An era in college football ended on Oct. 12, 2015. South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier announced his resignation, thus ending the long and storied career of one of the oldest college football coaches. Spurrier, 70, left a lasting impact on the world of football with his unique character, one-liners and his visor. Spurrier generally dominated Georgia, leading to a 15-5 record as head coach against the Bulldogs. In previous addresses to the media, he was not shy to boast about his record against them.
“Why is it that during recruiting season Georgia signs all the great players, but when it comes time to play the game, we have all the great players?” Spurrier said. “I don’t understand that. What happens to them?”
Spurrier started his football career as a quarterback for the University of Florida. After playing for 10 years in the NFL, Spurrier began coaching. His first head coaching job for a college football team came in 1987 at Duke University. He lead the team to the ACC Championship in 1989, then took the position of head coach at Florida.
In the many seasons he coached, Spurrier became the winningest coach in Florida history, winning 122 games for the Gators, including six SEC Championships and one National Championship.
He then moved on to the NFL, coaching the Washington Redskins for two years before returning to college football and coaching South Carolina. He propelled South Carolina onto the national stage by going to nine bowl games and winning 86 games over his 10-year career.
Spurrier was well-known for his barbs at other schools. One of his favorite targets was the Bulldogs. One of his more memorable quotes about Georgia criticized moving the South Carolina-Georgia game back to October.
“I don’t know,” Spurrier said. “I sort of always liked playing them that second game because you could always count on them having two or three key players suspended.”
Spurrier did not only limit his jabs to Georgia; he also made fun of Tennessee’s recent mediocrity.
“In Knoxville they’re still doing cartwheels because they went 7-6 and won a bowl,” Spurrier said.
Spurrier had a huge impact on how college football is played. He revolutionized the SEC’s style of play. Before Spurrier, the SEC was primarily a running league, which focused on rushing the ball and playing defensivly. Spurrier’s “Fun ‘n Gun,” a pass-heavy approach changed the way other coaches set up their offenses around the SEC.
Spurrier was also famous for his unique style – namely his visor. Spurrier, often called the “Head Ball Coach,” began wearing a visor during football games since he had always worn one when playing golf. Several other coaches have said that they wear visors because of Spurrier, including: Hugh Freeze, Lane Kiffin, Gus Malzahn and Dan Mullen. Malzahn, of Auburn, actually went visor-free during his first game after Spurrier retired in a show of respect.
Spurrier’s retirement marks the end of a career filled with snide comments and exciting football. With Spurrier, it was never boring; you could not predict what he would say.
“He blessed college football for many years in a lot of ways,” Georgia head coach Mark Richt said. “He will be missed.”
