Thanks to the Head Ball Coach: our best memories with Steve and Jerri Spurrier

In 1990, Steve and Jerri Spurrier arrived in Gainesville and for those of us who were fortunate to spend time around them we will never forget those 12 glorious years.

College sports programs were different then. Practices were open; Larry could sit down with an assistant coach and talk about life, game strategy and players. Our families got to know the players, the assistant coaches and their wives (Jim Collins’ wife, Geri, was one of the best. May she rest in peace); it was more a family and less a business.

We became friends with the head coaches and their wives and were regularly invited to their homes – whether it was a dinner at Steve and Jerri Spurrier’s in August prior to the start of the season, or Thanksgiving dinner at Lon and Barbara Krueger’s with the entire basketball coaching staff and team (we still have paper dolls that Dana made of the entire 1994 Gator basketball team that included Dan Cross, Andrew DeClercq and others. Jenni – four years old at the time – would regularly hug Andrew’s knees – that was the highest she could reach).

Heck, Steve and Lon even knew my name. (No coach since would be able to connect me to Larry – let alone know my name).  That era was over when the Kruegers left in 1996, and Jerri and Steve followed in 2002.

So, in honor of Steve and Jerri – here are our top four Spurrier memories.

1.  In 1990 when Steve and Jerri arrived, I was a freelance writer and also did some public relations consulting; one of the publications I regularly wrote for was “Gainesville Today.” I was assigned to write an article introducing Jerri to the Gainesville community.  When I contacted Norm Carlson (who I had worked for in the early 1980s) to help schedule, he put me directly in touch with Jerri. Instead of some sterile interview held at the athletic offices, she invited me to join her in her kitchen in the house on Parker Road.  We talked about sports, life and having husbands who lived and breathed sports. The article practically wrote itself.

2.  In 1996, we all flocked to New Orleans for the Sugar Bowl with the Gators slated to play top-ranked Florida State who had beaten Florida in Tallahassee in the last regular season game. Larry broadcast his talk show from the hotel all week and the atmosphere in the Big Easy was insane. In the Hilton Hotel bar prior to the start of the UF/FSU game, hundreds of Gator fans gathered to watch the Rose Bowl television broadcast of Ohio State/Arizona State. A Buckeye upset win over ASU would mean that Florida would have a chance to win the national championship with a win over FSU. The rest, as they say, is history. Ohio State came from behind, winning the game on the last play. The Hilton bar erupted in celebration.

After Florida won the game against Florida State – and Danny Wuerffel gained revenge against the Seminoles for the beating he got in Tallahassee, Larry waited outside the interview room for Steve to enter. When Spurrier arrived, he stopped and said to Larry in that wonderful Steve voice, “Well, Larry. We got one.”

3.  In the mid-2000s, Larry decided to take a break from sport talk shows and focus on his television work for the Gators. Steve had already left Gainesville and spent his two years with the Redskins, and had been hired at South Carolina. Larry’s last show (his second to last “last show”) featured a number of special calls – but none more so than the one he received from Steve. Larry and Steve spent several minutes reminiscing about the time they spent together – it was the highlight of that final show.

4. And finally, in 2006, we were invited to Hilton Head for Steve and Jerri’s 40^th wedding anniversary celebration. It was a great weekend – Jenni and Dana were able to go with us – and there were so many special people there. Norm and Sylvia Carlson, Jim and Geri Collins, dozens of former players and a handful of media guys. The weekend was vintage Spurrier – no fuss, nothing fancy, just plain fun. For Steve and Jerri, nothing was more important than family and friends – just relaxing and having fun.

College football won’t be the same without the Head Ball Coach roaming the sidelines, but from the Vettel family, we sincerely hope Steve and Jerri will enjoy these coming months and embrace the added time they’ll have with family and friends. College football, however, will be a lot less fun.