• Tudor's Take: Who's next at Clemson?
Clemson coach Tommy Bowden resigned on Monday with six games left in the season, the school announced after multiple media outlets broke the story Monday afternoon.
Receivers coach Dabo Swinney will coach the remainder of the season.
The Tigers are 3-3, with a pair of wins over Division I-AA teams, in what was supposed to be their first ACC championship season since 1991.
Bowden went 72-45 in his 10th season at Clemson, with a 43-32 ACC record.
Clemson AD Terry Don Phillips said Bowden walked away under his own accord, albeit under intense pressure and with the likelihood he would have been fired at the end of the season.
"There wasn’t a gun to his head," Phillips said. "He put it on the table for the sake of the program. I agreed.”
Bowden will be paid through the end of the season, then get $3.5 million as a buyout negotiated in the contract extension both sides agreed to last December.
The Tigers opened the season ranked No. 9 in the country but lost their opener, 34-10 to Alabama and the season was over before it began.
After beating N.C. State in their ACC opener, the Tigers lost to Maryland at home and at Wake Forest in a Thursday night ESPN showcase.
Swinney, a receiver on Alabama's 1992 national title team, is in his sixth season at Clemson on Bowden's staff.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Comments
Bowden
Tue, 10/14/2008 - 23:17 — rbl (not verified)Izzykareem,
I won't criticize your third grade grammar and spelling this time, since that is a sensitive subject for your illiterate self.
If you have any knowledge of football, you have concealed it quite successfully. Removing a coach in mid-season is not good strategy, barring extreme circumstances, but not retaining an underperforming coach is a different matter. It happens everywhere.
Bowden should have been allowed to finish the season, unless there are issues we don't know about. Basically, they appear to have thrown this season under the bus.
We do not accept mediocrity in Chapel Hill. Butch Davis is an excellent coach, as anyone with a knowledge of football can see. We have a chance to compete with everyone on our schedule in his second season, which is great progress, given the results of the recent past.
Sandlappers and Heels
Tue, 10/14/2008 - 01:53 — Belvedere (not verified)After reading several posts from others saying Clemson "should be happy winning 8 or 9 every year" and that expecting more is "greedy," I can say with fair certainty that North Carolina will never be a football state. To put things in Heel terms: your hoops team averages about 20-22 wins per season, finishes in the top four in the Conference but goes ten years without a championship, and fails to reach a Final Four, let alone win a National Championship. Or, put another way, the Matt Doherty years, doubled. Sorta. That's why Bowden is gone. Just as you strive to be above mediocrity in your basketball program, so too does Clemson in its football endeavors.
tommy
Mon, 10/13/2008 - 22:15 — george32uh, tommy averaged almost 8 wins a year and went to 8 bowls. he did a great job of graduating kids and upgrading facilities. in this day and age that is not enough for a place that regards itself at least a regional if not a national powerhoue.
i would think they would go after an offensive coordinator like applewhite of texas, but talk i here down in columbia is about muschamp, johnson or lane kiffin. i am sure they would not do it, but how about charlie strong the dc from florida? i think clemson is ready for a black head coach if he wins.
admirable
Mon, 10/13/2008 - 22:43 — izzykareemGeorge, its admirable that you are trying to make sense to UNC-CH fans; poor fellers. They barely understandable football or football strategery, how do you expect them to understand the complex dynamics of coaching changes mid-seaon, a brilliant move i might add on clempsun's part. Exactly what the Head Hole himself, Dick Baddour did when they fired Bunting mid-season; get a leg-up on the coaching search when alot of seats get hot in a few months. Not many Holes will understand all this, UNC Alumnus might, but he's the exception to the rule.
Could Clemson really want Lane Kiffin?
Mon, 10/13/2008 - 19:48 — UNCAlumnusDidn't his dad report some cheating going on there while a coach at NCSU. There's a line going around that if/when Kiffin gets a college job he wants his dad to be DC. Would Clemson fans stand for that?
I've also heard they're thinking Will Muschamp. He's made Texas's D good (or better). Who know's how he'd do as a head coach.
My advice, find Danny Ford.
Tommy Bowden
Mon, 10/13/2008 - 18:38 — rbl (not verified)After reading Izzykareem's butchered language, I'm thankful I went to Carolina.
I suppose Tommy Bowden didn't cheat enough to satisfy the rednecks in IPTAY. It's bush league to fire a coach in mid-season, although it has happened before right here in our own league, most notably with Duke and Ted Roof's predecessor.
butchered language?
Mon, 10/13/2008 - 22:31 — izzykareemis this all tarhole fans know how to critique? blog message spelling and punctuation? Because you certainly don't know anything about football.
so let's analyze your sentence and word usage shall we? You said: "After reading Izzykareem's butchered language..." It's not my language, i didn't invent it. Maybe perhaps you are referring to my butchering of the english language? However, you have yet to show how I have butchered anything. So yes, I'm thankful you wasted taxpayer dollars at the UNC-CH.
Didn't UNC-CH fire Bunting in mid-season? Sure they let him coach out the rest of the year, but as you said: Bush-league.
And its actually impolite to correct spelling, grammar, and other punctuation mistakes; it just makes small Holes like yourself feel important when its pretty much missing the point. Dufus
WAKE UP
Mon, 10/13/2008 - 16:02 — HEELSTOMPER (not verified)Hey Clemson fans wake up! This is not 1981 anymore, you are not part of the college football elite and havent been since the late 80's. You should be happy over 8 and 9 win seasons and enjoy some success. You will never see that mountain top again and if you are real lucky you might get back your offical title as "best 8-4 team in America". IPTAY= "It's probation time again yall".
never good
Mon, 10/13/2008 - 15:01 — bubba (not verified)I don't see it, he averaged atleast 9 wins over 10 years and went to atleast 8 bowls. Clemson fans are too greedy. Be careful what you wish for, it don't always get better.
division, math
Mon, 10/13/2008 - 22:36 — izzykareemhe won 72 games in a 9.x year period.
72/9.x = somewhere between 7 to 8 wins per year. That wouldn't be too shabby if he didn't have top 10 recruiting classes almost every year.
Firing of Bowden
Mon, 10/13/2008 - 13:14 — Anonymous (not verified)Thanks you Lord!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Bad Grammer
Mon, 10/13/2008 - 14:30 — PhilcobrownTypical Clempsum fan/graduate!
how...
Mon, 10/13/2008 - 15:13 — izzykareemshould they have given Tammy a raise for all the mediocrity like that do at Chapel Hole. I know the HOles are playing great this year, but the guy got a raise last year. they better have some big money this year is all ive gotta say.
Bad Grammer, Low Self Esteem & Low IQ
Mon, 10/13/2008 - 20:43 — PhilcobrownTypical UNC hater!
LOL
Mon, 10/13/2008 - 22:38 — izzykareemonly a grandwizard idiot tarhole fan who just got back from Walmart could criticize someone for bad grammAr when they spell the word "grammAr" wrong; you dolt. Please tell me you are a UNC-CH grad/flunky too, please.