Clemson coach Dabo Swinney’s father dies

Ervil Swinney, the father of Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, passed away Saturday afternoon in Pelham, Ala. The elder Swinney had been fighting cancer for some time.

The Tigers’ Saturday practice started a few minutes late after Dabo Swinney met with the team before he departed for Alabama.

“It was an emotional meeting,” said Clemson guard Eric Mac Lain. “You could see he was hurting and we all felt for him. I think we all wanted to just go up and hug him.”

Coordinators Brent Venables, Tony Elliott and Jeff Scott took over Clemson’s practices on Saturday and Monday.

Swinney is expected to return late Tuesday.

This story was originally published August 8, 2015 at 6:42 PM with the headline "Clemson coach Dabo Swinney’s father dies."