Steve Spurrier resigns from South Carolina Gamecocks after 11 seasons

Spurrier left Florida after the 2001 season to coach the NFL’s Washington Redskins for two seasons, and is now in his 11th season as head coach of the South Carolina Gamecocks.

At a going-away news conference Tuesday, Spurrier acknowledged it was time to leave because, at age 70, he’d lost any sense of persuasion on the recruiting trail.

Spurrier said it’s “time for me to get out of the way and let someone else have a go at it….”

The Gamecocks were 2-4 overall and 0-4 in the Southeastern Conference for the first time in Spurrier’s career.

He returned to the college game at South Carolina – an SEC member, for sure, but a place where he never had to deal with what he had at Florida.

Spurrier announced co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Shawn Elliott would be taking over immediately.

Steve Spurrier said Tuesday that he made the decision to resign as South Carolina’s coach because the team was heading in the wrong direction.

Interim head coach Shawn Elliott said his job was to help the team move forward.

“I was the best coach for this job 11 years ago, but I’m not today”, he said.

“He gave us our swagger, our pride, and our sandstorm enthusiasm, and that will be Coach Spurrier’s legacy for his lifetime”, Pastides said.

“I think the team needs to hear a new message, a new voice, from another coach”, Spurrier said. “We’re going to give everything we got these last six games”.

“And my answer is always the same: as long as we keep winning, keep winning these bowl games, everybody’s happy, we’re ranked, life’s pretty good, I guess I can go several more years”, he said.

But things have quickly spiraled downward this season.

The 70-year-old Spurrier said he was often asked over the past several years while traveling across the country how much longer he would coach.

The Gamecocks are now 2-4 and 7th in the East Division of the SEC.

November. 22, 1966: Spurrier wins the Heisman trophy after going 179 of 291 for 2,012 yards, throwing for 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

December 12, 1976: Spurrier plays his final game of a 10-year National Football League season a 31-14 loss to the New England Patriots for his 0-14 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Spurrier is credited with helping to bring the Gamecocks’ three of their four 10-win seasons.

October. 24, 1964: Spurrier is quarterback as Florida loses to Alabama 17-14 in Tuscaloosa.

The former Louisville quarterback is in year 2 as Western Kentucky’s head coach. The Gamecocks host Vanderbilt at Williams-Brice Stadium Saturday. The Gamecocks played for an SEC championship in 2010 when it lost to eventual national champion Auburn.

Spurrier said it was unlikely he’d ever be a head coach in college again because of the recruiting aspect.