Steve Spurrier
Spurrier in March 2007
Title	Head coach
College	South Carolina
Sport	American football
Team record	21–16
Born	April 20, 1945 (1945-04-20) (age 63)
Place of birth	Miami Beach, FL
Annual salary	$1,750,000 [1]
Career highlights
Overall	163–56–2 (NCAA) 12–20 (NFL)
Bowls	7–7
Coaching stats
College Football DataWarehouse
Championships
1996 National Championship 1989 ACC Championship 1991, 1993-1996, 2000 SEC Championships
Awards
1966 Heisman Trophy 1988, 1989 ACC Coach of the Year 1990, 1991, 1994-1996, 2005 SEC Coach of the Year
Playing career
1963-1966	Florida
Position	QB
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1978 1979 1980-1982 1983-1985 1987-1989 1990-2001 2002-2003 2005-present	Florida (QB coach) Georgia Tech (QB coach) Duke (Assist. For the coaching strategy game see NFL Head Coach. A head coach is a professional who is responsible for the overall actions of This is a list of American institutions of Higher education in the United States and abroad sorted by region This article is about the University of South Carolina in Columbia American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with Events 1303 - The University of Rome La Sapienza is instituted by Pope Boniface VIII. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC is a collegiate athletic league in the United States. The Southeastern Conference (SEC is a College Athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which operates in the southeastern The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the Southeastern Conference 's Eastern division Quarterback ( QB) is a position in American and Canadian football. For the coaching strategy game see NFL Head Coach. A head coach is a professional who is responsible for the overall actions of The University of Florida ( Florida or UF) is a public land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant major Research The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly known as Georgia Tech, or Tech, is a public, Coeducational Research university in Duke University is a private Research University located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. ) Tampa Bay Bandits Duke Florida Washington Redskins South Carolina

Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945 in Miami Beach, Florida) is a former American football player and currently the head coach of the University of South Carolina football team. Events 1303 - The University of Rome La Sapienza is instituted by Pope Boniface VIII. Year 1945 ( MCMXLV) was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar American football, known in the United States and Canada simply as football, is a competitive Team sport known for mixing strategy with Coach (baseball|Coach (basketball|Coach (ice hockeyIn Sports a coach or manager is an individual involved in the direction instruction and training of the operations This article is about the University of South Carolina in Columbia College football is American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, Colleges and military academies He was a two-time All-American and is a member of the College Football Hall of Fame as a player. An All-American "team" is an honorary Sports team composed of outstanding Amateur players those considered the best players of a specific season for The College Football Hall of Fame, located in South Bend Indiana, USA is a hall of fame and museum devoted to College football. He is well known for winning the Heisman Trophy in 1966, and for coaching the University of Florida football team to six SEC championships in the decade from 1991–2000 including one National Championship in 1996. Year 1966 ( MCMLXVI) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link will display full calendar of the 1966 Gregorian calendar. The University of Florida ( Florida or UF) is a public land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant major Research The Southeastern Conference (SEC is a College Athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which operates in the southeastern Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar)

Playing career

Spurrier was a multi-talented athlete in high school starring not only in football but also baseball and basketball at Science Hill High School in Johnson City, Tennessee. Science Hill High School is a High school ( grades 8-12 in Johnson City Tennessee with an enrollment of approximately 2600 students Johnson City is a city in Carter, Sullivan, and Washington Counties in the U A strong competitor, Steve played quarterback for the University of Florida, where he won the Heisman Trophy. Quarterback ( QB) is a position in American and Canadian football. The University of Florida ( Florida or UF) is a public land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant major Research Steve finished his playing career at Florida with 4,848 yards passing and 36 touchdowns. At UF, Spurrier was inducted into the University of Florida Hall of Fame, the UF Athletic Hall of Fame, and Florida Blue Key. Florida Blue Key is a student honor and service society at the University of Florida. He is a brother of the Florida Alpha Omega Chapter of the Alpha Tau Omega fraternity. This article is about the student fraternity in the United States

In 1967, Spurrier was drafted during the first round by the San Francisco 49ers. Spurrier spent nine years with the 49ers before playing his last NFL season in 1976 with the expansion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (often shortened as the Bucs) are a professional American football team based in Tampa Florida. During his ten year career, Spurrier played in a total of 106 games, accumulating 597 completions, including 6,878 yards and 40 touchdowns, in 1,151 pass attempts.

Coaching career

Early career

After retiring from the NFL, Steve Spurrier began his coaching career as a quarterbacks coach at the University of Florida. List of current National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I Football Bowl Subdivision College football Head coaches Offensive coordinators After serving as assistant coach at Duke University and Georgia Tech, Spurrier received his first head coaching job with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League in 1983, where he compiled a record of 35-21. Duke University is a private Research University located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly known as Georgia Tech, or Tech, is a public, Coeducational Research university in The Tampa Bay Bandits was a franchise in the United States Football League and competed in all three of the seasons of that league's existence 1983, 1984 For the proposed "New USFL" see United States Football League (2010. Year 1983 ( MCMLXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1983 Gregorian calendar) The team had significant success before the league dissolved after its third season. In 1987, Spurrier became head coach of the Duke Blue Devils. Year 1987 ( MCMLXXXVII) was a Common year starting on Thursday (link displays 1987 Gregorian calendar) Duke University is a private Research University located in Durham, North Carolina, United States. There he led the team to highs it had not reached in many years, including the ACC title in 1989. Coach Spurrier received the ACC Coach of the Year award in 1988 and 1989. Year 1988 ( MCMLXXXVIII) was a Leap year starting on Friday (link displays 1988 Gregorian calendar) Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) For giving him his first college head coaching job, Spurrier annually votes Duke at #25 on his preseason Coaches Poll ballot and on every weekly poll until they lose their first game.

Florida Gators

On December 31, 1989, Spurrier accepted the head coaching job at the University of Florida, his alma mater. Events 406 – Vandals, Alans and Suebians cross the Rhine, beginning an invasion of Gallia. Year 1989 ( MCMLXXXIX) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link displays 1989 Gregorian calendar) Known as the "Ol' Ball Coach" or "The Visor" due to his preference for and tendency to throw it during games. Spurrier helped guide the team away from a period of scandal and captured the school's first ever Southeastern Conference (SEC) championship in 1991. The Southeastern Conference (SEC is a College Athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which operates in the southeastern The Gators won the SEC Title in 4 of the next 5 years. The 1996 season saw the team capture its first ever National Championship with a 52-20 win over Florida State in the Sugar Bowl, avenging the Gators' sole loss of the season in which Florida State beat Florida 24-21 in the regular season. Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) However, Spurrier's finest hour as a coach may have been the game in 1997 versus undefeated and national title game-bound Florida State. Florida State University (commonly referred to as Florida State or FSU) is a public Research University located in Tallahassee Spurrier used a QB-shuttle strategy that brought Doug Johnson and Noah Brindise in and out of the game and confused the FSU defense, giving Spurrier an endless amount of counsel with both QBs without having to use time-outs. Doug Johnson (born October 27, 1977) is an American football Quarterback. Florida upset the heavily-favored Seminoles 32-29.

Along with winning 122 games in 12 seasons at Florida, Spurrier is also credited with changing the way the SEC played offense. Spurrier employed a pass-oriented offense in contrast to the ball control, rush-oriented offenses that were traditionally found in the SEC. His innovative offensive scheme forced many in the conference to change their offensive and defensive playcalling.

Other memorable feats during Spurrier's tenure at the University of Florida 1990-2001 were:

• Six SEC titles (1991, 1993-1996, 2000)
• 5-time SEC Coach of the Year
• Became the first person to have both won a Heisman Trophy and to have coached a Heisman Trophy winner (Danny Wuerffel)
• Won at least nine games in each of his 12 seasons at Florida, one of only three coaches in major college history with that record. Year 1990 ( MCMXC) was a Common year starting on Monday (link displays the 1990 Gregorian calendar) Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. Year 1991 ( MCMXCI) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar. Year 1993 ( MCMXCIII) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar) Year 1996 ( MCMXCVI) was a Leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar) 2000 ( MM) was a Leap year that started on Saturday of the Common Era, in accordance with the Gregorian calendar. Daniel Carl Wuerffel (born May 27, 1974 in Pensacola Florida) is a former American football player who won the 1996 Heisman Trophy
• Averaged 10 wins per season.
• Ranked in the top 15 nationally in each of his 12 seasons at Florida, including nine Top 10 finishes, five Top 5s and an average final ranking of 6. 8.
• Spurrier's Gators appeared in the weekly polls 202 of a possible 203 weeks, including each of his last 202 consecutive weeks. From 1990-2001, 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 with that record.
• Spurrier is the only major college coach to win as many as 120 games in his first 12 seasons at one school (122-27-1 (. 817) at Florida from 1990-2001).
• One of only two coaches in major college history to win 10 or more games in six consecutive seasons (1993-98).

Under his leadership, the Gator offense became the only collegiate unit to score at least 500 points, including bowl games, for four straight years (1993-96) since the NCAA started keeping statistics in 1937.

Spurrier is also credited with creating the nickname "The Swamp" for Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the Gators' home field. Florida Gators football Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field (aka The Swamp) is the American football Stadium for the University of Florida Florida Gators football Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field (aka The Swamp) is the American football Stadium for the University of Florida

When signing with the University of Florida he insisted the artificial turf in the stadium be replaced with grass. The Swamp remains a grass field today.

Spurrier also became known for his gamesmanship while at UF, doing such things as giving much-derided Georgia coach Ray Goff the nickname of "Ray Goof" and intentionally running up the score against not only lesser teams, but also conference rivals such as UGA and Kentucky. Gamesmanship is the use of dubious (although not technically illegal methods to win a Game, such as Golf or Snooker. Ray Goff was a College football player and coach of the Georgia Bulldogs. His rivalry with Tennessee and their coach Phillip Fulmer became highly publicized, as Spurrier would often tell the media after UF wins over the Vols that "you can't spell 'Citrus' without 'UT'", a reference to the Citrus Bowl, which second-place teams in the SEC would often go to in the postseason. The Tennessee Volunteers football team is the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK NCAA division I football team Phillip Fulmer (born September 1 1950 in Winchester Tennessee) is the head football coach at the University of Tennessee, where he has been The Capital One Bowl is an annual College football Bowl game played in Orlando Florida at the Citrus Bowl, and previously known as the

On January 4, 2002, Spurrier abruptly resigned his University of Florida coaching position stating, "I simply believe that 12 years as head coach at a major university in the SEC is long enough. Events 46 BC - Titus Labienus defeats Julius Caesar in the Battle of Ruspina. See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. "^[2]

Before Spurrier's return to coach the Gamecocks against the Gators on November 11, 2006, 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. The Gator Football Ring of Honor is Florida's alternative to retiring a player's number and pays homage to the greatest former players and coaches Daniel Carl Wuerffel (born May 27, 1974 in Pensacola Florida) is a former American football player who won the 1996 Heisman Trophy Emmitt James Smith III (born May 15 1969 in Pensacola Florida) is a former American football player who played for the Dallas Cowboys Herbert Jackson Youngblood III (born January 26, 1950 in Jacksonville Florida) is a former American football Defensive end who played At both appearances, Spurrier received standing ovations from the crowd. ^[3][4]

Spurrier is known to hold a deep love for his alma mater. In April 2007, after Florida beat Ohio State's teams in both the football and basketball national championship games, Spurrier was quoted as saying "We've kind of turned Ohio State into Runner-up U. The Ohio State University ( OSU) is a Coeducational public Research university in the state of Ohio. , haven't we?"[1] The royal "we" in this statement was partially in reference to the Gators' recent dominance of Ohio State, as well as South Carolina's back-to-back wins over Ohio State in the Outback Bowl in 2001 and 2002.

Washington Redskins

Ten days after Spurrier resigned his position at the University of Florida, Spurrier became head coach of the NFL's Washington Redskins. The University of Florida ( Florida or UF) is a public land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant major Research The Washington Redskins are a professional American football team based in the Washington D Spurrier's five-year, $25 million contract with the Redskins was the most lucrative coaching contract in the history of the league at the time. ^[5]

In his first NFL season he put up a respectable 7-9 mark for a first-year head coach.

The defense created a modest amount of pressure and 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 3rd quarter lead against Tampa Bay in week 6 that resulted in a 35-13 blowout.

One bright spot on his staff was his son, Steve Spurrier, Jr. , who helped wide receivers Laveranues Coles and Rod Gardner reach their finest seasons thus far in the NFL, including Coles' only Pro Bowl appearance to date. Laveranues Leon Coles (la-VERN-ee-us (born December 29, 1977 in Jacksonville Florida) is an American football Wide receiver who Roderick F Gardner (born October 26, 1977 in Jacksonville, Florida) is an American football Wide receiver in the In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the All-star game of the National Football League (NFL

Another bright spot was in Week 4 of the 2003 season. Washington defeated the New England Patriots 20-17; it would be New England's last loss until Week 7 of the 2004 season. The New England Patriots, commonly called the " Pats " by sports writers and fans are a professional American football team based in the Greater Boston The Redskins went 5-11 in that season.

Spurrier's offensive line troubles resulted in quarterback Patrick Ramsey being one of the most sacked and hurried quarterbacks in the league. Patrick Jones Ramsey (born February 14, 1979 in Ruston, Louisiana) is an American football player in the National Football League Spurrier would often bench him mid-game during a bad performance in favor of Danny Wuerffel or Shane Matthews, who both played under Spurrier at Florida. Daniel Carl Wuerffel (born May 27, 1974 in Pensacola Florida) is a former American football player who won the 1996 Heisman Trophy Michael Shane Matthews (born June 1 1970 in Cleveland, Mississippi) is a former American football Quarterback in the Both combined for 14 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 15 games played. (TD/INT Wuerffel 3-6 with 7 games, Matthews 11-6 with 8 games).

Spurrier's last game as an NFL head coach was a 31-7 blowout at the hands of the Eagles. In their last three games, 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, Spurrier openly discussed coaching for a college team 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 their 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. The University of Florida ( Florida or UF) is a public land-grant, sea-grant, space-grant major Research Ron Zook (born April 28, 1954 in Loudonville Ohio) is an American football coach and the current Head coach at the University Rumors began circulating that Spurrier was considering the University of South Carolina. This article is about the University of South Carolina in Columbia On November 22, South Carolina coach Lou Holtz officially announced his retirement. Louis Leo Holtz (born on January 6 1937 in Follansbee West Virginia) is an author television commentator motivational speaker and former NCAA 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 at the helm, Spurrier led the South Carolina football program to several notable successes. Athletics (track and field For an extensive coverage see 2005 in athletics (track and field Track 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. The Southeastern Conference (SEC is a College Athletic conference headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama, which operates in the southeastern 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 joining the SEC. Spurrier was named SEC Coach of the Year by the Associated Press, and the Gamecocks finished with a 7-5 record for the 2005 season.

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. Athletics (track and field For an extensive coverage see 2006 in athletics (track and field Track [2] He then followed with a 15-0 win over Mississippi State in Starkville, Mississippi, where he was 0-2 while coaching the Florida Gators. Mississippi State University is a Land-grant university located in north east-central Mississippi, United States, in the town of Starkville and Starkville is a city in Oktibbeha County, Mississippi, United States. 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 at Gainesville. The Gator Football Ring of Honor is Florida's alternative to retiring a player's number and pays homage to the greatest former players and coaches ^[6] Later in the season on November 11, Spurrier returned to "The Swamp" to face off against his former team, who were ranked #6 at the time. 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. In the final game of the regular season, Spurrier led the Gamecocks to victory over in-state rival Clemson at Death Valley. Frank Howard Field at Memorial Stadium, popularly known as Death Valley, is home to the Clemson University Tigers a NCAA Division I-A football Trailing 28-14 in the 3rd quarter, South Carolina scored 17 unanswered points to lead 31-28. With 8 seconds left in the game, Clemson's field goal attempt missed wide left as USC celebrated their first victory over Clemson in five years. On December 2, amid speculation he was a candidate for head coaching jobs at Miami or Alabama, Spurrier received a contract extension through 2012 and a raise from $1. The University of Miami (also known as Miami of Florida, UM, or just The U) is a private non-sectarian University founded in 1925 25 million to $1. 75 million annually. [3] Spurrier and the Gamecocks went on to defeat the Houston Cougars in the Liberty Bowl on December 29, to finish the season 8-5. Houston Cougars is the name given to the sports teams of the University of Houston. The Liberty Bowl is an annual US American College football Bowl game played in December of each year since 1959 All five losses were to ranked opponents. Spurrier became the first coach in USC Football history to take a South Carolina team to a bowl game in his first two seasons as head coach. South Carolina ( is a state in the southern region ( Deep South) of the United States of America.

In the 2007 football season, Spurrier's third as USC head coach, the Gamecocks got off to a quick start start winning 16-12 on the road over SEC rival #11 Georgia early in the season, as well as beating then undefeated #8 Kentucky 38-23, and climbed to #6 in the National and BCS rankings. South Carolina stumbled down the stretch however, dropping their final five games. The 6-6 (3-5 SEC) season record marks the first non-winning season for Spurrier since his first season at Duke in 1987.

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 at USC. Sparky Woods (born December 20, 1953) is the current Head coach of the Virginia Military Institute College football team This article is about the University of South Carolina in Columbia Only female fans are invited to attend the clinic where both the football staff and players discuss the X's and O's to fans who want to understand the game better. The attendees get to ask the coaches and players questions and go through demonstrations in the morning session at the Colonial Center and a luncheon. All attendees get a tour of the 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 to "Also sprach Zarathustra" the same way the team does during the season. Williams-Brice Stadium is the home football Stadium for the South Carolina Gamecocks, the college football team representing the University of South Also sprach Zarathustra op 30 is a Tone poem by Richard Strauss, composed in 1896 and inspired by Friedrich Nietzsche 's book The event has been hosted by both Steve Spurrier and his wife Jerri.

Head coaching record

College

• (*)The 1990 Florida team was on probation and ineligible to win the conference title, to be selected to a bowl, or to be selected in the coaches poll.

National Football League

References

External links

• Official South Carolina Gamecocks bio