Serious question here? How did you feel when Dabo was named interim. Were you hoping he would win some games and get the job or were you hoping to get someone else?
The more I hear Sean Elliott talk the more I like the guy. He is working hard already trying to build relations with the in state high schools and is making himself visible in many different venues. He is a Carlona guy through and through and sees the job as his destination. I feel that some of the other hot names out there will be gone when the next big school comes offering. If he does not get it I would like to see him stay for when/if this happens. I am not saying he is the guy, but part of me kind of wants to see him do well and possibly get a shot.
I thought it would be interesting to hear your perspective without all of the bashing that normally accompanies these threads .
I said in the thread I started that I hope he’s given a chance. I hope he wins out in the conference. The situation is slightly different, as Bowden hadnt done anything spectacular. Spurrier won eleven games three in a row. The fans want that. As for Dabo, full support from day one from me.
I didn’t know that much about him, so I really didn’t have an opinion. But after I saw how loyal the players were to him (CJ Spiller said on camera that if Swinney was hired he would return for his senior year), and the enthusiasm and passion he coached with, I was behind him 100%. I believe he’s in rare air with his passion, how much he cares for his players, and how much he believes in Clemson. I’ve said many times after seeing his post field on game interviews, How could a parent not want and trust him to have their kid for their college years. I think he’s a special one. I also think he and CU are a perfect fit. He wasn’t just a hire, and CU isn’t just a school.
I didn’t know that much about him, so I really didn’t have an opinion. But after I saw how loyal the players were to him (CJ Spiller said on camera that if Swinney was hired he would return for his senior year), and the enthusiasm and passion he coached with, I was behind him 100%. I believe he’s in rare air with his passion, how much he cares for his players, and how much he believes in Clemson. I’ve said many times after seeing his post field on game interviews, How could a parent not want and trust him to have their kid for their college years. I think he’s a special one. I also think he and CU are a perfect fit. He wasn’t just a hire, and CU isn’t just a school.
This^
Once I understood the player support and saw effort with recruiting...I bought in.
Bowden never “fit” with Clemson’s family. He won but something was never there. Alums and players know what I’m talking about. Pundits have not a clue.
“I may be going to hell in a bucket. But at least I’m enjoying the ride”
I didn’t know that much about him, so I really didn’t have an opinion. But after I saw how loyal the players were to him (CJ Spiller said on camera that if Swinney was hired he would return for his senior year), and the enthusiasm and passion he coached with, I was behind him 100%. I believe he’s in rare air with his passion, how much he cares for his players, and how much he believes in Clemson. I’ve said many times after seeing his post field on game interviews, How could a parent not want and trust him to have their kid for their college years. I think he’s a special one. I also think he and CU are a perfect fit. He wasn’t just a hire, and CU isn’t just a school.
Saw, understood and wanted to believe all of this but I was skeptical for a while. I wanted to see him bring back the hard nosed toughness Clemson always played with during the Ford era. It took a while in recruiting and coaching hires but they’ve gotten there the last few years. Totally support Dabo now. I became a firm believer after the LSU bowl win. The 5 to Sakkerliner were hard to stomach but I believe that page has been turned for the foreseeable future.
Maybe Elliott can get it done, time will tell.
Mark
Pioneer 222 Sportfish Yamaha F300
Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal? I wouldn’t go so far as to call a dog filthy but they’re definitely dirty. But, a dog’s got personality. Personality goes a long way.
“Life’s tough…It’s even tougher if you’re stupid” John Wayne
SC football eats coordinators turned head coach and small college head coaches for lunch. If you look at Brad Scott and Coach Spanky, they have a combined winning percentage of .451
Lou Holtz and the HBC have a combined winning percentage of .554
Keep in mind the over .500 mark is very very rare at SC and was only accomplished bc the HBC was able to bring SC’s football renaissance for 3 years (.637), then that (**()ed chicken curse came strutting back into Billy B.
So my point is, SC is a tough tough place to coach. It has a history of eating first time coaches and beating around Hall of Fame coaches then sending them running with their tails between their legs. That’s why it’s my thought that SC should hire a younger HBC with a track record of fixing a broken program. He needs a tremendous amount of energy, drive, and organization, and skin as tough as a rhino.
I was on board all the way with Dabo from his very first game as interim coach when he made the punter run back on to the field and then hustle back off after he just walked off the field the first time around. There had been a fire in the teams eye that had been missing under Bowden that you could clearly see was in Dabo’s eye. There was always that gut feeling that he could get it done. It was then justified a few times when he turned down more money in order to be able to pay good coordinators and other assistants to either come in or stay on staff. His hire was a big gamble, but it was one that paid off big time thus far.
I agree 100%. With Bowden it was like “just get the job done, get the game over with and move on”. Plus, there was always that lingering feeling that we wasn’t going to be there much longer, so it was hard to get 100% on board with him.
I am pretty sure I was happy with Dabo getting the job because of the enthusiasm for the game and our school that he exhibited, and I felt he could be as good as Bowden with the possibility of being better due to his successful recruiting and fundraising capability.
There were times when I wondered if he could get to the next level when there were issues with coordinators and that blow out loss in the bowl game, etc., but the man has always shown an aptitude for learning from everyone he can and trying to break new ground.
It got old losing to Carolina so many times in a row, but I felt like the program was on the way up at the end of each of those seasons and that Carolina just had the better team for most of those years. Remember the bowl wins he’s brought the program, including the BCS $$$ during this same time period, so I think that’s a lot of why there wasn’t so much rumbling among boosters about him losing to Carolina. Of course some care about that the most, but they are by far the minority.
What I like most is what I always have, and that’s his enthusiasm and loyalty to Clemson and what Clemson is. If you have a guy who can win and has that love for the school, then he’s going to end up with the kind of staff that shares that if the administration trusts him, and he’ll have the players you’ll be proud of as well eventually. When they give maximum effort day in and day out and do their jobs, the wins will come even if the talent isn’t necessarily top 5 recruiting classes each year.
I don’t know anything at all about your interim. I wouldn’t know him if I passed him on the street. Just have not been following or anything, so I don’t have anything to offer as far as what I think about him personally. Having everyone buy in and believe in him is huge though. If he gets that during his interim, then Ray should really think hard about keeping him.
SC football eats coordinators turned head coach and small college head coaches for lunch. If you look at Brad Scott and Coach Spanky, they have a combined winning percentage of .451
Lou Holtz and the HBC have a combined winning percentage of .554
Keep in mind the over .500 mark is very very rare at SC and was only accomplished bc the HBC was able to bring SC’s football renaissance for 3 years (.637), then that (**()ed chicken curse came strutting back into Billy B.
So my point is, SC is a tough tough place to coach. It has a history of eating first time coaches and beating around Hall of Fame coaches then sending them running with their tails between their legs. That’s why it’s my thought that SC should hire a younger HBC with a track record of fixing a broken program. He needs a tremendous amount of energy, drive, and organization, and skin as tough as a rhino.
Yeah, I realize all that. You have to give them some hope and encouragement to make that hire. By the time they realize the mistake it’ll be 10 in a row.
Encourage them to make a bad hire.
Mark
Pioneer 222 Sportfish Yamaha F300
Yeah, but do you consider a dog to be a filthy animal? I wouldn’t go so far as to call a dog filthy but they’re definitely dirty. But, a dog’s got personality. Personality goes a long way.
“Life’s tough…It’s even tougher if you’re stupid” John Wayne
Bowden never “fit” with Clemson’s family. He won but something was never there. Alums and players know what I’m talking about. Pundits have not a clue.
100% true statement
Bowden didn’t care on the kind of level Dabo does. A lot of people think it’s show, but he is intensely interested in individuals working for him and how to make them better. Bowden would not know someone’s name who’d been stuck on scout team for 5 years but critical in preparing starters every week. Bowden would tell a walk-on scout teamer, “Hey you… tone it down,” if a starter was getting beat and not doing his job. Dabo… will replace a 4-5 star recruit with a walk-on in a heartbeat and tell everyone in a meeting what the guy’s name is and why he’d earned the right to practice with 1st team. Same thing held true for us ordinary people out and about who support the program. Dabo understands what’s important and is humble and hungry. Bowden was neither.
I wasnt raised in a fooball house so i never watched until i got there. Dabo took over my sophomore or junior year and I was mostly excited Bowden was gone because it was obvious he was a bad coach but just had better players than the teams he played. I didn’t know nearly as much about football when he was fired as I know now. He would give up at the first sign that the other team might win. I swear Bowden would look like he was about to cry on the sidelines if we were down 7-0 in the first to Maryland.
If I remember correctly Dabo looked a little shellshocked his first year or so. Like somebody that is wondering if he can do anything to keep his job. He was green and had a lot to Learn and change about the program. He had a far bigger job and did far more than was apparent in his early years. Luckily he was a great recruiter already which may have been why he was given the time to show his stuff. It didn’t take long to realize he was a good fit.
We dodged a bullet too. The name I remember most was Bo Pelini as a possible candidate which would have cost us more and given is less. I think their was chatter about Tubbberville from Auburn if he got fired or something, which would have likely been another Bowden… we got the right guys no doubt. We gave him enough time to test our staff then find the right replacements. He did this flawlessly.
In all honesty I doubt there was a better hire available. Dabo has changed Clemson and could change the sport by the time he hangs it up.
I was on board after reading an great article about how he had always found a way to succeed in life even when facing some tough odds. Had a gut feeling he would do good things at Clemson.