Spurrier, Who?

For the Florida Gators faithful, no one personified success and accomplishment more than former Heisman Trophy winner and head coach Steve Spurrier. In fact, any negative word against the great-and-powerful Spurrier would most likely result in a deadly witch hunt from the Gator Nation.

After returning to Florida in 1990, Spurrier vowed to beat the rival Georgia Bulldogs and make the Gators a premier college football program for the first time in their 84-year history. And he did it. After six conference championships in 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, and 2000 to go along with a National Championship in 1996, Spurrier had brought it all to Florida.

So there is no debate, Steve Spurrier was nothing short of a god at Florida. He was the master coach/god Zeus on Mount Olympus and the Gator Nation his humble followers. But, is he still a god amongst mortals?

No, not anymore.

Move over Spurrier and make way for a new god on Mount Olympus—former minor league baseball player, Urban Meyer. Of course, Spurrier will always be well-respected and well-recognized as the original creator of college football success at the University of Florida. However, with a second National Championship in three years, Meyer is now accomplishing more.

To put Meyer’s recent accomplishments into better perspective, despite Spurrier’s crazy success in the 1990's, the Southeastern Conference is more competitive now than in Spurrier’s hay day. Today, the SEC is debatable the top football conference in the country. The SEC has won the past three BCS National Championships (two by Florida).

The conference also boasts several of college football’s elite-level coaches. Meyer, Mark Richt, Spurrier (now at South Carolina), Les Miles, and Nick Saban are often recognized as some of the best head coaches in the country. This doesn’t even include the recently dismissed Philip Fulmer and Tommy Tuberville.

Meyer’s staggering four-year run in the immensely talented SEC is also evident in the NFL draft. The influx of SEC players into the NFL as of late is staggering. Since 2004, the SEC has produced at least four and as many as 11 first round picks (2007) in the NFL draft. 

In the 90's, many SEC players found their way into the NFL, but since Spurrier’s 1996 title year, the SEC has been absolutely dominant in the NFL draft. From 1996 to 2006, the SEC has had 74 players selected in the first round alone.

Spurrier brought a new offensive style to the SEC and left an incredible legacy. A legacy of promise to the Gator Nation, as well as a legacy of hatred from the rest of the SEC. But times, they are a changin’ for the Florida dynasty. Spurrier will probably always be worshipped in Gainesville, but for now, there is certainly a new god atop the mount.

To read more, go to college football fever