I know football season is still a few weeks away, but let’s get the conversation going.

First, a confession. As a native of Hickory, N.C., and graduate of NC State, my first college sports loyalty is to the Wolfpack.

That is especially true in basketball, as I was lucky enough to be in school there when David Thompson and the Pack took down Bill Walton and UCLA for the national championship in 1974.

But as a very happy and very lucky resident of Columbia since 1978, I have for 47 years pulled hard for the Gamecocks as well. From football glory with Steve Spurrier to basketball glory with Dawn Staley to baseball glory with Ray Tanner, I’ve enjoyed it all.

And by the way, that two-time national championship winning USC baseball coach and retired athletics director is also an NC State grad who came to Columbia from Raleigh. As did Coach Tanner, I liked it here and stayed forever.

That said, this column is not about memorable wins. It’s about memorable words. And sports fans, when it comes to memorable words, it’s hard to beat Dabo.

After all, Swinney is the coach who famously said, “You gotta bring your own guts!”

The legendary comment came in an ESPN on-field interview after Clemson stopped a two-point conversion in the final seconds to defeat Notre Dame in a 2015 nationally televised game. Asked by the reporter what he said to his team at halftime, Dabo replied:

“I told them, ‘We give you scholarships, we give you stipends and meals and a place to live. We give you nice uniforms. But you gotta bring your own guts!’”

Swinney let fly another never to be forgotten (or forgiven) quote after Spurrier had (allegedly) thrown some shade at Clemson before the annual clash with South Carolina, though Spurrier denied there was any insult involved.

But the die was cast, as Dabo had already cut loose with this burn for the ages response about the Gamecocks:

“They ain’t Alabama. They ain’t LSU. And they’re certainly not Clemson. That’s why Carolina is in Chapel Hill and USC is in California and THE university in this state always has been, always will be Clemson.”

While there are many other notable Dabo quotes over the years, I’ll close with one from just a few weeks ago. In a pre-season interview on ESPN, he was discussing the new realities of college football, big money and “amateur” athletics in the NCAA.

Noting that this is his sixteenth season as Clemson’s head coach, Swinney said: “Rules change, and there’s lots of things we can do now that 16 years ago you’d be in jail for.”

It was a great line that drew laughs. But it’s also true. Literally. The NCAA is now both a joke and the joker in the professionalization of college sports.

As always, thanks to Dabo for telling it like he sees it, and doing so with both fire and fun.

And Go Cocks!