Steve Spurrier Stephen Orr " Steve " Spurrier ( born April 20 , 1945 ) is an American college football coach and former player . Spurrier is the current head football coach of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks . He is also a former professional player and coach . Steve Spurrier is a native of Florida who graduated from Science Hill High School in Tennessee . He is a graduate of the University of Florida , where he played college football for the Florida Gators . Spurrier was a two - time All - American quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner for the Gators and was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1986 . He played professional football for ten seasons during the 1960s and 1970s with the San Francisco 49ers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League ( NFL ) . After retiring as a player , Spurrier served as a college assistant before being hired as the head coach of the USFL ' s Tampa Bay Bandits in 1983 . The Bandits had a successful three season run but folded along with the league after the 1985 season , and Spurrier moved on to Duke University , where he led his 1989 squad to the school ' s first conference championship since 1962 and last to date . He returned to the University of Florida to become the Gators ' head coach in 1990 . From then until 2001 , he led his alma mater to its first six Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) championships and its first consensus national championship in 1996 . After a brief and largely disappointing run with the NFL ' s Washington Redskins , Spurrier returned to the college game in 2005 , when he became head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks . At South Carolina , he has brought the program to unprecedented levels of success and has become the winningest football coach in school history . Playing career . High school . Spurrier attended Science Hill High School in Johnson City , Tennessee , where he was a three - sport letterman starring in high school football , basketball and baseball for the Science Hill Hilltoppers . In three years as the starting pitcher for Science Hill , he never lost a game and led his team to two consecutive state baseball championships . He was an all - state selection in football , basketball and baseball , and a high school All - American quarterback . College . After winning multiple all - state honors as a high school quarterback in Tennessee , Spurrier was recruited by several top college programs . He was not , however , seriously recruited by the University of Tennessee because the Volunteers ran a wing - T offense that featured a running quarterback while Spurrier was an excellent passer . He ultimately choose to accept a scholarship offer from the University of Florida in Gainesville , Florida because of " the passing , the SEC , the weather , and coach Ray Graves " . After sitting out his freshman season per NCAA rules at the time , Spurrier became the Gators ' starting quarterback at the beginning of his sophomore season in 1964 . He kept the position until the end of his senior year in 1966 and led the team to some of the best seasons in program history up to that point . In addition to being a stellar passer , Spurrier gained notoriety by regularly bringing his team back in the 4th quarter . In his first collegiate start , he led the Gators on a successful two - minute drill to beat Ole Miss in Oxford . The most memorable example was during a key 1966 game against Auburn , when he waved off Florida ' s starting place - kicker and booting a forty - yard field goal to give the Gators a 30 – 27 victory . This penchant for dramatic comebacks prompted John Logue of the Atlanta Constitution to famously write " Blindfolded , with his back to the wall , with his hands tied behind him , Steve Spurrier would be a two - point favorite at his own execution . " Spurrier finished his three - year , thirty - one - game college career having completed 392 of 692 attempts , with 4 , 848 passing yards and 37 touchdown s , breaking numerous school and conference records . In addition to winning the Heisman Trophy and the Walter Camp Memorial Trophy as a senior , he was selected as a Football Writers Association first - team All - American as junior in 1965 and a unanimous first - team All - American in 1966 . He was also the recipient of the Gators ' Fergie Ferguson Award , recognizing the " senior football player who displays outstanding leadership , character and courage . " In 2006 , Spurrier was recognized by " The Gainesville Sun " as the No . 2 player among the top 100 from the first century of the Gators football program . National Football League . The San Francisco 49ers selected Spurrier in the first round ( third pick overall ) of the 1967 NFL Draft . Spurrier played for the 49ers for nine seasons , mostly as a punter and backup quarterback to John Brodie , before being traded to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers expansion team for his final NFL season in 1976 . He played his best game as an NFL quarterback against the Minnesota Vikings in 1973 , when he completed 31 of 48 pass attempts for 320 yards . During his 10 - year NFL career , Spurrier played in 106 games , completing 597 passes in 1 , 151 attempts , for a total of 6 , 878 yards , 40 touchdown s , and 60 interception s . Coaching career . Early career . After retiring from the NFL , Spurrier began his coaching career as the quarterbacks coach at the University of Florida under head coach Doug Dickey in 1978 , but he was not retained by the new Gators head coach , Charley Pell , when Pell took control of the program the following season . In 1979 , he coached the quarterbacks at Georgia Tech under Pepper Rodgers , and worked as an assistant coach and the offensive coordinator at Duke University from 1980 to 1982 . In 1983 , Spurrier became the youngest head coach in professional football ( 37 ) when he was hired to lead the Tampa Bay Bandits of the new United States Football League ( USFL ) . His Bandits teams were regularly among the league leaders in offense and compiled an overall record of 35 – 21 over three seasons before the USFL dissolved . In 1987 , Spurrier accepted the head coaching position for the Duke Blue Devils of the Atlantic Coast Conference ( ACC ) . Before he arrived in Durham , Duke had become the perennial cellar - dweller of the ACC . Spurrier proceeded to lead his Blue Devils to levels of success the team had not known in over twenty - five years , including Duke ' s first bowl game appearance since the 1960 Cotton Bowl Classic , and a tie for the 1989 ACC championship , Duke ' s first since 1962 . After back - to - back winning seasons , Spurrier was named the ACC Coach of the Year in 1988 and 1989 . Florida Gators . On December 31 , 1989 , the University of Florida announced that Spurrier had accepted the offer to be the head football coach of the Florida Gators . He inherited a team under NCAA investigation for the second time in five years , and a football program that had never won an officially recognized Southeastern Conference ( SEC ) football championship in 57 seasons of SEC play . Spurrier successfully steered the program away from the previous scandals and captured the Gators ' first officially recognized SEC title in 1991 . Under Spurrier , the Gators won the SEC title in four of the next five years , and represented the SEC East in the first five SEC Championship Game s . The 1996 team captured the Gators ' first - ever National Championship with a 52 – 20 win over Florida State in the Sugar Bowl , avenging the Gators ' sole regular season loss in which Florida State upset Florida 24 – 21 in Tallahassee . Spurrier ' s finest moment as a coach may have been the Gators ' 1997 game against the previously undefeated and national title game - bound Florida State Seminoles . Spurrier used a two - quarterback offense , rotating quarterback s Doug Johnson and Noah Brindise in and out of the game , confusing the Florida State defense and its veteran coordinator , Mickey Andrews , and giving Spurrier more time to counsel his quarterbacks on the sidelines without having to use time - outs . Florida upset the heavily favored Seminoles 32 – 29 . Significantly , Spurrier is credited with changing the way the SEC played football . Spurrier employed a pass - oriented offense ( known in the sports media as the " Fun ' n ' Gun " ) in contrast to the ball - control , rush - oriented offenses that were traditionally played in the SEC . His innovative offensive schemes forced many coaches in the SEC to change their offensive and defensive play - calling . While his offensive style used a more wide open passing game than the SEC was accustomed to , Spurrier was also able to utilize a constant group of talented running backs . Many of them would later go on to have success at the NFL level and included : Errict Rhett , Fred Taylor , Terry Jackson , and Earnest Graham . Spurrier and his Gators accomplished a number of memorable feats during his twelve seasons in Gainesville ( 1990 – 2001 ) , including : Spurrier is also credited with creating the nickname " The Swamp " for Ben Hill Griffin Stadium , the Gators ' home field . In the early 1990s , he said , " . . . a swamp is where Gators live . We feel comfortable there , but we hope our opponents feel tentative . A swamp is hot and sticky and can be dangerous . Only Gators get out alive . " Soon after becoming head coach , he insisted that the artificial turf then in use at the stadium be replaced with natural grass , and the " Swamp " remains a natural surface field today . During Spurrier ' s tenure , the Gators built up one of the most formidable home field advantages in the nation ; they only suffered three home losses to conference opponents during his 12 - year run . Spurrier was known for his gamesmanship while coaching Florida , doing such things as giving much - derided Georgia coach Ray Goff the nickname of " Ray Goof . " His rivalry with the Tennessee Volunteers and their coach Phillip Fulmer became highly publicized , as Spurrier would gig the Volunteers after the Gators ' wins over Tennessee , saying that " you can ' t spell ' Citrus ' without ' UT , ' " a reference to the Citrus Bowl , which has the contractual right to select the second - place SEC football team . He also said of Peyton Manning , Tennessee ' s quarterback , " I know why Peyton came back for his senior year : he wanted to be a three - time Citrus Bowl MVP ! " Other memorable one - liners from Steve Spurrier included nicknaming rival Florida State University , " Free Shoes University , " for the Seminoles ' NCAA troubles with recruiting violations . On January 4 , 2002 , Spurrier abruptly resigned as head coach , stating , " I simply believe that twelve years as head coach at a major university in the SEC is long enough . " Before Spurrier returned to coach his Gamecocks against the Gators in 2006 and 2008 , his most recent visits to Gainesville were on September 2 , 2006 , to take part in the Gators ' celebration of the 10 - year anniversary of their 1996 championship season , and on September 30 , 2006 , when he was one of the first four inductees into the Gator Football Ring of Honor , alongside Danny Wuerffel , Emmitt Smith , and Jack Youngblood . At both appearances , Spurrier received standing ovations from the crowd . Spurrier is known to hold a deep loyalty for his alma mater , and sometimes still accidentally says " we " when referring to the University of Florida . When he was inducted into the Gators ' " Ring of Honor , " Spurrier humbly announced to the sell - out crowd at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium : " I ' d just like to thank coach Ray Graves for bringing the skinny kid from Tennessee to the University of Florida . " Spurrier has not let his affection for the University of Florida get in the way of a budding Florida - South Carolina rivalry , however . In 2005 , his Gamecocks upset the Gators 30 – 22 in Columbia , costing the Gators a shot at the SEC championship . And in November 2010 , he coached South Carolina to a 36 – 14 victory in Gainesville ( their first ever on Florida Field ) in a game that decided the SEC Eastern Division title . Washington Redskins . Ten days after Spurrier resigned his position at the University of Florida , he became head coach of the NFL ' s Washington Redskins . Spurrier ' s five - year , $ 25 million contract with the Redskins was the most lucrative coaching contract in the history of the NFL at the time . In his first NFL coaching season ( 2002 ) , Spurrier ' s Redskins finished with a 7 – 9 record . The defense created a modest amount of pressure and number of interceptions , but gave up 4 . 4 yards per carry . Spurrier ' s offensive line troubles resulted in starting quarterback Patrick Ramsey being one of the most sacked and hurried quarterbacks in the league . Spurrier would often bench him mid - game during a bad performance in favor of Danny Wuerffel or Shane Matthews , who both played for Spurrier at the University of Florida . In 2003 , the Redskins started the season 2 – 0 , but finished 5 – 11 with several close losses coming down to the 4th quarter . In the Spurrier - coached Redskin ' s last three games , opponents outscored them 85 – 31 . He resigned on December 30 , 2003 , walking away from $ 15 million still owed to him over the remaining three years of his contract . In a statement released by the team , Spurrier said “ I apologize to Redskins fans that we did not reach a level of success that we had all hoped . . . It ' s a long grind and I feel after 20 years as a head coach there are other things I need to do . I simply believe this is the right time for me to move on because this team needs new leadership . ” South Carolina Gamecocks . Throughout the 2004 football season , various sources openly speculated about Spurrier coaching for a college team somewhere in the Southeast . The University of Florida had announced that they would be looking for a new coach when Spurrier ' s successor at Florida , Ron Zook , was fired after three seasons . Spurrier initially said that he wanted to be considered for his old job , but later removed his name from consideration stating that " 12 years at Florida was probably long enough . " Rumors began circulating that Spurrier was considering the University of South Carolina . On November 22 , South Carolina coach Lou Holtz announced his retirement , and hinted that Spurrier might replace him . The next day , months of rumors were put to rest as Spurrier was introduced as South Carolina ' s new head coach , signing a seven - year deal that paid him $ 1 . 25 million per year . In 2005 , his first season as the Gamecocks ' new head coach , Spurrier led his South Carolina Gamecocks with newfound humility . The Gamecocks , who were not expected to have a winning season by most pundits , rattled off a five - game SEC winning streak for the first time in their fourteen - year SEC history . Included among those victories were historic wins at Tennessee ( 16 – 15 ) — the program ' s first win in Knoxville — and against then 12th - ranked Florida ( 30 – 22 ) , who South Carolina had not beaten since 1939 . The Associated Press named Spurrier the SEC Coach of the Year , and the Gamecocks finished the 2005 season with a 7 – 5 record and a trip to the Independence Bowl . Two days prior to South Carolina ' s 2006 season opener , Spurrier announced that he would kick off the athletics department ' s capital campaign with a $ 250 , 000 donation over five years . Spurrier ' s Gamecocks opened the 2006 season with a 15 – 0 win over Mississippi State in Starkville , where he was 0 – 2 while coaching the Florida Gators . With the victory , he reached 150 wins for his college coaching career . On September 30 , Spurrier was inducted into the Gator Football Ring of Honor in a pre - game ceremony in Gainesville . Later in the season on November 11 , Spurrier returned to " The Swamp " to face off against his former Gators team , which was then ranked sixth in the BCS rankings . Trailing 17 – 16 , the Gamecocks had a chance to win with a 48 - yard field goal attempt on the last play of the game . However , Ryan Succop ' s kick was blocked as time expired in a repeat of an earlier blocked extra - point attempt . In the final game of the 2006 regular season , Spurrier led the Gamecocks to victory over in - state rival Clemson at Death Valley . Trailing 28 – 14 in the third quarter , South Carolina scored seventeen unanswered points to lead 31 – 28 . With only seconds remaining , Clemson ' s field goal attempt missed wide left and USC celebrated its first victory over Clemson in five years . On December 2 , 2006 , amid speculation he was a candidate for head coaching jobs at Miami and Alabama , Spurrier received a contract extension through 2012 and a raise from $ 1 . 25 million to $ 1 . 75 million annually . Spurrier and the Gamecocks went on to defeat the Houston Cougars in the Liberty Bowl on December 29 , and finished the season 8 – 5 . All five of the Gamecocks ' 2006 losses were to ranked opponents . Spurrier became the first coach in Gamecock football history to take a South Carolina team to a bowl game in both of his first two seasons as head coach . The 2007 football season , got off to a quick start winning at SEC rival Georgia early in the season as well as Louisiana - Lafayette and South Carolina State , and climbed into the top 10 in the national rankings . South Carolina stumbled down the stretch dropping the final five games , including a home loss in the season finale to arch - rival Clemson . The 6 - 6 ( 3 - 5 SEC ) season record marks the first non - winning season for Spurrier since his first season at Duke in 1987 . Spurrier won his 100th SEC game on October 11 , 2008 , coaching the Gamecocks to a 24 – 17 victory over Kentucky . In his nine seasons as the Gamecocks ' head coach , Spurrier has beaten each of South Carolina ' s traditional SEC Eastern Division rivals at least four times . Against their annual SEC Eastern Division opponents , his nine teams have posted an 8 – 1 record against Kentucky , 7 – 2 against Vanderbilt , 5 – 4 against Tennessee , 4 – 5 against Georgia , 4 – 5 against Florida , and 2 - 0 against Missouri who began competing in the SEC in 2012 . Against South Carolina ' s major in - state rival , Clemson , Spurrier ' s Gamecocks have gone 6 – 3 . While Spurrier ' s teams at USC have shown flashes of his old " Fun ' n ' Gun " offense , they have mostly relied on stout defense to win upsets . The Gamecocks have been bowl eligible every year Spurrier has been their head coach , a feat no other Carolina coach has accomplished . Also , the Gamecocks have been ranked in the AP Poll Top 25 at some point during the season in eight out of Spurrier ' s nine years at USC . Spurrier ' s Gamecocks won the SEC Eastern Division championship for the first time in school history in 2010 , clinching the title with a convincing 36 – 14 victory at " The Swamp " over the Florida Gators . It was a season of firsts for South Carolina , including their first win at Florida , first win over a No . 1 ranked team ( Alabama ) , and first time sweeping the November " Orange Crush " portion of their schedule with wins over Tennessee , Florida and Clemson . Following a 9 – 3 regular season and an appearance in the SEC championship game , Spurrier was named SEC Coach of the Year by his fellow coaches in the conference . The Gamecocks had another strong season in 2011 , beating every opponent in the division . However , losses to Arkansas and Auburn cost them a return appearance in the SEC title game . With a 34 - 13 rout of Clemson , the Gamecocks won 10 games for only the second time in their 119 - year football history . In the 2012 Capital One Bowl , the Gamecocks dispatched Nebraska 30 - 13 to win their school - record 11th game . They also finished eighth in the AP Poll and ninth in the Coaches ' Poll — their first top - ten finishes in a major media poll in school history . In 2012 Steve Spurrier , once again , led his USC football team to double - digit wins during the course of the regular season campaign . The 2012 regular season culminated with the annual season - ending game against arch rival Clemson at Clemson ' s Memorial Stadium . Spurrier and his Gamecocks emerged with a fourth consecutive double - digit victory over the Tigers - a victory which was marked by Spurrier winning his 65th game at Carolina and , in doing so , becoming the winningest coach in Gamecock football history surpassing Rex Enright ' s 64 win total . Spurrier led the Gamecocks to a thrilling 33 - 28 victory in the 2013 Outback Bowl against the winningest program in college football , the Michigan Wolverines . The victory elevated the Gamecocks to an 11 - 2 record for the 2nd consecutive season . Additionally , by finishing 8th in the Associated Press poll and 7th in the Coaches poll , South Carolina finished in Top 10 of both polls for a 2nd consecutive campaign . During the 2013 season , Steve Spurrier led his Gamecocks to another 11 - 2 record . This was the third consecutive 11 - 2 season for the Gamecocks . Only two other programs ( Alabama and Oregon ) have won 11 or more games each of the last three seasons ( 2011 - 13 ) . During the season , the Gamecocks defeated three teams that finished ranked in the Top 10 in the final AP Poll ( Missouri , University of Central Florida , and Clemson ) . The Gamecocks were the only team to accomplish this feat . They also became the first and only team to defeat three teams that won BCS bowl games . Following their 34 - 24 win over Wisconsin in the Capital One Bowl , the Gamecocks were ranked 4th in the final AP Poll , setting a record for the program . This also marked the third straight year that the Gamecocks finished with a Top 10 ranking in the final AP Poll . While defeating Clemson , again , the Gamecocks ran their winning streak over their arch rival to five games , which is the longest winning streak in the rivalry , for either team , since 1940 . The 31 - 17 score marked the 5th straight double - digit margin of victory over their ACC foe . Also , for the 5th straight year , the Gamecocks defense held the Tigers to 17 points or less . The Ladies Clinic . A popular tradition , started during the Sparky Woods era at USC , occurs on the last Saturday of July when the University of South Carolina athletics department hosts the annual " Steve Spurrier Ladies Football Clinic . " Only female fans are invited to attend the clinic where USC football coaches and players discuss the X ' s and O ' s with fans who want to understand the game better . All attendees get a tour of the USC football facilities , and finish the day running onto the football field at Williams - Brice Stadium through the players ' tunnel into the artificial smoke and theme music " Also sprach Zarathustra " , the same way the team does during the season . The event is hosted by Spurrier and his wife Jerri . Personal . Spurrier was born on April 20 , 1945 , in Miami Beach , Florida . He is the son of a Presbyterian minister , J . Graham Spurrier , and his wife Marjorie . Spurrier ' s father moved the family repeatedly , and only stayed in Miami Beach for about a year after Steve was born , moving first to Charlotte , North Carolina , then Athens , Newport and Johnson City , Tennessee . The Spurrier family moved to Johnson City when Steve was twelve years old , and his father coached the Little League baseball team for which Steve played . While he was a University of Florida student , Spurrier was a member of Alpha Tau Omega Fraternity ( Alpha Omega chapter ) , and was inducted into the University of Florida Hall of Fame , the University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame , and Florida Blue Key leadership honorary . Spurrier married his college sweetheart , the former Jerri Starr , on September 14 , 1966 , during his senior year at the University of Florida . They have been married for forty - seven years , and have four children together — Amy , Lisa , Steve , Jr . , and Scott , as well as seven grandchildren . Spurrier ' s younger son , Scott , played wide receiver for the Gamecocks through the 2009 season , and his older son , Steve , Jr . , is currently the Gamecocks ' receivers coach .