Football fans who do not remember the 1990s Southeastern Conference might not know much about Steve Spurrier’s heyday.
They might only know the coach who guided the Gamecocks this past season to only their third eight-win season since 1989.
Or they might remember the Spurrier who has a 12-20 record in two seasons as coach of the NFL’s Washington Redskins.
But before his NFL stint, Spurrier revolutionized the SEC. After leading Duke to an Atlantic Coast Conference title, he took the coaching job at his alma mater Florida and proceeded to win six conference titles and a national championship in 12 seasons.
Six years after his departure from Florida, those accomplishments and the legacy Spurrier left in Gainesville, Fla., are still fresh on the minds of both LSU and South Carolina players.
“Elementary and middle school, it was all Florida, man,” said LSU senior linebacker Ali Highsmith.
Highsmith, who grew up in Miami, said he did not become a serious Miami fan until after Spurrier left for the NFL and the Hurricanes won the BCS National Championship in 2001.
Highsmith said he still considers Florida teams of the 1990s, known for their high-scoring offense, to be underrated as a whole.
“They’re defense was awesome then, too,” he said. “I just liked the team, period.”
The Gators’ 1996 national championship squad averaged 47 points per game, compared to the Gamecocks’ 29 points per game average this season.
Spurrier compiled a 122-25-1 record in his 12 seasons at Florida. He coached players such as 1996 Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel and current NFL players Fred Taylor, Jevon Kearse and Rex Grossman.
During his time with the Gators, the “Ol’ Ball Coach” compiled an 11-1 record against LSU, with his only defeat coming in 1997 when the Gators entered Tiger Stadium No. 1 in the nation and left Baton Rouge with a 28-21 loss.
LSU sophomore running back Keiland Williams said even though he grew up 45 minutes from Baton Rouge, he was always a fan of Spurrier’s Gator teams.
“Growing up, I did want to be a Florida Gator,” Williams said. “Just seeing that high-powered offense, I was fascinated with that. I looked up to them.”
South Carolina tight end Andy Boyd said he could have never imagined playing for Spurrier.
“My senior year at high school was when he went to the NFL,” the sixth-year senior said. “So I never thought the opportunity to play for him would be there.”
But that opportunity was there for Boyd and several other players once Lou Holtz resigned as South Carolina coach in November 2004 with a 33-37 record. The day after Holtz’s resignation, Spurrier was named the Gamecocks’ new coach.
Spurrier returned to the college game after finding marginal success in his two seasons in the NFL, but Clemson coach Tommy Bowden, son of Florida State coach Bobby Bowden, said Spurrier’s years with the Redskins will not impact what he has done in college football.
“I don’t think the NFL experience will affect his legacy at Florida at all,” said Bowden, who is 1-1 against South Carolina since Spurrier arrived. “I don’t think Lou Holtz’s year with the New York Jets [in 1976] affected how Notre Dame people think of him. You can ask South Carolina people, but I don’t think it affects them at all.”
“[Spurrier] is a coach who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame soon after he retires.”
Spurrier cemented his Hall of Fame status after Florida captured the 1996 national championship with a 52-20 Sugar Bowl win against in-state rival Florida State.
Highsmith said he expects the Gamecocks’ offense to resemble Florida’s offense of the 1990s once Spurrier gets into a recruiting groove at South Carolina.
“When Spurrier was at Florida, he had a longer time to put his offense in,” Highsmith said. “People there right now, they’re kind of still learning his system. I don’t think they have it down to a science, but they’re getting it. In the future, you’ll probably see that type of offense.”
Highsmith said a victory this weekend will be sweeter because of the past achievements of the coach on the visiting sideline.
“[Saturday] is a chance for us to go out there and prove to people that we can play against one of the greatest coaches and be dominant,” he said. “It’s a confidence boost for us to play against somebody of his caliber and [somebody] who has his accolades.”
—Contact Tyler Batiste at [email protected]