Steve Spurrier's South Carolina's Gamecocks are coming off a rough 7-6 season, but the seasoned head football coach rejects the notion he has nothing left to offer.
Spurrier called an impromptu press conference Wednesday to address what he called "enemies" raising concerns about his age. Speaking with ESPN.com afterward, he called into question why his age was being brought up now.
"We were 11-2 and ranked fourth in the country this time a year ago, and nobody said a damn word about my age," the 70-year-old coach said. "Now, a year later, I'm suddenly too old, and we're on our way down."
The 7-6 season broke a string of three straight 11-2 finishes, but despite the disappointing record the Gamecocks won their fourth straight bowl game. One of the most accomplished coaches in college football, Spurrier alluded to a conversation he had with Ohio State head football coach Urban Meyer.
"I talked to [Meyer] a little bit this year, congratulated him on winning the National Championship," Spurrier said in his address. "I said, 'Urban, those Big Ten people, those coaches, man, they don't like you, in fact they can't stand you. He said, 'Coach, remember down at Florida when you were kicking everybody's butt pretty good? They didn't like you either, did they?'
Spurrier is 84-45 at South Carolina and 226-85-2 overall in college football, with 11 bowl game wins as well. While he has acknowledged he has thought of his retirement in recent interviews, Spurrier has not put a precise timeline on it. He reiterated that Wednesday, but emphasized last year should not be an indication that he is losing his touch.
"We're not too proud of what happened last year, but we're coming back," he told reporters. "We've got a dang good team this year and I just want the Gamecocks out there to know, don't listen to our enemies."
