By Teddy Kulmala
The State
COLUMBIA, S.C. — His uniform is not like the others that tumble down the hill into Memorial Stadium on Saturdays in the fall.
The only team member not wearing orange or purple, Lance Cpl. Matt Johnson still runs alongside Dabo Swinney as the charismatic head football coach leads the Tigers into Death Valley for each game.
On televised games you’ll likely see Johnson just over Swinney’s shoulder during halftime interviews or the traditional post-game handshake between coaches. As the camera cuts back to the commentators, he follows Swinney and the Tigers into the locker room.
Johnson admits this isn’t what he had in mind when he joined the S.C. Highway Patrol 10 years ago. Despite growing up in Spartanburg, Johnson, 39, had only been to a handful of Clemson football games in his life.
“It’s just one trooper out of many, out of the entire Troop 3,” he said. “It never really crossed my mind until (the troop commander) asked me to do it.”
For more than 30 years, the Highway Patrol has been providing security for the football teams and coaches at Clemson, the University of South Carolina and S.C. State University, according to Sgt. Bob Beres. Troopers are selected for the details by their troop commanders.
“They are troopers who are known for a strong work ethic, pride in their department and who exemplify the core values of the S.C. Highway Patrol and who can serve as role models for the young athletes,” Beres said. “This is a demanding but coveted assignment.”
The responsibilities go beyond following the coach during the game, Beres said. They include assisting in the logistics of travel for the team, coordinating with local law enforcement at the opposing school’s campus and escorting the team to and from the airport if air travel is involved.
“There’s a lot more involved that people don’t understand,” Johnson said. “They may think we just go out at halftime or just go out at post-game.”
For road games, including regular season and bowl games, the Highway Patrol usually sends two troopers, Johnson said. They fly with the team and ride with local law enforcement while there.
“When (visiting teams) travel to our place, we deal with the same troopers and reciprocate,” Johnson said. “I’ve really met a lot of good friends in law enforcement by having this detail.”
It’s not just other brothers in blue Johnson says he’s met while working the Clemson football detail. He says he’s now part of an orange family.
“I wasn’t near the fan that I am now once I was with the team,” he said. “They treat you like family. They don’t treat you as if you work there; they treat us just like part of the team.”
Johnson stays by Swinney’s side throughout the game, including the traditional run down the hill into the stadium.
“It’s still an adrenaline rush every time you run down the hill,” he said. “I’m right beside the coach; we’re the first two down the hill.”
The job requires Johnson to follow the team into some hostile environments, but one of the scariest moments he’s encountered came in Clemson’s stadium during pregame of the 2015 Notre Dame game. That weekend, South Carolina experienced record-breaking rainfall that made Death Valley’s iconic hill slick and muddy.
“Running down the hill with the coach in a pair of dress shoes was probably my most frightening moment,” he said, laughing.
The troopers stand by in the locker room while Swinney addresses the team during pregame, halftime and post-game.
“Every one is different, and they’re all great,” Johnson said of the talks. “It directly ties to what the players did, how they were at practice that week. Every one of them gets the players pumped up and ready to play.”
The post-game celebrations – including Swinney’s signature dancing – are some of the best moments on the job, Johnson said.
“It’s great just to watch the players, to see the hard work and the time they put into preparing for each game,” he said. “Probably the best part is when they win. We’re in the locker room for the post-game celebrations. It’s nice to see the smiles on their faces and how happy they are when their hard work pays off.”
Troopers can show some enthusiasm and support for what’s going on during the game, but still must maintain a sense of decorum.
“We still remain professional at all times,” Johnson said. “They don’t want any jumping up and down. It’s still OK to show some emotion, just nothing overwhelming.”
What was overwhelming, Johnson says, was accompanying the team to last year’s College Football Playoff National Championship in Scottsdale, Arizona, in which Alabama defeated Clemson 45-40.
“Just to be part of such a huge national event, with millions of people watching on TV,” he said, “I don’t know how to put it into words. It was one of those memories that will last you a lifetime, just knowing you were there to be part of it.”
The Tigers will get another shot at the Crimson Tide in Monday night’s national championship game in Tampa, Florida.
And Johnson will again be there on the sidelines – keeping an eye on his Clemson family.
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©2017 The State (Columbia, S.C.)