The Here & Now – Spurrier’s time at South Carolina
- Head coach for the Gamecocks since 2005
- Record at School: 86-48 (5-4 bowl game record), 0-3 vs LSU while at South Carolina
- Championships & Awards
- -2-time SEC Coach of the Year (2005, 2010)
- -SEC East Championship (2010)
Heading Toward the Helm – Before the South Carolina Head Coaching Days
- Florida (played quarterback from 1963-1966)
- Washington Redskins (played quarterback and punter from 1967-1975)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (played quarterback in 1976)
- Florida (Quarterbacks Coach, 1978)
- Georgia Tech (Quarterbacks Coach, 1979)
- Duke (Offensive Coordinator, 1980-1982)
- USFL’s Tampa Bay Bandits (Head Coach, 1983-1985)
- Duke (Head Coach, 1987-1989)
- Florida Gators (Head Coach, 1990-2001)
- Washington Redskins (2002-2003)
- X-tra’s and O’s- Bonus Facts about Spurrier
* Spurrier won the Heisman Trophy as quarterback for his Alma Mater Florida Gators in 1966.
*Returned to his Alma Mater in 1990 and brought home the school’s first national championship in 1996.
*Since becoming the Gamecocks head coach in 2005, Spurrier has helped South Carolina obtain its most successful era ever. After leading the school to its first SEC East title in 2010, they finisihed 11-2 in the three subsequent seasons. In a 2012 victory over Clemson, Spurrier become the winningest coach in South Carolina’s history.
*Spurrier is second only to Alabama’s legendary coach Paul “Bear” Bryant in career SEC victories.
*He is the first Heisman Trophy winner to coach another Heisman Trophy winner (Danny Wuerffel, 1996).
Mentoring Monsters – Notable Players under Spurrier’s Tutelage
Danny Wuerffel
-Played under Spurrier at Florida from 1993-1996
-Won both the Heisman Trophy and National Championship under Spurrier at Florida in 1996.
-A First Team All-America selection in 1995 and 1996, he won the Davey O’Brien Award twice, the SEC Player of the Year Award twice, and the Maxwell and Walter Camp player of the year awards in 1996.
-Drafted in the 4th round (99th overall) by the New Orleans Saints in the 1997 NFL Draft.
-Also played for the Green Bay Packers, Chicago Bears and Washington Redskins in his six-year career.
Rex Grossman
-Played under Spurrier at Florida from 1999-2001
-Was both an All-American and AP National Player of the Year in 2001
-Drafted No. 22 overall by the Chicago Bears in the 2003 NFL Draft
-Led the Chicago Bears to a Super Bowl appearance against the Indianapolis Colts after the 2006 season.
-Has played for the Houston Texans, Washington Redskins, Cleveland Browns and the Atlanta Falcons during his career.
Jadeveon Clowney
-Defensive End for the Houston Texans
-Played under Spurrier at South Carolina from 2011-2013
-All-American in 2012
-Tallied 129 tackles, 47 tackles for losses, 24 sacks, 7 passes defensed and 9 forced fumbles in his college career.
-Drafted No. 1 overall by the Houston Texans in 2014 NFL Draft
Talk on the Tigers – Spurrier’s thoughts on LSU
On forfeting a home to play in Death Valley due to flooding
- “We’ll get ready to go to Tiger Stadium. I’ll tell our team today, ‘Guess what, fellas? You never thought you’d get to play in Tiger Stadium in Baton Rouge and now we get a chance to go down there Saturday and have a ballgame with Les Miles and his guys.’ Les told me since we’re coming that he’ll appeal to his fans not to yell too loud when we have the ball. So, that’s awful nice of the LSU people.”
On challenges of playing in Death Valley
- “They don’t lose many at all at night, but we’ll go play them and we’ll have our team fired up and have a go at them and see what happens.”
On conversation with LSU head coach regarding this unique game situation
- “Just briefly what I said, it’s the right thing for our team to do. There was some conversation of playing maybe in Charlotte, I think the Gator Bowl people offered…. But it probably makes since to go to Baton Rouge. They fill up their ballpark real fast; television’s ready to go and they just got an extra home game and we got an extra road game and that’s the way it is.
Steve Spurrier References
“The Here & Now” – http://www.gamecocksonline.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/steve_spurrier_187990.html
http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/steve-spurrier-3354.php
http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/coaches/steve-spurrier/
“Heading Toward the Helm” – http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/coaches/steve-spurrier/
“X-tra’s and O’s” – http://www.gamecocksonline.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/steve_spurrier_187990.html
http://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/steve-spurrier-3354.php
http://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/coaches/steve-spurrier/
“Mentoring Monsters” –
Danny Wuerffel – http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/W/WuerDa00.htm
Rex Grossman – http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/rex-grossman-1.html
Jadeveon Clowney – http://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/jadeveon-clowney-1.html
“Talk on the Tigers” – http://www.nola.com/lsu/index.ssf/2015/10/lsu_south_carolina_coach_steve.html
