Spurrier SEC Coach of the Year

Steve Spurrier was named the SEC’s coach of the year Wednesday for the second time since coming to South Carolina.

This time, the honor came from his peers as the league announced that the conference’s coaches voted Spurrier ahead of Auburn coach Gene Chizik, who has the Tigers undefeated and playing for the national championship. Spurrier was named SEC coach of the year by the Associated Press in 2005, his first season with the Gamecocks.

"This comes as a surprise to me, but I want to thank the voters," Spurrier said. "Obviously I have a lot of good friends who are SEC coaches. The real credit though goes to the players, coaches, support staff and fans here at South Carolina."

Spurrier led the Gamecocks to their third season in history with more than eight wins. South Carolina is 9-4 and ranked No. 19 heading into the Dec. 31 Chick-fil-A Bowl against Florida State. One more win would give the school the second 10-win season in its history.

The Gamecocks beat Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Florida in the same season for the first time this year. They also won for the first time at Florida and beat Clemson in back-to-back seasons for the first time in 40 years.

USC freshman Marcus Lattimore was named the conference freshman of the year by the coaches Wednesday. He was named the AP SEC freshman of the year earlier this week.

This story was originally published December 8, 2010 at 3:17 PM with the headline "Spurrier SEC Coach of the Year."