COLUMBIA, S.C. — Clemson head football coach Dabo Swinney saw his relationship with Steve Spurrier did not get off to a good start as Spurrier commonly referred to Clemson as "that team in the Upstate" and had more than a few verbal jabs sent in the direction of Pickens County. But near the end of Spurrier's tenure in Columbia, the relationship between the two men became less cantankerous and now the two are more than cordial.
Spurrier even drew the ire of some Gamecock fans when he said he was rooting for Clemson in the 2017 national championship game against Alabama.
Swinney and Will Muschamp had a cordial relationship but the two were not known to hang out together.
That might change with South Carolina's newest hire.
Dabo said on his Monday teleconference that he and new South Carolina head football coach Shane Beamer are more than just acquaintances.
"I think they made a good hire," Swinney said..
"I consider Shane a friend. He is a good person. I have known him a long time. He has always stayed in touch over the years. He has a sweet wife. He's a great, great family guy. I have tons of respect for his entire family. Frank Beamer is one of the good guys in this business and he became a friend. Shane was with Woody (McCorvey) at Mississippi State. I think he is a really good person and has been very successful as a football coach. He is at our rival but I have a lot of respect for him as a man, as a father and has a football coach. They hired a good man."
Swinney was asked what advice he would give Beamer in what is his first head coaching job.
"Just be yourself," Swinney said.
"He knows what he needs to do. I reached out to him last week and had a good conversation with him. Just surround yourself with good people. Be an inside out program. That's where it starts."
Beamer did break out a Spurrier-ism Monday at his introductory news conference when he was asked about closing the gap with Clemson.
"They are certainly on a pretty good run right now, but when I was here before, we were on a pretty dang good run ourselves against those guys as well," Beamer said.
"It's a big challenge, and we're going to work every single day in recruiting in this facility to have a team that we can be proud of on the field and as a result of the way we play on the field and, and certainly I have great respect for those guys but looking forward to getting in there and competing."