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 Friday, December 13, 2002
Florida makes a strange choice
By Terry Bowden
Special to ABC Sports Online
The most shocking story in college football is still the most shocking story in football.
|  | | Steve Spurrier went 122-27-1 in his 12 seasons at Florida. |
It took me by surprise when Steve Spurrier left the University of Florida to pursue a career in the NFL. I had always heard that one day he wanted to ply his trade in the big leagues, but then I would always remember what a great job he had at Florida and figured it would never happen.
After listening to his news conference following his resignation, it makes pretty good sense. At 56 years old, if he was ever going to make a move to the NFL, it probably needed to be now; there never is a perfect time to leave the University of Florida. Maybe if he had won the national championship this year, it would have made more sense to people, but you can coach the rest of your life and do a great job every year, and not win a national championship. So I think everyone agrees that for Steve Spurrier, with his competitiveness and drive, he needed to see if he could be a winner at the next level.
So what happens now at Florida? This is a program that had never won an SEC championship B.S. (Before Spurrier). And yet over the last 12 years, they have won six SEC titles, were denied a seventh in 1990 (due to probation from a previous tenure), and won a national championship. Other than Bear Bryant, no coach has ever dominated the SEC as much as Spurrier.
Not only did he average more than 10 wins per season, but because of his offensive genius, he did it in such a style that it will almost be impossible to duplicate. UF fans are not only used to winning, but winning big and most often bigger than the line, if you know what I mean.
But not to worry, Florida is Florida. It's a great place to coach, in a great location that can attract great recruits, and where you can win a national championship. Florida should have no trouble getting a great football coach.
That's why it made so much sense to go after Bob Stoops and Mike Shanahan. These are not just two successful head coaches, but they are considered to be among the best coaches in their respective leagues. Both were former assistants at Florida and had an existing relationship with athletic director Jeremy Foley. And they had shown an interest in the job. Although both eventually turned it down because they are in situations just as good or better than Florida, they were still the right guys to go after. And Gator Nation was pleased with the direction of the search.
|  | | Ron Zook's defense allowed 160 points over its last four games. |
So, how did we go from Bob Stoops and Mike Shanahan straight to Ron Zook? Where was the Neuheisel interview? Or the Bellotti interview? What about Gruden? Mack Brown? Or even Ralph Friedgen?
The point I am trying to make is that most of the Florida faithful were not ready to go from a top head coach to a good assistant. I'm having a hard time believing it myself. The only similarity between Zook and the other candidates is that he is a one-time assistant at Florida and he had a prior relationship with Foley.
If Spurrier had stayed and many of his young skill players did as well (Grossman, Gaffney, Jacobs, etc.), next year looked like a sure run at the national championship. Now, after hiring a defensive coordinator (of a defense that gave up 160 points over its last four games), you have to wonder how many players will stick around, and what kind of record the Gators will be looking at.
Don't get me wrong, Zook may do a great job as the head coach of Florida. He may go out and hire the greatest offensive coordinator in the world and average 50 points a game. He may also find a defensive leader just as good as a young Bobby Stoops, vintage 1996. But there is just nothing in his background that suggests any track record for having done this before. In fact, after the 1993 season, his defensive coordinator duties were taken away from him for what we were led to believe was not getting the job done.
Hopefully, things have changed since then.
Terry Bowden was the head coach at Salem College, Samford University and Auburn University. He is ABC's college football studio analyst and contributes regularly for ABC Sports Online.
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 Steve Spurrier hopes to test his coaching philosophy at the NFL level.
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Bob Stoops confirms that he will continue his commitment to the Oklahoma Sooners.
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Florida AD Jeremy Foley details his meeting with Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops.
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FSU coach Bobby Bowden is surprised by Steve Spurrier's resignation.
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