Statement regarding appointment of Steve Spurrier as head football coach
In the summer of 1990, the University of Florida announced that Steve Spurrier was the new football coach and that Andrew Sorensen was the new Provost and vice president for academic affairs. After a hiatus of eight years, I’m absolutely delighted Coach Spurrier and I are on the same team again. During the six years that he and I were at Florida we went through many ups and downs together: among them the frustration of losing close games offset by the exhilaration of rousing victories. From my vantage point, one of the high moments came as the result of a program we launched for players who left for the NFL before graduation, enabling them to enroll only during spring semesters to complete their studies. After countless outstanding performances for Coach Spurrier, Emmitt Smith came back year after year while playing for the Dallas Cowboys and received his bachelor’s degree. I’m very proud to say that we have a comparable program here at Carolina, and that Coach Holtz—with characteristic generosity—has helped to endow it.
Coach Spurrier’s record of SEC championships, bowl victories, and a national championship offer unequivocal evidence that he did a terrific job on the field while he was at Florida. But it was (and still is) important to me that our football players also do well academically. I am pleased to report that during the years we were together at Florida, the academic profile of the football team improved, and I am grateful to Coach Spurrier for his support of that endeavor.
Steve arrives here with huge expectations and enormous excitement. I am delighted that our fans have opened their arms to welcome him. We also welcome his wife, Jerri, and their son Scottie, who are with us today. Coach Spurrier, Coach Holtz, Coach McGee, and I all know full well the incalculable benefit we have derived from incomparably supportive spouses. Finally, I want to pay a very special tribute to Mike McGee and also thank Lou Holtz for their pivotal roles in our negotiations with Coach Spurrier. This was truly a team effort.
Steve, we are truly grateful that you have accepted our invitation to join the Carolina family. Because of the depth of talent across the SEC, your years here will be challenging, but we sincerely believe they will be wonderfully satisfying. We Gamecock faithful are proud to call you one of us, and to welcome you enthusiastically to our family.
11/04
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