The University of Florida announced on Thursday that it will honor retired coach Steve Spurrier by adding his name to the Ben Hill Griffin Stadium field, as voted on by the UF Board of Trustees.
Spurrier, who said he was stunned at the tribute, played for the Gators in the 1960s (winning the Heisman) and was 122-27-1 in 12 years as head coach, including the 1996 national championship. Florida, which got its home stadium nickname "The Swamp" from its former coach, will unveil Steve Spurrier-Florida Field in its Sept. 3 opener against UMass.
"We feel this was an appropriate way to commemorate one the most legendary figures in Gator athletics history," athletics director Jeremy Foley said in a statement. "Coach Spurrier did more than win a Heisman Trophy, a national championship and a bunch of games. Coach Spurrier changed the culture of Florida athletics. We were an institution that always had a mantra of wait until next year and wouldn't it be great to just win one championship.
"Coach changed all of that. The Gators won, won big and won with swagger. As much as he impacted the football program, he changed the vibe in the entire athletic department. He and his wife, Jerri, were big supporters of the entire athletic department – giving advice to different coaches, attending other sporting events and even endowed a scholarship to support women's athletics."
Spurrier stepped down as South Carolina's head coach last season to end his storied career that included a 1986 College Football Hall of Fame induction as a player and a 2017 nomination as a coach.
