Steve Spurrier
Steve Spurrier went 228–89–2 as a head coach, 1987–2015, at Duke, Florida and South Carolina. His 1996 Florida team claims the national title. Share
- Record
- 228–89–2 career
- Seasons
- 26
- Schools
- 3
- National titles
- 1 claimed: 1996
- Hall of Fame
- 2017 inducted
- Best season
- 1996 12–1, No. 1
Season by season
Each season links to the team’s season page; bowls and playoff games link to the game. Conference finishes from the Wikipedia article’s record table.
Players he coached
Shane MatthewsFifth in the 1991 Heisman vote- Lawrence Wright1996 Jim Thorpe Award
Melvin IngramConsensus All‑American, 2011- Reidel AnthonyConsensus All‑American, 1996
- Brad CulpepperConsensus All‑American, 1991
- Jabar GaffneyConsensus All‑American, 2001
- Alex BrownConsensus All‑American, 2001
- Jacquez GreenConsensus All‑American, 1997
- Fred WearyConsensus All‑American, 1997
- Mike PearsonConsensus All‑American, 2001
- Jason OdomConsensus All‑American, 1995
Clarkston HinesConsensus All‑American, 1989
13 more
Jack Jackson (Consensus All‑American, 1994); Fred Taylor (No. 9 pick, 1998); Stephon Gilmore (No. 10 pick, 2012); Travis Taylor (No. 10 pick, 2000); Jevon Kearse (No. 16 pick, 1999); Lito Sheppard (No. 26 pick, 2002); Johnathan Joseph (No. 24 pick, 2006); Huey Richardson (No. 15 pick, 1991); Reggie McGrew (No. 24 pick, 1999); Ellis Johnson (No. 15 pick, 1995); Mo Collins (No. 23 pick, 1998); Kenyatta Walker (No. 14 pick, 2001); Judd Davis (1993 Lou Groza Award).
18 of the 31 players from his seasons with a Heisman top-five finish, a national award, consensus All-America honors or a first-round pick, the best of each school he coached among them. Photos: Wikimedia Commons, free licenses; credits on each player’s page.
How his teams did
| Kind of game | Games | Record | Won |
|---|---|---|---|
| Against ranked teams | 122 | 64–57–1 | 53% |
| Against top-10 teams | 61 | 26–34–1 | 43% |
| Against rivals | 130 | 88–40–2 | 68% |
| Conference games | 199 | 137–61–1 | 69% |
| Bowls and playoffs | 28 | 16–12 | 57% |
| Decided by 8 points or fewer | 98 | 55–41–2 | 57% |
| At home | 160 | 134–26 | 84% |
| On the road | 117 | 66–49–2 | 57% |
| At neutral sites | 42 | 28–14 | 67% |
| As our Elo’s favorite | 228 | 198–30 | 87% |
| As our Elo’s underdog | 91 | 30–59–2 | 34% |
His own 319 games on file, 1987–2015, as played (vacated wins counted, ties as half a win). Ranks are the AP poll going into the game; rivals are the ones either program’s Wikipedia article names; favorite and underdog by our own Elo rating, which reads only scores.
Against other head coaches
| Coach | Record | Their schools | Games | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phillip Fulmer 1992–2008 | 9–5 | Tennessee | 14 | |
| Bobby Bowden 1990–2001 | 5–8–1 | Florida State | 14 | |
| Mark Richt 2001–2015 | 6–6 | Georgia | 12 | |
| Gerry DiNardo 1992–1999 | 7–1 | Vanderbilt, LSU | 8 | |
| Bill Curry 1990–1996 | 7–0 | Kentucky | 7 | |
| Dabo Swinney 2008–2014 | 5–2 | Clemson | 7 | |
| Tommy Tuberville 1995–2006 | 4–3 | Ole Miss, Auburn | 7 | |
| Ray Goff 1990–1995 | 6–0 | Georgia | 6 | |
| Gene Stallings 1990–1996 | 5–1 | Alabama | 6 | |
| Danny Ford 1987–1997 | 4–2 | Clemson, Arkansas | 6 |
Steve Spurrier’s record against the head coaches he met three or more times, from the games on file, as played.
Most-faced opponents
| Opponent | Games | Record |
|---|---|---|
| Tennesseeseries | 24 | 14–10 |
| Kentuckyseries | 23 | 20–3 |
| Georgiaseries | 23 | 16–7 |
| Vanderbiltseries | 22 | 20–2 |
| Auburnseries | 19 | 10–9 |
| LSUseries | 16 | 11–5 |
| Florida Stateseries | 15 | 5–9–1 |
| Clemsonseries | 13 | 7–6 |
National title staffs
Every title staff- Won a national title on Florida’s 1996 staff (head coach) · the staff · source
The champions’ staffs from 1990 on, as the schools listed them that season: Staff lists: Drew Hoover’s how-many-rings (MIT), from the schools’ media guides and staff pages. Roles as the source words them.
Also a player: Steve Spurrier’s playing career.
Career
| Years | Team | Job | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1978 | Florida | Quarterbacks and wide receivers coach | |
| 1979 | Georgia Tech | Quarterbacks coach | |
| 1980–82 | Duke | Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach | |
| 1983–85 | Tampa Bay Bandits USFL | Head coach | |
| 1987–89 | Duke | Head coach | |
| 1990–2001 | Florida | Head coach | |
| 2002–03 | Washington Redskins NFL | Head coach | |
| 2005–15 | South Carolina | Head coach | |
| 2019 | Orlando Apollos AAF | Head coach |
Every job as the infobox of his Wikipedia article lists it (CC BY-SA), assistant jobs included.
Coaching tree
Worked under
- Doug DickeyFlorida
- Pepper RodgersGeorgia Tech
- Red WilsonDuke
Assistants who became head coaches
- Barry WilsonDuke
- Charlie BaileyMemphis, UTEP
- Pete KuharchekRhein Fire
- Carl FranksDuke
- Richard BellSouth Carolina
- Jim BatesSan Antonio Gunslingers
- Kerwin BellJacksonville, Valdosta State, Western Carolina
- Charlie StrongFlorida, Louisville, Texas, South Florida
- Jerry OdomTusculum
- Ron ZookFlorida, Illinois
- G. A. MangusDelaware Valley
- Bob PruettMarshall
- and 13 more
Worked under (3)
| Head coach | Team | Years | His job | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Doug Dickey | Florida | 1978 | Quarterbacks and wide receivers coach | |
| Pepper Rodgers | Georgia Tech | 1979 | Quarterbacks coach | |
| Red Wilson | Duke | 1980–82 | Offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach |
Coached under him, later head coaches (25)
| Coach | With him | Head coach at | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barry Wilson | Tampa Bay Bandits, 1983: defensive line coach; 1984–85: defensive coordinator; Duke, 1987–89: assistant coach; Florida, 1996–97: special teams and linebackers coach | Duke | |
| Charlie Bailey | Tampa Bay Bandits, 1983–84: assistant head coach and defensive coordinator | Memphis, UTEP | |
| Pete Kuharchek | Tampa Bay Bandits, 1983–85: assistant coach | Rhein Fire | |
| Carl Franks | Tampa Bay Bandits, 1985: running backs coach; Duke, 1987–89: running backs coach; Florida, 1990–92: running backs coach; 1993: tight ends coach; 1994: inside linebackers coach; 1995–98: offensive coordinator and running backs coach | Duke | |
| Richard Bell | Duke, 1987: defensive coordinator | South Carolina | |
| Jim Bates | Florida, 1990: defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach | San Antonio Gunslingers | |
| Kerwin Bell | Florida, 1990: graduate assistant | Jacksonville, Valdosta State, Western Carolina | |
| Charlie Strong | Florida, 1991–93: defensive ends coach; 1994: assistant head coach and defensive tackles coach | Florida, Louisville, Texas, South Florida | |
| Jerry Odom | Florida, 1991: graduate assistant; 2000–01: special teams and linebackers coach | Tusculum | |
| Ron Zook | Florida, 1991–93: defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach; 1994: special teams coordinator; 1995: assistant head coach and special teams coordinator | Florida, Illinois | |
| G. A. Mangus | Florida, 1992–94: graduate assistant; South Carolina, 2009–15: offensive coordinator and quarterbacks and tight ends coach | Delaware Valley | |
| Bob Pruett | Florida, 1994–95: defensive coordinator | Marshall | |
| Jay Hopson | Florida, 1995: graduate assistant | Southern Miss, Alcorn State | |
| Bob Stoops | Florida, 1996–98: defensive coordinator and assistant head coach | Oklahoma, Dallas Renegades, Arlington Renegades | |
| Buddy Teevens | Florida, 1999: running backs coach; 2000: quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends and special teams coach; 2001: assistant offensive coordinator and tight ends coach | Tulane, Stanford, Maine, Dartmouth | |
| Jedd Fisch | Florida, 1999–2000: graduate assistant | UCLA, Arizona, Washington | |
| Hue Jackson | Washington Redskins, 2002: running backs coach; 2003: offensive coordinator | Oakland Raiders, Cleveland Browns, Grambling | |
| Chad Staggs | South Carolina, 2005–07: graduate assistant | Coastal Carolina | |
| John Thompson | South Carolina, 2005: co-defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach | East Carolina, Arkansas State | |
| Rick Stockstill | South Carolina, 2005: tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator | Middle Tennessee | |
| Ron Cooper | South Carolina, 2005: outside linebackers and special teams coach; 2006–07: assistant head coach and defensive backs coach; 2008: safeties coach | Eastern Michigan, Louisville, Alabama A&M, Long Island University | |
| Shane Beamer | South Carolina, 2007: outside linebackers and co-special teams coach; 2008: cornerbacks coach; 2009–10: safeties and special teams coach and recruiting coordinator | South Carolina | |
| Ellis Johnson | South Carolina, 2008–11: assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and linebackers coach | Southern Miss, Gardner-Webb, The Citadel | |
| Lorenzo Ward | South Carolina, 2009–10: defensive backs coach; 2011: cornerbacks coach; 2012–15: defensive coordinator | Louisville | |
| Shawn Elliott | South Carolina, 2010–11: offensive line coach and running game coordinator; 2012–15: co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach | South Carolina, Georgia State |
Other assistants under him (11)
| Coach | With him | |
|---|---|---|
| Bob Sanders | Duke, 1987–88: outside linebackers and defensive ends coach; 1989: co-defensive coordinator and outside linebackers coach; Florida, 1990: defensive ends coach; 1991–93: assistant defensive coordinator, banditbacks and gatorbacks coach; 1994–97: assistant defensive coordinator and defensive ends coach; 1998–99: assistant defensive coordinator, defensive ends coach and strong-side linebackers coach; 2000: assistant defensive coordinator and linebackers coach; Orlando Apollos, 2019: defensive coordinator | |
| Rick Johnson | Duke, 1988: defensive coordinator | |
| Jim Collins | Duke, 1989: co-defensive coordinator | |
| Dale Jones | Florida, 1991: assistant coach | |
| Steve Spurrier Jr. | Florida, 1994–98: graduate assistant; South Carolina, 2005–08: wide receivers coach; 2009–10: passing game coordinator and wide receivers coach; 2011: passing game coordinator, wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator; 2012–15: co-offensive coordinator, passing game coordinator, wide receivers coach and recruiting coordinator | |
| Jon Hoke | Florida, 1999: defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach; 2000–01: assistant head coach, defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach; South Carolina, 2015: co-defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach | |
| Dave Wommack | South Carolina, 2005: defensive backs coach; 2006: outside linebackers coach | |
| Tyrone Nix | South Carolina, 2005: co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach; 2006–07: defensive coordinator and inside linebackers coach | |
| John Butler | South Carolina, 2011: special teams and linebackers coach | |
| Grady Brown | South Carolina, 2012–14: defensive backs coach; 2015: cornerbacks coach | |
| Kirk Botkin | South Carolina, 2012–15: linebackers coach and spurs coach |
From coaches’ Wikipedia infoboxes (CC BY-SA) and each season’s article for its coordinators: an assistant’s seasons at a school count under its head coach in our records; jobs in the NFL and elsewhere, under the head coach whose own article lists the job that year. Names without a page here link to their Wikipedia articles.
Pay
| Year | School | Job | Contract pay | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | South Carolina | head coachbonuses up to $1,700,000; $200,000 in bonuses paid | $4,028,600 USA Today | |
| 2014 | South Carolina | head coachbonuses up to $1,700,000 | $4,016,900 USA Today | |
| 2013 | South Carolina | head coachbonuses up to $1,550,000 | $3,322,500 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2012 | South Carolina | head coachbonuses up to $1,550,000 | $3,585,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2011 | South Carolina | head coachbonuses up to $1,000,000 | $2,828,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2010 | South Carolina | head coachbonuses up to $1,000,000 | $2,032,500 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2009 | South Carolina | head coachbonuses up to $900,000 | $2,031,500 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2008 | South Carolina | head coach | $1,773,000 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2007 | South Carolina | head coachbonuses up to $800,000 | $1,772,500 USA Today via Leeds | |
| 2006 | South Carolina | head coachbonuses up to $700,000 | $1,300,000 USA Today via Leeds |
USA Today’s coaches salary database (2014–17, from public-records requests to the schools; Rachel Ehlers’ copy): the season’s contract pay, school pay plus outside money, before bonuses.
The same USA Today database for 2006–16, from Michael Leeds’ replication data on Harvard Dataverse (CC0): the season’s contract pay.
Pay of public employees in their public job only: head coaches, and assistants in the seasons our records name them a coordinator, at public universities.
How he coached
Spurrier’s teams went for it on 23% of fourth downs and on 42% of those where the model said go for it, passed on 50% of plays and took 26.5 seconds a play, 2005–2014.
| Season | Went for it on fourth | When the model said go | Pass rate | Seconds a play | EPA a play | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 12 g | 14 of 88 16% | 37% | 53% | 27.4 | −0.07 | |
| 2006 13 g | 21 of 70 30% | 55% | 51% | 28.0 | +0.09 | |
| 2007 11 g | 14 of 85 16% | 41% | 59% | 24.3 | −0.10 | |
| 2008 13 g | 20 of 97 21% | 38% | 56% | 25.9 | −0.15 | |
| 2009 13 g | 24 of 111 22% | 41% | 55% | 25.9 | −0.12 | |
| 2010 14 g | 7 of 79 9% | 7% | 46% | 27.4 | +0.02 | |
| 2011 13 g | 31 of 90 34% | 57% | 40% | 27.9 | +0.04 | |
| 2012 13 g | 17 of 90 19% | 33% | 47% | 26.4 | +0.03 | |
| 2013 13 g | 31 of 96 32% | 47% | 43% | 27.0 | +0.19 | |
| 2014 13 g | 23 of 90 26% | 49% | 52% | 25.0 | +0.10 | |
| All 128 g | 202 of 896 23% | 42% | 50% | 26.5 | +0.01 |
His seasons as a head coach from 2004 on, from ESPN’s play by play: fourth downs where he went for it out of every fourth-down decision; how often he went when SportsDataverse’s fourth-down model said going for it was the better call; the share of his offense’s plays that were passes; seconds of game clock per offensive play (lower is faster); and expected points added per offensive play (EPA, a measure of how much each play moved the offense toward points). The season in progress counts its games so far. SportsDataverse’s coach tendencies, from ESPN’s play by play; the EPA and the fourth-down model are SportsDataverse’s.