Dabo Swinney

William Christopher "Dabo" Swinney (/ˈdæboʊ ˈswiːniː/; born November 20, 1969) is an American college football coach, currently serving as the head football coach at Clemson University. Swinney took over as head coach of the Clemson Tigers seven games into the 2008 season, following the resignation of Tommy Bowden. Swinney's team won national championships in 2016 and 2018. His 2018 Clemson Tigers have often been considered one of the greatest college football teams of all time. He is the winningest head coach in Clemson football history and Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) football history.

Swinney's parents, Carol McIntosh and Ervil Swinney, married shortly after Carol's high school graduation. The couple had three boys: Tracy, Tripp, and William (Dabo).

Although born in Birmingham, Swinney was raised in Pelham. He attended Pelham High School, where he played a number of sports, including baseball and football.

Facing financial troubles after his parents divorced, Swinney and his mother were temporarily homeless and lived with various friends for a period of time. Nevertheless, Swinney was an honor student and continued to excel in football.

His high school coach encouraged Swinney to pursue basketball at a number of colleges; however, Swinney insisted on the University of Alabama—his father's favorite football team—once he learned that he was admissible. Swinney once revealed, "I didn't know what a Pell Grant was, and I didn't know how to do student loans. I had no clue. I had no collegiate background in my family of how to do that type of stuff."

While in college, his mother stayed with him and a classmate in an off-campus apartment for three years until she could afford her own home. Swinney worked a number of low wage jobs during the summer of his sophomore year in order to pay for tuition, rent, and other expenses. That fall, he received a notice that he owed the university $550 that was due the next day or his classes would be dropped and he would be disqualified from the football team. That same day he opened a credit line with Discover credit card, which allowed him to pay the outstanding balance along with his rent.

Swinney was involved in Greek Life during college, and was initiated as a brother of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. He received his bachelor's degree in commerce & business administration in 1993 and two years later, he earned a master's degree in Business Administration from the same university. At one point, his career goals included being a doctor and running a hospital.

Swinney joined the Alabama Crimson Tide as a walk-on wide receiver in 1989. He earned a scholarship and lettered on three teams (1990–1992), including the Crimson Tide's 1992 National Championship team. During his time as an undergraduate at Alabama, Swinney was twice named an Academic All-SEC and SEC Scholar Athlete Honor Roll member. In three seasons at Alabama, he caught seven passes for 81 yards.