The Head Ball Coach is back to being a Ball Coach again.
According to an announcement from a budding new spring football league, Steve Spurrier is indeed returning to the sidelines next year to coach the Orlando franchise in the Alliance of American Football.
Just announced on @CBSThisMorning: A new professional spring football league called @TheAAF reveals Orlando, Florida will be their first host city with college football Hall of Famer @SteveSpurrierUF set to coach. pic.twitter.com/i7beToJha5
— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 7, 2018
The new entity is aiming to be more of a developmental league that supplements the NFL and college football in the spring instead of competing against them in the fall. It is scheduled to kickoff in February of 2019 and even another former SEC legend in Johnny Manziel is set to participate (as a quarterback, not a coach, it should be noted).
Spurrier’s duties in the spring will not conflict with his day job later in the year however. While he no doubt gets in several rounds of golf every week, he is formally an ambassador for Florida Gators athletics and it appears that gig is continuing going forward too.
“I know Coach is excited to have the opportunity to coach football again for a couple months out of the year. He will take some time away from his duties while he coaches but will remain on our staff and continue to serve as an ambassador for the Gators after the season,’' Florida athletic director Scott Stricklin told the school website. “We couldn’t be happier for Coach and Jerri and look forward to seeing him on the sideline again.”
Spurrier is a former Heisman Trophy winner who is in the College Football Hall of Fame as both a player and a coach. He last coached at South Carolina back in 2015.