After head coach Steve Spurrier expected the South Carolina Gamecocks to have a successful season, nothing has gone the team's way thus far this year. It is a team that was not expected to do much this season, but Spurrier felt that his bunch was underrated. With the Gamecocks not playing up to their coach's expectations, the legendary head coach said enough is enough.
After what was first called a retirement, Spurrier announced that he is resigning from the position, effective immediately. The news broke on Monday night, stating that the coach had announced his retirement. Spurrier cleared the air with a news conference on Tuesday, as he said he is not retiring, and even threw out the possibility of coaching high school football.
The team's lack of success is the reason for Spurrier calling it the end of his stint at South Carolina. He said in the news conference "if it starts going south, starts going bad, then I need to get out."
The former Gamecocks' coach admitted that he couldn't take the losing much anymore, and said he began to feel this way when his team trailed struggling UCF at halftime on September 26th. Although South Carolina came back to win that game, they would go on to lose back-to back games against Missouri and LSU, falling to 0-4 in SEC play.
Spurrier called athletic director Ray Tanner on Sunday to tell him the news, at the time saying he was contemplating the decision. Tanner and USC president Harris Pastides tried to persuade him to stay, but to no avail. He would inform the team on Monday of his final decision.
Co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Shawn Elliot will serve as the interim head coach for the rest of the season. He will make his coaching debut on Saturday when the Gamecocks play host to Vanderbilt.
He leaves the sidelines as the second-winningest coach in SEC history, behind Paul Bear of Alabama. He is the winningest coach at both South Carolina and Florida. The 70-year-old will be missed from the sidelines, and despite not going out on a winning note, he will go out as a legend.
After what was first called a retirement, Spurrier announced that he is resigning from the position, effective immediately. The news broke on Monday night, stating that the coach had announced his retirement. Spurrier cleared the air with a news conference on Tuesday, as he said he is not retiring, and even threw out the possibility of coaching high school football.
The team's lack of success is the reason for Spurrier calling it the end of his stint at South Carolina. He said in the news conference "if it starts going south, starts going bad, then I need to get out."
The former Gamecocks' coach admitted that he couldn't take the losing much anymore, and said he began to feel this way when his team trailed struggling UCF at halftime on September 26th. Although South Carolina came back to win that game, they would go on to lose back-to back games against Missouri and LSU, falling to 0-4 in SEC play.
Spurrier called athletic director Ray Tanner on Sunday to tell him the news, at the time saying he was contemplating the decision. Tanner and USC president Harris Pastides tried to persuade him to stay, but to no avail. He would inform the team on Monday of his final decision.
Co-offensive coordinator and offensive line coach Shawn Elliot will serve as the interim head coach for the rest of the season. He will make his coaching debut on Saturday when the Gamecocks play host to Vanderbilt.
He leaves the sidelines as the second-winningest coach in SEC history, behind Paul Bear of Alabama. He is the winningest coach at both South Carolina and Florida. The 70-year-old will be missed from the sidelines, and despite not going out on a winning note, he will go out as a legend.
