Steve Spurrier made The Swamp matter, so it’s only natural Florida would name The Swamp after Spurrier.
The Gators announced Thursday it will rename Florida Field to Steve Spurrier-Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium after its Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback and national championship-winning coach.
OFFICIAL NEWS...the @SC_HBC will be honored forever.
— Florida Gators Football (@GatorsFB) June 9, 2016
Steve Spurrier - Florida Field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadiumhttps://t.co/hwqS6JHsYi
Spurrier played for the Gators from 1963-66, throwing for 4,848 yards with 37 touchdowns en route to the ’66 Heisman. After a solid pro career, the man who would become the Head Ball Coach worked his way back to his alma mater.
Returning in 1990, Spurrier went 122-27-1 in his 12 seasons with eight SEC East titles, six SEC championships, 10 top-10 finishes and a national championship in 1996.
(Can we offer one gripe here? We can, right?)
The official name of the patch of grass where Florida plays football is now 58 characters long. It’s not as if they’d be removing some dignitaries name from the facade, so why couldn’t the Gators have knocked the “Florida Field” off the moniker?
Ah, hell. Maybe it’s a good thing Spurrier has to share the limelight with the rest of the state. Otherwise he might’ve gotten cocky.