Dear Clemson Fans...

Dear Clemson Fans,

          First of all, I want to start by saying that I'm a Clemson Alum.  I graduated from this great university in May of 2006.  My mom, grandfather, uncle, and cousins have also received degrees from Clemson.  I grew up less than 20 miles away from the best place on earth, and I love being able to drive on HWY 93 or HWY 123 and see the tops of Death Valley and Tillman Hall.  I couldn't agree more with the essay entitled, "There's Something in These Hills."  Anyone who has ever attended Clemson or been a Clemson fan can attest to the fact that there truly is something about Clemson that sets it apart from all other universities (at least in our opinions).

           With that being said, I must now address the rest of this post to the fans of our wonderful football program.  In my opinion, being a fan means being a fan whether you win or lose.  Trust me,  I know how devastating and heart breaking a loss is to a "die hard" fan.  There have been shouts of frustration and tears of disappoint from this girl over the years.  And nothing stings worse than losing to that other university from our great state.  As I watched the game this past Saturday with my family, I was just as angry as any other Clemson fan.  
    
            But, never once did it cross my mind to "demand" for Dabo Swinney's job.  Not once.  Sunday morning as I was catching up on my Facebook News Feed, I was already saddened by the loss from the night before and the news that one of my favorite actors had died.  So, when I came across a post on one of the many Clemson fan-based pages that ranted and raved about how we needed to get rid of Dabo because he couldn't get a win against ole Steve, I was irate.  Now, mind you, I was not at all surprised to see this because, let's face it, in college football that's the first go-to when your team has lost.  "Fire the coach!"  

            I remembered back in 2008 when Tommy Bowden resigned halfway through the season.  I'm going to throw some numbers at you now...Tommy Bowden was the head coach at Clemson from 1999-2008.  His overall record was 72-45.  His highest winning season was 9-4 in 2003 and 2007.  The Tigers never won a conference championship when Bowden was the coach.  Now, Dabo Swinney has been the head coach since 2008.  His record is 50-23.  His highest winning season was in 2012 with 11-2.  He has produced three Division titles and an ACC Championship title.  

            So tell me, Dear Clemson "Faithful", why should we fire Dabo?  Since 2011, our Tigers have had a combined 31 wins and 8 losses.  Are you kidding me?  Dabo's a coach, which is much like the role of a parent.  As a parent, can you control everything your child does?  I think not.  All you can do is teach them right from wrong and then pray that they listen and heed your advice.  You can't live life for them.  Just like Dabo can't play the game for his players.  So, should a parent be held accountable for his/her child's actions?  Ponder that.

           Lastly, please remember that even though we got the "thumb" this year, our Tigers still have a dominating lead in the bitter rivalry with our friends to the south.  65-42-4 speaks for itself, and we hold the longest streak in the series with 7 wins.  

            Just take a deep breath.  Have a beverage if that suits you.  Relax.  Dabo has proven over his time at Clemson that he can improve our program.  Let's focus on winning our bowl game and supporting our coach instead of demanding his job.  And please remember, that the boys out there playing on that field are just that...boys.  They're kids who are getting to live out their dream of playing NCAA football.  Most of them have worked their whole lives for this.  Let them enjoy it.

Much love to all and GO TIGERS!