Clemson’s Dabo Swinney jokingly offered Nikki Haley coaching job after UN departure
After former United Nations ambassador and South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley left President Donald Trump’s administration in October 2018, she received a text from a good friend with a lead on a job opening.
“When I left the U.N., (Clemson Football Coach Dabo Swinney) texted me and said, ‘I have a coaching position open,’” Haley told to students and educators in a crowded auditorium at Chapin High School on Wednesday.
After receiving a question from students about what makes a good teammate and her time at Clemson, the avid fan and Tiger alumna talked about her relationship with head coach Swinney. Haley said she texts the coach before every Clemson game, a tradition the pair have shared for years.
“My husband is so embarrassed because I’ll give Dabo advice,” Haley laughed.
Without fail, Swinney always texts the former governor back, she said.
“Dabo for years gives me the same response: ‘Go Tigers,’” Haley said.
Haley graduated from Clemson in 1994. She was awarded an honorary degree in 2018, the same year she delivered the spring commencement speech at the Upstate university.
