20 Dabo Swinney Quotes By the American Football Coach

By Stephanie Kirby | Published November 29, 2022

These Dabo Swinney quotes will motivate you on your journey to success.

William or “Dabo” Swinney is an American football coach who has been the head coach at Clemson University since 2008.

In 2017 and 2019, Swinney led his team to the national championships.

Swinney began to work as head coach for Clemson after taking over for former head coach Tommy Bowden.

Swinney has won several awards during his career, including the AFCA Coach of the Year in 2015, the Paul “Bear” Bryant Award in 2015, 2016, and 2018, and Walter Camp Coach of the Year in 2015.

Overall in Swinney’s coaching time, he has had 150 wins, six tournaments, and 11 bowls.

Below is our collection of inspirational Dabo Swinney quotes. Enjoy!

Don’t forget to check out these Bobby Bowden quotes from the college football coach.

Dabo Swinney quotes to motivate and inspire you

1. “The only disability in life is a bad attitude.” – Dabo Swinney

2. “I was taught to win and lose with class.” – Dabo Swinney

3. “I think teams win. I don’t think offense wins. I don’t think defense wins. I don’t think special teams win. Teams win.” – Dabo Swinney

4. “Don’t buy the lie.” – Dabo Swinney

5. “When you have the cross as the foundation of your life, football ain’t gonna bring no pressure.” – Dabo Swinney

6. “Recruits and their families want and deserve to know who you are as a person, not just what kind of coach you are.” – Dabo Swinney

7. “I’m always just focused on being great where I’m at and blooming where I’m planted.” – Dabo Swinney

8. “Let the light that shines in you be brighter than the light that shines on you.” – Dabo Swinney

9. “It’s only unthinkable if you don’t think it.” – Dabo Swinney

10. “No, we don’t control who our parents are. We don’t control what color we are. We don’t control what home we are born into. But we control our attitude. We control our work ethic. We control our drive and our commitment.” – Dabo Swinney

Powerful Dabo Swinney quotes

11. “My vision is for other schools to be like Clemson. My vision is to build a model program.” – Dabo Swinney

12. “I try to be a good example to others, and I work hard to live my life according to my faith.” – Dabo Swinney

13. “Always remember, the goals that we have achieved pale in comparison to the daily commitments it took to get there.” – Dabo Swinney

14. “If you’re gonna be great, you can’t ever be satisfied.” – Dabo Swinney

15. “Do common things in an uncommon way.” – Dabo Swinney

16. “I always told people growing up Alabama was the smartest state: four A’s and a B.” – Dabo Swinney

17. “We have three rules in our program that everyone must follow: 1. players must go to class, 2. they must give effort, and 3. they must be good citizens. It’s as simple as that.” – Dabo Swinney

18. “Where there are people, whether they’re black, green, yellow, orange, or white, there is going to be sin, greed, hate, jealousy, deceitfulness. There’s going to be that. That’s always going to be there. But attitude, work ethic, love, respect for others — that doesn’t know any color.” – Dabo Swinney

19. “You’re never going to be a great program if you lose a game and your season’s over, and you act like the world’s coming to an end; [like] none of the other games matter. That’s a bad attitude, and you’re probably going to live a miserable life.” – Dabo Swinney

20. “You can’t be afraid to play. Commit to play, and you live with the results.” – Dabo Swinney

What did you learn from these Dabo Swinney quotes?

Dabo Swinney has had two books written about his life and coaching career so far.

Those two books are Dabo’s World: The Life and Career of Coach Swinney and the Rise of Clemson Football and Top of the Hill: Dabo Swinney and Clemson’s Rise to College Football Greatness.

Swinney is a Christian, and it has become the most significant focus of his life.

He spoke of his faith, saying, “And that was a game-changer for me. That’s really become the foundation of my life.”

Swinney became a Christian when he was just sixteen years old.

He said about coaching, “It allows me to use my life experiences to impact young people and to serve God through what I do.”