Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is quickly receiving just about every honor one could have in college football coaching. But there’s still something special about receiving special recognition from your own high school.

Swinney had his high school No. 81 retired during a ceremony on Friday night at Alabama’s Pelham High School.

“It’s really special,” Swinney told Rick Karle in a video Karle posted to Twitter. “Everything started in Pelham, Alabama for me, and so just an honor to be able to come back here and receive this recognition. Just so thankful and grateful for the moment.”

Swinney, of course, is coming off a 52-14 victory on Thursday against Georgia Tech. The Tigers play host to Texas A&M next week. Swinney said it was a good start for the Tigers as they rushed for more than 400 yards, and he dismissed the notion that Trevor Lawrence had a bit of a tough game, as the quarterback only played two and a half quarters.

Swinney has stayed in touch with his hometown since he played football at Pelham and walked on Alabama, then later played on the 1992 national championship team before he joined coach Gene Stallings’ staff as a coach. In 2011, Swinney came back to Pelham for “Dabo Swinney Day” and received a framed replica of his high school jersey, AL.com reported.

In 2016, Swinney returned to Pelham to play in an alumi flag football game.