Spurrier And The Annual Rite of Winter
posted by Scott Hood, Friday, November 21, 2008
The latest episode occurred this week when a website I refuse to mention by name contended that according to its “NFL sources” Spurrier would retire at the end of the 2008 season.
Of course, the report is untrue. But I guess the web site got what it wanted - tons of free publicity.
Are some of these rumors also started by recruiting rivals? You bet. There’s nothing better than planting a seed of doubt in the mind of a highly touted recruit about whether the head coach he‘s committed to will stick around.
As I’ve said before, part of the deal of having Steve Spurrier as South Carolina head coach is the constant rumors being started by the national media trying to stir the pot.
Two years ago, we all lived through the annoying Alabama and Miami rumors. Personally, I had multiple Alabama writers and radio sports talk hosts tell me it was a “done deal,” that Spurrier was headed to Tuscaloosa.
Spurrier, of course, parlayed that interest into a new six-year contract from USC through the 2012 season paying him an additional $500,000 per year.
Another writer, Brian Curtis of CSTV.com (now the CBS College Sports Channel) tried to sound convincing when he wrote Spurrier was headed to Miami.
Obviously, his efforts to audition for a higher paying job with ESPN.com failed miserably. Or, at least they should have.
Last year, when we were in Baton Rouge, the sports talk shows there had Les Miles taking the Michigan job. Who would replace him? You guessed it, Spurrier.
Here’s the deal: Outside of the Palmetto State, a certain amount of disbelief and skepticism among national media types still exists that Spurrier is coaching at South Carolina.
While I don’t think I ever heard anyone say this directly, the suggestion is apparent: USC doesn’t deserve Spurrier, regarded by many as one of the greatest and most successful head coaches in college football history, as its head coach.
One thing people conveniently forget about Spurrier is that he chose South Carolina, not vice versa. He wanted a challenge and he got it. To his credit, he refused to go to an established national power where he could have simply added to that school’s list of conference or national championships.
That’s why Spurrier always acts a bit amused when these reports surface and he has to respond to them. Each story goes through its 24-hour news cycle and then thankfully disappears.
Inherent in many of these same reports is the implication Spurrier is “unhappy” at South Carolina. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.
Spurrier knew the rebuilding project with the Gamecocks would take several years. Right now, becoming the first USC coach to win the SEC championship - and prove a lot of people wrong in the process - is Spurrier’s main motivation for going to work every day.
I’ve been around Spurrier enough to know he believes strongly he’s building something good here at USC. The 2007 recruiting class started the good feelings and the 2009 signing class could just add to the fire if its stays together.
USC is on the verge of earning a spot in a New Year's Day Bowl game. While a victory over Clemson could cement a berth in the Outback Bowl, the Gamecocks could get there with a loss as well.
While the offense has struggled for most of the season and some fans appear upset at his decision to start Chris Smelley against Clemson, you can’t argue much with the proposition the defense and special teams have been outstanding this season.
He has full confidence in Ellis Johnson and Ray Rychleski to keep the defense and special teams headed upward. Spurrier knows the ball is in the offense’s court to find the right personnel to run his system to keep up with the defense.
Once he does that, Spurrier will lead USC to football heights rarely seen in Columbia.
When that moment finally arrives, we’ll know why Spurrier came to USC.
And why he stayed.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
The calendar says winter is coming, so it must be time for a fresh round of rumors regarding Steve Spurrier and his eagerness to leave South Carolina.
The latest episode occurred this week when a website I refuse to mention by name contended that according to its “NFL sources” Spurrier would retire at the end of the 2008 season.
Of course, the report is untrue. But I guess the web site got what it wanted - tons of free publicity.
Are some of these rumors also started by recruiting rivals? You bet. There’s nothing better than planting a seed of doubt in the mind of a highly touted recruit about whether the head coach he‘s committed to will stick around.
As I’ve said before, part of the deal of having Steve Spurrier as South Carolina head coach is the constant rumors being started by the national media trying to stir the pot.
Two years ago, we all lived through the annoying Alabama and Miami rumors. Personally, I had multiple Alabama writers and radio sports talk hosts tell me it was a “done deal,” that Spurrier was headed to Tuscaloosa.
Spurrier, of course, parlayed that interest into a new six-year contract from USC through the 2012 season paying him an additional $500,000 per year.
Another writer, Brian Curtis of CSTV.com (now the CBS College Sports Channel) tried to sound convincing when he wrote Spurrier was headed to Miami.
Obviously, his efforts to audition for a higher paying job with ESPN.com failed miserably. Or, at least they should have.
Last year, when we were in Baton Rouge, the sports talk shows there had Les Miles taking the Michigan job. Who would replace him? You guessed it, Spurrier.
Here’s the deal: Outside of the Palmetto State, a certain amount of disbelief and skepticism among national media types still exists that Spurrier is coaching at South Carolina.
While I don’t think I ever heard anyone say this directly, the suggestion is apparent: USC doesn’t deserve Spurrier, regarded by many as one of the greatest and most successful head coaches in college football history, as its head coach.
One thing people conveniently forget about Spurrier is that he chose South Carolina, not vice versa. He wanted a challenge and he got it. To his credit, he refused to go to an established national power where he could have simply added to that school’s list of conference or national championships.
That’s why Spurrier always acts a bit amused when these reports surface and he has to respond to them. Each story goes through its 24-hour news cycle and then thankfully disappears.
Inherent in many of these same reports is the implication Spurrier is “unhappy” at South Carolina. Of course, nothing could be further from the truth.
Spurrier knew the rebuilding project with the Gamecocks would take several years. Right now, becoming the first USC coach to win the SEC championship - and prove a lot of people wrong in the process - is Spurrier’s main motivation for going to work every day.
I’ve been around Spurrier enough to know he believes strongly he’s building something good here at USC. The 2007 recruiting class started the good feelings and the 2009 signing class could just add to the fire if its stays together.
USC is on the verge of earning a spot in a New Year's Day Bowl game. While a victory over Clemson could cement a berth in the Outback Bowl, the Gamecocks could get there with a loss as well.
While the offense has struggled for most of the season and some fans appear upset at his decision to start Chris Smelley against Clemson, you can’t argue much with the proposition the defense and special teams have been outstanding this season.
He has full confidence in Ellis Johnson and Ray Rychleski to keep the defense and special teams headed upward. Spurrier knows the ball is in the offense’s court to find the right personnel to run his system to keep up with the defense.
Once he does that, Spurrier will lead USC to football heights rarely seen in Columbia.
When that moment finally arrives, we’ll know why Spurrier came to USC.
And why he stayed.
Link to this entry - Discuss this entry - Return to Blog Home
Previous Blog Entries
Scott Hood. Since February of 2005, Scott has covered the South Carolina football, men's basketball and baseball programs for GamecockCentral. He may be reached by email at scottblog(at)gamecockcentral.com. Replace (at) with @.