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Spurrier joins Gamecock Club
USC coach is officially a Silver Spur as he reaffirms his pledge to win the SEC
University of South Carolina head coaches Dawn Staley, left, Darrin Horn, center, and Steve Spurrier, right, at podium, address members of Midlands-area Gamecock Clubs at the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia on Tues, Apr. 21, 2009.
Erik Campos/ecampos@thestate.com /Erik Campos
CommentsSouth Carolina increased its Gamecock Club membership by at least two Tuesday night — both of whom were on the dais for the booster club’s Midlands-area meeting at Colonial Life Arena.
At the urging of athletics director Eric Hyman, football coach Steve Spurrier and women’s basketball coach Dawn Staley are the Gamecock Club’s newest members.
Spurrier donated $25,000 to the women’s track program his first year at USC and has given back his luxury suite and his four seats on the 50-yard line at Williams-Brice Stadium for the university to use his first four seasons.
But that did not get him a membership. So Spurrier wrote a $3,300 check Tuesday and joined at the Silver Spur level.
“This is my university, and I want our university to do well,” Spurrier said. “I’m like a lot of you, (wondering) when we’re going to turn the corner and do something great around here.”
While introducing Spurrier, Gamecock Club director Patrick McFarland mentioned Spurrier’s 28 victories at USC, which the coach later called “just a little bit above mediocrity.”
A day after he turned 64, Spurrier assured the Midlands gathering he still believes he can accomplish what he came to Columbia to do: bring USC its elusive first SEC title.
“That’s still my goal, and I still think we’ve got a chance to make it happen,” he said.
To do so, starting quarterback Stephen Garcia needs to have a productive summer following the offseason program coaches have laid out, according to Spurrier. And some players must develop better attitudes — a process that should be aided by Spurrier’s threat to pull scholarships from those giving less than full effort.
Spurrier said he has USC president Harris Pastides’ approval to get rid of the “rotten apple” or two.
“I probably should have run some more guys off (in previous years),” Spurrier said. “I think sometimes I’ve been a little too nice.”
Those days might be over. In describing the six assistants who left his staff, Spurrier told the crowd a couple were asked to go, and several took jobs elsewhere — “fortunately,” he added.
Spurrier had good things to say about the new coaches, including strength and conditioning coach Craig Fitzgerald. Fitzgerald will implement a new pre-game, warmup routine that Spurrier borrowed from Iowa, which whipped the Gamecocks 31-10 in the Outback Bowl.
“They came out (and) skipped across the field,” he said. “That’s what we’re gonna do — running across the field and acting like we’re ready to play. We’re not gonna lay on our butts and look up at the other guys.”
While acknowledging the offensive line remains a work in progress, Spurrier said he was encouraged by the number of talented newcomers who picked USC over more established programs.
But Spurrier closed his remarks with a nod to an old-timer — Charles Crews, the nanogenarian who donated the money for the Gamecocks’ strength and conditioning center.
“He always tells me, ‘Coach, I don’t have a lot of time to wait on this thing,’ ” Spurrier said. “I agree with him. I don’t have a lot of time, either.”
Extra points. If they pass their classes and are academically eligible, suspended defensive players Ladi Ajiboye and C.C. Whitlock will be reinstated, although both would be suspended for an undetermined number of games in the fall, Spurrier said. Spurrier said he was “still waiting to see if C.C. can do everything” to return. ... Offensive lineman Heath Batchelor, who left school last fall to deal with personal issues, is set to return in August. Spurrier was less certain about the status of Georgia Military offensive lineman Rokevious Watkins, who has some “academic work” to do before enrolling at USC. ... Receiver Moe Brown, fullback Patrick DiMarco, linebacker Eric Norwood and defensive end Cliff Matthews have been elected captains for this season.
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