Former Clemson star says football program is 'moving the bar upward and onward'
Recently we sat down with Clemson Tiger great Jim Stuckey to reflect on his friendship with the late Dwight Clark.
Clark, who recently passed away after a battle with ALS and Stuckey were teammates at Clemson and also professionally with the San Francisco 49ers. The former Clemson duo helped lead the 49ers to multiple Super Bowl victories in the 1980s.
During our interview, Stuckey spoke about some of the aspects of the Clemson program, and we wanted to share those with you before releasing the second half of our interview with the Cayce, South Carolina native.
Stuckey has lived in the Charleston area for 23 years and works in the realty business at Kiawah Island Real Estate. The former Clemson standout told us that he just recently moved to James Island.
"I just moved from a wonderful place, right on the harbor down at the Bristol where the Bristol Marina is on the Ashley River Bridge," Stuckey said. "I love it. It's hot as we went straight to summer, but absolutely love being down here in Charleston."
Stuckey's daughter just wrapped up her sophomore year at Clemson and his son his getting set to begin high school at James Island High which means the former Tiger is often in and around Tiger Town.
Being in Clemson frequently has given Stuckey plenty of access to the program and we asked him to compare Dabo Swinney and his program now to the program Danny Ford took over and eventually led to a title a couple of years after Stuckey entered the NFL.
One aspect that Stuckey has appreciated was that Swinney has welcomed the former players back. He's made their time and success a point of emphasis for the current teams.
“He's such a great ambassador, great coach. These attributes can go on and on for him, but he integrated the former players back into the program at an early stage to show some of these young guys that there has been success here."
Less than a decade after taking over the program, not only has Swinney achieved the ultimate success, winning the 2016 National Title, but Stuckey related to us that the expectations have also increased significantly.
"We're moving that bar upward and onward and not only ACC championships and great seasons, but national championships. We're going to recruit a caliber of student-athlete that can move this program forward, not only athletically, but set a good example for other people to emulate, and that's exactly what he's done," Stuckey noted.
Another aspect about Swinney that Stuckey respects is his genuineness. Stuckey believes that is one reason Clemson has seen such success under the Pelham, Alabama native.
“What you see with him is what you get, and I love that you always know where he's coming from. It's always in a positive way."
And while Swinney's occasional quips and phrases are often plastered on shirts and messages boards as food for fodder, one particular phrase stands out to Stuckey-- 'Best is the Standard.'
"I think it's probably one of the most instrumental sayings that I’ve seen. There's two in my life as far as football goes, but one is ‘Best Is The Standard.’ That all Clemson players and coaches, and student-athletes are expected to adhere to," Stuckey said. "The other was the Oakland Raiders, the old Oakland Raiders, 70s, and 80s, that Al Davis ‘Commitment To Excellence’. I think those two sayings go hand in hand."
Swinney's 'Best is the Standard' motto changed the mindset of what is not only expected on the field but off the field as well. That level of commitment has been a huge part of Clemson's run of success.
Clemson's success coupled with an increase in monetary support has also given the Tigers a bump in national recognition.
“Look at our facilities. They’re second to none, anywhere in the country, so we're on our way. It's an ongoing process, and I think these young student-athletes and these young guys coming in I mean, Dabo gets to pick and choose who he wants, and that's what you want in a program," Stuckey stated. "Coach (Nick) Saban gets to pick and choose who he wants, and we compete with them on a national front now."
According to Stuckey, that level of recruiting has given the Tigers the ability to replenish the coffers with little drop-off.
"I heard somebody say one time, 'Clemson doesn't replace, they just reload,' and it's a compliment that the defensive line who arguably we could have had, what? Three first-round draft picks? They decided to come back and finish what they started.”
Being a Super Bowl champion and knowing what it takes to win at the highest level has given Stuckey a unique perspective on success. It's something Swinney knows as well given the fact that he won a title in 1992 at Alabama playing under Gene Stallings. That fact alone helped Swinney according to Stuckey.
“He knows what it takes to get that done. Coach (Gene) Stallings, I mean, I admire that man to death. He was a great coach and for Dabo to not only be a player but to coach under that gentleman. He knows what it takes to get to the top."
Knowing what it takes and doing it are two entirely different things, but according to Stuckey a large part of it is the relationships that Swinney builds with each player.
"The commitment that you have to have on the field and off the field, the type of respect that you get it by practicing and working hard, and that's how you earn respect, not by talking a lot of trash all the time," Stuckey said. "With Dabo, I think it’s, 'Look, I know how you get there. I’ve been to the promised land and if you want to get on this bus, go ahead and get on and let’s roll.'"
Asked to give us one final thought on the program, Stuckey couldn't hide his appreciation for what Clemson football has become -- again.
"I couldn't be more proud of how Dabo and his staff run this Clemson football program. It’s first class, and you can see by how fans act, how we react to him and the love, the admiration, the ex-players, the same because he brought us all back together, and we would like to feel wanted, and he has done that.”
Tomorrow we will release Part II of our interview with Jim Stuckey for our Premium Subscribers only as Jim Stuckey shares some incredible memories of his dear friend Dwight Clark. Join today!