You see them tearing down the hill into Death Valley with Dabo Swinney, or blasting through the smoke at Williams-Brice Stadium with Shane Beamer. As the coaches shout at their players from the sidelines or share a post-game handshake, an imposing gray figure is always close by, just over the coach’s shoulder like a watchful shadow.
Each Saturday during the fall, these nameless figures guard two of the biggest names in college football. So, who are these troopers? And how does one get selected for one of the most coveted details in the South Carolina Highway Patrol?
As commander of the Highway Patrol’s Troop 1, which includes Richland County, Captain Chris Shelton selects the troopers who protect Gamecocks head coach Shane Beamer.
“It’s an honorable duty,” Shelton said. “On game days, you’re attached to the coach. But at the same time, you have a responsibility to be prepared for anything out of the ordinary.”
The tradition of state troopers protecting college football coaches on game days is hardly a new one. Sports columnist Pat Forde suggested in a 2006 ESPN article that the practice began with Alabama coach Bear Bryant in the late 1950s. In the Palmetto State, the SC Highway Patrol has provided a trooper detail for the Clemson and USC coaches since at least the early 1960s.
Lance Corporal Mitch English grew up going to Clemson football games but first became interested in law enforcement after meeting a state trooper while coaching baseball in his hometown of Easley.
“The way that he dressed and carried himself, I wanted to be a part of that,” said English, who joined the Highway Patrol in 2014. “Once I started, that was a personal goal in my career, to get on the Clemson detail.”
English landed a spot on the detail for the 2020 season, as the visiting team liaison. For the 2021 season, he was promoted to Coach Swinney’s detail.
“I was ecstatic,” he said. “It was something I always wanted to do, a dream of mine since I started on the patrol, and it came true.”
Growing up in Columbia, Senior Trooper Deven Burris-Johnson couldn’t help but be a lifelong Gamecock fan, and joined the Highway Patrol in 2019 to continue his family’s history of service.
“My grandmother was a nurse for many years, and my grandfather was in the U.S. Army infantry for many years, so I was always taught about service, dedication, and wearing a uniform,” he said.
“Seeing them do well in their careers made me want to do well in a career in law enforcement.”
Burris-Johnson was unaware the Highway Patrol provided security details for the Clemson and USC coaches until his field training officer was asked to help out with the detail. Then one day in 2021, he got a call from his first sergeant he’ll never forget.
“They saw something in me and they gave me the opportunity. I felt honored to even be up for consideration,” Burris-Johnson recalled.
Several factors go into selecting the troopers for this coveted detail. Each head coach has two troopers assigned to his detail, while a third trooper escorts and assists the visiting teams. Captain Kevin Brown, commander of the Highway Patrol’s Troop 3, which includes Pickens County, said he gives the nod to troopers who have some time under their belts and have gone above and beyond in their work on the road.
“That’s something we look for — the dependability and the ability to work without supervision because they’re on their own when they travel with the team across the country,” he said. “They’re by themselves, so we look for people who will represent the department in their dealings. They present themselves well in uniform, their uniform’s always pressed, their shoes are always shined.”
Troopers selected for the detail typically serve one to five years, depending on their rank. Once a trooper attains the rank of Corporal, they must take on more supervisory responsibilities and are no longer eligible for the coaching detail. This creates an opportunity for the next eager trooper patiently waiting on the sidelines.
Working this detail is not a matter of showing up to the stadium the morning of a game. Depending on whether a game is home or away, it can consume the trooper’s entire weekend or more, while the trooper is still working enforcement on the road during the week.
“Our preparation starts well in advance of Saturday,” Burris-Johnson said. “We get the itinerary from the team; their schedule, all the way down to what they’re wearing that day. We’re keeping track of the weather, traffic — everything.”
For English, a typical home game weekend begins with escorting the Tigers to the team hotel on Friday night. They eat breakfast together on Saturday morning, and then escort the team’s buses to Memorial Stadium.
“It’s probably one of the coolest things I’ve ever done,” English said of descending the hill into Death Valley behind Swinney. The tradition carries its share of risk, though, especially for a trooper wearing a duty belt and boots.
“The first thing you worry about is falling,” English said, chuckling. “You don’t want to make the SportsCenter Top 10 list.”
Throughout the game, the troopers follow their respective coaches along the sidelines, to the locker rooms at halftime, and off the field at the game’s end. But keeping the coach safe after a game is easier said than done, with 90,000-plus screaming, excited fans wanting to hug the coach, shake his hand, or take selfies.
“Coach Beamer loves to interact,” Burris-Johnson said. “He wants to hug everybody, shake everybody’s hands. He wants everybody to come up and greet him. However, we’re trained to always be on guard and make sure he’s OK.”
Coach Swinney’s brother, Tracy, is Clemson’s Director of Football Security. Having served in and retired from law enforcement in Alabama, he appreciates what the troopers do and is adamant about making sure they are fully integrated into the Clemson football family, including inviting the troopers to team events when they are off duty.
“In my 30 years of law enforcement experience, I have never worked with more dedicated and professional state troopers than South Carolina,” Tracy Swinney said. “The troopers that are assigned to us are always looking out for the safety of our team, staff, and head coach. They build relationships with our players. They are excellent mentors to our players. We are family at Clemson. Our team troopers will always be a part of our family and culture.”
Burris-Johnson said they receive thanks not just from Beamer, but also the players. “They always come up and thank us for what we do,” he said. “They know what we’re doing, and they’re very appreciative.”
The troopers have seen their share of moments during so many Saturdays spent with their respective teams.
While escorting Beamer off the field immediately after the Gamecocks knocked off Tennessee last year, Burris-Johnson shared in the Gatorade bath that Beamer received when the players dumped a cooler of it on him. But his favorite memory was the Gamecocks’ victory over Clemson in Death Valley last November to snap a seven-game losing streak to the Tigers.
“It’s surreal,” he said of running onto the field at Williams-Brice with Beamer. “At the same time, my fandom and support for the team have to subside because I have a job to do,” he said. “Number one is making sure Coach Beamer and the players are safe. When I get to take a peek at the game, of course, I’m rooting for the Gamecocks.”
Likewise, English’s favorite memory was Clemson’s 30-0 shutout win over South Carolina in Columbia the year prior. Like Burris-Johnson, he knows what job he is there to do. But what he enjoys more than experiencing the game he loves in such a unique way, is seeing Swinney mold and shape his players.
“He’s there to win football games, but he’s also there to make these 18, 19, 20-year-olds into men, good members of society, good fathers and good husbands,” he said. “Being able to see that is pretty cool.”
Whether the team wins or loses, Burris-Johnson knows he still has to suit up and do his job at the next game. It’s an opportunity that many on the Highway Patrol want but only few will have, and one that he savors and doesn’t take for granted.
“I wear my family name on my shirt,” he said referring to his gold-plated nametag. “I wear the Highway Patrol patch on my sleeve. So I’m representing my family and my agency."
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