By DAVE DOMESCIK | Staff Writer

PELHAM – In a night that saw dozens of Pelham athletics legends return to Pelham High School’s campus, the homecoming was particularly special for a man who now calls Clemson, South Carolina home.

Dabo Swinney, the head coach of Clemson’s college football program, was one of 20 honorees inducted as the inaugural class of the Pelham Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday, Jan. 26.

Out of all of the inductees honored, Swinney has perhaps had the most national success, leading Clemson to two national championships in his tenure. Swinney is also the winningest head coach in Clemson and ACC football history.

However, he recognizes that without his upbringing in Pelham, he wouldn’t be the same man he is today.

“I’ve experienced a lot of life, but everything for me comes back to Pelham,” Swinney said. “I’m very intentional when people ask me where I’m from. I always tell them, ‘I’m from Pelham, Alabama,’ and I’m proud of that. Every time I come back here, it doesn’t matter how far removed I am, it feels like yesterday.”

Swinney added that a recent purchase gave further sentimental value to the place he calls home. Swinney’s family frequently faced financial difficulties in his childhood, and his parents divorced in his youth as well. The financial difficulties his family faced led to Swiney and his family being evicted from their childhood home in his middle school years. However, Swinney reclaimed that same home decades later.

“I bought my childhood home in 2020,” Swinney said. “It was taken away from us, and it was one of those traumatic moments in my life. I bought it and framed the deed and put my dad’s picture in there. I try to rent it to somebody that’s affiliated with the (Pelham) Police Department. It’s special.”

Swinney began dating his wife, Kathleen, at PHS, and talked about how important her presence has been in his life up to this point.

“You don’t do anything great in life by yourself,” Swinney said. “(Kathleen) has been a rock in my life for a long time. She grew up in a very different situation than me, and she was just always there for me. We dated through high school and all through college, and now we’re going on 31 years.”

Swinney also emphasized that coming home to Pelham is not only important to him, but also to his children as well.

“We have three sons, and I’ve always brought them back here,” Swinney said. “I’ve always brought them, we’ve talked about Pelham. It’s cool for us because we have all these sweet memories of our time, from pictures of us at middle school dances and homecomings and all through high school. For our kids to have grown up seeing this, it’s been really cool.”

Swinney today is known as an undisputed winner, as he is one of three active coaches in college football to have won at least one national title. He believes Pelham taught him several invaluable life skills he has carried with him throughout his storied career.

“Pelham gave me toughness, a belief in myself and just a competitive fire,” Swinney said. “I played under Billy Tohill, Jim Vakakes and Paul Kellogg. These (men) were huge mentors in my life.”

Swinney further touched on his relationship with Tohill, adding a personal story on how he earned a walk-on scholarship at Alabama.

“When I decided to play at Alabama, I went to coach Tohill,” Swinney said “I remember it like it was yesterday. I went to him and said, ‘Hey, this is what I want to do. Do you think I’m good enough to do it?’ And I’ll never forget it, he looked me dead in the eye and said, ‘Son, let me tell you something. I’ve coached a lot of ballplayers. You can do anything that you set your mind to.’ He set up a meeting for me with coach (Bill) Curry and his staff. And that’s how I got on the team.”

Above all of his traits, Swinney believes he learned the heart of competition at Pelham.

“I played three sports (at Pelham),” Swinney said. “And I never stopped. Really, honestly, that was probably what saved me. I had a lot of dysfunction in my family life… all I did was compete. So, I learned how to compete at the highest level (at Pelham).”

Dabo Swinney is a man who needs no introduction, but his introduction to a life defined by grit, faith and purpose began on the fields and classrooms of Pelham High School. Now, Swinney’s name will be remembered forever in Pelham thanks to his induction into the school’s inaugural Hall of Fame class.

“I didn’t think there would ever be a Pelham Hall of Fame,” Swinney said. “So the fact that we have this means that we have arrived in Pelham, Alabama.”