After walking on at Alabama in 1988, Dabo Swinney worked his way up the ladder to earn playing time. By the end of the 1989 season, his position coach at the time, a guy by the name of Tommy Bowden, had already told Swinney he was going to play the following season in some capacity.
It was a glorious moment for the 20-year old, who had proven a lot of the naysayers wrong by not just making the football team at Alabama, but earning playing time as well. However, on the way to prosperity, Swinney’s journey took a step back when then head coach Bill Curry left Alabama for the Kentucky job in 1990.