Is There A Hot Seat for Spurrier?

Posted on May 31, 2010 by Jacob Bunn

When Steve Spurrier arrived at South Carolina, he was thought by the Gamecock contingent to be the chosen one for the program. After all, he had elevated the Florida program to heights never before seen. Now he is five seasons deep into his tenure in Columbia, and it has been for him, to say the least, frustrating.

In twelve seasons at the helm in Gainesville, Spurrier guided two of his Florida teams to National Championship Games. In 1996, his Gator squad won it all. Spurrier also won an astounding six SEC Championships, was named SEC Coach of the Year five times, won at least nine games each year, and set several other impressive records while at Florida. The man truly has one of the best resumes in the game.

Needless to say, in 2005, after a series of less than average seasons under Lou Holtz, the South Carolina faithful were eagerly ready to usher in a coach such as Steve Spurrier. Immediately upon arrival, Spurrier changed the attitude of the typical Gamecock supporter. In five years, Spurrier has an overall record of 35-28 at South Carolina, and he has been plagued by a number of off the field incidents and injuries to key players.

As always when a program is struggling in the doldrums of mediocrity, the fan base begins to grumble. Despite his previous success, Spurrier at South Carolina is no exception. The name Steve Spurrier will always be linked to success at the college football level. But after several years of average records for Spurrier’s standards, Gamecock fans wonder if he has lost his golden touch. I, on the other hand, raise a different question. I see a program in South Carolina that has taken two legendary, national championship winning coaches and made them look very ordinary.
So this year, as the question of whether or not Spurrier is on the “hot seat” is raised, just ask yourself who better could South Carolina hire.

Contact Jacob Bunn at Jacob@bunnsports.com