Kathleen Swinney pecked her husband on the cheek well after midnight early Tuesday morning and wished him a happy anniversary. Dabo Swinney’s mind went blank for a second – their wedding anniversary is in the summer – and then she reminded him. It’s been 12 years since he was named as the interim head coach of the Tigers.
It’s been a fantastic 12 years. Clemson entered the third decade of the 21st century after Swinney helped author one of the most prolific 10-year periods in the history of the sport. Clemson posted a 117-23 record under Swinney’s leadership in the 2010s, and the program’s 117 wins trailed only Penn (124 in the 1890s) and Alabama (124 in the 2010s) to tie for the third most in a decade in major college football since 1890.