretch=''  data-default-height='100'  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-6 av-slider-scroll-down-active av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-extra_large av_fullscreen   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 66.6666666667%;' ><li style='background-position:top left;' data-img-url='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/08\/DaboSwinney-2-1500x1000.jpg' class=' av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-6' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div id='after_full_slider_6'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-15815'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-28  el_after_av_fullscreen  el_before_av_three_fifth  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_three_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-29  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3>Watching the light come on<\/h3>\n<blockquote>\n<p>Everywhere you look in the WestZone, you see reminders of what Swinney calls the core values of the program. A list of \u201cTeam Commandments\u201d (there are 16) begins with, \u201cGo to class and be engaged,\u201d and ends with, \u201cHave Fun!\u201d And the \u201cBuilding Blocks of Character\u201d may include competitive greatness, passion, discipline and confidence, but it also includes poise, sacrifice, humility, respect, courage and trust.<a href=\"https:\/\/clemson.world\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Team-Commandments-Dabo-Swinney_043.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-15860\" src=\"https:\/\/clemson.world\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Team-Commandments-Dabo-Swinney_043-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"Team Commandments Dabo Swinney_043\" width=\"156\" height=\"226\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Each year at the first meeting of the football team, Swinney takes a football and puts in on the floor. Then he calls one of the guys forward and challenges him to stand on the football. As the player struggles to stay upright, Swinney looks at the assembled players and says, \u201cExactly. If football is your foundation, it\u2019s going to be really rocky; it\u2019s not going to be a very stable situation. It\u2019s important, but let\u2019s keep it in the right place and build our lives on a really good foundation.\u201d<br \/>\nHe challenges them to be diversified. \u201cLet\u2019s not just be defined as Vic Beasley, the guy that sacks the quarterback. Let\u2019s be a great man, a great citizen, a guy who serves the community, a great teammate. Let\u2019s grow in your faith, be a great student. Let\u2019s be a guy who excels.\u201d<br \/>\nHe goes on to suggest that they need to build their own brand, so to speak, by taking advantage of career development opportunities, by building relationships, developing leadership skills \u2014 so that when they leave Clemson, they\u2019re ready for whatever is ahead of them.<a href=\"https:\/\/clemson.world\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Pyramid-Dabo-Swinney_045.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-15859 size-square\" src=\"https:\/\/clemson.world\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Pyramid-Dabo-Swinney_045-180x180.jpg\" alt=\"Pyramid Dabo Swinney_045\" width=\"180\" height=\"180\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/Pyramid-Dabo-Swinney_045-180x180.jpg 180w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/Pyramid-Dabo-Swinney_045-80x80.jpg 80w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/Pyramid-Dabo-Swinney_045-36x36.jpg 36w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 180px) 100vw, 180px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cThat\u2019s the best part of my job,\u201d says Swinney, \u201cseeing these knuckleheads really turn into men. It just never gets old. Just watching the light kind of come on for them.\u201d<br \/>\nYou have to love that kind of comment from a coach whose job this last year had him accepting the ACC and the Orange Bowl trophies and leading a team playing their hearts out in the National Championship, moments most of us think would trump almost anything else.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-31  el_after_av_three_fifth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-32  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_fullscreen  avia-builder-el-last  column-top-margin\" style='border-radius:0px; '><\/div><br \/>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><!-- close content main div --><\/div><\/div><div id='fullscreen_slider_7'  class='avia-fullscreen-slider main_color   avia-builder-el-33  el_after_av_one_fifth  el_before_av_one_fourth   slider-not-first container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><a href='#next-section' title='' class='scroll-down-link ' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue877' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello'><\/a><div   data-size='extra_large'  data-lightbox_size='large'  data-animation='slide'  data-conditional_play=''  data-ids='15739'  data-video_counter='0'  data-autoplay='false'  data-bg_slider='true'  data-slide_height='100'  data-handle='av_fullscreen'  data-interval='5'  data-class=' '  data-el_id=''  data-css_id='fullscreen_slider_7'  data-scroll_down='aviaTBscroll_down'  data-control_layout=''  data-custom_markup=''  data-perma_caption=''  data-autoplay_stopper=''  data-image_attachment=''  data-min_height='0px'  data-stretch=''  data-default-height='100'  class='avia-slideshow avia-slideshow-7 av-slider-scroll-down-active av-default-height-applied avia-slideshow-extra_large av_fullscreen   avia-slide-slider '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><ul class='avia-slideshow-inner ' style='padding-bottom: 60.4%;' ><li style='background-position:top left;' data-img-url='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/08\/DaboSwinney-5-1500x906.jpg' class=' av-single-slide slide-1 ' ><div data-rel='slideshow-7' class='avia-slide-wrap '   ><\/div><\/li><\/ul><\/div><\/div><div id='after_full_slider_7'  class='main_color av_default_container_wrap container_wrap sidebar_right' style=' '  ><div class='container' ><div class='template-page content  av-content-small alpha units'><div class='post-entry post-entry-type-page post-entry-15815'><div class='entry-content-wrapper clearfix'><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fourth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding first  avia-builder-el-34  el_after_av_fullscreen  el_before_av_one_half  avia-builder-el-first  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3><a href=\"https:\/\/clemson.world\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Celebration33.CC.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-15854\" src=\"https:\/\/clemson.world\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/Celebration33.CC-300x289.jpg\" alt=\"Celebration33.CC\" width=\"260\" height=\"237\" \/><\/a>Our Favorite &#8220;Dabo-isms&#8221;<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"text-align: left\">Everybody\u2019s an example to somebody.<\/li>\n<li>At Clemson, it\u2019s til graduation do we part.<\/li>\n<li>If you got hope, that gives you power in the present.<\/li>\n<li>At Clemson\u2019 it\u2019s BYOG: Bring Your Own Guts.<\/li>\n<li>To be an overachiever, you\u2019ve got to be an over believer.<\/li>\n<li>It\u2019s only unthinkable if you don\u2019t think it.<\/li>\n<li>Don\u2019t let anyone walk through your mind with dirty feet.<\/li>\n<li>You\u2019ve got greatness in you but you have to make a decision to be great.<\/li>\n<li>It doesn\u2019t matter if you\u2019re a Division I head football coach or Joe Schmo from Okemo. If you\u2019re not anchored, you\u2019re going to be washed away.<\/li>\n<li>Until we win a couple of national championships, we will always be little old Clemson. We need to stick a flag in that mountain.<\/li>\n<li>We\u2019re the rednecks who moved into the nice neighborhood, but we belong.\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><em>\u00a0Add your\u00a0favorite one\u00a0below in the comments section.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_half  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-36  el_after_av_one_fourth  el_before_av_one_fifth  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><h3>Winning Off the Field<\/h3>\n<blockquote>\n<p>After eight years of emphasizing the same set of values, telling the same stories, repeating the same \u201cDabo-isms,\u201d the culture that Swinney brought to Clemson is accepted and celebrated. There\u2019s no handwringing about how Clemson needs to copy Alabama or any other college program. Instead, coaches from around the country are coming to campus, eager to find out what Dabo Swinney\u2019s \u201csecret sauce\u201d really is.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>One thing they won\u2019t find is the corporate approach to college sports that you find in many larger programs across the county, where decisions to retain a player or cut him loose often seem to be made with the bottom line in mind. How much is this going to cost us in wins? In revenue?<br \/>\nOne thing they\u2019ll find out is that Swinney is committed to consistency and repetition and doing even the little things in a very great way. With a new class of young men coming in every year, there\u2019s a need to make sure that every player understands the culture and the expectations and the Clemson family way. And so he starts over again every year with the same stories, the same lessons in life.<br \/>\nThey\u2019ll find one of the most successful coaches in the country who still takes time to coach his youngest son\u2019s baseball team, and encourages the other coaches to do likewise. One who realizes that despite the fact that it pays his salary, football is just a game. And that winning is important, but not nearly as important as impacting the lives of the young men in his program.<\/p>\n<blockquote>\n<p>\u201cSometimes Clemson people get mad at me,\u201d he says. \u201cI get emails and letters \u2014 they get mad at me because I don\u2019t really care about the scoreboard. I care more about how we do it. How we play. How we win. At the end of the day, you can win, win, win, win, win on the field, but if you\u2019re not impacting your players\u2019 lives in an incredibly positive way by how you win, you lose. That\u2019s just a core value we have in place here.\u201d<br \/>\nIn Dabo Swinney\u2019s world, that\u2019s the Clemson way.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><em>Photography credits: Ashley Jones, Mark Crammer, Mark McInnis, Bradley Moore, Dawson Powers, Carl Ackerman.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div><br \/>\n<div class=\"flex_column av_one_fifth  flex_column_div av-zero-column-padding   avia-builder-el-38  el_after_av_one_half  el_before_av_gallery  \" style='border-radius:0px; '><section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p class=\"p1\"><strong>VIDEO:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span  class=\"av_font_icon avia_animate_when_visible avia-icon-animate  av-icon-style-  av-no-color avia-icon-pos-left \" style=\"\"><a href='http:\/\/www.clemsontigers.com\/mediaPortal\/player.dbml?id=4889799'  target=\"_blank\"   class='av-icon-char' style='font-size:40px;line-height:40px;' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue897' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' ><\/a><\/span><br \/>\n14 Ways to Win<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.clemsontigers.com\/mediaPortal\/player.dbml?id=4889799\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-15908 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/clemson.world\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/14WaysToWin-1-80x80.jpg\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/14WaysToWin-1-80x80.jpg 80w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/14WaysToWin-1-36x36.jpg 36w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/14WaysToWin-1-180x180.jpg 180w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 80px) 100vw, 80px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p class=\"p1\"><strong>VIDEO:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span  class=\"av_font_icon avia_animate_when_visible avia-icon-animate  av-icon-style-  av-no-color avia-icon-pos-left \" style=\"\"><a href='http:\/\/www.clemsontigers.com\/mediaPortal\/player.dbml?id=4889904'  target=\"_blank\"   class='av-icon-char' style='font-size:40px;line-height:40px;' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue897' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' ><\/a><\/span><br \/>\nWhy We Work: Championships<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.clemsontigers.com\/mediaPortal\/player.dbml?id=4889904\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-15909 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/clemson.world\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/WhyWeWorkChampionship-80x80.jpg\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/WhyWeWorkChampionship-80x80.jpg 80w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/WhyWeWorkChampionship-36x36.jpg 36w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/WhyWeWorkChampionship-180x180.jpg 180w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 80px) 100vw, 80px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p class=\"p1\"><strong>VIDEO:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span  class=\"av_font_icon avia_animate_when_visible avia-icon-animate  av-icon-style-  av-no-color avia-icon-pos-left \" style=\"\"><a href='http:\/\/www.clemsontigers.com\/mediaPortal\/player.dbml?id=3665596'  target=\"_blank\"   class='av-icon-char' style='font-size:40px;line-height:40px;' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue897' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' ><\/a><\/span><br \/>\nA Year of Gear<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.clemsontigers.com\/mediaPortal\/player.dbml?id=3665596\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-15910 size-thumbnail\" src=\"https:\/\/clemson.world\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/YearofGear-80x80.jpg\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/YearofGear-80x80.jpg 80w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/YearofGear-36x36.jpg 36w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/YearofGear-180x180.jpg 180w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 80px) 100vw, 80px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><br \/>\n<section class=\"av_textblock_section \"  itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/BlogPosting\" itemprop=\"blogPost\" ><div class='avia_textblock  '   itemprop=\"text\" ><p class=\"p1\"><strong>VIDEO:\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><span  class=\"av_font_icon avia_animate_when_visible avia-icon-animate  av-icon-style-  av-no-color avia-icon-pos-left \" style=\"\"><span class='av-icon-char' style='font-size:40px;line-height:40px;' aria-hidden='true' data-av_icon='\ue897' data-av_iconfont='entypo-fontello' ><\/span><\/span><br \/>\nWhy We Work<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-15911 size-thumbnail aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/clemson.world\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/WhyWeWork-80x80.jpg\" width=\"80\" height=\"80\" srcset=\"https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/WhyWeWork-80x80.jpg 80w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/WhyWeWork-36x36.jpg 36w, https:\/\/clemsonworld.wpenginepowered.com\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/WhyWeWork-180x180.jpg 180w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 80px) 100vw, 80px\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/p><\/div><br \/>\n<div  class='avia-gallery  avia-gallery-1 deactivate_avia_lazyload avia-gallery-animate avia_animate_when_visible  avia-builder-el-47  el_after_av_one_fifth  avia-builder-el-last '  itemprop=\"image\" itemscope=\"itemscope\" itemtype=\"https:\/\/schema.org\/ImageObject\" ><div class='avia-gallery-thumb'> <a href='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/Dabo1-1030x686.jpg' data-rel='gallery-1' data-prev-img='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/Dabo1-495x400.jpg' class='first_thumb lightbox ' data-onclick='1' title=''  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" ><img  src='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/Dabo1-1030x686.jpg' width='1030' height='686'  title='Dabo1' alt='' \/><\/a> <a href='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/DaboSwinneyPregameWalk4.DP_-1030x687.jpg' data-rel='gallery-1' data-prev-img='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/DaboSwinneyPregameWalk4.DP_-495x400.jpg' class='lightbox ' data-onclick='2' title=''  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" ><img  src='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/DaboSwinneyPregameWalk4.DP_-1030x687.jpg' width='1030' height='687'  title='DaboSwinneyPregameWalk4.DP' alt='' \/><\/a> <a href='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/Clemson-1249-1030x622.jpg' data-rel='gallery-1' data-prev-img='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/Clemson-1249-495x400.jpg' class='lightbox ' data-onclick='3' title=''  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" ><img  src='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/Clemson-1249-1030x622.jpg' width='1030' height='622'  title='CU\/UGA football game' alt='' \/><\/a> <a href='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/08\/DaboSwinney-Zac-Roderic-BJ-Graduation-Dec-2015-1030x751.jpg' data-rel='gallery-1' data-prev-img='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/08\/DaboSwinney-Zac-Roderic-BJ-Graduation-Dec-2015-495x400.jpg' class='lightbox ' data-onclick='4' title='Zac Brooks, Roderic Byers and B.J. Goodson at the Dec. 2015 graduation.'  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" ><img data-avia-tooltip='Zac Brooks, Roderic Byers and B.J. Goodson at the Dec. 2015 graduation.' src='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/08\/DaboSwinney-Zac-Roderic-BJ-Graduation-Dec-2015-1030x751.jpg' width='1030' height='751'  title='DaboSwinney Zac Roderic BJ Graduation Dec 2015' alt='' \/><\/a> <a href='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/3-Dabo-Swinney_011-1030x895.jpg' data-rel='gallery-1' data-prev-img='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/3-Dabo-Swinney_011-495x400.jpg' class='lightbox ' data-onclick='5' title=''  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" ><img  src='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/3-Dabo-Swinney_011-1030x895.jpg' width='1030' height='895'  title='3 Dabo Swinney_011' alt='' \/><\/a> <a href='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/1-DaboSwinney14.CC_-1030x685.jpg' data-rel='gallery-1' data-prev-img='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/1-DaboSwinney14.CC_-495x400.jpg' class='lightbox ' data-onclick='6' title=''  itemprop=\"thumbnailUrl\" ><img  src='https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/09\/1-DaboSwinney14.CC_-1030x685.jpg' width='1030' height='685'  title='1 DaboSwinney14.CC' alt='' \/><\/a><\/div><\/div><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney, if you don&#8217;t win the right way, you lose.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":15735,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[4],"tags":[100,197,751,905,1118,1362,1649,2154,2768,2851,2853,3149],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-15815","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-features","tag-acc","tag-andy-teasdall","tag-coaching","tag-dabo-swinney","tag-eric-mac-lain","tag-gene-stallings","tag-jeff-scott","tag-orange-bowl","tag-summer","tag-summer-fall-2016","tag-summer-fall-2016-features","tag-university-of-alabama"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/3\/2016\/08\/DaboSwinney-1.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15815","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=15815"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15815\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15735"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=15815"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=15815"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=15815"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/clemson.world\/archive\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=15815"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}