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Pirates face ol' ball coach

By Al Myatt
©2014 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.

Steve Spurrier may be the biggest active legend in college football over the last six decades.

If you're among the fan bases at Alabama, Clemson or North Carolina, you may regard him as the biggest something else.

Whether you like him or not, there's no disputing that he has been an enduring presence.

The guy in the visor, the ol' ball coach as he occasionally refers to himself, will be on the opposite sideline as East Carolina ventures to Williams-Brice Stadium to play South Carolina at 7 p.m. Saturday.

ESPNU will televise the game, likely dedicating a camera to the myriad of Spurrier reactions.

Spurrier won the Heisman Trophy in 1966 as quarterback at Florida with a flair for the dramatic. He once waved the Gators kicker off the field and booted a 40-yard field goal to beat Auburn, 30-27.

John Logue of the Atlanta Constitution wrote, "Blindfolded, with his back to the wall, with his hands tied behind him, Steve Spurrier would be a two-point favorite at his own execution."

After proving that Duke could be successful again on the gridiron, he moved on the Florida and guided his alma mater to its first national title in 1996.

Since taking over the Gamecocks in 2005, he has become the program's winningest coach.

The NFL resisted Spurrier's greatness as a player and a coach. He was mostly a back-up quarterback and punter for the San Francisco 49ers for nine seasons before he was traded to expansion Tampa Bay.

The Bucs went 0-14 with Spurrier directing the offense.

Spurrier and his wife, Jerri, would host weekly parties to boost the fledgling pro team’s spirits.

“Yep, we had some good parties that year,” Spurrier told Sports Illustrated. “We did some losin,’ but we didn’t do much mournin.’”

Spurrier was 12-20 as coach of the Washington Redskins with three years left on a five-year $25 million contract when he resigned in 2003.

In an earlier stint in the looser-structured USFL, Spurrier compiled a 35-21 record.

He thought he would be happy playing golf and traveling to see his grandchildren but the challenge of coaching the college game captured him again.

Like many, Pirates coach Ruffin McNeill has kept up with Spurrier. McNeill is 0-2 against the Gamecocks in the Spurrier era with a 56-37 loss in Charlotte in 2011 and a 48-10 defeat in Columbia in 2012.

"I followed coach Spurrier at Duke when he turned that program around and when he went to Florida and won a national championship there," McNeill said. "When he went to the NFL, I kept an eye on him there, how he handled things and situations.

"He is a coach that adapts very well to the environment and his players. He's gone from a Fun 'n' Gun-type of operation at Florida to now being able to go two tight ends and pound you and also spread the football around."

It isn't just his coaching ability that McNeill appreciates.

"I really just appreciate Coach Spurrier because in this business not everyone is friendly," McNeill said. "He has always been respectful and friendly and always takes time to talk to me. I appreciate that very much."

The Gamecocks lost their opener 52-28 to visiting Texas A&M on Aug. 28. That outcome changed the dynamic of the pending matchup with the Pirates.

Instead of possibly looking ahead to next week's game at home with Georgia, South Carolina may be in the mood to vent against the Pirates.

"I watched some of the (Texas A&M-South Carolina) game as a fan, but I didn't enjoy it very much," said ECU quarterback Shane Carden.

The stunner may have been less of a surprise to Pirate fans who recall the effectiveness of Aggies coach Kevin Sumlin when he was at Houston.

The South Carolina ground game likely will be bolstered by the return of running back Mike Davis. The Gamecocks had just 67 yards rushing against A&M.

Dylan Thompson completed 20 of 40 passes in USC's first game for 366 yards with four touchdowns and one interception.

Thompson started in 2012 against the Pirates because Connor Shaw was out. He connected on 21 of 37 attempts for 330 yards with three TDs.

ECU hasn't become cocky based on South Carolina's start in 2014. There is an awareness of the program ranked No. 21 nationally, a respect for its capabilities and near reverence for its leader.

"I know he'll have his team ready to go," McNeill said of his legendary counterpart. "I know a lot of guys on his staff. Lorenzo Ward, the defensive coordinator, I've known him for 20-plus. Shawn Elliott, his offensive line coach and co-offensive coordinator. I coached Shawn at Appalachian State. There's a lot of guys on that staff I know. We know they'll be ready to play."

E-mail Al Myatt

PAGE UPDATED 09/04/14 03:43 AM.

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