He started his head coaching career at Duke, where he spent three seasons with the Blue Devils.
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Thayer Evans, a senior writer at Sports Illustrated, tweeted at 9 p.m. on Monday that “South Carolina coach Steve Spurrier is retiring”.
Science Hill Athletic Director Keith Turner added, “It was very surprising, especially with the timing, but everybody that knows Coach Spurrier knows that he’s going to do things under his own terms”. It’s fun being a part of a team. I might be a consultant. “And it’s my fault, I’m responsible, I’m the head coach”, Spurrier said.
“It was just the campus, the players and when I went down there, I saw the receivers and how they definitely need help”, Harmon said.
“He may make a nice compliment when we beat them, but then he’ll come back and say ‘well you lost to somebody else.’ He’s never gonna give you a full compliment, that’s Steve”, he says. Spurrier, 70, is in his 11th season as the Gamecocks’ head coach. But Spurrier said he was most proud of the 18 straight home games his team won, a school record. Elliott is in his sixth season with University of South Carolina, joining the team as the running game coordinator for 2010 and 2011.
The president of the university asked Spurrier twice to reconsider, but Spurrier felt he had to move on.
“Of course, I’m pulling for Shawn”, Spurrier said. High-school prospects aren’t going to jump at the possibility to go through a coaching change, particularly when the outgoing coach is a legend and the incoming coach is unknown. “We’re ranked, life’s pretty good – I guess I can go several more years”.
His decision comes after South Carolina’s 45-24 loss to LSU dropped the Gamecocks to 2-4 and 0-4 in the Southeastern Conference for the first time in Spurrier’s coaching career.
South Carolina’s inconsistency on offense this season has surely frustrated Spurrier, a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback at Florida who played for the San Francisco 49ers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“It was only two years ago we were No. 4 in the nation, the last of those 11-2 (seasons)”, said Spurrier.
“What I can tell you today is that I’m extremely excited about the opportunity we have here”, said Elliott.
“We’ve slipped”, Spurrier said.
After almost 26 years, 228 wins and a national championship, Spurrier leaves the game in hopes that his Gamecocks turn it around without him.
The Gamecocks will now be the responsibility of offensive line coach Shawn Elliott, who takes over as interim head coach.
We’ll have updates when the press conference begins.
“I hate it for Steve and hate it for college football”, Alabama coach Nick Saban told ESPN.
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Before he was a great coach, Spurrier was a great player.
