2015/2016 NCAA FBS head football coach changes

Most notable change of 2015: Spurrier, the ‘Head Ball Coach’ hangs ‘em up

Steve Spurrier—arguably the most accomplished athlete/coach in football history—hangs ‘em up, on October 13, 2015, in the middle of a disappointing season (2-4) for the South Carolina Gamecocks.

The seventy-year-old ‘Head Ball Coach’ insisted that his resignation was entirely the result of a Gamecock program headed in the wrong direction, “south,” under his tenure this season—to the point he believed a major change was needed for the good of the program.

Spurrier accepted a scholarship to attend the University of Florida where he won the Heisman Trophy in 1966 as a QB and punter. He was a 1^st round (3^rd overall) pick of the San Francisco 49ers in the 1967 NFL Draft where he played until 1975, before ending his professional career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 1976.

Spurrrier was an assistant college QB coach and offensive coordinator for several years before landing his first head coaching gig with the Tampa Bay Bandits (’83 – ’85) of the newly formed United States Football League (USFL). His first college head coaching job came at Duke (’87 – ’89) which helped propel him to his most noteworthy stop at the University of Florida (’90 – ’01) where he lead the Gators to their first undisputed national championship in ’96.

In 2002, Spurrier took another stab at the pros, signing on as head coach for the Washington Redskins (’02-’03).  Until this past season at South Carolina (’05 – ‘15), his tenure as the Redskins head coach, where his struggle to turn the franchise around became somewhat of a public spectacle, is the only other blemish on an otherwise exemplary football career.

In his 25 years as a head coach at major college programs, Spurrier compiled a .718 winning percentage and won 11 major bowl games and a national championship. He turned around the South Carolina football program, becoming its first coach to win 11 games in a season—doing it three times in a row from 2011 through 2013.

In addition to his prowess as an athlete,  Spurrier’s football legacy will inevitability entail his invaluable contribution to the evolution of the passing attack through his use of innovative schemes and coaching techniques. He also remains the only Heisman Trophy winner to win a NCAA national championship as a head coach and to coach another Heisman trophy winner, Danny Wuerffel, Florida (1996).

Last Updated: January 20, 2016.