Steve Spurrier to Retire: Twitter Reacts to Coach's Reported Decision

When one of the most legendary head coaches of his era chooses to step down, it's bound to create quite a buzz on social media. Sports Illustrated's Thayer Evans reported Monday night that South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier will retire, and he will do so with immediate effect, per the SEC Network.

Spurrier is 70 years old, and the Gamecocks are just 2-4 this season and unlikely to finish with a winning record. Still, his resignation comes as a bit of a surprise if only for the fact that he isn't waiting for the end of the year.

Gamecocks quarterback Connor Mitch appeared shocked by the abrupt nature of the news, tweeting, "Man it's been a crazy day."

Yahoo Sports' Dan Wetzel joked the "Head Ball Coach" likely already has plans for his first day of retirement:

Spurrier is unquestionably one of the greatest college coaches of the 1990s and 2000s. Should he truly be done, he'll walk away with a career record of 228-89-2 and one national championship to his name. ESPN Stats & Info put his incredible consistency into perspective:

NFL Network's Albert Breer added this about Spurrier's overall legacy:

Jadeveon Clowney spoke to that legacy as he thanked Spurrier for his contributions to the game:

"

I'm proud to have played for one of college football's greatest coaches. Thank u for all u did for me + our program, Coach Spurrier #respect

— jadeveon clowney 7 (@clownejd) October 13, 2015"

Smart Football's Chris B. Brown provided some highlights from Spurrier's glory days at Florida, which helped shape the future of college football:

Ole Miss head coach Hugh Freeze was one of many impacted by those dominant Gators teams:

Of course, for as much as Spurrier did on the sidelines, his eccentric personality will be remembered just as fondly. He has always been one of the most entertaining characters in college football, and he knew exactly how to get under the skin of his fellow head coaches.

USA Today's Paul Myerberg and ESPN's Jorge Sedano shared two of Spurrier's more memorable barbs at his SEC foes:

Let this picture of Spurrier visiting an Arby's in 2013 be the lasting image you have of him—at least while he was still a head coach:

College football in general became a lesser spectacle following Spurrier's departure.