I heard more than a few boos when they introduced Steve at the game last night.
I'm glad the Alabama Rednecks still hate him.
I hate them, too.
Oliver Barry, CRS, GRI
Real Estate Broker
PARKS
305B Indian Lake Blvd
Suite 220
Hendersonville TN 37075
Phone: 615-826-4040
Mobile: 615-972-4239
From: gatornews@googlegroups.com [mailto:gatornews@googlegroups.com] On Behalf Of Shane Ford
Sent: Tuesday, January 10, 2017 7:52 AM
To: GatorNews
Subject: [gatornews] [SUN]: Spurrier re-enters as coach, Peterson voted into College Football Hall of Fame
Spurrier re-enters as coach, Peterson voted into College Football Hall of Fame
Florida's Steve Spurrier is only the fourth person in the history of the College Football Hall of Fame to be inducted as both a player and a coach. (Sun file)
By Robbie Andreu
Gainesville SUN Staff writer
Published: Monday, January 9, 2017 at 11:10 a.m.
Last Modified: Monday, January 9, 2017 at 11:10 a.m.
Steve Spurrier's first venture into college coaching ended almost as soon as it began. One year after Doug Dickey hired him as the quarterbacks coach at Florida, Spurrier found himself out of a job when Dickey was fired following the 1978 season.
But, to borrow one of the Head Ball Coach's favorite expressions, God was smiling on Steve Spurrier back then.
"Pepper Rodgers hired me (at Georgia Tech), then I met the Duke coach, Red Wilson, who hired me the third time that I was out of a job," Spurrier said. "Then Tom Butters, the athletic director at Duke, and then Mike McGee at South Carolina.
"When you don't have a job and you get hired by somebody, you're more appreciative than when you have one. President (Robert) Bryan hired me at Florida. I do appreciate him hiring me. Put him on that list, Bob Bryan."
Thanks to those early second and third chances, Spurrier's career survived those early uncertain times.
Now, all those years, all those victories, all those championships later, Spurrier is entering the College Football Hall of Fame as a coach. Already in the Hall as a player, he becomes only the fourth in the history of the CFHOF to be inducted as both.
"Yeah, that is unusual," Spurrier said Monday, shortly after learning he had been voted in as a coach. "I guess what it first says is not many guys who had good college playing careers even went into coaching, or it didn't work out, or who knows what.
"I've been very blessed and fortunate to get the chance to get into coaching. I owe that to coach Doug Dickey first."
Spurrier entered the Hall as a player in 1986. He will be inducted as a coach in December, along with 12 other members of the 2017 class that includes former Santa Fe High School and Georgia Southern running back Adrian Peterson, who rushed for 9,145 yards (including playoff games) and 93 touchdowns during his four-year college career.
The only others in the CFHOF as both a player and coach are Amos Alonzo Stagg, Bobby Dodd and Bowden Wyatt.
Over the course of his 26-year college coaching career, Spurrier enjoyed unprecedented success wherever he went, whether it be Duke, Florida or South Carolina.
He led once downtrodden Duke to the ACC title in 1989.
In his 12 years at Florida, he led the Gators to their first SEC title in 1991 and five more league championships after that, and coached his alma mater to its first national championship in 1996. Along the way, he groomed Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Danny Wuerffel and coached 21 first-team All-Americans.
At South Carolina, Spurrier had three 11-win seasons at a school that had never won more than 10 in a season.
He ended his career midway through the 2015 season with an overall college coaching record of 228-89-2, and as the winningest coach at both Florida and South Carolina.
He finished with the second-most coaching victories in league history behind only Bear Bryant. While at Florida, Spurrier was named SEC coach of the year five times.
Spurrier said perhaps his biggest and most pivotal win came early in his career, in the fifth game of the 1989 season at Duke.
"We were 1-3 and a Florida booster, a guy named Frank Campisi from Tampa called me," Spurrier said. "He said, 'Coach they're going to let Galen Hall go in the middle of the season. We want to hire you. If you guys go 3-8 or 4-7, I don't know if we can. Do you think there is any way you can go about 6-5?'
"We were 1-3 and got Clemson, 4-0 and No. 17 in the nation coming to our place. I said, 'Frank, I can't worry about the Florida job right now. I need to worry about this game, and whatever happens, happens.'
"That was the turnaround game, maybe of my coaching career. Had the huge upset, 21-17. We won all the rest and won the ACC."
At the end of that magical season, Bryan came calling and lured Spurrier back to Gainesville, to become the head coach at his alma mater. The rest is history.
Spurrier went 122-27-1 in his 12 seasons at UF and changed the way the game was played in the once run-dominated SEC.
"We started winning right away, and, of course, winning breeds winning," Spurrier said. "We developed a really good attitude in the 1990s there with those players. It was some fun time, it certainly was.
"Those guys could play. They scored a bunch of points."
And won a bunch of games.
While at Florida, one top area player Spurrier did not get is Peterson, whose older brother Mike was a standout linebacker for the Gators. Adrian Peterson ended up at Georgia Southern, where he played fullback in a wishbone offense.
It may not sound like a sexy role, but it was. The focal point of a powerful running game, Peterson shattered many records, including breaking Archie Griffin's record for most consecutive 100-yard rushing games. Griffin had 36 at Ohio State. Peterson's streak went for 48. He ended his career with 54 100-yard games.
Contact Robbie Andreu at 352-374-5022 or robbie.andreu@gvillesun.com. Also check out Andreu's blog at Gatorsports.com.
· G in Singapore
· Rank 0
My first year at UF was 1990, Coach's first year, but I'd heard all about SOS from my father and grew up going to Gator games. We might not have been awarded with the SEC trophy in '90, but it was probably the most magical year because we didn't know what to expect.
That first SEC game against Alabama - was a night game. Our seats were about on the field - and it was amazing. We got clobbered @ Tenn, but not 3 weeks later, Nov 3, was the best game I've ever experienced. Auburn came in... » more
· 44 minutes ago
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· Lee Perry
· Rank 0
Whether as a player, coach, or ambassador he is an institution at UF, plus he does a pretty decent job as Mr. Two Bits also! He is why I've always been a Gator fan. Well earned coach, thanks for the memories and may you enjoy your latter years.
· 19 hours ago (edited)
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Sent From Shane's iPhone
Go Gators! & Skål Vikes!
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GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY!
1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions |
Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007)
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