If Walter Riggs was the father of Clemson football, would Alabama be Mama?
Any discussion of Dabo Swinney’s Alabama roots wouldn’t be complete without an understanding of his place in the line of succession at Clemson and the influences of Sweet Home Alabama.
Most of those who preceded him as head coach were nurtured in the state of Alabama, and more than half of Clemson’s football history has been influenced by men with ties to the University of Alabama.
Riggs, an engineering professor, brought football from the Agricultural and Mechanical College of Alabama (Auburn) in the final years of the 19th century.