After college, he spent nine years in the NFL, playing with the San Francisco 49ers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. On Thursday morning, Spurrier called Athletic Director Jeremy Foley while driving to his Crescent Beach house between 9 a. m. and 9:30 a. "At one point, he asked me if I was still there because I was gasping, " Foley said. "We had some discussions, but he had made the decision; it was his time. There was surprise, and there was sadness. " "It's certainly a sad day for our program, " Foley said. "It's a passing of an era. It's been a lot of fun for a lot of people. He brought us a program that we could only dream about. " Though Spurrier annually was the subject of rumors about NFL coaching jobs, he repeatedly had spurned overtures, including one made by the Washington Redskins at the end of last season. Spurrier, who was college football's highest-paid coach at $2. 1 million, always had said he was happy to be in Gainesville. The closest Spurrier came to accepting an NFL job came after the 1996 season, when he almost took an offer from the Buccaneers.
After college, he spent nine years in the NFL, playing with the San Francisco 49ers and the Tampa Bay Bucs. He was head football coach at Duke University before joining the Gators. GASP ON PHONE On Friday morning, Spurrier called Athletic Director Jeremy Foley. "At one point, he asked me if I was still there because I was gasping, " Foley said. "We had some discussions, but he had made the decision; it was his time. There was surprise, and there was sadness. " "It's certainly a sad day for our program, " Foley said. "It's a passing of an era. It's been a lot of fun for a lot of people. He brought us a program that we could only dream about. " Spurrier told Norm Carlson, an assistant athletic director and close friend, of his decision Thursday night, before they and their wives ate dinner together. "Sit down, " Spurrier said. "I'm going to retire [Friday]. " "You're kidding, right? " Carlson said. He wasn't. "I had no inkling, none, " Carlson said. "He had just been talking about next season.
"It's a passing of an era. It's been a lot of fun for a lot of people. He brought us a program that we could only dream about. " Spurrier came to Florida from Duke, where he used the passing game to turn the downtrodden Blue Devils into Atlantic Coast Conference champions in 1989. Surely nobody could do that in the SEC, right? This was a conference built on running, defense, Bear Bryant and Herschel Walker. Quarterbacks and receivers were afterthoughts. Except, of course, in 1966, when Spurrier won the Heisman. Spurrier quickly proved them wrong. With Shane Matthews throwing for a then-school-record 2, 952 yards, Spurrier led the Gators to the best record in the SEC in 1990. He still claims an SEC title for that 9-2 season, although the record books say differently: Florida was ineligible because of NCAA sanctions that year. But there were six titles that nobody can dispute and no more NCAA troubles. In fact, Spurrier cleaned up the program and turned Florida football into a moneymaking winner that almost every athletic department would love to emulate.
The purpose of Prime & Pearl is to breathe new life into the sophisticated steakhouse concept. You can expect more than just the steak and oysters referenced in the name. Patrons will be able to taste meats that have been dry-aged for 45 days and select their weapon of choice, choosing from an array of unique steak knives. There's nothing ordinary about Prime & Pearl, and that's exactly the point. If you're looking for first-rate retail, restaurants, services and entertainment, visit us at Celebration Pointe —the place where residents, guests and shoppers gather for unlimited celebration. And don't forget to come shop, dine and enjoy this year's new additions. Back to posts ►
I thought he would finish his career here. I really did. " Possible replacements include Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops, who was defensive coordinator at UF from 1996 to '98; Denver Broncos coach Mike Shanahan, a Florida assistant from 1980 to '83; Washington coach Rick Neuheisel; Oregon coach Mike Bellotti; and Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey, a tight end for the Gators from 1980 to '82. "We have to hire another coach fairly quickly, as this is a [high school] recruiting period, " Foley said. "I have no idea how long it will take. We want to find a coach who can continue the tradition that coach Spurrier built here. " EXCITING YEARS Spurrier brought excitement and championships to a program that historically had struggled. He installed a high-powered offense nicknamed the "Fun 'n' Gun" that changed offenses in the SEC, which long had been dominated by run-oriented programs such as Auburn, Georgia and Alabama. He oversaw the rebuilding of a program that was on probation when he took the job in 1990.
Steve Spurrier is back in college football, at least to some extent. The former Florida and South Carolina (and also Duke, technically) head coach has signed on with the Florida athletics department as an "ambassador and consultant, " the program announced Friday morning. The Head Ball Coach was in charge in Gainesville from 1990 through 2001, spent a few disappointing years with Washington in the NFL, then ran South Carolina from 2005 until the middle of the 2015 season, when he up and left. The HBC has a long history with Florida, having played quarterback there from 1963 until 1966. That Spurrier was a first-round draft pick as a Florida QB in 1967 is a testament to just how long he's been connected to the program. He had a lot of success once he returned to coach there, punctuated with a 1996 national title. So, what'll Spurrier be doing in his new role? The Gators' official release on his hiring was light on details, including his compensation. In the context of major college sports, "ambassador" sounds a lot like "fundraiser, " and "consultant" sounds like offering advice whenever Jim McElwain's football staff asks for it, which might not be often.
With every success, an ever-widening gulf developed: "You're either with us or against us, " Spurrier was fond of saying. Those who were with the Gators adored every word he said, every pass play he called and every meaningless touchdown he scored in a quest to hang "half-a-hundred. " Those who were against him couldn't stand any of it: the visor tossing, the ranting at the refs, that grating Tennessee twang and the constant ridiculing of his opponents. (Among his favorites were that "FSU" stands for "Free Shoes University, " and you can't spell "Citrus" without "UT. ") "Call me arrogant, cocky, crybaby, whiner or whatever names you like, " Spurrier said recently. "At least they're not calling us losers anymore. If people like you too much, it's probably because they're beating you. " In what turned out to be his next-to-last dramatic move, he demoted Heisman Trophy runner-up Rex Grossman for missing curfew a few nights before the Orange Bowl. It turned the days leading up to the game into a soap opera - Spurrier always found a way to put his Gators in the spotlight.