🏈 Steve Spurrier backtracks on Nick Saban "greatest coaches" comment

[BAMANEWSBOT]

DESTIN, Fla. -- In recent years, Steve Spurrier and Nick Saban have been locked in the never-ending quest to be named Best SEC Coach Since Bear Bryant. It's a mythical debate that Spurrier threw himself into last month.

Spurrier made some waves in Alabama in April when he said this to ESPN.com of Saban: "If he wants to be the greatest coach or one of the greatest coaches in college football, to me, he has to go somewhere besides Alabama and win, because they've always won there at Alabama."

At the SEC spring meetings today, Spurrier attempted to backtrack when asked about his comment.

"No, he's a great coach. I don't know what I was talking about," Spurrier said. "I was just saying, they won their 14th national championship, right? I was just trying to say one reason I love being at South Carolina is that we have so many opportunities to achieve things for the first time ever.

"Now, don't get me wrong, some people would rather be at a place where you can win it all every year. Certainly Alabama, LSU, Florida ... there's a lot of schools that have that opportunity. But once something has already been accomplished, it's neat to do it again but it's not the first time ever. I look forward to still trying to do some first-time-ever things at South Carolina."

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Here's what the article is referring back to...


His thoughts on Nick Saban and what he’s done at Alabama.

“He’s got a nice little gig going, a little bit like (John) Calipari. He tells guys, ‘Hey, three years from now, you’re going to be a first-round pick and go.’ If he wants to be the greatest coach or one of the greatest coaches in college football, to me, he has to go somewhere besides Alabama and win, because they’ve always won there at Alabama.”

 

[TerryP]

No, let's get this straight.

You were running your damn mouth and someone called you out.

 

[planomateo]

He loves being "that guy", why backtrack now.

This is where I kinda lose respect for him.

 

[UAgrad93]

Wasn't it Coach Bryant or Coach Stallings that once said, "It ain't bragging if you can back it up!" Spurrier must have had a flashback to his heyday at UF. He has since realized that he is at USCjr and doesn't want his azz handed to him again and again.

 

[c5vetman]

he's just trying to cover up the fact that he hasn't won anything, anywhere but at Flordia. He knows he'll never win anything at SC, and this is his way of making excuses.

 

[TerryP]

He loves being "that guy", why backtrack now.

This is where I kinda lose respect for him.

I'm not making a comparison between the two men, but a similarity I wonder about both sharing.

Spurrier has had something he wanted to interject the last few years in our annual meetings, true. It's drawn a spotlight, albeit temporary, on the USC program.

It reminds me of some of the stuff Kiffin pulled at UT which he "justified" as "getting the UT brand out there for people to see."

 

[alabama mike]

"open mouth, insert foot and chew throughly"