CLEMSON, S.C. — Dabo Swinney called his mother from Tuscaloosa, Ala., in August 1989 and delivered the bad news. He owed his landlord, Mr. Cotton, $400 in back rent for Unit 81 at the Fontainebleau apartment complex. He owed the University of Alabama about $550 for half of his tuition for the fall semester, and if he didn't pay it by the next day, his enrollment in classes would be canceled.
Swinney, who was trying to become the first in his family to graduate from college, had hit a wall. His Pell Grant and financial aid money hadn't yet arrived.