Wednesday May 20, 2009

December 1978

December 1978
Since Dabo Swinney was named the head football coach in December I have heard the comparisons to Danny Ford and December of 1978.

I remember that month vividly because I was a fanatic but I was only 11 years old. The world was different then. We did not have the internet, so the morning newspaper had a huge role in informing fans. We also got our news from our local television news. Clemson fans burned up the phone lines calling IPTAY, the sports information department and each other trying to gather information.

I have gone back and asked several people much closer to the situation at the time to recall their memories of the events in December of 1978 and the first few seasons of the Ford era. Not all of those I talked to asked for their names to remain anonymous but to be fair to all I have decided to keep it that way.

“We did not have time to think,” said one assistant who was there in 1978. “Everything happened so fast that we were just reacting and not analyzing.”

“I remember taking two recruits in to visit with Coach Pell on a Sunday,” recalls an assistant. “He looked both young men in the eyes and told them that he would be here next season. The next day he was announced as the head coach at the University of Florida. One of the players signed with Auburn and the other Georgia.”

Pell’s sudden departure left Bill McLellan surprised. He named Danny Ford as the interim head coach for the Gator Bowl. “Danny was a good choice,” one former assistant added. “The staff did not have a lot of guys who were head coach-type qualities at the time. Maybe Mickey Andrews. He was one of the brightest minds in college football over the past 30 years but I think the right decision was made.”

“We knew what coach Ford was about,” said a former player. “As the offensive line coach, he demanded toughness. We all knew that he was going to carry that over to the team as the head coach. He was so young and came from the Bear Bryant system so that was all he knew. He was not an X and O genius. He was going to outwork people and we knew that he demanded the physical aspect of the game. It was his trademark as an assistant and was going to be that as the head coach.”

“Practices were hell,” added a former player. “If you made it past the first part of the week in practice then you knew the games would be easy. Our hay was in the barn. We knew we had outworked our opponent throughout the week so the game was just dessert.”

When asked about the expectations of Coach Ford in his first couple of seasons, one former assistant said, “There was a definite difference under Coach Ford as opposed to Coach Pell. But we did not think the program was going to go downhill. I am telling you that we really did not have time to think about it. We just did the job.”

I asked a former assistant if he had any doubts about Coach Ford. Clemson won 8 games in 1977 and 11 in 1978 before falling to 8-4 in 1979 and 6-5 in 1980. “There was never a time where I doubted he could do it. I always had faith that he and the staff could get it done.”

A former offensive lineman that played for Coach Ford as an assistant and in his first days as a head coach recalled his thoughts on what kind of coach he was by adding, “I remember one hot August practice. At the end of practice our offensive line was made up of me, a center and three tight ends. Everyone else had dropped. Guys were cramping so bad that no one could finish but he just kept pushing. He never let up and never had compassion. When a guy was laying there cramping up he would yell, ‘Move it ten yards.”

After visiting with former coaches, players and administrators from 1978 and the next few seasons, I have come up with several areas where the Dabo thing is similar and several areas where it is different.

Similarities
1. No time to think-Dabo and his staff’s comments were very similar to the staff of 1978. They did not have time to analyze the situation. The 1978 staff was recruiting and had a bowl game in less than month. The 2008 staff had a game in five days.

2. Legendary Influence-Both coaches spent their formative years with coaching legends. It was clear that Ford’s style was taken directly from Bryant and the same can be said for Dabo and Coach Stallings.

3. Staff Loyalty-Both coaches put together good staffs that were loyal to the young head coach. I know Coach Ford could not have done it without the loyalty of his staff and I believe the same will be said for Coach Swinney. Both staffs bought in.

4. Toughness-It is fairly obvious to me that toughness is ultra-important to both. Both men believed the tougher team won football games and both wanted to put that stamp on their program.

Differences
1. Time and place-The college football world is just different today. I am not sure Dabo could get away with some of the things Coach Ford did in terms of practice. With only 85 scholarship players, you can’t physically beat down your team throughout the week.

2. The ACC-Coach Ford did not have to deal with Florida State, Miami, Virginia Tech, Georgia Tech and Boston College in 1979.

3. The Media-Dabo is much better prepared to handle all of the duties off of the practice field than Coach Ford. Also there is an expanded role in this area as well. Coaches are being pulled in more directions today than in 1979 but Dabo seems to be prepared for it.

4. Superstar-Ford only had Heisman Trophy candidate Steve Fuller for one game. Dabo gets C.J. Spiller for 13 or 14 games.

Sure Danny and Dabo played at Alabama. Yes, they both were named interim coach at Clemson despite not having head coach experience. But I am not sure it is fair to compare the two too much. The college football environment is different today. However, I am fascinated to go back and talk to those close to the program in 1978 and 1979 and compare it to today’s situation.

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Those who need our prayers include:
Finn Brookover, Mrs. Kathleen Bowers, Larry in Naples, FL, RTG-Pawsitive Tiger, Mary-Louise Pawlowski (John's daughter), Sandy Wright, Jo Ann Bachman, Frank Taylor, Kenneth Bryant, Pruitt Martin, Got igers and his family, David Rowland, Leonard Gillespie and his family, Jim S, Christine Hepfer, Daniel Rosborough, Amy Murphey, Jack Huffman, Nancy Winkler, Dr. Nancy Strom Morgan, Edward Putman, John Reeve, Eileen Woodrum, Ethel Southard, Vinnie Brock, Jean-Pierre Bailey, Kaitlyn L, William Perry, Delores Weaver.