Steve Spurrier is back: HBC joins upstart football league

Steve Spurrier will be back on the sidelines soon.

The legendary coach is the new head coach of the Orlando team of the Alliance of American Football league, it was announced Saturday morning.

The league is set to begin on Feb. 9, the Saturday after next year's Super Bowl.

Spurrier was announced as the new head coach of the Orlando AAF team on its website.

The Alliance features eight teams playing a 12-week season. The championship game will be played the weekend of April 26 in 2019.

"We’re not just bringing professional football to town, we’re bringing the Head Ball Coach with us, a true Florida legend," Charlie Ebersol, co-founder and CEO of The Alliance said in the release.

Spurrier, who is South Carolina's all-time winningest coach, added that he is anxious to return to coaching.

"The Alliance offers a unique opportunity to get back into coaching, this time for a spring season, and work closely with hungry, talented athletes looking to begin, revive or extend their professional careers," he said. "The fact I can do this in Orlando makes it that much sweeter. I’m fired up and ready to go.”

Spurrier, who won the Heisman at Florida before leading the Gators to a national title as a head coach, went 228-89-2 as the head coach at Duke, Florida and South Carolina.

He finished 86-49 as the head coach of the Gamecocks, leading USC to 11 wins three consecutive years from 2011-13. He also led South Carolina to its only SEC East title in 2010.

This story was originally published April 7, 2018 at 8:51 AM with the headline "Steve Spurrier is back: HBC joins upstart football league."