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from His Grace Magazine
by His Grace
Coach Dabo Swinney
Clemson Coach Dabo Swinney quotes the Bible after a loss to Notre Dame
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Clemson Tigers football Head Coach, Dabo Swinney, quoted the Bible from the New Testament while at a weekly press conference after his team's loss to Notre Dame 35-14.
After the loss, the Tigers dropped in the rankings #4 to #12 in the AP's weekly Top 25 College Football Rankings. Coach Dabo said, "We missed an opportunity, but we have another opportunity this week. And that's the good news for us. Also, we're a better team certainly than what we played the other night. We're 8 and 1, not 5 and 3. And every goal we have is intact."
Coach Dabo, who is 52 years old, has been the head coach for the Clemson Tigers since 2009. His team has won the College Football Playoff in 2016 and in 2018. This loss to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish is the team's worst loss since Coach Dabo came to coach the Clemson Tigers. Coach Dabo said, "I don't grow weary, you know, I grow stronger. The Bible says that; Galatians 6:9 says, 'Do not grow weary from doing what is right and good, for at the appropriate time, you will reap a harvest of blessing if you don't give up.'" Coach Dabo also said, "That's the big thing. I've lived that my whole life, I don't grow weary, I grow stronger. I'm excited about having a good Tuesday practice today and ain't nothing gonna steal my joy." He continued to say, "And I'm going to do everything I can to not let the joy be taken out of it for this football team. And if people can't get on board with that, then they're missing a lot of opportunity. If you're only going to be happy if we win the national championship, then you're gonna spend a lot of years down in the dumps in the gutter. They went 35 years without winning one here. You're missing out on a lot of fun, that's all I can tell you."
Coach Dabo indicated it shows how good teams answer after a lose and that is what is important. He talked of several examples of teams who had learned from their losses. Coach Dabo said, "You have to have the right perspective as you go back to work. Because if you don't, then those bad moments define you. You can't let it do that. You've got to let it develop into what you're capable of being as a team and as an individual player. That's what good teams do."
Coach Dabo said, "It's all about the right viewpoint, especially since these kids today, the world can get in them and paralyze them because there's so much negativity and criticism and things like that. So you've got to help them have the right perspective as they get back to work."
Coach Dabo said, "And have some fun doing it. You can't let things steal your joy. You just can't. I think there's just too many people in this profession, coaches, and players, that allow that. You know their joy is defined by what happens on a scoreboard. And I think that's just not a good thing. That's not healthy for anyone." He also said, "My joy's not defined by that. I love what I do. I love these guys. I love this team. You know my joy is just in doing what I do."
