The Many Reasons Why We’ll Miss Steve Spurrier, The Head Ball Coach

Steve Spurrier has resigned his post as the head football coach at the University of South Carolina, and though it might be the right thing for him and the program, it’s still a damn shame, because it’s so much fun to have the Head Ball Coach around.

Spurrier is a legend by resume alone: taking the Universities of Florida and South Carolina (and Duke, before either of those) to unprecedented levels of prestige (and winning more games for each program than any other coach in history), with a 1996 national title to boot. His Fun ‘n Gun system with Florida in the 90’s emphasized the pass over the run and was a progenitor to the spread offenses that now rule the college football landscape. But all that just made Spurrier a good enough coach for fans to feel justified in constructing a cult of personality around him. Below are the cult’s sacred documents.

Spurrier’s Signature Sass

The HBC’s got bars, man. (In Spurrier voice: Now, see, that’s a hip hop term, son.) Perhaps even more than his on-field successes, Spurrier’s trademark wit has made him truly beloved. He never took himself (or others) as seriously as, say, Nick Saban, and he took particular joy in riling up fanbases of rival schools. Here’s some of his best trash talk:

When SC’s game against Georgia was moved to later in the season: “I don’t know. I sort of always liked playing them that second game because you could always count on them having two or three key players suspended.”

On Peyton Manning returning to Tennessee for a fourth year: “I know why Peyton came back for his senior year. He wanted to be a three-time star of the Citrus Bowl.” Later: “You know you can’t spell Citrus without U-T.”

On the home crowd at Tennessee: “Yeah, that stadium up in Knoxville sure was loud last year. Then the game started.”

On going back to Knoxville with the Gamecocks:

After hearing that Mississippi State was going into their game with Florida with the best passing defense in the nation: “Won’t be going out, though.”

On Clemson coach Dabo Swinney getting mad at a misattributed jab: “I said, ‘Well, what do you want me to do? I didn’t say it,’ ” Spurrier said. “Smart people don’t believe everything they read, and they don’t believe hearsay. I guess Dabo believed it.”

Business Casual

Part of the reason Spurrier could let loose verbally like few other coaches is that he lived his life a little more loosely. He’s an avid golfer, and the above GIF was taken from his appearance on golf personality Dennis Feherty’s show. Feherty pointed out another element of Spurrier’s style: his visor. “Anyone who wears a visor has to have something to do with golf,” the host quipped.

The visor can be seen on Spurrier’s head on the golf course (where it turns out he has a signature putt-sinking dance):

And the ol’ ball coach can be seen futzing with the headgear on the sideline from time to time:

Going Out On His Own Terms

Spurrier called his shot two years ago when he talked about how his career would end to ESPN:

“Let me ask you this: How many coaches do you know that have retired in the last 10 or 15 years, and I’m talking honestly retiring, guys who had a good job, were winning and stepped aside on their own? There aren’t many. They all got fired. Who would have ever thought that Bobby Bowden and Joe Paterno would have to get forced out? When I leave, they’re not going to pay me $4 million because I had another five years on the deal and got fired. I ain’t going to be one of those guys. I just have too much pride. That’s not going to happen.”

And so it came to pass, and in classic Spurrier fashion, as told by Stewart Mandel. Take us home, HBC:

Another coach might have caught hell for leaving his team mid-season and abandoning players he recruited. But people who follow Spurrier know that he just did the same thing he always does: kept it real.

See you out on the links, Coach.