Clemson proudly announced Tuesday that Dabo Swinney and his wife Kathleen have donated $1 million back to the Tigers "in support of Clemson football to provide future funding for programmatic and building initiatives that will continue to propel the program forward."
The Swinneys have previously put their money back into Clemson with separate donations totaling $600,000 back toward orange-tinted charitable causes. But the $1 million gift is their largest to date, obviously.
A one million dollar donation equals roughly a third of Dabo's annual salary, a generous gift by any standard. Of course, it may be a slight easier to give away one million dollars when you still have two more coming to you -- before bonuses.
“I love Clemson, and I believe in our program, and I feel like Clemson has been pulling for me since that first game in 2008,” Dabo said in a statement. “But no matter how much we win on the field, my passion is building and empowering successful young men through the game of football. Kathleen and I are blessed. And we have always known we need to use those blessings to do good for others. It’s so important to us that we give back to this program that has been so good to us.”
In addition to all things Clemson, the Swinneys have made children's causes, drug and alcohol addiction and breast cancer their chief causes.
“There’s no doubt that times were tough for my family when I was younger. But what I try to do with those experiences is turn them into empathy. I do understand. I do know how these people feel. And as long as we have the financial resources to try to make a difference, we will,” Dabo said.