CLEMSON, S.C. -- Dabo Swinney was wiped. Four days as Clemson's interim coach had drained the guy whose tank is always full.
But when the board of trustees invites you to their breakfast, and you're a 38-year-old with no head-coaching experience who's presented the chance to lead a major program, you go. So Swinney arrived for the 7 a.m. breakfast on Oct. 17, 2008.
He smiled as board members he didn't know pledged their support. One tried to dispel a perception that the board only valued academics and said that Clemson could also excel athletically. Then, the trustee listed several schools that seemingly had achieved that balance.