Friday, November 19, 2004
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November 19, 2004
Holtz Is Retiring, and Spurrier Will Take Over Job
By PETE THAMEL
outh Carolina Coach Lou Holtz will retire at the end of the football season, opening the way for Steve Spurrier, the former Florida coach, to take the job.
An athletic department official at South Carolina confirmed Holtz's impending retirement late last night. He said Holtz, 67, would coach tomorrow's game against Clemson and the Gamecocks' bowl game.
Holtz told his players before practice yesterday that he was retiring, The Associated Press reported.
Spurrier, 59, will sign a contract with South Carolina early next week, a friend said last night. He will be returning to the Southeastern Conference, the same conference as Florida.
He won the Heisman Trophy with the Gators in 1966 and coached them to the 1996 national championship.
The main appeal of the South Carolina job, the friend said, was for Spurrier to return to the SEC. Spurrier won six conference titles as Florida's coach from 1990 through 2001.
Spurrier built his reputation in Gainesville with a high-octane offense, a sharp wit and lopsided scores. He left after the 2001 season to coach the Washington Redskins.
Spurrier was widely regarded as a failure as a pro coach, going 12-20 in two seasons. Holtz also failed in his foray in the N.F.L., going 3-10 with the Jets in 1976.
He made his name in college, winning 249 games with six teams to rank eighth in career college football coaching victories. He guided William & Mary, North Carolina State, Arkansas, Minnesota and Notre Dame before South Carolina. Holtz led the Irish to a 12-0 record and the 1988 national championship.
Holtz's final stop at South Carolina was not as glamorous but was ultimately successful.
He lured better recruits, raised the program's profile with more nationally televised games and led the Gamecocks to back-to-back New Year's Day bowl games in 2001 and 2002.
Heading into tomorrow's game against Clemson, Holtz is 33-36 in his six seasons at South Carolina. He has a 1-4 record against the rival Tigers.
Holtz will be leaving the program in the hands of a friend. Spurrier helped Holtz's wife, Beth, get medical help at the University of Florida in 1999 when she had throat cancer.
This is shaping up as a volatile year for college football coaches. It started in late October, when Florida fired Ron Zook, effective at the end of the season.
Many speculated that Spurrier would jump at that job, but he felt he had accomplished all he could with the Gators.
The Florida job remains open, and Utah Coach Urban Meyer is considered the top candidate. Florida's president, Bernie Machen, said after the news conference to announce Zook's departure that no job search would be complete without Meyer.
Another high-profile job, at Washington, has also been open for weeks.
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November 19, 2004
Holtz Is Retiring, and Spurrier Will Take Over Job
By PETE THAMEL
outh Carolina Coach Lou Holtz will retire at the end of the football season, opening the way for Steve Spurrier, the former Florida coach, to take the job.
An athletic department official at South Carolina confirmed Holtz's impending retirement late last night. He said Holtz, 67, would coach tomorrow's game against Clemson and the Gamecocks' bowl game.
Holtz told his players before practice yesterday that he was retiring, The Associated Press reported.
Spurrier, 59, will sign a contract with South Carolina early next week, a friend said last night. He will be returning to the Southeastern Conference, the same conference as Florida.
He won the Heisman Trophy with the Gators in 1966 and coached them to the 1996 national championship.
The main appeal of the South Carolina job, the friend said, was for Spurrier to return to the SEC. Spurrier won six conference titles as Florida's coach from 1990 through 2001.
Spurrier built his reputation in Gainesville with a high-octane offense, a sharp wit and lopsided scores. He left after the 2001 season to coach the Washington Redskins.
Spurrier was widely regarded as a failure as a pro coach, going 12-20 in two seasons. Holtz also failed in his foray in the N.F.L., going 3-10 with the Jets in 1976.
He made his name in college, winning 249 games with six teams to rank eighth in career college football coaching victories. He guided William & Mary, North Carolina State, Arkansas, Minnesota and Notre Dame before South Carolina. Holtz led the Irish to a 12-0 record and the 1988 national championship.
Holtz's final stop at South Carolina was not as glamorous but was ultimately successful.
He lured better recruits, raised the program's profile with more nationally televised games and led the Gamecocks to back-to-back New Year's Day bowl games in 2001 and 2002.
Heading into tomorrow's game against Clemson, Holtz is 33-36 in his six seasons at South Carolina. He has a 1-4 record against the rival Tigers.
Holtz will be leaving the program in the hands of a friend. Spurrier helped Holtz's wife, Beth, get medical help at the University of Florida in 1999 when she had throat cancer.
This is shaping up as a volatile year for college football coaches. It started in late October, when Florida fired Ron Zook, effective at the end of the season.
Many speculated that Spurrier would jump at that job, but he felt he had accomplished all he could with the Gators.
The Florida job remains open, and Utah Coach Urban Meyer is considered the top candidate. Florida's president, Bernie Machen, said after the news conference to announce Zook's departure that no job search would be complete without Meyer.
Another high-profile job, at Washington, has also been open for weeks.
Copyright 2004 The New York Times Company Home Privacy Policy Search Corrections RSS Help Back to Top
