GAINESVILLE, Fla. (AP) – Steve Spurrier already has a statue outside of the football stadium and the field named after him. Next he’ll serve as ambassador and consultant for the school’s entire athletic department.
Gators athletic director Jeremy Foley made the announcement on Friday.
“It’s a great day for the Gator Nation to be able to welcome Coach Spurrier back home,” Foley said in a statement. “He has served as a tremendous ambassador to the university and the athletic department for 50-plus years, and it’s only fitting that at this point in his career he is back in Gainesville. Being a Gator has always meant so much to Coach Spurrier, but it means just as much to us have him come home.”
Spurrier stepped down as South Carolina’s football coach last season, but stopped short of saying he planned to retire. He has a home in Crescent Beach, about an hour’s drive from Gainesville.
“My wife, Jerri, and I are extremely thrilled to be returning home to our alma mater, and to Gainesville where we met on campus over 50 years ago,” Spurrier said in a statement.