The Press Box Sports The Alliance of American Football hires first coach in Steve Spurrier
Charlie Ebersol is wasting no time in finding quality coaches for his new football league, the Alliance of American Football. The league announced on Saturday that Steve Spurrier has signed to coach one of the eight teams. Spurrier will be the coach in Orlando, the first of eight planned teams. He also is the first head coach to sign with the league. The Alliance of American football is scheduled to begin season play on February 9, 2019. The twelve-week season will also be aired on CBS. If you haven’t heard about the Alliance of American Football yet, you can check this out for more information on the league.
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The 72-year-old Spurrier said he’s “fired up and ready to go.” This is his first coaching gig after retiring with the South Carolina Gamecocks in 2015. Spurrier has over 30 years of head coaching experience. He coached in NCAA football for 26 years in NCAA football with the Gamecocks, Duke Blue Devils, and Florid Gators. Most of Spurrier’s success came with the Gators where he went 122-27-1 in Gainesville. He won a national championship in 1996 and went 11-10 in bowl games. The seven-time SEC Coach of the Year has a 228-89-2 record overall as an NCAA Football coach. Spurrier became the first Heisman Trophy winner to coach a Heisman Trophy winner when Danny Wuerffel won the award in 1996.
Spurrier with Danny Wuerffel at the 1997 Orange Bowl postgame ceremonies.
Spurrier also coached two seasons in the NFL with the Washington Redskins. His NFL coaching career wasn’t as successful with a 12-20 record over those seasons. Before coaching at Duke, Spurrier coached three seasons with the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL league. He led the Bandits to playoff berths in 1984 and 1985 but lost in the first round both times. Overall, “The Ole Ball Coach” went 35-19 in the USFL with a .648 win percentage.
Steve Spurrier coaching the Tampa Bay Bandits of the USFL.
Hiring Steve Spurrier is a huge gain for the Alliance of American Football. He’s had experience in both NCAA football and the NFL. Add in coaching for a startup league like the USFL, and Spurrier seems like the ideal candidate to coach a team from the start. He’s worked with many football stars through the years and knows how to develop players. Jason Odom, Ike Hilliard, Shane Matthews, Jevon Kearse, Jadeveon Clowney, Rex Grossman, Fred Taylor, and Errict Rhett are a few players to have played under Spurrier. His “Fun n’ Gun” style of offense wasn’t successful in the NFL, but it could be interesting to watch in the new Alliance of American Football league.
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