Steve Spurrier says he resigned as the most successful coach in South Carolina history because he is not delivering the success required – and expected – of him.
“My answer has always been the same,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “If it starts going south, starts going bad, then I need to get out. It’s time for me to get out of the way and give somebody else a go at it.”
South Carolina president says he asked Spurrier twice to stay on but the coach stuck with his decision.
Spurrier has yet to record a losing season in his 25 years as a coach in a career that has also taken in spells at Duke and Florida. He also has the most wins for any coach in the history of Florida and South Carolina, and led the Gators to six SEC titles and a national championship. However, in his 11th season with South Carolina the team are 2-4 and 0-4 in the Southeastern conference.
Spurrier may have come to the decision that at 70 the pressure and hard work is no longer worth it. Whatever the reason, his announcement has been greeted with sadness by former players and fellow coaches. Jadeveon Clowney, the No1 overall pick in the 2014 NFL draft, tweeted: “I’m proud to have played for one of college football’s greatest coaches.”
“I hate it for Steve and hate it for college football,” Alabama coach Nick Saban told ESPN. “The guy’s been one of the best coaches for a long, long time and a great personality for the game. I have a tremendous amount of respect for what he’s accomplished and what he’s done … It’s always sad to see somebody who’s meant so much to the game walk away.”
Spurrier will be missed by journalists too – he is well-known for his quips. When there was a fire at Auburn he joked: “The real tragedy was that 15 hadn’t been colored in yet.” On his own advancing years he said: “The pope is 77 years old and he’s in charge of a billion people. All I have to do is put 11 on the field.”
On Tuesday however, Spurrier did not rule out a return to football. “Don’t say I’ve retired completely,” he said. “Who knows what will come in the future?”
