Spurrier Named to National Football Foundation Hall of Fame
Jan. 9, 2017
Former University of South Carolina head football coach Steve Spurrier was one of three coaches selected to the 2017 College Football Hall of Fame Class, the National Football Foundation (NFF) announced today.
Coach Spurrier compiled a 228-89-2 (.718) won-loss record in 25-plus seasons as a major college head coach, including an 86-49 mark (.637) at Carolina. He is the winningest coach at two SEC schools (Florida and South Carolina), joining Paul “Bear” Bryant (Kentucky and Alabama) as the only coaches with that distinction.
Spurrier began his 26-year coaching career at Duke from 1987-89. The ACC Coach of the Year in both 1988 and 1989, his 1989 team won the University’s first ACC title since 1962 and made its first bowl appearance since 1960.
Spurrier became the head coach at his alma mater, Florida, in 1990, compiling a 122-27-1 record over 12 seasons in “The Swamp.” His Gators appeared in back-to-back national championship games, winning the 1996 national title after defeating rival Florida State in the Sugar Bowl. During his tenure in Gainesville, Spurrier led the Gators to six wins in 11 bowl appearances, and he was named SEC Coach of the Year five times. He helped the Gators win their first-ever conference title in 1991, and he added five more, including four straight from 1993-96 and one in 2000. At Florida, he became the only coach in major college football history to win at least 120 games in his first 12 seasons at one school, and his teams never finished lower than No. 13 in the final rankings.
After a stint coaching the NFL’s Washington Redskins, he became the head coach at South Carolina, where he picked up two more SEC Coach of the Year honors, leading the Gamecocks to their first-ever SEC East title in 2010 and five bowl victories.
The recipient of the 1966 Heisman Trophy, Coach Spurrier was inducted into the National Football Foundation and College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1986. Spurrier becomes just the fourth person ever to be inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as both a player and coach.
Steve Spurrier Highlights at South Carolina
• Winningest coach in school history with an 11-year record of 86-49. His 86 wins are 22 more than Rex Enright, who previously held the record with 64.
• Coached in 135 games over 11 seasons, second in school history behind only Rex Enright (140).
• Owns the best winning percentage (.637) of any coach who has coached more than two years at South Carolina.
• Took the Gamecocks to nine bowl games. No other coach in Carolina history has gone to more than three bowl games.
• Won five bowl games. No other coach in Carolina history has won more than two bowl games.
• During his tenure in Columbia, the Gamecocks went 21-20 against their top four rivals, going 6-4 versus Clemson, 5-5 against Florida, and Tennessee and 5-6 against Georgia. In the 10 years prior to Coach Spurrier’s arrival, the Gamecocks were a combined 5-35 against those same four schools, going 3-7 against Georgia, 2-8 versus Clemson, and winless in 10 tries against both Florida and Tennessee.
• Produced a first-team All-American six consecutive seasons.
• Had 38 Gamecocks selected in the NFL Draft.
• Produced three 11-win seasons at South Carolina. Prior to his arrival there was just one 10-win season in school history.
• Produced the only three Top-10 finishes in school history, including a No. 4 ranking in 2013.
• Enjoyed a streak of being ranked among the Associated Press’s Top-25 for 69-consecutive polls, the longest streak in school history.
• Only football coach in school history to defeat the No. 1-ranked team in the country (Alabama in 2010).
• First coach in school history to record a win against Tennessee in Knoxville and a win against Florida in Gainesville.
• The team posted its highest cumulative GPA on record in Spring 2015 (2.938).
• The team was recognized in 2014 for being in the top 10 percent of Division I football programs in APR (Academic Progress Rate).
• Won the SEC Eastern Division title in 2010, Carolina’s only divisional crown since joining the SEC.
