44th Annual Society for Case Research & Global Jesuit Case Series Summer Workshop

5
Experience level: 
Advanced
Authors: 
Bradley W. Brooks, Gregory C. Berka, Cara O. Peters

Dabo Swinney: Leading Clemson Football to Achieve the Impossible

Dabo Swinney had embraced challenges that many football coaches would have avoided. He had accepted his first role as collegiate head coach in the midst of a disappointing season for a team laden with dissension. Yet, Dabo’s vision, the distinctive culture that accompanied it, and a genuine love for players led him to accomplish the unthinkable. Dabo had transformed a mediocre Clemson football program into an elite powerhouse, one that now claimed multiple national championships and a strong brand in the marketplace. As 2021 was ending, however, seismic changes were transforming college football. The timing seemingly could not have been worse as those changes were occurring as Dabo’s program was undergoing the most internal changes it had ever faced. As a championship-winning coach, Dabo’s leadership and vision were about to be tested like never before.