South Carolina football coach Steve Spurrier, left, and Georgia counterpart Mark Richt shake hands before one of their past meetings. As Richt begins his 14th season with the Bulldogs, Spurrier will start his 10th with the Gamecocks.
Missouri coach Gary Pinkel claps during the Black and Gold spring football scrimmage on April 19.
LSU head coach Les Miles reacts to Alabama fans booing before playing Alabama on Nov. 9, 2013, in Tuscaloosa.LES MILESAge: 60School: LSURecord: 95-24 through nine seasonsAchievement: Miles led the Tigers to the SEC and national championships in 2007 and to another SEC title in 2011.GARY PINKELAge: 62School: MissouriRecord: 102-62 through 13 seasonsAchievement: Pinkel guided the Tigers to a 12-2 record in 2007 and again last season, when they won the SEC East.MARK RICHTAge: 54School: GeorgiaRecord: 126-45 through 13 seasonsAchievement: Richt has guided the Bulldogs to five SEC title-game trips, winning the league championship twice.STEVE SPURRIERAge: 69School: South CarolinaRecord: 77-39 through nine seasonsAchievement: Spurrier has 12 10-win seasons as an SEC coach, second only to Paul “Bear” Bryant’s 13 at Alabama.
Who says longevity no longer exists in college football coaching?
When the 2014 season kicks off in late August, the Southeastern Conference will have four coaches who have been at their respective schools for at least 10 seasons.
Bucking the trend of faster turnover than a generation ago, Georgia’s Mark Richt and Missouri’s Gary Pinkel are entering their 14th seasons at their locales. Joining the league’s decade club are South Carolina’s Steve Spurrier and LSU’s Les Miles.
Spurrier is about to become the first in SEC football history to coach a decade each at two institutions, with the 69-year-old having won six league championships and one national title in his 12 years at Florida from 1990 to 2001.