He will not be around to complete the 10th.

Bowden stepped down Monday morning after what athletic director Terry Don Phillips labeled a lengthy, candid discussion about the state of the program at the midpoint of Bowden's 10th season.

Phillips suggested that Bowden proposed the resignation and that Phillips did not inform Bowden he would lose his job at any specific time in the future.

"I didn't have to," Phillips said. "We both understand that the conference championship was critically important.

"You look at Tommy's record, he has a very good record and done a lot of great things. But when you get in year 9, 10, 11, in that category, and you haven't won the conference, then it becomes a credibility issue."

Receivers coach Dabo Swinney was appointed interim head coach, and Phillips said he will be given a legitimate shot to keep the job, depending on how Clemson plays in its final six regular-season games.

Given personnel authority, Swinney fired offensive coordinator Rob Spence, whose play-calling has garnered heavy criticism during the offense's seasonlong slump.

Swinney, 38, will share play-calling responsibilities with Billy Napier, who was promoted from tight ends coach to Spence's former role overseeing quarterbacks.

Graduate assistants Jeff Scott and Mike Dooley have become the receivers and tight end coaches, respectively.

Furthermore, Swinney said he is sticking with Bowden's decision to start redshirt freshman Willy Korn over senior Cullen Harper in Saturday's noon game against Georgia Tech.

"I'm going to make mistakes, but I promise you I'm going to make them at full speed," Swinney said. "You're looking at a coach that has nothing to lose."

Swinney labeled the day "bittersweet" because of his relationship with Bowden, who was his first position coach at Alabama in 1989.

Conjecture about Bowden's job security reached unprecedented heights after Thursday's loss at Wake Forest gave Clemson its second in a row and left its record at 3-3 overall, 1-2 in the ACC.

While the Tigers are mathematically in the Atlantic Division title hunt, expectations had been high because of the team's No. 9 preseason ranking.

In nine-plus seasons, Bowden had a 72-45 record but went 43-32 in ACC games and was unable to guide the team to its first ACC title since 1991.

Phillips said Bowden put the resignation proposition on the table, and the two negotiated a $3.5 million buyout -- what Bowden's contract dictated he would have received if fired after Dec. 1.

Bowden, 54, did not take questions at Monday's news conference but appeared to fight emotions while giving an opening statement before addressing the team.

"Terry Don approached me this morning, and we both agreed this was probably the best solution for the program at this time," Bowden said. "I also want to thank the players and coaches that worked so hard. I wish them nothing but success, and I will be their biggest fan Saturday."

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