Steve Spurrier, former national champion at the University of Florida, served as the head coach of the University of South Carolina Gamecocks football team from November 2004 to October 2015. It was Spurrier's fifth tenure leading a football team, his second longest, and his third and final in college football. He served as South Carolina's 32nd head coach, as well as their second-longest-tenured head coach.
Spurrier oversaw several milestones for the program. The Gamecocks became, for the first time in program history, consistently bowl eligible in the second half of the 2000s. South Carolina reached greater success in the early 2010s: its first ever division title in 2010 and first ever eleven-win seasons in 2011, 2012, and 2013. The Gamecocks regressed the next two years, leading Spurrier to resign in 2015.
Finishing at , Spurrier has the most wins in program history and the program's highest winning percentage of the modern era. The 2010–2013 seasons marked arguably the best era in program history: South Carolina made its only appearance in the SEC Championship Game, achieved its only eleven-win seasons and top-ten finishes, and became just the twelfth team in college football history to win eleven games in three straight seasons.
Coinciding with a period of heightened in-state high school football talent, Spurrier and his staff were considered skilled recruiters, bringing in players such as Eric Norwood, Melvin Ingram, Stephon Gilmore, Alshon Jeffery, Marcus Lattimore, Connor Shaw, and Jadeveon Clowney. The school's athletic finances and football facilities improved. Spurrier's tenure was a turning point for the program, with long-lasting changes in its traditions, resources, and expectations.
Background
Spurrier After winning a Heisman Trophy as a quarterback at the University of Florida and a largely unremarkable NFL playing career, Steve Spurrier entered coaching. He served as an assistant at several schools in the late 1970s and early 1980s, including Florida, Georgia Tech, and Duke. As the offensive coordinator at Duke, Spurrier began to "learn offense", of which his style would be considered revolutionary.
Spurrier earned his first head coaching jobs starting in the 1980s, first with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League and then returning to Duke. He led the Blue Devils to their first conference championship in decades and was named the ACC Coach of the Year in 1988 and 1989. On the last day of the decade, Spurrier was hired as the head coach at Florida, returning to his alma mater.
Under head coach Spurrier, the Florida Gators football program of the 1990s and early 2000s was, at the time, considered "arguably the most successful SEC football program ever". From 1990 to 2001, Florida won one national championship and seven conference championships. The Gators finished in the top 10 nine times and finished in the top 5 six times.
In January 2002, Spurrier abruptly resigned from his position at Florida, stating "I simply believe that twelve years as head coach at a major university in the SEC is long enough." Less than two weeks later, he was named the head coach of the Washington Redskins of the NFL. In two seasons, 2002 and 2003, Spurrier went 12–20, and he once again resigned. Spurrier subsequently took a year off in 2004, when he was considered the most attractive free agent on the coaching market.
South Carolina
In its first 111 years, the University of South Carolina's football program had won one conference championship and three bowl games. The Gamecocks' task of winning championships was considered more difficult than at other schools. The school's football team and other sports teams were considered "inept" and unfortunate, leading many fans to place blame on the so-called "Chicken Curse".
The football program had arguably seen its most success in the late 1970s and 1980s under head coaches Jim Carlen and Joe Morrison, with five eight-win seasons, a Heisman Trophy winner, and the program's only ten-win season. However, a steroids scandal and the death of their head coach at the end of the 1980s sent the Gamecocks on a decade-long downspiral.
Despite its shortcomings, the team was popular. While the Gamecocks had three winning seasons throughout the 1990s, their home, Williams–Brice Stadium in Columbia, was expanded and reached a capacity of more than 80,000 people. On autumn Saturdays, the stadium was the fourth largest city in the state.
Lou Holtz, former assistant coach at South Carolina and national championship-winning head coach at the University of Notre Dame, was hired to turn the team around, becoming the Gamecocks' head coach in December 1998. Holtz and the Gamecocks achieved eight-win seasons in 2000 and 2001, but regressed the next three years. Holtz remained South Carolina's head football coach in 2004, though he had told athletic director Mike McGee in the summer that it might be his last season.
Overview
Hiring
On October 25, 2004, Florida head coach Ron Zook was fired. Spurrier was considered a top candidate to return as head coach of the Gators. Publicly, he expressed a moderate amount of interest in the position, and his return to Florida was considered a strong possibility. However, he was not offered the job outright, and it would later be speculated that Spurrier was bothered by having to interview for the job. He also reportedly had several other grievances with Florida, and he would later reiterate that twelve years with one program is enough. Spurrier was also reportedly intrigued by the long-shot possibility of returning to the NFL with the Miami Dolphins, and his name was being mentioned in several other college job possibilities, including North Carolina, Texas, South Carolina, and Washington.
On October 30, after South Carolina's loss to Tennessee, head football coach Lou Holtz told his athletic director, Mike McGee, that it would be his last season. McGee asked Holtz to assist in finding his replacement, to which Holtz agreed. Spurrier was then contacted about the Gamecocks' head coaching job. McGee had a head start because of Holtz's early decision, as well as Spurrier being out of coaching and available to talk immediately. South Carolina president Andrew Sorensen had a connection with Spurrier from Florida, while Holtz and Spurrier were especially close friends. McGee, Holtz, and Augusta National Golf Club president Hootie Johnson were involved in the negotiations. Spurrier's associates said that if Johnson, a former Gamecock football player, were to offer Spurrier a membership at Augusta, Spurrier could be enticed.
Spurrier would later explain why he was immediately very interested in the Gamecocks: "South Carolina has basically everything that I was looking for. It's in the South, it's in the Southeastern Conference, and it's a big state university with wonderful facilities. Their tradition is not that good, so we've got a chance to do some things that have never been done here before. And it was the first job that came open. [...] First of all, the (Florida) job was never offered to me. I didn't feel like going back and doing what we'd already done. [...] I think it worked out best for everybody involved."
On November 4, Spurrier withdrew his name from consideration for the Gators' head coaching job. By November 13, Spurrier had agreed to come to South Carolina. On November 18, Holtz told his players that he would retire after the season, while Johnson said that Spurrier was not guaranteed a membership at Augusta. On November 20, Holtz and the Gamecocks lost to archrival Clemson, in a game that ended with a massive brawl. Later that day, as a result of the brawl, South Carolina announced it would not accept a post-season bowl bid despite finishing the season bowl-eligible, making the Clemson game the last of Holtz's career. McGee contacted Spurrier about the decision, with Spurrier agreeing. On November 22, Holtz announced his retirement at a press conference at Williams–Brice Stadium. Holtz said he expected to be replaced by a well-known, proven winner with whom he played golf, which appeared to be a reference to Spurrier. On November 23, 2004, at a news conference at Williams–Brice Stadium, Spurrier was introduced as the 32nd head football coach at South Carolina. Spurrier was given a seven-year contract, with an annual guaranteed compensation of $1.25 million.
2005 season
Spurrier inherited a team with many problems. By April, eleven players had been arrested. Other players were injured or dismissed from the team. Six players had their scholarship revoked, a move which many high school coaches in the state called "unethical". Spring practices did not inspire much confidence, and Spurrier admitted that South Carolina was not yet ready to compete for an SEC title. For starting quarterback, he eventually settled on sophomore Blake Mitchell, who had never started a game. The team was young and lacked depth. The football program was placed on probation, due to violations from Holtz' tenure. The athletics department as a whole was in debt, losing money, defeatist, and used to settling for mediocrity.
Fortunately for Spurrier, South Carolina finished up a "strong" 2005 recruiting class, ranked No. 18 by 247Sports, No. 20 by On3.com, and No. 23 by Rivals.com. Notable departures included Troy Williamson, while notable incoming players included Kenny McKinley. Spurrier retained three coaches (Rick Stockstill, Ron Cooper, and David Reaves) and hired others (including his son Steve Spurrier Jr. as receivers coach, and John Thompson and Tyrone Nix as defensive coordinators). Spurrier retained playcalling duties for himself. Athletic director Mike McGee also retired and was replaced by Eric Hyman.
Spurrier, later described as the most famous man in the state, immediately helped provide excitement and exposure to a school that had "long been starving for attention and success in football". The spring game was televised on ESPN2, while the opening game of the season would be televised on ESPN and the site of College GameDay, only the third time the Gamecocks had ever hosted the pre-game show. At Spurrier's request, Williams–Brice Stadium was given a facelift. By July, the university had sold a record number of season tickets, and donations to the Gamecock Club booster organization had skyrocketed from more than $1 million the previous year to a record $13 million.
On September 1, 2005, Spurrier coached and won his first game at South Carolina, a sold-out home game against UCF, who had the country’s longest losing streak. On the road at No. 9 Georgia, several critical mistakes cost the Gamecocks an early upset, losing by only two points in a defensive struggle. It was only Spurrier's second loss to the Bulldogs in their past twelve matchups. Returning home, South Carolina was dominated by Alabama, in Mike Shula's third-ever road win. The Gamecocks broke the losing streak by defeating Troy at home, though Mitchell injured his ankle. On the road at Auburn, under backup quarterback Antonio Heffner, South Carolina was nearly shut out in a forty-point loss. It was the first time in Spurrier's career that he had lost three straight SEC games.