NEW ORLEANS – A day before the big matchup in the 2020 College Football Playoff National Championship, LSU head coach Ed Orgeron and Clemson head coach Dabo Swinney joined for the annual joint head coaches press conference Sunday morning.
Fielding questions of all kinds from the media, the coaches talked about the upcoming matchup, the experience in New Orleans this week, and even questions about how they’ve risen to the heights they currently sit at in the college football landscape.
With Monday’s game being played in New Orleans, both coaches were also asked about their backgrounds, specifically because of the connection Orgeron has having grown up in Louisiana and his return home to coach the team he grew up watching.
Orgeron spoke about his Cajun background and returning home to LSU saying, “You know, being Cajun, I’m very proud of being Cajun. My grandparents didn’t speak English, and my mother and father spoke Cajun French at the table and then when they wanted to talk about me they spoke Cajun French, so I learned Cajun French. So I’m excited to be at LSU at home where we’re proud of our Cajun heritage. We’re proud to be from Louisiana. I just feel at home here.”
Swinney jokingly followed up Orgeron regarding his unique first name of Dabo saying, “Well, I mean, it’s ironic, I obviously grew up in Alabama and sometimes you meet people along the way and they’d say, where do you get a name like Dabo, so sometimes I just didn’t want to tell, so I’d say, well, I’m Cajun, D-A-B-E-A-U-X, Dabeaux, and I just go about my business. I kind of feel at home here, too.”
The opportunity for Orgeron’s team to play the national championship game in their home state has sparked much conversation about a home-field advantage for LSU. One thing is for sure; both teams are ready to play. Orgeron could sense the anticipation ramping up saying, “The guys are getting excited. They are getting antsy. I can feel it. I’m getting antsy, too. But I think we have to continue to work up through game time.”
Photo Credit: Greg Atkins
