Yesterday, Steve Spurrier resigned as head football coach at the University of South Carolina, and it immediately became a major national story. Rival coaches from all over the nation tweeted and texted their positive thoughts about him and there were dozens of national and regional media stories circulating paying tribute to this cantankerous but beloved legend. Here are my own recollections of the old Head Ball Coach from an up close and personal point of view.
In the late '90's I had the pleasure of playing a round of golf with Coach Steve Spurrier at our world class Honors Course in Ooltewah, TN where I was privileged to be a charter member. He was very engaging during the round with me and the other two members of our foursome but told us on the front end that he didn't want to talk football. Upon meeting us on the practice range before the round he asked our names and if it was ok with us to play from the back (blue) tees. As anyone who's played this most difficult test of golf from the blues will tell you, it can be hell on earth. Since it's inception in 1983 this wonderful Pete Dye designed course has hosted every major amateur event in world golf, including the U S Men's and Women's Amateur, the NCAA Men's and Women's Championships and the Walker and Curtis Cups.Tiger Woods won the NCAA tourney there by one stroke while shooting 80 the last round. To put that in perspective he has shot only three rounds of 80 or above in his storied career. But The Honors literally brought him to his knees that day. Other greats who have played in those amateur events include Phil Mickelson and David Duval.
By the time we teed off Spurrier was calling us by our first names and asked us to call him Steve. He bought the refreshments for everyone at the turn. As the round began he was very easygoing and casual but obviously a very good golfer who came to the last two holes of this very tough championship course two over par and put up with our many bad shots. I remember him saying to me on the 17th tee, "Jerre, guess I'll just have to birdie these last two and shoot even par." And folks, he did just that barely missing an eagle on 17 and putting his second shot on 18 two feet from the pin. After the round concluded he stopped by the pro shop and thanked the host pro, saying to him, "Please tell Mr (Jack) Lupton (the founder) it was an honor and I really enjoyed the round and shooting even par on his great course. Tell him next time I'll try to do better."
Then instead of leaving he asked us to join him in the clubhouse for lunch and insisted that it was his treat. He said, "I'm paid a lot of money and the least I can do is buy you boys lunch." We spent at least an hour with him and he never once brought up the subject of football other than to tell this story, in which I paraphrase the Head Ball Coach. As best I recall he said, "You know, boys, I was born in Athens, TN just up the road and my dad was a Methodist preacher. He loved Tennessee football and indoctrinated us kids to bleed orange. When we moved to Johnson City where I was raised, Johnny Majors was my hero and my dad dreamed of me playing football in Knoxville. After my junior year in high school, Coach Ray Mears, the young and brash new UT basketball coach, offered me a full scholarship, the first offer I ever got. He told me that I could play football also and that he'd tell Coach Bowden Wyatt about me. I immediately felt a bond with Coach Mears who told me he was a big football fan and knew I was a pretty good quarterback. There were rumors that UT was going to abandon the single wing and I passed the word through Coach Mears that I'd love to come to Tennessee if they did that. Doug Dickey didn't come to Knoxville until my freshman year in college and Coach Wyatt and Coach Jim McDonald didn't want to switch to the "T" so I didn't go there. Coach Ray Graves at Florida, originally from Knoxville and a great player at UT under General Neyland, recruited me and that's how I wound up at Florida. Since then every once in a while I've wondered what it would have been like if Coach Dickey had come a year earlier. It was pretty ironic that he was a Florida guy and quarterbacked the Gators under Coach Bob Woodruff who was also a Tennessee man and UT AD when I finished high school. After I left the NFL, Coach Dickey gave me my first coaching job, coaching quarterbacks at Florida. So boys that's how I came close to becoming a Volunteer instead of a Gator. But I guess it worked out all right (grinning broadly)."
One of my regrets during the ten years I hosted talk radio on Sport Talk was never interviewing Spurrier live on air. He had meetings later that day and politely declined my invitation. I learned years later that like Joe Paterno at Penn State he didn't like radio interviews because, " If he did one he'd be obligated to do them all."
The only other time I saw the HBC in person was in 2011 when he was the featured speaker at a fundraiser for the Sports Committee in Chattanooga. My wife Barbara was a long time admirer of Spurrier and expressed a desire to attend and we were certainly glad that we did. Before a standing room only audience of several hundred he began his 30 minute talk in a self-deprocating manner by asking if there were anyone in the audience who had played for Chattanooga Central and it's legendary coach Red Etter against him when he quarterbacked Science Hill High School in Johnson City? One gentleman raised his hand and after asking him to introduce himself, Spurrier admitted that he was shutout by Central all three years he played them and in his senior year went 0-15 passing with two interceptions. He also noted that Central went 11-0 that year and won the state championship and was Etter's only undefeated team. He then proceeded to make an impassioned and eloquent case for paying a reasonable stipend to college football and basketball players, which in my opinion because of his leadership has now come to fruition. He was at the forefront of that issue long before it became fashionable, articulating that universities were making millions off the players' back. And he stated that since the vast majority of them would never play in the NFL, they needed some money to cover normal expenses because NCAA rules did not permit them to hold part time jobs like other students. Of course near the end of his remarks Spurrier, ever the needler, did inject a few jabs and one liners about his coaching record against Tennessee and Georgia.
No one like Steven Orr Spurrier has ever coached and graced college football, and the sport has benefitted exponentially from his ingenuity, leadership and strong presence and is far better for it. Enjoy your retirement. You'll always be the Head Ball Coach to us college football fans all over the nation.
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