Dabo Swinney is heading into Clemson’s Week 5 game with a cause that means far more to him than football. The Tigers coach is organizing the annual breast cancer awareness game, also known as the ‘Tigers for Tatas’ event, to highlight a milestone reached by his family’s foundation.
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Swinney was also seen wearing a pink ‘Tigers for Tatas’ T-shirt on Tuesday, during the Miami challenge preview.
“We’re going to be at $15.2 million, I think, that we’ve given away since we started the foundation,” Swinney said at the presser.
That number comes from a cause that is deeply personal for the Swinney family. Dabo and Kathleen started the All In Team Foundation in 2009 to support health and education efforts in South Carolina.
The breast cancer work grew out of Kathleen’s family history. Her older sister, Lisa Lamb, beat breast cancer in 2003, but it came back nine years later in her brain and lungs. Lamb passed away in April 2014 at age 49.
Lamb had learned she carried a gene mutation linked to breast cancer, and she urged Kathleen and their youngest sister, Ann, to get tested. Kathleen hesitated at first because she had three young boys and felt fine, but she did it.
“Seeing what my sister went through, it would almost insult her if I didn’t do something about it,” Kathleen told ESPN in 2014.
The testing in 2005 showed she was a carrier. Kathleen was 34 when she chose to have a double mastectomy, and Ann, who was also a carrier, had the same procedure. Kathleen later had a hysterectomy at 40 to lower her risk of ovarian cancer.
That loss is a big reason the foundation does what it does. The breast cancer money goes toward mobile mammography units, early screenings, and research at local medical centers in South Carolina.
The foundation also helps fund Clemson’s Call Me MISTER program, which is meant to get more teachers from diverse backgrounds into the state’s lowest-performing elementary schools.
Then there’s Clemson LIFE, a program that gives young adults with intellectual disabilities the chance to go to college and learn how to live on their own.
On top of that, the foundation gives out grants every year that go to schools, domestic violence shelters, food banks, and youth sports programs around South Carolina.
The money comes from a few big annual events, including The All In Ball, a dinner and sports auction, which is the largest single-night fundraiser. The Dabo Swinney Ladies Clinic draws thousands of women and sends its proceeds to breast cancer screenings. A Clemson football ticket raffle also helps fund community grants.
Swinney talked about what the annual game means to his family and the community when he met with reporters Tuesday.
“What I hope when my time is up at Clemson, I hope it’s really more about that and the lives that have been served and impacted through the work of the foundation and all the people that have been a part of it,” he said.
Kathleen has talked about what the loss taught her.
“It makes you definitely appreciate every day. You feel so blessed for every one moment,” she said in 2014.
That’s the backdrop when Clemson hosts Miami on Saturday night. Besides the meaning, the Tigers still have a tough game to play against the No. 4 team in the country.
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On the field, Clemson (3-1) will go against No. 4 Miami (4-0). Kickoff is Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Memorial Stadium, and the game will air on ABC.
Swinney knows what kind of night it is. “It’s a big one,” he said, and he expects a lot of hype because it’s a night game in the Valley.
The Hurricanes are led by quarterback Darian Mensah, who has thrown for 1,211 yards and 14 touchdowns with no interceptions. He’s completing 88.7 percent of his passes. Oddsmakers have Miami as a double-digit favorite.
Clemson gave up 51 points and lost by 41 to LSU in Week 1, then won three straight over Georgia Southern, North Carolina, and Cal, though none of those wins came by more than 15 points.
Freshman Tait Reynolds is now at quarterback, and the offense ranks 117th in the country in EPA per play. The Tigers have leaned on their defense, which ranks 25th.
Saturday’s game will be decided on the scoreboard, but Swinney has been clear about what he hopes his time at Clemson is remembered for.