Steve Spurrier

Biography

Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945) is an American former football player and coach. He played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL) before coaching for 38 years. He is often referred to by his nickname, "The Head Ball Coach". He played college football as a quarterback for the Florida Gators, where he won the 1966 Heisman Trophy. The San Francisco 49ers selected him in the first round of the 1967 NFL draft, and he spent a decade playing in the National Football League (NFL) mainly as a backup quarterback and punter. Spurrier was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1986. Spurrier’s first job as head coach was with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League (USFL) from 1983 - 1985. Spurrier returned to the college ranks in 1987, serving as the head football coach for the Duke Blue Devils (three seasons), Florida Gators (12 seasons), and South Carolina Gamecocks (10.5 seasons), amassing 228 total wins and a 72% career winning percentage. Between his stints at Florida and South Carolina, he led the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) for two seasons with less success.