Years of investment paying off for ACC football in national reputation Posted Aug 2, 2018 John Swofford played in the ACC at a time (1968-71) when its football was a national afterthought at best. Back then, even though Clemson won the league a national championship in 1981, and even though the ACC sent players like Randy White and Lawrence Taylor to the NFL, preseason polls rarely included ACC teams in their Top 10 or even their Top 15. (WRAL Sports Fan)