“Head Ball Coach” Steve Spurrier reacts to SC Athletic Hall of Fame induction

GREENVILLE, S.C. (FOX Carolina) - Longtime football player and legendary coach Steve Spurrier, who spent a decade as the Gamecocks’ head football coach, is one of 10 inductees joining the South Carolina Athletic Hall of Fame in 2026.

Spurrier, who coached South Carolina to an 86-49 record from 2005-2015, is the winningest football coach in program history. He spoke to media members about his induction via a Zoom call on Monday. The full interview is in the video above.

“They’re all special,” Spurrier said of being inducted into the SC Athletic Hall of Fame. “I’ve been lucky to be in a few since I played football, basketball and baseball and coached in a whole bunch of different places, different states, every bowl game has a hall of fame and I’ve coached in a bunch of bowl games, but it is special. Hopefully the years that me and my wife Jerri and our family were up there, we did some good for the University of South Carolina and for the state of South Carolina.”

The “Head Ball Coach” engineered one of the most memorable stretches in program history from 2011-2013, where the Gamecocks won 11 games in three consecutive seasons. He also led South Carolina to five bowl game victories.

After a long NFL playing career, his coaching career began in the early 1960s at the University of Florida. He coached both professionally and in college, serving as head coach at Duke, Florida, the Washington Commanders and South Carolina until retiring in 2015.

Other inductees into the 2026 Hall of Fame Class include former Clemson pitcher Brian Barnes, longtime Clemson Sports Information Director Tim Bourret, Coastal Carolina hammer and weight thrower Amber Campbell Moore, Clemson women’s basketball coach Jim Davis, Greenwood native Armanti Edwards, Orangeburg native Dwayne Harper, South Carolina cross country coach Bob Jenkins, South Carolina football’s Andrew Provence and Anderson native Saudia Roundtree.

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