Misplaced Pages

Revision as of 16:59, 4 September 2009

Steve Spurrier

Stephen "Steve" Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945) was a college and professional football player, and is the current head coach of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks football team. He was a two-time All-American quarterback, and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player. Spurrier is best known for winning the Heisman Trophy in 1966, and for coaching the University of Florida Gators football team to six Southeastern Conference (SEC) championships and one National Championship (1996).

Playing career

Spurrier was a three-sport letterman in high school, starring in football, basketball and baseball at Science Hill High School in Johnson City, Tennessee. In three years as the starting pitcher for Science Hill, he never lost a game and led his team to two consecutive state championships. He was an all-state selection in football, basketball and baseball, and a prep All-American quarterback.

After graduating from Science Hill, Spurrier played quarterback for coach Ray Graves at the University of Florida, where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1966. In addition to being a stellar passer, he gained notoriety by waving off the starting place-kicker and booting a 40-yard field goal to defeat Auburn 30–27 in a key game during his senior season. Spurrier finished his three-year, 31-game career as Florida's starting quarterback having completed 392 of 692 attempts, with 4,848 passing yards, 37 touchdowns and 442 yards rushing. He was selected twice as a first-team All-American.

The San Francisco 49ers selected Spurrier in the first round of the 1967 NFL Draft. Spurrier played for the 49ers for nine seasons, mostly as a backup to John Brodie, before being traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers expansion team for his final NFL season in 1976. He played his best game as an NFL quarterback against the Minnesota Vikings in 1973, when he completed 31 of 48 attempts for 320 yards. During his ten-year NFL career, Spurrier played in 106 games, completing 597 passes in 1,151 attempts, for a total of 6,878 yards and 40 touchdowns.

Coaching career

Early career

After retiring from the NFL, Spurrier began his coaching career as the quarterbacks coach at the University of Florida in 1978, but he was not retained by the new Gators head coach, Charley Pell, when Pell took control of the program the following season. In 1979, he coached the quarterbacks at Georgia Tech under Pepper Rodgers, and worked as an assistant coach and the offensive coordinator at Duke University from 1980 to 1982. In 1983, Spurrier received his first head coaching job with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League (USFL), where he compiled an overall record of 35–21 in three seasons before the USFL dissolved. In 1987, Spurrier accepted the head coaching position for the Duke Blue Devils of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). Before he arrived in Durham, Duke had become the perennial cellar-dweller of the ACC. Spurrier proceeded to lead his Blue Devils to levels of success the team had not known in over 25 years, including Duke's first bowl game appearance since the 1960 Cotton Bowl, and a tie for the 1989 ACC championship, Duke's first since 1962. After-back-to-back winning seasons, Spurrier was named the ACC Coach of the Year in 1988 and 1989.

Florida Gators

On December 31, 1989, Spurrier accepted the head coaching job at the University of Florida, his alma mater. He inherited a team on NCAA probation for the second time in five years, and a football program that had never won an officially recognized Southeastern Conference (SEC) football championship in 57 seasons of SEC play. Spurrier successfully steered the program away from the previous scandals and captured the Gators' first officially recognized SEC title in 1991. Under Spurrier, the Gators won the SEC title in four of the next five years, and represented the SEC East in the first five SEC Championship Games. The 1996 team captured the Gators' first-ever National Championship with a 52-20 win over Florida State in the Sugar Bowl, avenging the Gators' sole regular season loss in which Florida State upset Florida 24–21 in Tallahassee.

The 1996 National Championship notwithstanding, Spurrier's finest moment as a coach may have been the Gators' 1997 game against the previously undefeated and national title game-bound Florida State Seminoles. Spurrier used a two-quarterback offense, rotating quarterbacks Doug Johnson and Noah Brindise in and out of the game, confusing the Florida State defense and its veteran coordinator, Mickey Andrews, and giving Spurrier more time to counsel his quarterbacks on the sidelines without having to use time-outs. Florida upset the heavily-favored Seminoles 32–29.

Significantly, Spurrier is credited with changing the way the SEC played football. Spurrier employed a pass-oriented offense (known in the sports media as the "Fun 'n' Gun") in contrast to the ball-control, rush-oriented offenses that were traditionally played in the SEC. His innovative offensive schemes forced many coaches in the SEC to change their offensive and defensive play-calling.

Spurrier and his Gators accomplished a number of memorable feats during his 12 seasons as head coach for the University of Florida (1990–2001), including:

• Won one National Championship (1996), and played for another (1995).
• Won six SEC championships (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000).
• Named SEC Coach of the Year five times (1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996).
• First person to win a Heisman Trophy and to coach a Heisman Trophy-winner (Danny Wuerffel).
• Won at least nine games in each of his 12 seasons, one of only three coaches in major college history to do so.
• Averaged more than 10 wins per season.
• Ranked in the final top 15 in each of his 12 seasons, including nine top-10 finishes, five final top-5 rankings, and an average end-of-season ranking of 6.8.
• Appeared in the weekly polls 202 of a possible 203 weeks, including each of his last 202 consecutive weeks. The Gators were ranked number one in the polls 29 times, appeared in the top five for 117 weeks, and among the nation's top 10 for 179 weeks.
• Appeared in a bowl game in each of his last 11 seasons, one of only five schools to do during the same time period.
• Only coach in major college history to win as many as 120 games in his first 12 seasons at one school (an overall record of 122–27–1, with a winning percentage of .8167).
• One of only two coaches in major college history to win 10 or more games in six consecutive seasons (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998).
• Only college football team to score at least 500 points, including bowl games, for four consecutive years (1993, 1994, 1995, 1996) since the NCAA began keeping statistics in 1937.

Spurrier is also credited with creating the nickname "The Swamp" for Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the Gators' home field. He insisted that the artificial turf in the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium be replaced with grass, and the "Swamp" remains a natural surface field today.

Spurrier was known for his gamesmanship while coaching Florida, doing such things as giving much-derided Georgia coach Ray Goff the nickname of "Ray Goof." His rivalry with the Tennessee Volunteers and their coach Phillip Fulmer became highly publicized, as Spurrier would gig the Volunteers after the Gators' wins over Tennessee, saying that "you can't spell 'Citrus' without 'UT,'" a reference to the Citrus Bowl, which has the contractual right to select the second-place SEC football team. He also said of Peyton Manning, Tennessee's quarterback, "I know why Peyton came back for his senior year: he wanted to be a three-time Citrus Bowl MVP!"

Other memorable one-liners from Steve Spurrier included nicknaming rival Florida State University, "Free Shoes University," for the Seminoles' NCAA troubles with recruiting violations.

On January 4, 2002, Spurrier abruptly resigned his University of Florida coaching position stating, "I simply believe that twelve years as head coach at a major university in the SEC is long enough."

Before Spurrier returned to coach his Gamecocks against the Gators in 2006 and 2008, his most recent visits to Gainesville were on September 2, 2006, to take part in the Gators' celebration of the 10-year anniversary of their 1996 championship season, and on September 30, 2006, when he was one of the first four inductees into the Gator Football Ring of Honor, alongside Danny Wuerffel, Emmitt Smith, and Jack Youngblood. At both appearances, Spurrier received standing ovations from the crowd.

Spurrier is known to hold a deep affection for his alma mater. When he was inducted into the Gators' "Ring of Honor," Spurrier humbly announced to the sell-out crowd at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium: "I'd just like to thank coach Ray Graves for bringing the skinny kid from Tennessee to the University of Florida." Spurrier has not let his loyalty to the University of Florida get in the way of a budding Florida-South Carolina rivalry, however; in 2005, his Gamecocks team upset the Gators 30-22 in Columbia, costing the Gators a shot at the 2005 SEC championship.

Washington Redskins

Ten days after Spurrier resigned his position at the University of Florida, he became head coach of the NFL's Washington Redskins. Spurrier's five-year, $25 million contract with the Redskins was the most lucrative coaching contract in the history of the NFL at the time.

In his first NFL coaching season (2002), Spurrier's Redskins finished with a respectable 7–9 record. The defense created a modest amount of pressure and number of interceptions, but gave up 4.4 yards a carry, and blew several leads during the season, including a 23–10 lead against the Miami Dolphins in week 12, and a 13–7 late third quarter lead against Tampa Bay in week 6 that resulted in a 35–13 blowout.

The high point of Spurrier's NFL coaching career came in Week 4 of the 2003 season, when Spurrier's Redskins defeated the New England Patriots 20–17; it would be New England's last loss until Week 7 of the 2004 season. The Patriots finished 14–2 and won the Super Bowl; the Redskins finished 5–11.

Spurrier's offensive line troubles resulted in starting quarterback Patrick Ramsey being one of the most sacked and hurried quarterbacks in the league. Spurrier would often bench him mid-game during a bad performance in favor of Danny Wuerffel or Shane Matthews, who both played for Spurrier at the University of Florida. Wuerffel and Matthews combined for 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 15 games played. Wuerffel's touchdown-to-interception ratio was 3–6 in 7 games; Matthews' ratio was 11–6 in 8 games.

Spurrier's last game as an NFL head coach was a 31–7 blow-out loss at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles. In their last three games with Spurrier as their head coach, the Redskins were outscored 85–31, including a 27–0 loss to the Dallas Cowboys. On December 30, 2003, Spurrier resigned as the Redskins' coach.

South Carolina Gamecocks

Throughout the 2004 football season, various sources openly speculated about Spurrier coaching for a college team somewhere in the Southeast. The University of Florida had announced that they would be looking for a new coach when Spurrier's successor at Florida, Ron Zook, was fired after three seasons, but after the Gators' athletic director, Jeremy Foley, said that Spurrier would have to go through the interview process like anyone else, Spurrier removed his name from consideration to coach the Gators again. Rumors began circulating that Spurrier was considering the University of South Carolina. On November 22, South Carolina coach Lou Holtz officially announced his retirement. In his speech, Holtz hinted that Spurrier would replace him. The next day, months of rumors were put to rest as Spurrier was introduced as South Carolina's new head coach, signing a seven-year deal that paid him $1.25 million per year.

In 2005, his first season as the Gamecocks' new head coach, Spurrier led his South Carolina Gamecocks to several notable successes. The Gamecocks, who were not expected to have a winning season by most pundits, rattled off a five-game SEC winning streak for the first time in school history. Included among those victories were historic wins at Tennessee (16–15) —- the program's first win in Knoxville —- and against then 12th-ranked Florida (30–22), who South Carolina had not beaten since 1939. The Associated Press named Spurrier the SEC Coach of the Year, and the Gamecocks finished the 2005 season with a 7-5 record and a trip to the Independence Bowl.

Two days prior to South Carolina's 2006 season opener, Spurrier announced that he would kick off the athletics department's capital campaign with a $250,000 donation over five years. Spurriers' Gamecocks opened the 2006 season with a 15–0 win over Mississippi State in Starkville, where he was 0–2 while coaching the Florida Gators. With the victory, he reached 150 wins for his college coaching career. On September 30, Spurrier was inducted into the Gator Football Ring of Honor in a pre-game ceremony in Gainesville. Later in the season on November 11, Spurrier returned to "The Swamp" to face off against his former Gators team, which was then ranked sixth in the BCS rankings. Trailing 17–16, the Gamecocks had a chance to win with a 48-yard field goal attempt on the last play of the game. However, Ryan Succop's kick was blocked as time expired in a repeat of an earlier blocked extra-point attempt.

On December 2, amid speculation he was a candidate for head coaching jobs at Miami and Alabama, Spurrier received a contract extension through 2012 and a raise from $1.25 million to $1.75 million annually. Spurrier and the Gamecocks went on to defeat the Houston Cougars in the Liberty Bowl on December 29, and finished the season 8-5. All five of the Gamecocks' 2006 losses were to ranked opponents. Spurrier became the first coach in Gamecock football history to take a South Carolina team to a bowl game in both of his first two seasons as head coach.

During the 2007 football season, Spurrier's third as USC head coach, the Gamecocks got off to a quick start, chalking up a 16–12 win over SEC East rival (and 11th-ranked) Georgia in Athens, in the second game of the season, as well as beating previously undefeated (and 8th-ranked) Kentucky 38–23. South Carolina climbed to 6th in the Associated Press Poll and BCS rankings, but the Gamecocks could not sustain their winning streak, however, and lost their final five games of the season. The 6–6 (3–5 SEC) season record marked Spurrier's first non-winning college season since his first season at Duke in 1987.

While Spurrier's Gamecocks teams have shown flashes of his old "fun 'n' gun" offense, they have mostly relied on stout defense to win upsets. The Gamecocks' inability to produce a quarterback who can manage Spurrier's offensive system consistently and efficiently has continued to hobble his attempts to advance the South Carolina football program beyond the middle ranks of the Southeastern Conference. The Gamecocks finished the 2008 season 7-6, following a 31-10 loss in the Outback Bowl in Tampa, Florida.

Spurrier won his 100th SEC game on October 11, 2008, coaching the Gamecocks to a 24–17 victory over Kentucky. Spurrier has never lost to Kentucky, having won 16 consecutive games as the head coach at Florida and South Carolina. In his four seasons as the Gamecocks' head coach, Spurrier has beaten each of South Carolina's SEC Eastern Division rivals at least once, but has not been able to engineer a complete season to date. Apart from his perfect record against Kentucky, his four Gamecocks teams have posted a 2-2 record against Tennessee, 2-2 against Vanderbilt, 1-3 against Florida, 1-3 against Clemson, and 1-3 against Georgia. They have also split 2-2 against their annual SEC Western Division opponent, Arkansas. Against South Carolina's major in-state rival Clemson, Spurrier's Gamecocks have managed only one win in four games.

The Ladies Clinic

A popular tradition, started during the Sparky Woods era at USC, occurs on the last Saturday of July when the University of South Carolina athletics department hosts the annual "Steve Spurrier Ladies Football Clinic." Only female fans are invited to attend the clinic where USC football coaches and players discuss the X's and O's with fans who want to understand the game better. All attendees get a tour of the USC football facilities, and finish the day running onto the football field at Williams-Brice Stadium through the players' tunnel into the artificial smoke and theme music Also sprach Zarathustra, the same way the team does during the season. The event is hosted by Spurrier and his wife Jerri.

Personal

Spurrier was born on April 20, 1945, in Miami Beach, Florida. He is the son of Presbyterian minister J. Graham Spurrier and his wife Marjorie. The Spurrier family moved to Johnson City, Tennessee when he was 12 years old.

While a University of Florida student, Spurrier was a member of Alpha Tau Omega fraternity (Florida Alpha Omega chapter), and was inducted into the University of Florida Hall of Fame, the UF Athletic Hall of Fame, and Florida Blue Key leadership honorary.

Spurrier married his college sweetheart, the former Jerri Starr, on September 14, 1966, during his senior year at the University of Florida. They have been married for 43 years, and have four children together--Amy, Lisa, Steve, Jr., and Scott, as well as seven grandchildren. Spurrier's younger son, Scott, plays wide receiver for the Gamecocks, and his older son, Steve, Jr., is currently the Gamecocks' receivers coach.

Head coaching statistics

College

National Football League

See also

• 1996 Florida Gators football team
• 1997 Sugar Bowl
• Duke Blue Devils football
• Florida Gators
• Florida Gators football
• Heisman Trophy
• South Carolina Gamecocks football
• Southeastern Conference
• Tampa Bay Bandits
• University of Florida
• University of South Carolina
• Washington Redskins

References

1. ^ Gatorzone.com, Football, Coaches & Staff, Steve Spurrier Biography. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
2. ^ Heisman.com, 1966: Steve Spurrier. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
3. NFL.com, NFL Draft History, 1967 Round 1. Retrieved July 25, 2009. Spurrier was selected third overall in the 1967 NFL draft.
4. SportsIllustrated.com, SI Vault, Sports Illustrated (July 23, 1976). Retrieved July 25, 2009.
5. NFL.com, Historical Players, Steve Spurrier Career Statistics. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
6. ^ Gamecocks Online, Steve Spurrier Profile. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
7. Compare College Football Date Warehouse, Duke Yearly Results 1985-1989 and Duke Yearly Results 1960-1964. Retrieved July 25, 2009.
8. Matt Hayes, "Spurrier legacy at South Carolina in QB Garcia's hands," The Sporting News (May 27, 2009). Retrieved July 25, 2009.
9. The Gators won the 1984 SEC championship, but were forced to vacate the title, because of 59 documented violations of NCAA rules, by a vote of the SEC university presidents in the spring of 1985. The Gators also had the best record in the SEC in 1985 and 1990, but were ineligible for the SEC championship because of NCAA probation.
10. ^ Matthew Zemek, "Urban Meyer, Meet 1997," Gator Country (October 18, 2005). Retrieved July 26, 2009.
11. "Offensive Revolution: The Steve Spurrier Fun 'n' Gun," Sports Illustrated (August 8, 2005). Retrieved July 26, 2009.
12. Gatorzone.com, Facilities, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
13. ^ Dave Kindred, "Spurrier dares to imagine always," The Sporting News (January 28, 2002). Retrieved July 26, 2009.
14. Ray Goff responded publicly: "He's a good coach, but I'd like to run into him some night down a dark alley." Jack Hairston, "Spurrier Has Built a Sugar Bowl Legacy," Times-Picayune (January 8, 2008). Retrieved July 26, 2009.
15. Associated Press, "Spurrier resigns as Gators coach," ESPN (January 4, 2002). Retrieved July 25, 2009. See also American Rhetoric, Online Speech Bank, Steve Spurrier: Resignation Speech (University of Florida). Retrieved August 30, 2009.
16. SECSports.com, Football, SEC Football Roundup - Saturday, September 2nd. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
17. ^ SECSports.com, Football, SEC Football Roundup - Saturday, September 30th. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
18. Antonya English, "Gators start Ring of Honor with four former greats," St. Petersburg Times (October 1, 2009). Retrieved July 26, 2009.
19. College Football Data Warehouse, Florida, Coaching Records, Urban Meyer Records by Year: 2005. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
20. ^ "Schottenheimer out, Spurrier in for Redskins," ESPN News Services. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
21. See, e.g., Mark Maske, "Spurrier Considering Options in Florida," NFL Insider, The Washington Post (October 29, 2004). Retrieved July 26, 2009.
22. "With Zook out, will Spurrier get a call?," ESPN News Services (October 26, 2004). Retrieved July 26, 2009.
23. David Jones, "Spurrier withdraws name from Florida coaching search," USA Today (November 4, 2004).
24. College Football Data Warehouse, South Carolina, Coaching Records, Steve Spurrier Records by Year: 2005. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
25. ^ College Football Data Warehouse, South Carolina Opponents, South Carolina Record by Team, South Carolina vs. Tennessee. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
26. ^ College Football Data Warehouse, South Carolina Opponents, South Carolina Record by Team, South Carolina vs. Florida. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
27. College Football Data Warehouse, South Carolina, Coaching Records, Steve Spurrier Records by Year: 2005. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
28. Ben Crane, "Coach Gives funds to USC: Spurrier's gift seeks to aid renovations of athletic facilities," Daily Gamecock (September 6, 2006). Retrieved July 26, 2009.
29. Antonya English, "Gators start Ring of Honor with four former greats," St. Petersburg Times (October 1, 2006). Retrieved July 26, 2009.
30. ^ Alex Riley, "Spurrier's past still outshines his future: Battle with best of SEC leaves Carolina, Florida fans pondering legacy," Daily Gamecok (November 13, 2006). Retrieved August 26, 2009.
31. Associated Press, "Suitors beware, SC gives Spurrier $500K raise," ESPN (December 2, 2006). Retrieved July 25, 2009.
32. College Football Data Warehouse, South Carolina, Coaching Records, Steve Spurrier: 2006. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
33. AP Poll Archive, 2006 Final AP Football Poll. Retrieved August 26, 2009. In the final AP Poll, the five teams that defeated South Carolina finished as follows: Florida 1st, Auburn 10th, Arkansas 15th, Georgia 23rd, and Tennessee 25th.
34. ^ College Football Data Warehouse, South Carolina Yearly Results: 2005-2009. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
35. AP Poll Archive, October 14, 2007 AP Football Poll. Retrieved August 26, 2009
36. College Football Data Warehouse, Steve Spurrier Records by Year: 2007. Retrieved August 26, 2009.
37. College Football Data Warehouse, South Carolina Coaching Records, Steve Spurrier Records by Year. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
38. ^ College Football Data Warehouse, All-Time Coaching Records, Steve Spurrier: 2008. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
39. Gamecocks Online, Football, Scott Spurrier Profile. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
40. Gamecocks Online, Football, Steve Spurrier, Jr. Profile. Retrieved July 26, 2009.

External links

• GamecocksOnline.com - Official website of the South Carolina Gamecocks.
• Gatorzone.com - Official website of the Florida Gators.
• Heisman Trophy - Official website of the Heisman Trophy.
• University of Florida - Official website of the University of Florida.
• University of South Carolina - Official website of the University of South Carolina.

{{subst:#if:Spurrier, Steve|}} [[Category:{{subst:#switch:{{subst:uc:1945}}

|| UNKNOWN | MISSING = Year of birth missing {{subst:#switch:{{subst:uc:}}||LIVING=(living people)}}
| #default = 1945 births

}}]] {{subst:#switch:{{subst:uc:}}

|| LIVING  = 
| MISSING  = 
| UNKNOWN  = 
| #default = 

}}

• Living people
• Deaths
• Duke Blue Devils football coaches
• Head coaches of American football
• Florida Blue Key initiates
• Florida Gators football coaches
• Florida Gators football players
• Gator Football Ring of Honor
• Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets football coaches
• Heisman Trophy winners
• People from Johnson City, Tennessee
• People from Tennessee
• San Francisco 49ers players
• South Carolina Gamecocks football coaches
• Southeastern Conference
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers players
• United States Football League coaches
• University of Florida
• University of Florida alumni
• University of Florida athletics
• Washington Redskins coaches