Steve Spurrier retiring as USC coach

According to Sports Illustrated, Steve Spurrier informed his South Carolina team that he is retiring.

The State beat writer Josh Kendall and others reported shortly there after that Spurrier would retire effective immediately, with an interim coach to be named Tuesday.

South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier walks across the field after an NCAA college football game against LSU in Baton Rouge, La., Saturday, October 10, 2015.

He started his head coaching career with Duke in 1987, stayed there three seasons and led the team to No. 20 in the Associated Press poll in 1989. Not only have the Gamecocks lost four of their last six games, they’ve been outscored 137-76 in those contests. During the news conference where he was introduced, Spurrier said, “why not us, why not now?” Before that he spent two forgettable seasons in the National Football League with Washington from 2002-03. “Now past year I was 69, we were 11-2 and there was no question about my age”.

The retirement ends a career that includes a Heisman Trophy as a player and a national championship in 1996 when he coached at Florida. Despite his constant history of being a major thorn in the side of all Tennessee Vols football fans, Spurrier was a hard guy to not like. “Gamecocks out there need to know that I’m going to be here five or six more years, and away we go”.

Warr said he did not have a preference on the next coach and would leave the decision to Tanner. As coach at Florida, Spurrier dropped a famous line that wound up resulting in a nickname for the Gators’ Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.