Spurrier returns to college game at South Carolina
Spurrier said the school's focus on him was appealing, unlike at Florida, where he would have had to go through the interview process.
"Dr. McGee said, 'I'm going to exhaust my search with you before I go to the next guy,"' Spurrier said. "He didn't have to go to the next guy."
Spurrier met with his new team and found them eager and ready to push forward.
"We've got everything here," Spurrier said. "I'd like to borrow a phrase from the Boston Red Sox: Why not us? Why not the University of South Carolina Gamecocks?"
Perhaps because the 67-year-old Holtz is the only coach to win more than one bowl game in 111 seasons of South Carolina football. The Gamecocks' lone championship came in 1969 as members of the Atlantic Coast Conference.
But quarterback Ingle Martin said not to sell Spurrier short. Martin was a Spurrier recruit at Florida who transferred to Division I-AA Furman after the coach left for Washington.
"I wouldn't bet against him if he had both hands tied behind his back at his execution," Martin said.
If Spurrier wants to win the SEC at South Carolina, he'll have to get past his former team, which was 10-0 against the Gamecocks while Spurrier was the Florida coach.
Those games figured to be tough on Spurrier, who said he is not looking forward to his first matchup with his alma mater, next Nov. 12 at Williams-Brice Stadium.
Spurrier went 20-13-1 in three seasons at Duke before taking over at Florida in 1990. He posted 122 victories over 12 seasons, tormented opponents with his offensive flair and witty one-liners, and departed with the best winning percentage in league history.
The executive committee of the school trustees approved the deal for Spurrier. Incentives include $250,000 for winning the Bowl Championship Series, $100,000 for becoming national coach of the year and $150,000 for winning the Southeastern Conference championship game.
The contract has a $250,000 a year buyout clause for both sides. Should Spurrier retire and not take another job, he owes the university nothing.
"Maybe we're prejudiced now for Steve Spurrier," McGee said. "That wasn't always the case."
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