R.I.P. Stephen Orr Spurrier

1945-2009

WRAS says goodbye to a legend today. Steve Spurrier passed away today at the age of 64. He leaves behind a legacy as one of the greatest coaches college football has ever known. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1966 and led his alma mater to the mythical national championship in 1996 to go with his 6 SEC championships at Florida.

Spurrier changed the field to grass at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and named it "The Swamp" which it will be forever known. He also became known for his gamesmanship while at UF, doing such things as giving much-derided Georgia coach Ray Goff the nickname of "Ray Goof" and intentionally running up the score against not only lesser teams, but also conference rivals such as UGa and Kentucky. His rivalry with Tennessee and their coach Phillip Fulmer became highly publicized, as Spurrier would often tell the media after UF wins over the Vols that "you can't spell 'Citrus' without 'UT'", a reference to the Citrus Bowl, which second-place teams in the SEC would often go to in the postseason. He also said about Peyton Manning, Tennessee's quarterback that "I know why Peyton came back for his senior year: he wanted to be a three-time Citrus Bowl MVP". Other notable and controversial quotes from Steve Spurrier include nicknaming rival Florida State University, "Free Shoes University," for their troubles with recruiting violations.

And don't tell me that Spurrier isn't dead because if he was still alive, no way he would have apologized for voting Jevan Snead over Tim Tebow and said it was a mistake. No way.

He would have said something like, "I don't care too much for those running QBs, that's what guys like Errict Rhett are for. Remember Tommie Frazier? I hate that SOB. Ol' Jevan woulda started for me over Timmy any day. And don't give me what a great Christian guy he is, I know a great Christian QB when I see one and his name is Danny Wuerffel. Did you see that picture of Tebow with that girl? Virgin my ass. Danny's still one of only two quarterbacks to win the Heisman for the Gators. Tebow ain't nothing but a ball carrier. And you can quote the Ol' Ball Coach too!"