CLEMSON — The Citadel coach Maurice Drayton still remembers what Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney did for him and his family over a decade ago.
The No. 16 Tigers (8-2) will face the Bulldogs (5-6) on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, The CW) at Memorial Stadium. Ahead of the Week 13 game, Drayton reflected on a special interaction that Swinney had with his son, Montrel Drayton, when he visited Clemson as an assistant coach at Coastal Carolina (2010-11).
Montrel was an elementary school student at the time.
"Coach Swinney and his staff took Montrel in (and) loved on him," Maurice Drayton said. "It was one of the best experiences of his life."
Montrel was born with hypoplastic left heart syndrome, a rare congenital heart defect that occurs when the left side of the heart doesn't develop properly during pregnancy. Drayton, who is a Tigers fan, said one of Montrel's wishes was to attend Clemson because many of his doctors and nurses graduated from there.
Drayton took his son with him on his coach's study trip to Clemson, where Swinney and his staff gave Montrel an unforgettable experience. Drayton said his son "broke down" Clemson's team after a practice and received signed memorabilia from one of his favorite players, former Clemson running back and current Tigers running back coach C.J. Spiller .
Montrel is now a student at Allen University in Columbia.
"We wanted to really show him a good time and make it a special time for him," Swinney said Tuesday. "When I was down there a couple years ago, (coach Drayton) reminded me of that time. … I think (Montrel is) a Clemson fan. He probably can't be this weekend, but hopefully, he will be after that."
Swinney's interaction with the Draytons had an immense impact on the coach.
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"From that day going forward, I wasn't 'Coach Drayton' to coach Swinney," Drayton said. "It was like, 'Hey, Montrel's dad.'"
Clemson looks to win its 19th straight against The Citadel , which it paid $475,000 to face on Saturday. Drayton and his team will attempt to pull off an upset in their final game of the season, but he has massive respect for Swinney through his caring actions years ago.
"When I think of coach (Swinney), what he's done and his program, better not say anything bad around me," Drayton said.
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Clemson football: What Dabo Swinney did for Citadel coach's son
