Spurrier: ‘Unbelievable year for the state of South Carolina’

Steve Spurrier had high praise for coach Dabo Swinney and the Clemson football program as well as for other recent accomplishments by teams and individuals from South Carolina.

Spurrier and Swinney are competing in the Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl Challenge at Lake Oconee this week. The event matches a coach with an alum from his school to compete against other teams for scholarships and charity.

Spurrier and his former quarterback at Florida, Shane Matthews, are competing for the Gators. Swinney is paired with former Clemson quarterback Steve Fuller.

“Of course when I saw Dabo (I said), ‘Hey congrats on everything,’ “ Spurrier said, according WLTX’s Reggie Anderson.

“First time I’d seen him face to face, talked to him on the phone a few times. Clemson had an amazing year. The state of South Carolina has had an unbelievable year with the (USC) women’s basketball (team) national champs, Clemson football, Dustin Johnson’s the number one golfer in the world.”

Spurrier also said he called former Gamecock golfer Wesley Bryan after he won the RBC Heritage.

“It was fun talking to him because he was in school when I was coaching at South Carolina,” said Spurrier said.

Spurrier is now an ambassador with the Florida athletics department. Swinney says he and Spurrier went from bitter rivals to friendly rivals in part because of their time together on the golf course.

“He’s always been fun to play with,” said Swinney said in a video produced by the Chick-fil-A Bowl Challenge.

“Really, that’s how he and I really kind of got to know each other better was playing some golf, outside of our positions as football coaches in the same state.

“He looks a lot better in that Gator shirt than the other one,” Swinney said.