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© St. Petersburg Times, published January 5, 2002
STEVE SPURRIER
BORN: April 20, 1945, in Miami Beach
WIFE: Jerri
CHILDREN: Lisa, Amy, Steve Jr., Scotty
RECORD AT FLORIDA: 122-27-1 in 12 seasons
RECORD OVERALL: 177-59-2 in 18 seasons
VS. SEC SINCE 1990: 87-14
VS. FSU SINCE 1990: 5-8-1
BOWL RECORD AT FLORIDA: 6-5
NATIONAL TITLES: 1996
SEC TITLES: 1991, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000
1964-66: Passes for 4,848 yards and 36 touchdowns in three seasons with the Gators, leading them to berths in the Sugar and Orange bowls. Averages four 200-yard passing games per season and leads the Southeastern Conference in total offense as a junior and senior. Earns All-America honors in '65 and '66.
1966: Wins Heisman Trophy as quarterback of 9-2 Florida.
1967: San Francisco 49ers make him third overall pick in NFL Draft. Becomes team's regular punter and backup quarterback.
1972: Takes over as starting quarterback after injury to John Brodie in season's fifth game. Has most productive pro season as a passer: Completes 147 of 269 passes (54.6 percent) for 1,983 yards and 18 touchdowns.
1976: Quarterback in Buccaneers' 0-14 first season. Completes 156 of 311 passes (50.2) for 1,628 yards and seven touchdowns.
1977: Cut by Bucs; signed by Denver. Released by Broncos before playing in regular-season game.
1978: Assistant coach at Florida.
1979-80: Quarterbacks coach at Georgia Tech.
1980-82: Serves as offensive coordinator for Duke, helping to transform the ACC's worst offense into a conference record-setter.
1983-85: Head coach of USFL's Tampa Bay Bandits. Leads team to 35-19 record and two playoff appearances in three years.
1987-1989: Returns to Duke as head coach, builds program around the pass. Duke averages 351.6 passing yards per game in 1988 and compiles 7-3-1 record, its best since 1962. Team leads conference in passing yards and total yards in 1987 and '88, and ranks first and second, respectively, in scoring.
1990: Spurrier named head coach at Florida. His first team goes 9-2, earning him SEC Coach of the Year honors.
1991: Gators win 10 games and the SEC title for the first time.
1994: Preseason No. 1 beats undefeated Alabama 24-23 in the SEC Championship Game to win consecutive conference titles for the first time.
1995: A 12-0 regular-season record and hopes of a national championship are dashed by a 62-24 loss to Nebraska in the Fiesta Bowl. Spurrier named SEC Coach of the Year.
1996: Gators win the school's first national championship by beating Florida State 52-20 in the Sugar Bowl.
1997: Gators upset top-ranked Florida State 32-29 in Gainesville.
2000: Wins sixth and final SEC title, beating Auburn 28-6 in SEC Championship Game.
2001: Spurrier's final UF team finishes 10-2 after beating Maryland 56-23 in the Orange Bowl.
- Compiled by Kevin Kelly