The Spurrier rumor comes to rest

o_dawgnabit

All-American
Oct 13, 2016
5,074
8,211
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Not sure if y’all listened to Bo Bounds this morning, but he had spurrier on and asked spurrier about it. He said it’s true and that he wanted the job. It Was right after the USFL fell apart. He interviewed on campus and then went and interviewed at LSU. He never got a call back from either one. He says he is not a good interview and says that’s why he thinks he didn’t get a call back. Went on to take the Duke HC job and we hired Felker
 
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Willow Grove Dawg

All-American
Nov 3, 2016
8,543
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It is difficult to believe that Rockey was a better interview than Spurrier. I was @ MSU at the time and remember all the rumors about Spurrier being on campus for an interview.
 

Shmuley

Heisman
Mar 6, 2008
24,415
12,620
113
This needs to be on Lonnie Tinkle's tombstone: "Interviewed Felker and Spurrier. Hired Felker."
 

HumpDawgy

All-Conference
Apr 6, 2010
4,906
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Just think, Spurrier could have been just another person that the Gators poached from us.


I can see how Spurrier could possibly rub someone wrong during an interview. "You mean you guys don't even have a chili's?"
 

shotgunDawg

Redshirt
Nov 13, 2011
2,035
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This needs to be on Lonnie Tinkle's tombstone: "Interviewed Felker and Spurrier. Hired Felker."

Not to defend Lonnie in any way, but for historical accuracy's sake, Spurrier said he interviewed with Carr. Not Lonnie
 

Dawgzilla

Redshirt
Mar 3, 2008
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You guys are crazy. The SEC is a defense and run-oriented league. Spurrier's crazy, pass happy offense would never work in the SEC.**
 

Dawgzilla

Redshirt
Mar 3, 2008
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I was in school back then, and I really felt like Rockey was our fallback hire after getting little interest from others. Just like Richard Williams in basketball. And, of course, everyone will say "why not Spurrier?" but he may have wanted too much money, or maybe as I was suggesting above it just didn't seem like a pass happy USFL coach was the right fit for State. It's easy to look back in hindsight and think about how much fun it would have been to have Spurrier at the helm for 5 or 6 years, but that wasn't so obvious back then. We basically would have been like Kentucky under Hal Mumme, but it certainly would have been entertaining....of course we might also have missed out on Sherrill, so who knows?
 

patdog

Heisman
May 28, 2007
61,270
32,960
113
At the time, Spurrier was a cocky former Heisman Trophy QB at Florida with a very mediocre NFL career. His coaching experience was 4 years as an assistant on bad college teams, and 3 years head coach in an upstart league where he had pretty good but not great regular seasons and was 0-2 in the playoffs. In hindsight, hell yes we should have hired him. And even at the time, that's a better resume than Rockey had. But it wasn't quite as bad a decision at the time as it seems now. Hell, LSU passed over him to hire Mike Archer too.
 

Philly Dawg

Heisman
Oct 6, 2012
16,314
11,023
113
If Spurrier had been offered and taken the MSU job, his career might have gone quite differently.
 

Dawgzilla

Redshirt
Mar 3, 2008
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He's still a "cocky former Heisman Trophy QB at Florida with a very mediocre NFL career", but he wound up building a decent resume.
 

patdog

Heisman
May 28, 2007
61,270
32,960
113
No **** that IN HINDSIGHT, it was a collosal 17-up not to hire him. But AT THE TIME, he wasn't exactly the top hot commodity as a head coach. It was STILL a bad decision even then, because Rockey's resume was worse.
 

HumpDawgy

All-Conference
Apr 6, 2010
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Spurrier had head coaching experience, Rocky was a position coach at Bama.
 

patdog

Heisman
May 28, 2007
61,270
32,960
113
Yeah, he would have coached at MSU for 1 year before Florida hired him instead of at Duke, and we would have gotten that 1 vote in the coaches poll all those years.
 

patdog

Heisman
May 28, 2007
61,270
32,960
113
Did you miss the part where I've twice said it was a bad decision even then? Just not as bad as it was in hindsight. Mike Archer didn't have any head coaching experience either.
 

Philly Dawg

Heisman
Oct 6, 2012
16,314
11,023
113
Florida wasn’t the Florida we know now back then and probably couldn’t/wouldn’t have hired a coach away from another SEC program. And he’d have been in an awfully run athletic department.
 

patdog

Heisman
May 28, 2007
61,270
32,960
113
Good point. Spurrier would have had 3 or 4 years at MSU before UF fired Galen Hall. So maybe it would have been different.
 

HumpDawgy

All-Conference
Apr 6, 2010
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It wouldn't have been a huge difference. Rocky was 6-5 (86), 4-7 (87), 1-10 (88), 5-6 (89) while Spurrier was 5-6 (87), 7-3-1 (88), and 8-4 (89) at Duke. While those records were better than Felker at State, they weren't earth shattering success like he had in Gainesville. And for anyone thinking he would stay here instead of going home to Florida after the 89 season are being ridiculous. A year's supply of Danvers would not keep him here.
 

WilCoDawg

All-Conference
Sep 6, 2012
5,264
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With his record coaching in Starkville, I’m sure the injuns would’ve let his career taken a different trajectory.
 
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Dawgzilla

Redshirt
Mar 3, 2008
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Yeah, the record wouldn't have been great, but it would have been a lot more fun to watch. Plus you would get great quotes from the Head Ball Coach. If he could have signed Shane Matthews, that would have been exciting, too.
 

dawgoneyall

Junior
Nov 11, 2007
3,431
210
63
That isn't exactly true. Was offered...accepted and got pissed at out AD over something and left.
 

Carbaryl

Redshirt
Aug 15, 2013
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To pour more salt on the wound, Gary Patterson and Jimbo Fisher were highly interested in the State job ,but we went with Croom!Patterson had his resume sent to Templeton's office the day after JWS retired.
 

Dawg1976

All-Conference
Aug 22, 2012
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I remember very well when ESPN mentioned that he was expected to be named our HC. I was excited as hell.....but no announcement.
 

MSUDawgFan86

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Aug 14, 2017
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It wouldn't have been a huge difference. Rocky was 6-5 (86), 4-7 (87), 1-10 (88), 5-6 (89) while Spurrier was 5-6 (87), 7-3-1 (88), and 8-4 (89) at Duke. While those records were better than Felker at State, they weren't earth shattering success like he had in Gainesville. And for anyone thinking he would stay here instead of going home to Florida after the 89 season are being ridiculous. A year's supply of Danvers would not keep him here.

Ok buddy anytime you are talking about a difference in 6 wins in a single season then yes it is a big difference. 7-3-1 is a helluva lot better than tech and 10. I also have a question. Who cares if he only stayed 3-4 years? Why does it matter if he does well and leaves? It’s a nice reprieve from someone sucking *** for 5-6 years and leaving. Felker, Croom, Shira, etc. Everyone in our history expect for Darrell Royal and Dan Mullen has ended ****** or sucked *** for years before they left. As long as they do well the program keeps going. Go get the next coach and keep stepping.
 

memphisbulldog

Redshirt
Apr 5, 2009
287
28
26
Any truth to the rumors he was considering MSU again after Jackie left, but LT went with Croom instead and SS went to Carolina?

Rumors abound on this one also but I was fairly close to the situation and the answer is no. He was not interested. He did get a phone call.
 

dawgoneyall

Junior
Nov 11, 2007
3,431
210
63
That isn't exactly true. Was offered...accepted and got pissed at out AD over something and left.
And this from President of the College board at around that time.

Carr made an agreement and when "The Ball Coach" came to sign....Carr told him we have a few things to work out (what those few things were I don't know) but Spurrier told Carr that the deal was made when I got on the plane to come here....got up and left. Now... is that all true...from the person who told me this I completely believe that is what went down.

I have always said only MSU could 17 up hiring Spurrier.
 

War Machine Dawg

Redshirt
Oct 14, 2007
2,832
24
38
To pour more salt on the wound, Gary Patterson and Jimbo Fisher were highly interested in the State job ,but we went with Croom!Patterson had his resume sent to Templeton's office the day after JWS retired.

We could've easily hired Jimbo. And the rumor at the time was that it would have been a package deal with Muschamp coming as the DC. But we hired Crxxm. I'd have taken the alleged NCAA sanctions over the self-imposed death penalty.
 
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