Dec. 1, 2004

Columbia, S.C. –
Steve Spurrier, Jr., who has served on the coaching staffs of two national championship teams and tutored a bevy of outstanding receivers at both the collegiate and professional levels, has been named an assistant football coach at the University of South Carolina. Spurrier will coach the Gamecock wide receivers.

Spurrier brings 11 years of coaching experience to Carolina, with his most recent stop being at the University of Arizona, under first-year head coach Mike Stoops. He spent two seasons as wide receivers coach with the NFL’s Washington Redskins, working under his father, Steve Spurrier, who was named South Carolina’s new head coach last week. While with the Redskins, Spurrier, Jr., coached Laveranues Coles, whose 2003 receiving totals of 82 receptions for 1,204 yards earned him an appearance in the Pro Bowl. He also coached Rod Gardner, who was Washington’s leading receiver in 2002.

Spurrier was part of Bob Stoops’ rebuilding project at Oklahoma, which culminated with the perfect 13-0 record and national championship in 2000. He spent three seasons as the Sooners’ wide receivers coach, working with such standouts as Mark Clayton and Josh Norman. Prior to his stay at OU, he worked at Florida for five seasons and was part of the Gators’ 1996 national championship club. During his collegiate coaching career, he has been involved with eight post-season bowl teams.

“I am extremely excited about having the opportunity to coach at the University of South Carolina,” said Spurrier. “This is a great school, with great fans, in the best conference in America. I’m looking forward to coaching the receivers in this offense and I consider it a privilege to be here.”

“He was a graduate assistant at Florida for with me,” Spurrier, Sr. said on Monday. “We won three SEC championships and a national championship. Then he went with Bobby Stoops at Oklahoma for three years. They win the national championship in 2000. So, he’s got two national championship rings. He was with me in the NFL and then went out to Arizona.”

Born Sept. 26, 1971 in Palo Alto, Calif., Spurrier played college football at Duke University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree in 1994. He later earned a master’s degree at Florida in 1996.

Spurrier and his wife, the former Melissa Beauchamp, are the parents of triplets: sons Luke and Gavin and daughter Emmaline.