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Florida Gators (1990-2001)

[edit]

In December 1989, Spurrier accepted an offer to return to the University of Florida as the Gators' head ball coach. He had privately expressed interest in the job in early October, when Florida coach Galen Hall was fired mid-season for his alleged involvement in an NCAA rules violation and prominent Gator boosters reached out to Spurrier.[1] However, he delayed any further discussion at that time to concentrate on coaching Duke.[1] After the Blue Devils clinched the ACC championship in their last regular season game, Spurrier met with University of Florida president Robert Bryan and athletic director Bill Arnsparger, and he agreed in principle to return to Florida on December 12.[2]

Spurrier asked to delay an official announcement until both Florida and Duke had played in their respective bowl games. As rumors swirled, however, Spurrier broke the news to his Duke team on December 27, the night before they played in the 1989 All-American Bowl.[3] They played poorly and lost, and Spurrier later decided that he should have waited to tell his team until after the game, and that when it came to coaching jobs, "it's best to make your decision and move on quickly".[1]. Spurrier was officially announced as Florida's new football coach on December 31, 1989.[4][5]

1990-1992

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During his introductory press conference on New Year's Eve 1989, Spurrier said that he wanted to immediately change several things, including bringing back blue jerseys (Florida had switched from traditional blue to orange in 1979 under Charley Pell), bringing back natural grass to Florida Field (artificial turf had been installed in the early 1970s), and putting Miami back on the schedule (the schools' annual series had ended after the 1987 game).[1][6][note 1] He stressed the need to beat traditional rivals Auburn, Georgia, and Florida State, against whom Florida had gone 0-9 over the previous three seasons. Finally, he worked to convince Gator players and fans alike that it was possible to win championships at Florida, which had still never won an officially recognized conference title in eighty-three years of football.[1][7]

Spurrier's success as a player and offensive-minded coach raised the expectations of Florida's fanbase, and he did not temper those expectations leading up to the 1990 season. When asked in August about the competition for the Gators' starting quarterback position, for example, Spurrier said that he was still undecided, but (correctly) predicted that whoever became the Gators' starting quarterback would be an All-SEC player at the end of the season.[8]. Shane Matthews, who had been the 5th-string quarterback before Spurrier's arrival, was named the started, and he and the Gators opened the season with 50-7 victory over Oklahoma State. Matthews threw for 332 yards and two touchdowns for a team that had averaged less than 150 passing yards per game and under 10 touchdown passes per season over the previous three years. After the game, Spurrier said that it was the first time he had the opportunity to coach a team that was bigger and faster than his opponents, but added that he knew that would not be the case the following week at Alabama.[9][10][11]

Spurrier inherited a team under NCAA investigation for the second time in five years.[12] He successfully steered the program away from the previous scandals and led the Gators to the best record in the SEC in his first year, though they were declared ineligible for the league title due to NCAA probation handed down during the season. Building on the success of Spurrier's first year, Florida finally captured their first officially recognized SEC title in 1991.[13][14] 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.[13] The 1996 team captured the Gators' first-ever National Championship with a 52–20 win over Florida State in the Sugar Bowl,[15] avenging the Gators' sole regular season loss in which Florida State upset Florida 24–21 in Tallahassee.[13]

Steve Spurrier on Fan Day, 1999

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.[16] 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.[16] Florida upset the heavily favored Seminoles 32–29.[16]

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")[17] 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.

While his offensive style used a more wide open passing game than the SEC was accustomed to, Spurrier was also able to utilize a constant group of talented running backs. Many of them would later go on to have success at the NFL level, including Errict Rhett, Fred Taylor, Terry Jackson, and Earnest Graham.

Spurrier and his Gators accomplished a number of memorable feats during his twelve seasons in Gainesville (1990–2001), including:

  • Won one national championship (1997), and played for another (1996).[13]
  • Won six SEC championships (1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000).[13]
  • Named SEC Coach of the Year five times (1990, 1991, 1994, 1995, 1996).[13]
  • First Heisman Trophy-winner to coach a Heisman Trophy-winner (Danny Wuerffel).[13]
  • Won at least nine games in each of his twelve seasons, one of only three coaches in major college history to do so.[13]
  • Averaged more than ten wins per season.[13]
  • Ranked in the final top fifteen in each of his twelve seasons, including nine top-ten finishes, five final top-five rankings, and an average end-of-season ranking of 6.8.[13]
  • Appeared among the top twenty-five teams 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 twenty-nine times, appeared among the top five team for 117 weeks, and among the nation's top ten teams for 179 weeks.[13]
  • Appeared in a bowl game in each of his last eleven seasons—every season in which the Gators were eligible—one of only five schools to do so during the same time period.[13]
  • Only coach in major college history to win as many as 120 games in his first twelve seasons at one school (an overall record of 122–27–1, with a winning percentage of .8167).[13]
  • One of only two coaches in major college history to win ten or more games in six consecutive seasons (1993–1998).[13]
  • Only college football team to score at least 500 points, including bowl games, for four consecutive years (1993–1996) since the NCAA began keeping statistics in 1937.[13]

Spurrier is also credited with creating the nickname "The Swamp" for Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, the Gators' home field. In the early 1990s, he said, ". . . a swamp is where Gators live. We feel comfortable there, but we hope our opponents feel tentative. A swamp is hot and sticky and can be dangerous. Only Gators get out alive."[18] Soon after becoming head coach, he insisted that the artificial turf then in use at the stadium be replaced with natural grass, and the "Swamp" remains a natural surface field today.[4] During Spurrier's tenure, the Gators built up one of the most formidable home field advantages in the nation; they would not lose a home SEC game until 1994, and would only suffer two more home losses to conference opponents during his 12-year run. Largely due to the formidable home-field advantage Spurrier built, he is by far the winningest coach in Florida history as his 122 wins are 52 more than runner-up Graves.

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."[19][20] 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!"[19]

Other memorable one-liners from Steve Spurrier included nicknaming rival Florida State University, "Free Shoes University," for the Seminoles' NCAA troubles with recruiting violations.[19]

On January 4, 2002, Spurrier abruptly resigned as head coach, stating, "I simply believe that twelve years as head coach at a major university in the SEC is long enough."[21]

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,[22] 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.[23] At both appearances, Spurrier received standing ovations from the crowd.[23]

Spurrier retains a deep affection and loyalty for his alma mater, and sometimes still accidentally says "we" when referring to the University of Florida. The feeling is mutual; he remains very much in the good graces of Gator fans for building their program into a perennial national power.[24] 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."[25] Additionally, in 2016, the university added his name to the playing surface at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium; it is now Steve Spurrier-Florida Field.

Spurrier has not let his affection for the University of Florida get in the way of a budding Florida-South Carolina rivalry, however. In 2005, his Gamecocks upset the Gators 30–22 in Columbia, costing the Gators a shot at the SEC championship.[26] And in November 2010, he coached South Carolina to a 36–14 victory in Gainesville (their first ever on Florida Field) in a game that decided the SEC Eastern Division title.[27]


College stats

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Year Team Passing Rushing
Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD
1964 Florida 65 114 57.0% 943 8.3 6 10 126.3 102 146 1.4 1
1965 Florida 148 287 51.6% 1893 6.6 14 13 114.0 125 230 1.8 2
1966 Florida 179 291 61.5% 2012 6.9 16 8 132.2 76 66 0.9 0
Career 392 692 56.6% 4848 7.0 36 31 123.7 303 442 1.5 3

NFL stats

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Year Team GP GS Passing Rushing
Cmp Att Pct Yds Y/A TD Int Rtg Att Yds Avg TD
2008 TB 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0
2009 TB 6 4 63 125 50.4 685 5.5 4 8 50.9 22 148 6.7 0
2010 TB 11 0 14 16 87.5 111 6.9 0 0 95.6 4 39 9.8 0
2011 TB 9 1 19 36 52.8 246 6.8 1 2 60.6 11 67 6.1 0
2012 CLE 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0
2013 CIN 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 7 20 2.9 0
2014 SF 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0
2015 IND 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0
2015 BUF 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0 0
Career 29 5 96 177 54.2 1,042 5.9 5 10 57.7 44 274 6.2 0
  1. ^ a b c d e Cite error: The named reference HBCbook was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ Kallestad, Brent (1 January 1990). "Spurrier Takes Florida Job". The New York Times. AP. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  3. ^ Jeff Browne, "UF-Spurrier 'merger' everything but official," The Gainesville Sun, Sports Weekend Section, p. 3 (December 30, 1989). Retrieved September 11, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Pat Dooley, "It's official; Spurrier is head Gator," Gainesville Sun, pp. 1A & 6A (January 1, 1990). Retrieved September 5, 2009.
  5. ^ Associated Press, "Spurrier takes Florida Job," The New York Times (January 1, 1990). Retrieved February 8, 2011.
  6. ^ Dame, Mike (31 May 1995). "Gators Maneuvering to Add Miami to Schedule". The Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  7. ^ Harry, Chris (30 August 2016). "'HACKS' LOOK BACK AT SPURRIER'S ARRIVAL, GATORS' REVIVAL". floridagators.com. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  8. ^ Babb, Kent (August 13 2012). "At Florida, Spurrier Made the SEC Play Catchup". Kansas City Star. Retrieved 17 September 2016. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  9. ^ http://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/09/08/Florida-50-Oklahoma-State-7/3465652766400/
  10. ^ http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1990-09-09/sports/9009090287_1_spurrier-alma-mater-florida
  11. ^ http://floridagators.com/news/2009/9/6/16461.aspx
  12. ^ Associated Press, "Football and Basketball Teams Placed on Probation at Florida," The New York Times (September 21, 1990). Retrieved February 8, 2011.
  13. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Cite error: The named reference gatorzonespurrierbio was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ The Gators won the 1984 SEC championship, but were stripped of the title by a vote of the SEC university presidents in the spring of 1985 because of fifty-nine documented violations of NCAA rules by the previous coaching staff. The Gators also had the best record in the SEC in 1985, but were ineligible for the SEC championship because of NCAA probation.
  15. ^ S.L. Price, "'96: For The Love Of Gator Nation," Sports Illustrated (October 3, 2007). Retrieved April 8, 2010.
  16. ^ a b c Matthew Zemek, "Urban Meyer, Meet 1997," Gator Country (October 18, 2005). Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  17. ^ "Offensive Revolution: The Steve Spurrier Fun 'n' Gun," Sports Illustrated (August 8, 2005). Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  18. ^ Gatorzone.com, Facilities, Ben Hill Griffin Stadium at Florida Field. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  19. ^ a b c Dave Kindred, "Spurrier dares to imagine always," The Sporting News (January 28, 2002). Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  20. ^ 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.
  21. ^ 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.
  22. ^ SECSports.com, Football, SEC Football Roundup - Saturday, September 2nd. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  23. ^ a b SECSports.com, Football, SEC Football Roundup - Saturday, September 30th. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  24. ^ Andy Staples, "At Florida, loyalty still runs deep for the Head Ball Coach," Sports Illustrated (November 14, 2008). Retrieved September 10, 2009.
  25. ^ Antonya English, "Gators start Ring of Honor with four former greats," St. Petersburg Times (October 1, 2009). Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  26. ^ College Football Data Warehouse, All-Time Coaching Records, Urban Meyer Records by Year: 2005. Retrieved July 26, 2009.
  27. ^ Spurrier, No. 22 Gamecocks clinch SEC East title


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