Steve Spurrier will have field named in his honor

Another honor is being bestowed on Steve Spurrier, the winningest coach in Florida and South Carolina football history.

Florida announced that the field at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium will be named after Spurrier. It will be renamed, “Steve Spurrier-Florida Field.” The changed was approved by the Florida board of trustees on Thursday.

Spurrier also won the Heisman Trophy as a Gators quarterback.

The name change will be made official at a ceremony that will include Spurrier during the Gators’ opener against Massachusetts on Sept. 3.

Spurrier said in a release:

“I am humbled, honored, thankful and very appreciative that my alma mater, the University of Florida, believes that I am worthy and deserving to have my name placed on Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, also known as ‘The Swamp.’

“The Swamp is a special place. We coaches and players thoroughly enjoyed playing in front of our fans. We won a bunch of them there and only lost five and they were close ones. I also met my wife, Jerri Starr, at the University of Florida, she has been a tremendous influence on everything I’ve done since. Again, I say thanks to all of those who made this honor possible and I consider this to be the biggest, most special honor I have ever received.”

Florida athletics director Jeremy Foley said in a statement:

“We feel this was an appropriate way to commemorate one the most legendary figures in Gator athletics history. Coach Spurrier did more than win a Heisman Trophy, a national championship and a bunch of games. Coach Spurrier changed the culture of Florida athletics. We were an institution that always had a mantra of wait until next year and wouldn’t it be great to just win one championship.

“Coach changed all of that. The Gators won, won big and won with swagger. As much as he impacted the football program, he changed the vibe in the entire athletic department. He and his wife, Jerri, were big supporters of the entire athletic department – giving advice to different coaches, attending other sporting events and even endowed a scholarship to support women’s athletics.”

This story was originally published June 9, 2016 at 5:40 PM with the headline "Steve Spurrier will have field named in his honor."