This has been a frustrating season for legendary Clemson Tigers head coach Dabo Swinney, and he hit a boiling point on Monday after an unhappy fan questioned him about being one of the highest-paid coaches in the sport during a mediocre season.
In the 121-year history of Clemson football, few coaches can hold a candle to the success of Dabo Swinney. After taking over for Tommy Bowden in 2009, the program has had just one losing season, played in four national championship games, and ended two seasons as the top school in the nation.
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However, maintaining that level of excellence is difficult, and at some point, every elite program eventually has some offseasons where players do not live up to expectations or the coaching staff was unable to bolster the roster with talented recruits during the previous summers.
That is the situation for the Clemson Tigers in 2023. Following 12 straight seasons with double-digit wins, the team is 4-4 as they head into a Week 10 clash against Notre Dame on Saturday afternoon. Due to Swinney’s success over the last 16 years, the standard for the team has been elevated to an elite level, and it seems that spoiled fans are having a hard time dealing with Clemson’s performance this season.
Dabo Swinney defends Clemson resume during tirade on radio show
Swinney has been dealing with growing unrest in the Tigers fanbase in recent weeks and things seemingly all came to a head during a Monday edition of his weekly radio show. A caller who identified himself as “Tyler in Spartanburg” called in to question the head coach about his performance this season while being paid just under $11 million by the university this season.
Well, that set the coach off as he went on a tirade and claimed fans like “Tyler” are the biggest problem with the Clemson fanbase these days.
“You’re part of the problem,” Swinney said. “The expectation is greater than the appreciation. That’s the problem. We’ve won 12 10-plus-win seasons in a row. That’s happened three times in 150 years. Clemson ain’t sniff a national championship for 35 years; we’ve won two in seven years. And there are only two other teams that can say that: Georgia and Alabama.
“Is this a bad year? Yeah, and it’s my responsibility,” he continued. “[I] take 100 percent responsibility for it. But all this bull crap you’re thinking, all these narratives you read — listen, man, you can have your opinion all you want, and you can apply for the job. And good luck to you.”
Dabo Swinney has a 165-43 record during his tenure at Clemson. He has won an Associated Press Coach of the Year Award and earned ACC Coach of the Year honors on two other occasions.
