Steve Spurrier Biography

Stephen Orr Spurrier was born on April 20, 1945, and is an American retired football coach and player known by the nicknames Head Ball Coach and the ol' Ball Coach. Spurrier played college football as a quarterback for the Florida Gators and won the 1966 Heisman Trophy. He began his coaching career in 1978, serving as an assistant coach for the Florida Gators, Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, and Duke Blue Devils, where he developed his offensive system as offensive coordinator by 1980. Spurrier returned to college football in 1987, serving as head coach at Duke for three seasons, at Florida for 12 seasons, and at South Carolina for 10.5 seasons, compiling 228 wins and a 72% career winning percentage. He retired from coaching in 2015 and later served as an ambassador and consultant for the University of Florida’s athletic department, briefly returning to coach the Orlando Apollos in 2019. Spurrier led the 1989 Duke team to win the program’s only Atlantic Coast Conference championship between 1963 and 2025. In 2016, the University of Florida renamed its home field to Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium in recognition of his contributions to the university and its football program.