Few rivalries in the state of South Carolina are as heated as the Palmetto Series between Clemson and the University of South Carolina. Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney reminded everyone that the rivalry is a 24/7 affair in a recent press conference.
Speaking to reporters at ACC Media Days in Charlotte, North Carolina, Swinney recalled an experience he had in Rhode Island where the mother of a Clemson graduate screamed in delight at seeing him. He said that her daughter was getting married at the very hotel he was at and was invited to the rehearsal dinner.
“Speaking of wedding, we show up at the hotel in Newport, Rhode Island, which was awesome. Walking in and this lady goes, ‘Oh my god, it’s Dabo!’. She’s screaming in the lobby. Other people in there are going, ‘Who’s this crazy lady? What’d she just say?’” Swinney said, via On3 Sports. “Her daughter was a Clemson graduate. It was a Friday and they were there getting married. Her daughter was getting married that weekend.”
Things took a turn though when he learned that the daughter was marrying a South Carolina graduate. He declared that she “saved his life” and will “set that straight” after they wed.
“I went to the rehearsal dinner with the whole great crowd, a bunch of Clemson students,” said Swinney. “She was marrying a Gamecock by the way – so she has saved his life. She has probably set that straight.”
With a rivalry like this you have to wonder why the SEC isn’t trying harder to bring Clemson into the fold.
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