Steve Spurrier will NOT be returning to the sidelines of the University of Florida.
"When I departed three years ago, there were several reasons why I believed it was time to move on," Spurrier said. "Other than simply wanting to coach in the NFL someday, I also believed that 12 years at Florida was probably long enough. Many people in football believe that around 10-12 years in the same job is about the maximum time a coach should stay.
Speculation has him trying the NFL waters again, possibly with the Dolphins.
So, does the University of Florida now have egg on their face? It looked like they were set to annoint Spurrier the savior of the program if he'd come back and right the ship. But now Spurrier has declined to come back as the conquering hero and save Florida. Does this mean that Florida put the cart before the horse in letting news of Zook's firing get out? Or does it mean that the program is headed in such a direction that Spurrier turned it down because he knew he couldn't win right away (which, let's face it, is what the fans would expect)? Despite having some good talent on offense (though I'm still not sold that Chris Leak is THAT good), the Gators are hurting on defense. Is this why Spurrier turned down the job?
Also, the power is shifting in the SEC East. Tennessee has turned the corner in terms of Florida owning us in the rivallry as they did under Spurrier. And Georgia won this year (I'm still not sure if they've turned a corner yet. They still have to do something with that win--as in win next year--to show me if they've turned a corner against the Gators) so they could be finding the corner to turn.
Did any of these influence Steve's decison? Did none of it? And is Florida about to have a repeat of three years ago when every coach they really wanted turned down the job?
As a Tennessee fan, I must say I love the Gator's misery....
posted by Michael Hickerson at 11/04/2004 02:16:00 PM |
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