I hate for my first entry here to be about failure, but it appears true. I have no pull.
Maybe.
For a few weeks now, I've been doing all I can to get a rumor going that Steve Spurrier might be in line to become the Tennessee Vols next football coach -- assuming, as we all assumed, the Great Pumpkin would be relieved of his duties by year's end. Monday, we learned that, yes, Phil Fulmer is officially out at UT after this season.
At this past Saturday's Florida-Georgia game, I wandered over to an old friend who is the college football guru for The Sporting News. "What are you hearing about Spurrier and Tennessee?" I asked. He smiled the "you must be nuts" smile, but soon started considering the possibility and all the fun that would come from it.
For a few weeks now, I've been doing all I can to get a rumor going that Steve Spurrier might be in line to become the Tennessee Vols next football coach -- assuming, as we all assumed, the Great Pumpkin would be relieved of his duties by year's end. Monday, we learned that, yes, Phil Fulmer is officially out at UT after this season.
At this past Saturday's Florida-Georgia game, I wandered over to an old friend who is the college football guru for The Sporting News. "What are you hearing about Spurrier and Tennessee?" I asked. He smiled the "you must be nuts" smile, but soon started considering the possibility and all the fun that would come from it.
But Tuesday I learned that, no, Steve Spurrier isn't interested in returning to his home state to coach a team that once was his Gators' biggest SEC rival (yes, for a while there, even bigger than Georgia). He swears he's staying at South Carolina 'til the bitter end.
"This is going to be my last gig right here," he told the Associated Press this week. He also indicated that if the job had come open a few years ago, after Spurrier left the Redskins, after the Gators passed him over for a second go-round, and before he landed at South Carolina, he would've been interested.
What a marriage of convenience that would've been. So many UT fans truly hate Spurrier, it would've been fun to watch him try to win them over.
But Spurrier is 63 now. I still think it would be great. And trust me, Spurrier knows he could accomplish more in Knoxville, where the boosters and administration seems willing to go the extra mile (wink-wink) in putting together a great football program, than he ever will in Columbia.
Oh well. But I'm holding out a sliver of hope. Remember a month ago when NFL quarterback Daunte Culpepper announced his retirement? No team had shown interest in him, so he officially quit. Before long, the Detroit Lions called and talked him into un-retiring.
Maybe by saying he's not interested in UT, UT will suddenly become interested in Spurrier. I'm holding out hope right up until the time that Boise State coach is hired instead. I'm sure Spurrier would love to be able to recruit on equal footing with Urban Meyer and all the other mega-program coaches. But it's apparently not to be.
Oh, there's good news, though: Spurrier couldn't resist taking a gentle poke at Fulmer, who reportedly gets about $6 million in going-away cash.
"Congratulate him on hitting that lottery ticket," he said. "That's a big ticket he got. A big one."
"This is going to be my last gig right here," he told the Associated Press this week. He also indicated that if the job had come open a few years ago, after Spurrier left the Redskins, after the Gators passed him over for a second go-round, and before he landed at South Carolina, he would've been interested.
What a marriage of convenience that would've been. So many UT fans truly hate Spurrier, it would've been fun to watch him try to win them over.
But Spurrier is 63 now. I still think it would be great. And trust me, Spurrier knows he could accomplish more in Knoxville, where the boosters and administration seems willing to go the extra mile (wink-wink) in putting together a great football program, than he ever will in Columbia.
Oh well. But I'm holding out a sliver of hope. Remember a month ago when NFL quarterback Daunte Culpepper announced his retirement? No team had shown interest in him, so he officially quit. Before long, the Detroit Lions called and talked him into un-retiring.
Maybe by saying he's not interested in UT, UT will suddenly become interested in Spurrier. I'm holding out hope right up until the time that Boise State coach is hired instead. I'm sure Spurrier would love to be able to recruit on equal footing with Urban Meyer and all the other mega-program coaches. But it's apparently not to be.
Oh, there's good news, though: Spurrier couldn't resist taking a gentle poke at Fulmer, who reportedly gets about $6 million in going-away cash.
"Congratulate him on hitting that lottery ticket," he said. "That's a big ticket he got. A big one."
Leave a comment