USC Gamecocks Football

Steve Spurrier reveals his Heisman Trophy pick

By Noah Feit
Steve Spurrier, University of Florida quarterback, holds the Heisman Trophy, which will be presented to him at the Dec. 1, 1966 award dinner in New York. The trophy is awarded annually by the Downtown Athletc Club of New York to the outstanding college football player of the year.
Steve Spurrier, University of Florida quarterback, holds the Heisman Trophy, which will be presented to him at the Dec. 1, 1966 award dinner in New York. The trophy is awarded annually by the Downtown Athletc Club of New York to the outstanding college football player of the year. AP

Former Heisman Trophy winners are among the many people who get to vote for future award winners.

Former South Carolina Gamecocks coach Steve Spurrier won the 1966 Heisman Trophy when he was the quarterback of the Florida Gators.

So Spurrier cast his vote for this year’s award honoring college football’s top player, and he let it slip about which player he picked to win the prestigious prize.

With no Gamecocks, Gators or even Duke Blue Devils to legitimately vote for, the HBC picked the player who resembles Spurrier’s aggressive approach on the field, and brash attitude off the gridiron.

Spurrier said Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield got his vote, according to USA Today sports columnist Dan Wolken.

Mayfield, Stanford running back Bryce Love and Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, last year’s Heisman winner, are the three finalists for the award which will be presented on Saturday.

Mayfield has thrown for 4,340 yards and 41 touchdowns, compared to five interceptions, while leading the Sooners to the No. 2 ranking and a spot in the College Football Playoff.

USC football coach Steve Spurrier's office at Williams-Brice Stadium has mementos from his years in coaching. HERE> Spurrier's 1966 Heisman Trophy and ProAm Golf trophy he won with Hale Irwin during the 2005 Bruno's Memorial Classic in Birmingham Al.
USC football coach Steve Spurrier's office at Williams-Brice Stadium has mementos from his years in coaching. HERE> Spurrier's 1966 Heisman Trophy and ProAm Golf trophy he won with Hale Irwin during the 2005 Bruno's Memorial Classic in Birmingham Al. TIM DOMINICK tdominick@tehstate.com

Spurrier was inducted as a coach into the College Football Hall of Fame Tuesday at the National Football Foundation’s awards banquet in Manhattan.

Spurrier was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame as a player in 1986. He’s the fourth person to be elected to the Hall as both a player and a coach – joining Wyatt Bowden, Amos Alonzo Stagg and Bobby Dodd.

Spurrier coached collegiality for 26 years at Duke, Florida and South Carolina, compiling a 228-89-2 record. He won the 1996 national championship as the Gators’ coach.

Spurrier led the Gamecocks to their only SEC East title, three consecutive 11-win seasons and was 86-49 in 10 1/2 years at the school.

Spurrier coached the Blue Devils from 1987 to 1989, when Duke and Virginia were ACC co-champions. Spurrier posted a 20-13-1 record at Duke, which hasn’t won an ACC title since he left for Florida.

These days, Spurrier serves as an ambassador for Florida. He had been hired as an “ambassador” in Columbia, but ultimately returned to Florida.

This story was originally published December 5, 2017 at 8:50 PM with the headline "Steve Spurrier reveals his Heisman Trophy pick."

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