Best Steve Spurrier Quotes from SEC Media Days 2015
No one moves the needle and elicits as much reaction at a press conference more than South Carolina head coach Steve Spurrier. While other coaches seemingly read from a list of coachspeak answers, the Head Ball Coach lets his opinions fly.
Spurrier is easily the most anticipated speaker at SEC Media Days every year - 2015 marks his 23rd at the event - and Tuesday was no different. Entering his 11th season with the Gamecocks, the 70-year-old showed plenty of vigor and enthusiasm for another season of college football.
We pulled some of our favorite quotes from the start of day 2 at SEC Media Days for you to enjoy.
Nailed it right off the top
This was his opening sentence of the day: "A lot of familiar faces out there after a lot of years coming to this event. I figured a bunch of you guys would have retired by now."
Shots Fired
"We were 7-6, same as Tennessee and the same as Arkansas, and I think they're sort of celebrating big seasons last year."
He added: "So we were celebrating also. We were doing some cartwheels and high fiving after that Independence Bowl game because it was a year that could have gone real south, and guys hung in there and somehow or another found a way to win the game."
Always working in a golf analogy
On how the he handled giving up double-digit leads in a few losses last year:
"I was watching Dustin Johnson interviewed on the Golf Channel the other day, and they said, Dustin, after you three-putted at Chambers Bay, you didn't come to the trophy presentation. Why weren't you there? Gee, the guy just three-putted from 12 feet. He just said, I needed to get away. But he's back, and he feels good. I think he's got a wonderful chance to win it."
On removing the Confederate flag
"I applaud our Governor for setting the initiative to remove the flag, and obviously it was received very well by just about everyone in our state and around the country. Obviously, all of us in college sports, we know the importance of equality, race relations, everybody getting along. So certainly, I think all the coaches all over -- I know all over South Carolina was happy and glad to see the flag come down."
No tolerance for violence against women
"I've always had a rule as a coach that, if you ever hit a girl, you're finished. We've lost two at South Carolina. Fortunately, they were not star players. If it they were star players, it would have gone all over the country. So we quietly got them to transfer or leave or what have you. So our players know, if they ever hit a girl, they're not going to play at South Carolina. And we enforce that rule."
"I Forgot to get fired"
"Somebody said, why are you still coaching? I said, well, I forgot to get fired, and I'm not going to cheat. That's about the way you lose your job. You get fired for losing or you cheat, and then they get somebody else. So I've not done any of those to any extent big time, I guess."
Can we get odds on that?
"None of us know exactly how long we'll be coaching at places. In fact, Danny Sheridan. Danny's not here, is he? I wish he did the odds on every coach being there four years from now, set the odds on it. I don't know if you'd bet on that, but it would be something fun to bet on, wouldn't it? Who would be here four years from now? I don't know. Just something to think about. What I'm trying to say is you don't know what's going to happen down the road."
What do Hillary Clinton, Donald Trump, and Coach K have in common?
"I breezed right through age 60, breezed right through 65, and I'm going to try my best to breeze right on through 70. I can still remember just about everything. So mentally, I think I'm the same as I was. We got two people running for president, I think Hillary and Donald Trump are both 69, I believe. Coach K at Duke, he's still doing pretty good at, I think 69 also. So the age really doesn't mean a lot. The number on your years is not what's important. It's whether you can function physically, emotionally, mentally, get your team ready to play."