Steve Spurrier's 15 greatest trash-talking quotes
Steve Spurrier retired on Monday at the age of 70. The former Heisman Trophy winner was a legendary coach at Duke, Florida and South Carolina who won a National Championship in 1996 and six SEC titles.
He was also one of the greatest interviews in college football history. Here are 15 of his best trash-talking moments.
ON FLORIDA STATE:
1.”You know what FSU stands for, don’t you? Free Shoes University.”
2. When Jadeveon Clowney got a speeding ticket: “I didn’t know Jadeveon’s car that could go that fast. He doesn’t have a pretty car like those FSU guys used to drive.”
ON GEORGIA:
3. “I don’t know. I sort of always liked playing them that second game because you could always count on them having two or three key players suspended.”
4. “Why is it that during recruiting season they sign all the great players, but when it comes time to play the game, we have all the great players? I don’t understand that. What happens to them?”
ON DABO SWINNEY:
5. Swinney said on Spurrier: “He’s from Pluto, and I’m from Mars.”Spurrier said back: “Dabo probably thinks there’s only, what, nine planets out there? I think I read where Pluto may not be considered one now.”
6. On a mis-attributed quote that Swinney believed Spurrier said: “I said, ‘Well, what do you want me to do? I didn’t say it.’ Smart people don’t believe everything they read, and they don’t believe hearsay. … I guess Dabo believed it.”
ON AUBURN:
7. On a fire at the Auburn library that destroyed 20 books: “The real tragedy was that 15 hadn’t been colored yet.”
ON TENNESSEE:
8. “Will be the 14th time I’ve coached in Neyland Stadium. … I’ve coached there more than some of their head coaches.”
9. “In Knoxville they’re still doing cartwheels because they went 7-6 and won a bowl.”
10. When asked about Tennessee’s failure to make the Sugar Bowl while he was at Florida: “You can’t spell Citrus without U-T.”
ON PEYTON MANNING:
11. “I know why Peyton came back for his senior year. He wanted to be a three-time star of the Citrus Bowl.”
ON ALABAMA:
12. “In 12 years at Florida, I don’t think we ever signed a kid from the state of Alabama … Of course, we found out later that the scholarships they were giving out at Alabama were worth a whole lot more than ours.”
ON HIS OWN OFFENSIVE LINE IN 2006:
13. “Well, we can’t trade ‘em. So I guess we have to coach ‘em.”
ON FATHER TIME:
14. “People ask me why are you still coaching? I forgot to get fired and I’m not going to cheat.”
15. “The Pope is 77 years old and he’s in charge of a billion people. All I have to do is put 11 on the field.”