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YOUR BALANCE
Regarding Tommy Bowden...
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Regarding Tommy Bowden...


Jun 21, 2019, 9:37 AM

What do you think went through his mind when he watched one of his assistants systematically turn Clemson into not only a winner, but the greatest program in college football...knowing that he himself couldn’t even win so much as a division title?

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Likely Pride...


Jun 21, 2019, 9:47 AM

for the man he knew, the man he hired, the man he named his Asst. Head Coach and then recommended for the job of Interim.


“If I’m the reason we’re not having success, I need to remove myself now,” Bowden remembers telling Phillips. Then the two men began discussing who would shepherd the Tigers for the remaining seven weeks of the season. “I said, ‘I myself would recommend Dabo.’ When I said that, he just kind of sat back in his chair and got quiet,” Bowden says. “I could tell I kind of threw him for a loop a little bit.”

The Tigers had two former head coaches on staff. Offensive line coach Brad Scott had run South Carolina’s program from 1994 to ’98. Defensive coordinator Vic Koenning had been Wyoming’s head coach from 2000 to ’02. Bowden had just recommended Dabo Swinney, the 38-year-old receivers coach who had joined Clemson’s staff in 2003 after two years selling commercial real estate. Swinney, a former Alabama walk-on receiver who had gone into coaching only to be fired from his alma mater with the rest of Mike DuBose’s staff in late 2000, hadn’t been a head coach anywhere. He hadn’t even been a coordinator. But Phillips had been watching Swinney the previous five years, too. The notion wasn’t as shocking to him as Bowden had assumed.


https://www.si.com/college-football/2018/10/10/dabo-swinney-tommy-bowden-interim-2008-clemson

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Re: Likely Pride...


Jun 21, 2019, 10:13 AM

A tremendous story!

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He is a good Christian man***


Jun 21, 2019, 9:51 AM



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"IDIOT POSTER OF THE MONTH SO FAR...GWP-- You have won IPM Award for your failure to completely comprehend a clear post & then choose to attack someone who points out your ignorance. While you are not yet in the same No Class Catagory as deRoberts, ClemTiger117 & Tigerdug23, you are getting closer to the Sewer Dwellers." - coachmac


Tommy did a pretty dang good job with what he had.


Jun 21, 2019, 9:53 AM

He laid the foundation for a once in a generation coach. I'm proud of both of them and I'm certainly glad it worked out as it did. Not going to hate on the guy who got us in striking distance. He's no Dabo, But who is? Glad TB played a part in elevating Clemson.

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Mississippi Tiger --------- Clemson University - 8 Time National Football Champions - 1900, 1906, 1948, 1950, 1981, 1983, 2016, 2018


He takes credit for Dabo being at Clemson***


Jun 21, 2019, 9:53 AM



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Sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together.


As well he should.***


Jun 21, 2019, 10:02 AM



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He thought ... "Clemson doesn't have the horses to compete


Jun 21, 2019, 10:29 AM

with the likes of FSU" ...

then he went jet skiing.

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Re: Regarding Tommy Bowden...


Jun 21, 2019, 11:01 AM

You need to listen to Larry Williams recent podcast with Tommy Bowden. It is a very good interview. He is a very humble man and happy for Dabo and all he's achieved.

Tommy did not have the support from the administration that Dabo has had. He had to fight for every dollar for the football program. Tommy was never allow to pay his assists what Dabo has been allowed to.

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Re: Regarding Tommy Bowden...


Jun 21, 2019, 12:29 PM

Tommy Bowden was content with 8 wins/yr & didn’t sell a plan like Dabo has because he didn’t have anywhere near the ambition. Honestly, Tommy didn’t even have a plan for the schematic identity of his team, much less a plan for the trajectory of the program. It’s a HC’s responsibility to work with the AD & BOT to get support, but support is also earned through actions. Tommy relied way too much on players’ ability alone & his staffs didn’t develop players for crap. Rich Rod got Tommy in the spotlight at Tulane & Tommy was able to parlay that interview several HC offers in 1999 & happened to land at Clemson. He did play a part in the WEZ project & hires Dabo, but that’s about where it ends

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Re: Regarding Tommy Bowden...


Jun 21, 2019, 12:34 PM [ in reply to Re: Regarding Tommy Bowden... ]

Just as you said Tommy never did have the support from the administration that Dabo has, or the facilities, etc...

The BOT had an entirely different make-up back then and not everybody was on-board or "all-in" with financially supporting the Athletic Department/Football Program with what was necessary to win championships.

Dabo was instrumental in turning that around. Tommy, for whatever reason, was never able to sell his vision (or lack thereof) to the University as effectively as Dabo. Since then, the BOT's makeup has changed drastically and everybody now supports the athletic department.

When Jim Clements took over as President being "all-in" for the football program excellerated exponentially. He literally said to Dabo upon arriving in Clemson "what do you need" to win Championships? He's since delivered on his promise to support Dabo in the form of private jets for recruiting, facilities upgrades, big-time salaries to attract and retain the best coaches, etc.

We have great people leading our University and it's a great time to be a Tiger.

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Re: Regarding Tommy Bowden...


Jun 21, 2019, 12:45 PM [ in reply to Re: Regarding Tommy Bowden... ]

PawsFan said:

You need to listen to Larry Williams recent podcast with Tommy Bowden. It is a very good interview. He is a very humble man and happy for Dabo and all he's achieved.

Tommy did not have the support from the administration that Dabo has had. He had to fight for every dollar for the football program. Tommy was never allow to pay his assists what Dabo has been allowed to.



I listen to the interview but Tommy must still be using an original Motorola flip phone. His whining voice over written by static made it difficult to understand most of what he was saying. Coach Swinney work his butt off to build this program no matter what obstacles were thrown at him. Silver spoon people are always finding excuses.


Message was edited by: reynolds®


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“But can Dabo co-host the 12:00 pre-game show before the...


Jun 21, 2019, 12:41 PM

ACC 12:30 Raycom Game of the Week: Virginia @ Duke? I DON’T THINK SO!!! You still got it, TB.”

~JKB

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Curious how the TB supporters would feel about


Jun 21, 2019, 12:46 PM

Brad if our next basketball coach led us to the greatest era of Clemson basketball (something along the lines of winning the conference once or twice, ending CH streak and maybe making a couple FFs)?

Would Brad get credit for some of that?

Objectively, hes been more successful than Bowden.

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Well, we know CTB was loyal...


Jun 21, 2019, 1:15 PM

...to the point of making bad decisions for most of the rest of those he impacted including Tiger Nation. Hopefully those he was loyal to have been loyal to him.

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Bowden


Jun 21, 2019, 2:03 PM

I was excited when we hired Bowden because it appeared like we wanted to get serious about football again. Overall I think Tommy did a fair job. If memory serves me he was 30th or so in total salary and had a team on the fringe of being a top 25 program. He had a couple of good years but man did he have some silly maddening losses. But it seems Bowden never had the full backing of the administration and boosters like Dabo does now. However, I think Dabo had a lot to do with winning over the administration and boosters.

Bowden was not willing to make tough decisions to fire people that needed to go to make the staff better and it ultimately cost him his job. BUT, he knew enough to hire Dabo which may go down as one of the best hires in the history of college football.

And you have to give TDP a TON of credit for taking a chance on Dabo to begin, but also keeping him after his losing season. The pressure to fire Dabo had to be hard to deal with.

Take a moment and realize just how fantastic and unlikely the story of Clemson football is under Dabo's leadership. This guy has gone from an interim coach to likely having a statue outside of Death Valley someday. This guy lost to USC 5 times in a row to winning 2 out of 3 National Titles.

And as Dabo says "The best has yet to come"!

Simply amazing times to be a Tiger!!

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I don’t think there was ever much going thru Tommy’s mind


Jun 21, 2019, 2:47 PM

When it came to football.

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Re: Clemson was a below


Jun 21, 2019, 8:00 PM

average ACC team when Bowden took over. He at least improved Clemson to a slightly above average ACC team. He was able to survive stagnation by beating an more underachieving USCe team more times than not. He did plant the seed for better facilities, hired Brad Scott; that set the stage for his son's contribution. Most important is the hiring and endorsing Dabo.

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