Steve Spurrier, the "Head Ball Coach" and living Gators icon, is now the "Ambassador Ball Coach," and has an office in the UAA Communications Departments on the third floor of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.
Harry Fodder: The Legend Down the Hall
Tuesday, August 30, 2016 | Football, Chris Harry
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Steve Spurrier, who will be immortalized at Saturday night's 2016 opener against UMass with the renaming of Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, moved into the UAA Communications Office earlier this month.
By: Chris Harry, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — So the first time I encountered my new office colleague — the "ABC" (that would be "Ambassador Ball Coach") — was when he strolled into the break room and I found myself providing a quick tour of the cabinets and tutorial of the Keurig.
"Which one of these coffees do you like, Chris?" the unmistakeable voice asked. "Where's the cream?"
After I answered his questions, I headed to my office and asked myself one.
Like the below promo says, he's back — "and so is the 'Swamp,' " the venue he tagged with that perfect moniker in 1992. The place he went a jaw-dropping 68-5 in 12 seasons as head coach. The same place that come Saturday around 7:20 p.m. officially will be renamed "Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium."
Spurrier, though, isn't just "back" because of some letters on a wall. He's "back" at his alma mater, the school where he won a Heisman Trophy and overnight transformed the football program into Southeastern Conference juggernaut and national contender, and loving his role as a Gator again.
As a beat writer for two state newspapers, The Tampa Tribune and Orlando Sentinel, I had a front row seat for it all in the 1990s. The games. The practices. The quotes. Now I have a seat down the hall from the man. A bunch of us do. Heck, my mailbox is next to his.
"It's good to be on a team," Spurrier said.
Not just a team. His team.
Spurrier's new office, located in the Communications Department on the stadium's third floor, was once a storage room used mostly to stockpile old media guides, scrapbooks and photos. "Historical Library," read the sign on the door. Well, it's still a historical library, only the precious data is stashed away deep in the head of a 71-year-old treasure with his treasure trove of UF memories.
The seat behind the big cherry desk is not reserved just for reminiscing, though. The man has a role and takes it seriously.
Spurrier said he owes UF president Kent Fuchs, Athletic Directory Jeremy Foley, Coach Jim McElwain, Gator Boosters executive director Phil Pharr and senior associate AD director Steve McClain — "They're my superiors, the guys I report to," he said — a debt of gratitude for affording him the opportunity to get involved again with the program. His title: Ambassador and Consultant for Athletics. This won't be figurehead stuff, mind you. Spurrier has been charged with rallying former players and helping spread the Gator gospel.
Think he's qualified?
"We used to tell our teams, 'We're playing for the memory of a lifetime.' And for those teams that won championships, those memories do last a lifetime," Spurrier said. "Hopefully, we can get some things going that will enhance the football program, like bringing back a lot of former players, some of those championship teams. I know that's something Coach McElwain would like to do also. Historically, I'm not sure we've done a very good job of honoring teams from the past. Hopefully, we can start doing a little better and I'll have a hand in that."
As far as the University of Athletic Association is concerned, the more hands Spurrier has in things, the better. The response to his name being attached to the field has been overwhelmingly positive.
"Steve still exudes an unbelievable passion for this place. All legit, all sincere," said Foley, who recalls phone calls from Spurrier the Friday before Florida-Georgia games even when Spurrier was coaching the Washington Redskins and South Carolina. "He's the greatest Gator of them all and one of the most unique and honest people in our profession. It's just so cool to have him around again."
Spurrier has regular meetings with Foley and Pharr to discuss the various ways to help out, be it fundraising, speaking engagements. etc. As far as football goes, McElwain has embraced the former coach's return. Spurrier is a frequent sidelines visitor at practices and stops in for weekly chats with offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier.
Steve Spurrier checks out a recent Gators football practice.
Walk by Spurrier's office — when he's in, the door is always open — and there's a good chance he's on his laptop watching tape of UF practices.
As for his place in the communications office, Spurrier has yet to be summoned to our weekly staff meeting, which is definitely a good thing (for him, that is), but has made a point to reach out to his new teammates. Like program coordinator Dustin Ciraco.
"Is it Justin or Dustin?"
"It's Dustin, Coach"
"Like Dustin Johnson, the golfer?"
"Yep."
The time Dustin and communication coordinator Jennifer Wagner went to relocate some heavy boxes of media guides from his new digs, Spurrier admonished him. "You gonna make Jen do that?" He hopped up, grabbed a box and carried them back to storage himself.
He later met Kelly Sobers, our volleyball communications director.
"Where'd you go to school?"
"Kansas."
"Kansas? They got a football team?"
He called on Bruce Floyd, our FloridaGators.com social media coordinator, for help operating his Twitter account (@SteveSpurrierUF, now with 75,000-plus followers). He asked questions. He wanted to learn.
A few days later, this popped up.
Me and Billy D the best. hoops coach in. Gator. history atCreascent. Beach restaurant. SS pic.twitter.com/E76EFymLPo
Yes, there were some typos — "Gosh, did I really spell Crescent Beach wrong?" — but we explained to him that his engagement with fans was real and organic and thus everybody could tell it was actually him giving it a try, which certainly is not the case with many a high-profile Twitter account. Besides, Lord knows I've had plenty of typos in my tweets; never had more than 600 retweets and nearly 2,000 likes, though.
"I tell him he's like the 70-year-old intern in that [Robert De Niro] movie — and I loved that movie," Amy Moody said. "But just talking to him, he sounds like he's newly energized."
Moody is Spurrier's daughter, a middle-school teacher in Panama City, Fla. She'll be there with her family, as will sister Lisa and a bunch of grandchildren. Sons Steve Jr., an assistant at Oklahoma, and Scotty, quality control coach at South Carolina, will miss the dedication due to responsibilities with their current teams.
Of course, Spurrier's wife of 50 years, Jerri, will be front and center as always.
"I have so many memories there, going back to when he was player … and then all the rest after that," Jerri said. "Steve has said this is the greatest honor he could ever imagine, and he's right. It's going to very emotional. I'm sure I'll cry, like I do at everything."
She won't be the only one.
While some regard Alabama's Paul "Bear" Bryant as the greatest coach in college football history, Bryant didn't turn SEC football upside down — taking it from the Stone Age to the Space Age — by merely showing up. Spurrier did. Bryant, though, does have a stadium named for him. Rightfully so.
Now our guy will, too.
Our teammate.
Pretty good offseason acquisition, eh?
"I don't know if I'm going to really grasp it all until I'm standing there — and then I still won't believe it," Moody said. "My son is a sophomore at UF and is going to see this happen for his grandfather in his lifetime. Three generations of us, all sharing in this together. To think, that when we're all gone, people will still be remembering my dad … it's overwhelming."
Actually, it's perfect. It's been Steve Spurrier's universe for so long.
Might as well be his stadium, too.
The office is a lot more interesting now with the greatest Gator of them all down the hall.
"Which one of these coffees do you like, Chris?" the unmistakeable voice asked. "Where's the cream?" 
