Terry Don Phillips, the Clemson athletic director who hired Dabo Swinney as the head football coach helping transform the Tigers into a national powerhouse, died Tuesday. He was 78.
The university announced Phillips' death in a release, saying he had been in hospice care after being diagnosed with dementia over a decade ago.
Phillips also hired current men's basketball coach Brad Brownell, men's soccer coach Mike Noonan and women's soccer coach Eddie Radwanski.
Swinney became the winningest football coach in Clemson history, and Brownell the winningest men's basketball coach.
Swinney spoke last August at the ACC media days in Charlotte about the time early in his coaching career when he learned Phillips was waiting in his office to speak with him following a season-ending loss to rival South Carolina that ended the Tigers' season at 6-6.
Swinney, who was 19-14 as head coach at the time, thought he was getting fired.
But it didn't shake out that way.
"I go from thinking I'm getting fired to Terry Don Phillips telling me how much he believes in me," Swinney said. "He said to me, 'Hey there's going to be a lot of criticism and there's going to be a lot of this and that, (but) I want you to keep doing what you're doing. I want you to know that I've got your back. I believe in you more now than even when I hired you."
Swinney went on win two national championships in 2016 and 2018 for the Tigers and currently has a 187-53 record at Clemson.
Phillips served 10 years as Clemson's athletic director.
During that span, Clemson won 13 ACC championships in eight sports, including five different women's sports. The Tigers' athletic programs had 57 top-25 national finishes, 37 top-20s, and 14 top-10s during Phillips' time leading the program.
