Flashback: Clemson Coach Slips Incredible Jesus Statement into ESPN Interview
Editor’s Note: Our readers responded strongly to this story when it originally ran; we’re re-posting it here in case you missed it.
There’s no polite way to put this: Clemson kicked the ever-living tar out of Alabama en route to a dominant College Football Playoff championship win Monday night.
The final score read 44-16, but it might as well have read 440-16 with how dominant the Tigers were from the first quarter onward. After a rapid-paced first quarter, the Crimson Tide mustered all of three points to the Tigers’ 30.
With the win, Clemson has claimed two of the last three national championships while also becoming the first college football team to go 15-0 since the 1800s.
Absolutely nobody would blame Clemson coach Dabo Swinney for gleefully accepting all of the credit for the enormous success of his football program.
But Swinney isn’t wired that way.
Much like his star freshman quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, Swinney puts his Christian faith ahead of anything that happens on the football field and gives the glory for any success he has to God.
Monday’s dominant championship win was no different.
In the immediate aftermath of the Tigers’ victory, ESPN’s Tom Rinaldi approached the coach for an interview.
“Dabo, there are few coaches in any sport who show more joy than you do,” Rinaldi said. “How do you describe the joy of the moment?”
Despite all sorts of emotions pouring out, Swinney responded in a way that made his priorities clear.
“For me personally, joy comes from focusing on Jesus, others, then yourself,” he said, in a fitting acronym for JOY (Jesus, others, yourself.)
“It’s a blessing,” Swinney added. “It’s simply the grace of the good Lord to allow us to experience something like this.”
Even when the emotions simmered a bit, he knew exactly who to thank in his postgame press conference.
“This is really not anything that I’ve done. It’s not anything that our players have done,” Swinney said. “I think God worked through us. Only God can do this. …
“Only God could do this, and I give Him all the glory, because I know where my strength comes from and I know that it’s simply by His grace that I’ve been able to walk this walk, walk this journey.”
What did National Championship winning, Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney have to say after the game last night?
“Only God could do this and I give Him all the glory.”
What a testimony! pic.twitter.com/nwhquzDf31
— Mitchell Ross (@TheMitchellRoss) January 8, 2019
The Clemson Tigers are clearly a better football program with Swinney at the helm.
It’s not a stretch to say the world is a better place as well with Swinney openly and unapologetically discussing his faith.
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