For Steve Spurrier, the annual trip to SEC media days is treated just like a game: He prepares, has a gameplan, and instead of plays to unleash, he has quips.
And this year Spurrier, who just turned 70, seemed to know that possible retirement would be the theme. So he was ready.
“I think Hillary and Donald Trump are both 69, I believe” Spurrier said. “Coach K at Duke, he’s still doing pretty good at, I think 69 also.”
Later Spurrier asked if Danny Sheridan, the oddsmaker, was in the building.
“I wish he did the odds on every coach being here four years from now,” Spurrier siad. “It would be something to bet on, wouldn’t it?”
Whether or not Spurrier is actually at South Carolina in four years, or even next year, depends heavily on how the 2015 season goes. But on Tuesday Spurrier reminded reporters why they hope he’s still around.
He name-dropped presidential candidates, tweaked Tennessee and Arkansas, and made light-hearted remarks about former players, including Jadeveon Clowney.
Some of the greatest hits from Tuesday’s half-hour session:
The tweak on some other teams ...
“We were 7-6, same as Tennessee and the same as Arkansas, and I think they were celebrating big seasons last year. So we were celebrating also.”
He also acknowledged his own team’s shortcomings last year. …
“I know the critics are out there, and that’s why they’re called critics — they criticize every chance they get, and we gave ‘em something to criticize.”
On his quarterback situation …
“I’ve been a coach to play two quarterbacks, I think you all know that. And you can win with two. There’s nothing in the rulebook that says you have to only play one.”
On a certain former player's little injury issues ...
“Every now and then I tell a player, are we gonna have to put you on the Clowney program?” before adding: “But no, he was fine. He was fine most of the time.”
On leadership needing to be from top players …
“We’ve had some backup guys scream and yell in the locker room. And I’ll tell his assistant coach: ‘Tell him nobody’s listening.’”
On a more serious note, Spurrier reacted to the Confederate flag coming down in Columbia. He has long criticized the flag, which in 2008 he called “that damn Confederate flag.” Now that it’s down, Spurrier took a conciliatory tone. …
“I applaud our governor for setting the initiative to remove the flag and obviously it was received very well by just about everyone in our state and our country,” Spurrier said. “Obviously all of us in our sport know the importance of equality and every race getting along. So I think everyone in South Carolina was happy to see the flag come down.”
And, interestingly, Spurrier passed on a chance to revel in last year’s win over Georgia. A reporter pointed out that he always seems to get an extra joy from beating the Bulldogs …
“I don’t think - you didn’t see me after the Miami game, Independence Bowl? I think that was the most fired up all of us were, because we went from losers to winners,” he said.
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