Steve Spurrier, who has coached a national championship team, won seven Southeastern Conference titles, and won nearly 75 percent of the college games in which he has coached, begins his fourth season as head coach at the University of South Carolina. Spurrier was introduced as USC's 32nd head coach on Nov. 23, 2004, before an overflow news conference crowd in the south end zone of Williams-Brice Stadium. Now in his 19th collegiate season, Coach Spurrier has compiled a 163-56-2 (.742) won-loss record as a major college head coach, including a 21-16 mark at Carolina. He led the Duke Blue Devils to the 1989 Atlantic Coast Conference championship before returning to his alma mater, the University of Florida, as head coach in 1990. During his 12 seasons with the Gators, Spurrier's teams won seven Southeastern Conference championships, one national title and finished ranked in the nation's top 10 nine times. His record at Florida was an amazing 122-27-1 (.817). Spurrier, who won the 1966 Heisman Trophy as a quarterback for the Gators, most recently was head coach of the NFL's Washington Redskins (2002-03). He returned to the college ranks in 2005 after a one-year absence from the sidelines. In his first season at South Carolina, Spurrier led the Gamecocks to a 7-5 record and a second-place finish in the SEC Eastern Division. In doing so, he posted a five-game winning streak, the 15th consecutive year in which he has had a five-game winning streak, something no other coach in college history has accomplished. He was honored as the SEC Coach of the Year by the Associated Press after leading the Gamecocks to a school record five straight SEC wins, their first win ever at Tennessee and their first win over Florida since the 1930s. It was the eighth time he has been honored as his league's Coach of the Year. He came back with an 8-5 record in 2006, just the ninth time in school history that the Gamecocks have posted eight or more wins in a season. The season was capped with a victory in the Liberty Bowl over Conference USA champion Houston. With that win, Coach Spurrier matched Joe Morrison for the most wins by a Carolina head coach in his first two seasons in Columbia. In his third season with the Garnet & Black, Spurrier's squad raced out to a 6-1 record and moved as high as No. 6 in the BCS rankings, before finishing the campaign with a 6-6 record. With 21 wins, he holds the Carolina record for coaching victories after three seasons at the helm. SPURRIER HIGHLIGHTS Recipient of the 1966 Heisman Trophy. Compiled a 122-27-1 record at Florida from 1990-2001, the most wins for a Gator coach in school history and a winning percentage (.817) that ranked among the top three in SEC history. Coached Florida to two National Championship Game appearances (1995 and 1996), claiming the 1996 national title. His 122 victories at Florida from 1990-2001 ranks as the best win total for a coach in his first 12 years at a school in major college history. His Gator teams appeared in the weekly polls 202 of a possible 203 weeks, including each of his last 202 consecutive weeks. From 1990-2001, the Gators were ranked number one in the polls 29 times, appeared in the top five for 117 weeks and among the nation's top 10 for 179 weeks. The only coach in SEC history and one of only two coaches in major college history to lead a squad to six straight seasons of 10 or more wins (1993-1998). The only coach in SEC history and one of only three coaches in major college history to lead a school to 12 consecutive seasons (1990-2001) of nine or more wins. One of only five coaches in major college history to have his team ranked in the final Top 15 Poll in each of 12 consecutive seasons (1990-2001). His UF squads finished in the Top 10 of the polls nine times and six times in the final top five, totals that both ranked second best in the nation over his 12 seasons (1990-2001). UF's average poll ranking of 6.5 in the decade of the 1990s was second best in the nation. He achieved 100 career victories at Florida in a faster time period (10th season, eighth game) than any major college coach at a school in the 20th century. One of only five major college coaches in history and only the second in SEC history to lead a school to 100 wins during a decade (102-22-1 at UF from 1990-99). One of only three coaches in major college history and the only one in SEC history to lead a school to an appearance in the weekly polls for a period of 200 consecutive weeks. He and the legendary Paul "Bear" Bryant are the only coaches in SEC history to win as many as four straight league championships. (1993-96). His 95-22 record in SEC play ranks as the best winning percentage in conference history (.812) and his 73 league wins in the 1990s represents the most SEC wins during a decade in conference history. The only coach in SEC history to win eight conference games in a season four straight years (1993-96). The only coach in SEC history to lead a school to nine consecutive January bowl game appearances. His six outright SEC titles (`91, `93, `94, `95, `96, 2000) ranked as the second best total in SEC history, trailing only "Bear" Bryant's 11. Under his leadership, the Gator offense became the only unit in modern collegiate history (since the NCAA started keeping stats in 1937) to score at least 500 points (including bowl games) for four straight years (1993-96). Yale also achieved that distinction from 1886-89 and Michigan from 1901-04. His 142 career wins ranked among the three highest victory totals in college football history for a head coach in his first 15 years at the helm. Led Florida to seven appearances in the SEC Championship Game (1992-96, 1999-2000), with five victories (1993-1996, 2000). COACH SPURRIER TIMELINE 1965 - Named first team All-American at Florida. 1966 - Named winner of Heisman Memorial Trophy and SEC Player of the Year; repeats as first-team All-American. Most Outstanding Player in 1966 Sugar Bowl. 1967 - Selected in the first round, third overall, by San Francisco in the NFL draft. He played for San Francisco from 1967-75 and for Tampa Bay in 1976. 1976 - Starting quarterback for Tampa Bay, which earns a spot in history by going 0-14. 1978 - Named quarterbacks coach at University of Florida. 1979 - Named quarterbacks coach at Georgia Tech. 1980 - Named assistant coach at Duke. Nov. 22, 1982 - Named coach of the Tampa Bay Bandits of the United States Football League. He compiles 35-19 record in three seasons. 1987 - Named head coach at Duke. He goes 20-13-1 in three seasons and leads Duke to the 1989 ACC title. He is named the Atlantic Coast Conference coach of the year in 1988 and 1989. Sept. 8, 1990 - Coach Spurrier wins first game as coach of Florida, 50-7, against Oklahoma State. Dec. 5, 1992 - The Gators participate in the first SEC Championship game, losing 28-21 to Alabama. Dec. 31, 1992 - Florida wins its first bowl game under Coach Spurrier, a 27-10 victory against North Carolina State in the Gator Bowl. Dec. 4, 1993 - Florida gains revenge against Alabama, beating the Crimson Tide 28-13 in the second SEC Championship game. Sept. 3, 1994 - Coach Spurrier's Gators take to the field for the first time as the nation's No. 1-ranked team. They beat New Mexico State 70-21 but drop to second the following week. Dec. 2, 1995 - Coach Spurrier caps his first undefeated regular season (12-0) at Florida with a 34-3 victory against Arkansas in the SEC Championship game. Jan. 2, 1997- Florida routs Florida State 52-20 in the Sugar Bowl to win the national championship and complete the team's second consecutive 12-1 season. Oct. 30, 1999 - Coach Spurrier wins his 100th game at Florida, a 30-14 victory against Georgia. He is the only coach in the century to win 100 games in his first 10 years at a school. Oct. 8, 2001 - Florida gains the No. 1 ranking for one week - the last time a Spurrier-coached team is ranked No. 1. Jan. 2, 2002 - Coach Spurrier coaches his final game at Florida: a 56-23 victory against Maryland in the Orange Bowl. Jan. 4, 2002 - Coach Spurrier resigns as Florida coach. Jan. 14, 2002 - Coach Spurrier signs a five-year contract to coach the Washington Redskins. Aug. 3, 2002 - Coach Spurrier makes his Redskins coaching debut in a 38-7 preseason victory against San Francisco in the 2002 American Bowl in Osaka, Japan. Sept. 8, 2002 - Coach Spurrier wins his regular-season debut with Washington, defeating Arizona 31-23. Dec. 29, 2002 - The Redskins defeat Dallas 20-14 in their season finale. The team finishes 7-9 in Spurrier's first season. Sept. 28, 2003 - The Redskins beat New England 20-17 to improve to 3-1. They become the last team to beat the Patriots before New England's 21-game unbeaten streak, which spans parts of two seasons and includes a victory in Super Bowl XXXVIII. Nov. 23, 2005 - Coach Spurrier is introduced as the 32nd head coach of the South Carolina program. April 16, 2005 -- Almost 40,000 fans attend the Garnet and Black Spring Game, ushering in Coach Spurrier at Carolina. Sept. 1, 2005 -- ESPN GameDay is on hand for the first game of the Steve Spurrier Era at South Carolina. The Gamecocks defeat UCF by a 24-15 score. Oct. 29, 2005 -- The Gamecocks invade Knoxville and leave Tennessee with a 16-15 win over the Volunteers, the first USC win ever in Knoxville. Nov. 12, 2005 -- In his first contest ever against his alma mater, Steve Spurrier leads Carolina to a 30-22 upset win over the 12th-ranked Florida Gators. It was USC's first victory over Florida since the 1930s.
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