GREENVILLE, S.C. — Ever since he has been the head coach at Clemson, Dabo Swinney has had to defend the university he works for.
Though in the past Swinney has fought for his program with the media and has defended it to the fans, his main fight has always come from the Ol’ Ball Coach 130 miles down the road in Columbia, South Carolina. For years, former South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier took potshots at the Clemson program, and for years Swinney always fired back in defense.
“I never really enjoyed all of that,” Swinney said prior to Tuesday’s night South Carolina Coaches for Character event at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Greenville, South Carolina. “That was kind of Coach Spurrier. You go back 25 years ago and Coach Spurrier … that was just the way he was.”
When he started off his college coaching career at Duke back in 1987, Spurrier was known for taking a couple of shots at North Carolina every now-and-again. When he got to Florida, he reveled in the misery of Georgia, Tennessee and Florida State. And of course when he got to South Carolina, he turned his attention to Clemson.
Swinney said he did not have anything personally against Spurrier. In fact, he says the two are friends and he has a great deal of respect for him. Spurrier even invited Swinney, and his wife Kathleen, to his 50th Anniversary dinner. However, Swinney admitted his relationship with new South Carolina head coach Will Muschamp is totally different.
“My focus at Clemson is to try and make us a better program, and Will is trying to do everything he can to make South Carolina a great program,” Swinney said. “Both of us have a good healthy respect for each other and I don’t ever see that changing.”
Tuesday’s night’s function was actually the first time Swinney and Muschamp participated in an event in the state of South Carolina.
“I was telling somebody earlier; it is kind of crazy to be honest with you. I used to see Coach Spurrier a lot and we spent a lot of time together, but we have been incredibly busy this entire spring,” Swinney said. “I did have the opportunity to have dinner with (Muschamp) one night at a different event, but he is hitting the ground running and is trying to get the foundation in place at South Carolina, and of course I have been busy as well.”
Muschamp and Swinney joined Wofford’s Mike Ayers, Furman’s Bruce Fowler, S.C. State’s Buddy Pough and The Citadel’s Brent Thompson at the South Carolina Coaches for Charity fundraiser which was presented by the Fisher DeBerry Foundation. The event was expected to raise more than $100,000 which goes towards the support and education of single parents and their children, as well as other charitable causes.
Tuesday night was the first time the event was held in the Upstate. The South Carolina Coaches for Charity was held in Columbia the previous six years.
“I have been enjoying this event for seven years now. It is good to have it up here and change it up a little bit,” Swinney said. “It is a great turnout and we are thankful for the coaches we have here in this state. Their willingness to get behind this event for Fisher DeBerry and this foundation and what all it does.
“Again, we look forward to being a part of it every year and I hope we can raise some good money tonight for a good cause,” Swinney said.
It was also good to see Clemson’s and South Carolina’s head coaches getting along for at least one night.
“Will and I are a little different (than with Coach Spurrier). We have a different background,” Swinney said.
“Of course, I have known Will a long time and we go way back,” Swinney continued. “I have always had great respect for him.”
—Photo Credit: Hale McGranahan, SEC Country.com