Mark WiedmerTAMPA, Fla. - So there was Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney vacationing in Florida last March, right around St. Patrick's Day, and none other than Alabama coach Nick Saban - whose Crimson Tiders had just broken the Tigers' hearts in the national championship game - asked Swinney and his wife to join them on a dinner cruise.
"We both had on our nice green shirts," Swinney recalled during Saturday's media day in preparation for Monday night's College Football Playoff title game rematch between the Tigers and the Tide. "And I said, 'All right, let's get the elephant out of the room right now, because I don't like owing anybody.'"
To pay back the gift of the dinner cruise, Swinney gave Saban a gift certificate to the Clemson coach's favorite restaurant, then wrote on it, "See you in Tampa next year."
Ten months later, the Clemson coach said, "It's crazy. Here we are, both back in the same spot. Hopefully I can come out on the other side this time."
If college football fans get the same kind of amazing game as Alabama's 45-40 victory a year ago, perhaps an amendment should be made to the four-team format that ensures these two proud Southern programs play for the championship every year.
And there is no reason to think this one won't be a similar instant classic to last year's result, regardless of Bama being a six-to-seven-point favorite.
But should Clemson come out on the other side this time around, should Swinney upset the school he not only played for when it won the 1992 title, but also coached for after his playing days ended, even Bama Nation should find a wee bit of happiness for its homeboy, if only for the obstacles he had to overcome to get there.
The story isn't all that unknown anymore. Swinney grew up a few miles south of Birmingham in Pelham, Ala. The family struggled financially. His late father struggled with personal demons. A lifelong Crimson Tide fan, Swinney walked on at Alabama as a wide receiver. He caught seven passes in his career there. But he also played on that 1992 title team, became an Academic All-SEC pick and later found his way back to the Tide sideline as an assistant coach.
"I spent 13 years there, so I understand the expectations there," he said. "I understand that when Alabama rolls out on the field, man, they're going to get everybody's best."
Perhaps because of that, he also believes that if any team on the planet can halt the Tide's 26-game winning streak, it's Clemson.
"These are the two best teams, and to be honest with you, I don't think there's another team out there that's capable of beating Alabama. I think we're probably the only team that has a chance."
In truth, they'd be the only team that would have a chance the rest of this season specifically because this is the last game of the year.
But his point is also valid. Clemson is good. Really good. Really tough. Really resilient. And quite likely because its coach is the same.
"My entire life, nothing has been easy," he said Saturday. "And this is the way it ought to be. If we're going to get it done, then we ought to have to play and beat a team like Alabama."
Here's a quick glimpse at Swinney's uneasy life: "I started cleaning gutters when I was 14 - me and Les Daniels, my buddy. We couldn't drive at the time so we'd carry a ladder and a blower and a rake and knock on people's doors."
They'd knock the loudest on the houses in the River Chase subdivision just south of Birmingham because those were the largest.
"What did I learn cleaning gutters?" he asked. "Man, I'm the best gutter cleaner out there."
Now he's no worse than the second most successful coach in college football for a second straight season - and still holding onto a chance to be the first - though he still has fond flashbacks to his earlier occupation.
"I still, even now to this day," Swinney said, "I ride around and look at people's gutters and think, 'Man, I should go knock on their door and clean it up.'"
Instead, he's cleaning up with a Clemson program that might have more ties to the state of Alabama than people realize, dating back to Bama grad and Tigers coaching legend Frank Howard - the self-proclaimed Bashful Baron of Barlow Bend (Ala.) - to Hootie Ingram, Charlie Pell and Danny Ford.
"It's crazy," Swinney said. "It's been an awesome journey. I wouldn't change a thing."
Well, he wouldn't change most things. But he definitely hopes to change the outcome of last year's loss to the Tide this time around, and he pointed to two things he's counting on as omens to make that happen.
The first is the second Rocky movie.
"I'm from the (19)70s and '80s," he said. "Does it get any better than Rocky? Did Rocky always win or did he lose the first one? He won the second one. There you go. Perfect."
But just in case Tigers fans need something more recent to build hope, Swinney recalled last season's loss to the Tide and the huge role Alabama tight end O.J. Howard had in that win.
"Last year I saw No. 88 run up and down the field on us, and that was my number at Alabama," he said. "And then I come into this game with 88 wins. Maybe the karma will be on our side."
If so, maybe it will be Saban buying Swinney a restaurant gift certificate this time around.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com