Spurrier to Dolphins? ESPN's reports...

[jfcohio]

...internal struggles within UF may cause Spurrier to spurn a return to the school even though he has already started contacting potential assistant coaches.

If UF is not where Spurrier ends up - he is being watched by exec's within the Dolphins front office.

I guess a disastrous stay at Washington is not enough reason to not give him a 2nd chance in the NFL?

[smazza]

will they give him 5 million a year to fail also

he best bet is gators

did he contact franks yet?

[Bull Matrix]

Let me just say that I will be suprised if he goes back to coach UF. There is just too much bad blood between Spurrier and the SEC from last time. Do you think Spurrier would want that mess again??? I say Spurrier is going to sit back for at least a year and watch his son play football before he coaches again.

[WoolyBully]

My question would be: Has Spurrier publicly stated - for the record - that if asked, he would return? I know there's a lot of BB fodder, but I would think that it would be difficult to go back.  The bottom line being, some of the shine is off the halo. Perhaps the Unsinkable Steve Spurrier is not the be-all and end-all he was made out to be (abject failure in the pro ranks).  Then again, I never was a break-up & make-up kind of guy.

[Jim Johnson]

Well, not if the UF donors have anything to do with it...

Consider this from Mike Thomas in the Orlando Sentinel:

To find a UF coach, follow donors' money

     

University of Florida President Bernie Machen might have little choice but to hire Steve Spurrier if Spurrier wants to be hired.

It's all about the money.

In this era of tight budgets and Title IX, a profitable athletic department is a coveted luxury.

Only seven Division 1-A schools that play football have athletic programs that pay for themselves, according to USA Today.

UF officials say they are in that group, thanks to football.

The athletic program brings in $67.8 million. Of that, more than $21 million comes from the football program. But that number is misleading.

Another $20 million comes from boosters. And most of that comes from their support of the football program. Add it all up and football brings in about 60 percent of revenues used to fund all athletic programs.

"It's really the engine that drives the machine," says Doug Brown, who oversees the Bull Gators, a collection of big-money donors who contribute about $10 million a year.

"We are the most successful booster organization in the country," says Thomas Donahoo, a Jacksonville attorney and president-elect of Gator Boosters. "I'm amazed at the money we come up with. A successful football program is big-time. And winning is everything at Florida."

Winning is what Spurrier brought to Gator Nation. He got that money spigot flowing like a fire hydrant.

Before Spurrier, there were only about 140 Bull Gators. Now there are 615. One of the biggest is Orlando attorney Gordon "Stumpy" Harris.

"Spurrier brought in the attitude of winning and support for the entire athletic program," Harris says. "That gave [Athletics Director Jeremy] Foley flexibility to bring in top coaches for the other programs."

UF has some of the best sports facilities in the country, which is why the overall program is consistently ranked among the top five nationally. In the Spurrier era, funding for women's sports tripled.

Florida State needed taxpayer money to expand its stadium. But Gator boosters coughed up the entire $55 million to renovate the Swamp.

Additions include a 3,000-seat Champions Club, with each seat requiring a $2,000 donation just for the right to buy a ticket to sit in it.

There now are 62 luxury suites, which cost $48,000 each per season. Four seats in the new Bull Gator suite cost $14,000 for the season.

When people pay that kind of money, they want to see a winning team. This is why the Bull Gators feel free to pass judgment on coaches.

Consider the school's former athletic director, Bill Arnsparger. He did not want to hire Spurrier back in 1989.

Bull Gator Ben Hill Griffin Sr. did. He interviewed Spurrier and supported him, along with other big boosters.

Arnsparger lost. He left the school about a year later.

"We ask these people for a lot of money," Donahoo says of the boosters. "They can pick up the phone and call Foley whenever they want to express their views."

Donahoo fears another failed coach and mediocre season will dampen the giving spirit. He is lukewarm about Spurrier but says the Old Ball Coach keeps the money flowing.

If Machen hires someone else and that coach fails, it's all on Machen. If Spurrier fails, Machen can wash his hands and tell the Bull Gators: "Hey, you wanted Barabbas, you got him."

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/orl-locmiket31103104oct31,1,5158826.column?coll=orl-news-headlines

(free subscription required)

[smazza]

spurrier was their best player and their best coach

it is his job if he wants it

[GarySJ]

Spurrier to Dolphins? Why not? The Dolphins' last head coaching hire was also a complete failure in his previous gig...

[S p e n c e]

Maybe they are using it as a tactic to keep Ricky Williams from wanting to come back to the team.

[smazza]

and wanstedt turned down a 20 mil 10year deal to replace butch davis

[MikeG]

SS will be the Gator coach. It is a done deal. All other actions are window dressing at this point. With all the cries of racism about not hiring a black coach, UF has to take this one step at a time to avoid looking like they aren't wiling to interview the slim pickings of black coaches who would even be able to handle the situation (hell-- there are few great coaches out there that can handle the situation, regardless of the color of their skin). Bama might have dropped the ball by not getting Croom (an alumni and talented coach nonetheless).

He will not take Franks away from USF, although it was considered. Franks may become USF's OC next season though.

As we have seen, even the legendary Gibbs is struggling with Washington. SS might have been able to turn them around in the long run but the NFL is a grind far worse than any college job. I don't consider his time in Washington a total waste-- he got his cash and tried his system there. His system fits college ball, not the pros. So trying again in Miami would be kind of redundant. Wannstedt wasn't a complete failure with the Bears. He did manage to get them into the playoffs. But overall-- all these organizations we are talking about have had some rough water the past 5 years.