Steve Spurrier resigns as South Carolina football coach

He told the world Tuesday. But thanks to this press conference, Spurrier seems a little less like the devil (we’ll reserve that title for Saban). But if Tanner wants to raise his profile from merely former legendary college baseball coach-turned athletic director to the man who had a hand in helping a once-successful football team return to the top of the SEC, there’s no doubt he absolutely has to get this hiring right.

“I didn’t expect it to happen”, Richt said. “Being on a team is fun. I might be a consultant for somebody”. This year, they are now 2-4, with all of their losses coming in conference. “We’re going to fight our tails off. I would love to be the coach of the University of South Carolina for a long time to come”. “If the players know you’re not going to be their coach after such and such a time, you just don’t have the accountability, I think”. “We finally won enough that they’re trying to convince us that my age has something to do with it, and I can’t coach anymore”, he said. “Let’s do it. Let’s do it and get started in a new direction”. “This is kind of a sad day to see him announce his retirement”, said Hubert, “because one of the greatest coaches of all time in college football”.

There was the usual consternation on my part – why would a coach just walk away in the middle of the season?

“I’ll be here around town”.

For years, high-ranking football talent in South Carolina had two choices – go to Clemson or go out of state. Spurrier was more than willing to play the villain – a role that suited his game plans and ego and attracted wide audiences as the SEC became a more national conference.

From there Spurrier headed back to his alma mater Florida and led the Gators to nine 10-plus win seasons in his dozen years with the Gators.

October 24, 1964: Spurrier is the quarterback as Florida loses to Alabama 17-14 in Tuscaloosa. His winning percent (73.2) ranks 14 in SEC history. I have been here a long, long time. “I have been blessed way beyond my wildest expectations”. But what worked at Duke, Florida and eventually at South Carolina, Brown said, was not going to have the same effect with the Redskins.

There will be plenty of discussion over the remainder of the season about who will replace Spurrier.

USC Athletics Director Ray Tanner spoke with him Sunday afternoon and asked him to reconsider. He has been an inspiration to us all. “We had a great conversation”.

Coach Spurrier went on to say he feels he was the right man for the job when hired 11 years ago, and he feels he’s right in leaving at this time.

Spurrier, the SEC’s second-winningest coach of all-time with six league championships and a national title all of which he won during his 12 seasons coaching Florida through 2001, said several options were considered for his exit.

That experience, along with working under Spurrier has helped shape his approach to coaching.

Following Steve Spurrier’s resignation, Shawn Elliott was named interim head coach for the remainder of the season.