Admit it: It’s nice to have Spurrier back
By Furman Bisher | Tuesday, September 6, 2005, 09:56 PM
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Furman Bisher
Admit it: It's nice to have Spurrier back
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Pardon me. Mind if I have a few words on the subject of Steve Spurrier? You realize it’s rather gauche to say anything nice about the “Evil Genius.”
“Evil Genius,” now that’s pretty strong stuff, don’t you think? I know they’re just kidding but “evil”? Clever. Cunning. Crafty. All those things, true. Oh, well, on with it.
Spurrier is a preacher’s son, and in my time the preacher’s son was usually the meanest little wretch in town. I don’t know what Steve’s social standing was in Johnson City, Tenn., but I’d guess it wasn’t bad. He was the best athlete in school, and you know how people are about the gifted athlete.
I notice all these coaches, or formers, taking a whack at him as he returns to the stage at South Carolina. Lou Holtz, whose cast Spurrier inherited, predicted he’d upset Georgia on Saturday. Terry Bowden says, “Not many tears will be shed if he struggles.” But you know, they all have something in common — they’ve all been losing to him, all three of the Bowdens.
Now, I once said if I had to hire a coach for any kind of team, I’d hire Spurrier. I said that recently while being interviewed by a radio station in Birmingham and was abruptly cut off. It’s OK. I’ve known him when he wasn’t so great. He was just a lowly assistant. Few remember that he was quarterbacks coach at Georgia Tech in 1979, but for one season only. Got here just in time to get fired with Pepper Rodgers, who had been his offensive coach during his Heisman career at Florida.
Well, he was a great coach until he got to Washington. He didn’t realize what he was walking into. He thought he would be in charge. Nobody who works for Dan Snyder is in charge. All his losing victims cheered when he took his leave of the SEC, but life with the Redskins didn’t work out too well.
The thing about Spurrier is that he has no secrets. His face gives him away. Every emotion generated inside comes to the surface. When his games are televised, the network can’t wait for him to toss his visor, as he did when the Gamecocks were bumbling against Central Florida. Can you imagine a game between South Carolina and Central Florida, on a weekday night, being televised across the nation? It wasn’t the game, it was Spurrier. “Evil Genius” is back! Come one, come all, see the wild man toss his visor!
Enthusiasm meets bedlam, I think somebody said.
He took it in stride. “This is not about me,” he said. “I feel embarrassed by all the fuss about me.”
Oh, well, needless to try to humanize the man simply because I like him. He can be abrupt, funny, short-tempered, sometimes arrogant, all those things, but he doesn’t like to be a loser.
His mortal sin, it seems, is that he sometimes has run up the score on hapless teams. The NFL broke him of that habit, if it had been one. It’s sometimes hard to put restraints on a bunch of kids who don’t get on the field that often. I saw Holtz run up 21 points against him in the first quarter one time when South Carolina played Florida in Gainesville. But he got beat in the end.
Steve has triggered some of his own problems, and he’s looking down the gun barrel of another one Saturday in Athens. South Carolina has lately developed a habit he’d like to break — losing to Georgia. The rest of the SEC is chortling and rubbing its hands in glee. This is one that will require all the genius the “Evil One” can muster.
On the other hand, isn’t it sort of nice to have him back? Life’s no fun without somebody to pick on. Pity.
Ah yes, in the year 2000. How soon I forget. We didn't score any after that, and got the hell beat out of us for the last three quarters.
"In the year two-thousand."..............."In the year two-thousaaaaaaaaaaand."
Derek Watson was the man that day on special teams. They used his speed to block punts, etc. and run them back in. We had them pinned on their ears that quarter for 3 quick scores.
I'll admit it, Spurrier is good for South Carolina and the SEC. His teams may take some beatings in the beginning, but he will find a way to win there. Heck, Fulmer and the Vols might get tight playing Spurrier and the Vols do something they are not use to doing.
I'll admit it, Spurrier is good for South Carolina and the SEC. His teams may take some beatings in the beginning, but he will find a way to win there. Heck, Fulmer and the Vols might get tight playing Spurrier and the Vols do something they are not use to doing.
I love having him back. It was great watching him throw that visor again! That makes it SEC football.
I love having him back. It was great watching him throw that visor again! That makes it SEC football.
I know it, and he said we wouldn't see it last week. I found it humorous that they found it worthy of an instant replay. I'm glad though, as I missed it when they first showed it.
Me and my uncle were talking on the way to the game and I remembered saying something when he left UF. I remembered saying "I know that bastard is going to end up in Columbia" because there were rumors flying around that he would end up at either Clemson or Columbia. I told him that if he ever ended up as our head coach that I would burn all of my Gamecock stuff. Sure is funny how all of that hatred from getting stomped by him all the time just suddenly turned around for us though.
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Heyyyyy hey baby I wanna know oh oh if you'll be my girl. The new Gamecocks Fight Song. lol.
Me and my uncle were talking on the way to the game and I remembered saying something when he left UF. I remembered saying "I know that bastard is going to end up in Columbia" because there were rumors flying around that he would end up at either Clemson or Columbia. I told him that if he ever ended up as our head coach that I would burn all of my Gamecock stuff. Sure is funny how all of that hatred from getting stomped by him all the time just suddenly turned around for us though.
I always despised him while he was at Florida, and thought he was cocky, arrogant, obnoxious, etc. However, I always admitted to my SEC buddies that he wa
