At Spurrier’s Request
On the day Ron Zook was fired, it was obvious somebody needed to hear that the Florida head football coaching job was going to be open. Perhaps it was Steve Spurrier, perhaps it was Bernie Machen, the school’s president, perhaps it was the recruits or perhaps it was some big boosters. The timing seemed odd, but if the decision had been made to replace him (perhaps based on some of the team’s off-field shenanigans) if he had won out, beating Georgia and FSU in the process, it would have been very difficult to make a move on Zook at that point.
Once the announcement was made, the Gator Nation was clamoring for Steve Spurrier to return, and he didn’t disqualify himself as a candidate. In fact, he left the door open, and most of his friends and confidants thought he was going back to Gainesville. Then he took himself out of the running.
So what happened?
Perhaps Steve just thought about it and figured it didn’t have enough upside to it. Or maybe he really was in the “been there, done that” mentality. But more likely is something set Spurrier off in the wrong direction, so he just decided “no” was the right answer. Recently, Steve has said he was surprised when Machen didn’t remember meeting him. When asked, the UF president said he’d never met Spurrier, “but I’ve seen a picture of him once,” in an attempt at humor.
Knowing Steve the little that I do, he wouldn’t have liked that, at all. In fact, Spurrier and Machen had met at a basketball game, and their wives sat next to each other. “Maybe he wants to hire somebody he knows,” Spurrier said late last week, “’cause he doesn’t know who I am.” That’s Spurrier talk for “I’m not workin’ for that guy.”
Some people think that Steve didn’t want to go through the process, and I don’t blame him. But the process is part of the NCAA regulations these days, and it’s also the politically correct thing to do to cover your own back when questioned about who you interviewed, etc.. So if there was going to be a process, Jeremy Foley just needed to tell Steve to go through the motions and in mid-December when the I’s were dotted and the T’s were crossed, the job would be his. Maybe he never got around to having that talk with the “ole ball coach.”
But I think it was really a combination of things. There isn’t a tremendous upside for Spurrier to return to Florida. He’s a legend there already and save for winning another National Championship, his image could only be tarnished without reaching that ultimate goal. Spurrier will be 60 years old before next season starts, so his shelf-life at Florida was five years, max. That might not be long enough to get the job done the way he’d like to. He’s got other things he likes to do, and it’s not all golf either.
When Foley said “If coach isn’t into it a thousand percent, then he knows he’s not right for the job,” that was very telling. If there was even a small doubt in Steve’s mind, it wouldn’t have worked. That’s why if he takes a job coaching, it’ll be in the NFL. There’s no emotion attachment there, and this time around, he’ll know it. It amazed him that the professional players sometimes came to play and other times didn’t. He didn’t have the kind of control he wanted in Washington, which perhaps another owner would be willing to cede to him. Miami would seem like a good fit, because they’re going to need a head coach, except they’re a bad team all around right now. And they don’t have a quarterback that fits the Spurrier mold. But he might end up there with a general manager who can put some of the pieces in place for him to be successful. And besides, five years is just about the right time to coach in the NFL anyway.
