Posted by: Chris Vannini on September 20, 2012

Dabo Swinney is never afraid to speak from the heart.

Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports wrote a tremendous story of Swinney's road to Clemson. While on SiriusXM College Sports Nation on Thursday, Swinney explained his life philosophies and how they've helped him succeed, and he didn't hold back.

"With my faith in Christ and the values instilled in me and the drive to not want to be an appliance man, not want to lay under people's sinks," he said. "Not that there's anything wrong with that, but that's what I grew up doing. I wanted to go get an education. I wanted to do things differently that what had gone on in my family, and I knew that if I made the right choices and made the right decisions and was willing to pay the price, then I would have that opportunity.

"I went to college on Pell grants and student loans and all that. People can do it. Nobody's saying it's easy. It's not easy. It comes easier for some people than others. You can't worry about that. You have to be thankful for what you do have, and I don't care how bleak your situation is, we all have things to be thankful for. That's just a simple message. I'm thankful for where I'm at.

"I'm thankful for everything that I've ever experienced, because all those things have allowed me to hopefully be the man than God wants me to be, and to be here and have an opportunity to be a part of a fun game, like the game of football. This ain't life or death.

"What's the worst thing that going to happen Saturday night? We're going to lose a ballgame. Ain't nobody going to skin us and eat us alive. Just keep proper perspective as you go through life. Try to have fun, bring positive energy every day, get up with a smile on your face and attack whatever it is that you're dealing with. If you do that, you're going to have a successful life."

You can listen to some of Swinney's interview by clicking here. The Tigers travel to Florida State for a huge game Saturday. Below is Swinney's media availability from Wednesday.

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Chris Vannini is a lead writer for CoachingSearch.com and has covered Michigan State sports for The State News, The Oakland Press and MLive.com. He writes a weekly column for the Detroit Free Press on behalf of SB Nation. Vannini lives in Big Ten country, so his foot speed is far from SEC caliber, but his pulse on coaches is hard to match. Be sure to follow @CoachingBuzz on twitter and send your feedback to chris@coachingsearch.com