Buddy Martin Blog. Part 2: Steve Spurrier, Then And Now. He Was The Alpha And Will Be UF's Omega.

THE KICK: Painting by RICK REEVES. (COURTESY Whit Palmer Jr.)

The Golden Boy Touch that he parlayed into a Hall of Fame Double as both a player and coach has apparently carried over into the cuisine world.

By BUDDY MARTIN

GatorBaitMedia.com Editor

Truthfully, until Steve Spurrier arrived as coach, Florida football was not much to talk about. I’m on record as saying that the Legend of Spurrier looks even BIGGER in the rearview mirror. And yet still growing, even 32 years after he brought his alma mater out of the wilderness, put his indelible stamp on the Gator program and carved his name on the field.

Think about this: Until his arrival as coach, Florida football was title-less, had an overall losing record and Gator players had an ugly reputation as perhaps the biggest bunch of under-achievers since the French foreign legion.

So critical was Spurrier’s interjection as a player and then a coach into the UF’s historical profile that it has gerrymandered its own era.

The way Gen Xers, Millennials and other age-specific sports cliques attempt to revise history in order fit in the timeline with the birth of ESPN in 1979, many Gator fans co-op their timeline of success for their football program as if it began in 1990. And why not?

My late novelist/writer friend Dan Jenkins used to chirp at his Gator friends about their pseudo bragging rights: “Florida has the arrogance of Alabama,” Jenkins would say back in the 1980s, “and the tradition of Wake Forest.” But that all changed.

Since Spurrier became coach in 1990, Dan (now deceased) may have eventually been forced to change his tune to “…AND the tradition of Alabama.” For his first six years, Spurrier owned the SEC like Elon Musk owns the electric car market. One could argue that the statue of him as a player ought to bear the title “Founder.”

Not even the Greatest Coach On The Planet, Nick Saban, can match that early ‘90s streak of four straight SEC Championships. It was only in the 2020 season that the Crimson Tide legend finally passed the HBC in total SEC wins. It helped that Saban played an all-SEC Covid schedule. And that Spurrier had left coaching five years prior.

HBC goes chef. (Photo courtesy of Freddie Wehbe)

I'm not here, though, for another coronation of Steve Spurrier. He’s had enough of those. And if he gets another trophy or medal – just a few months ago it was the Nick Saban Award – they’ll need to build an annex on Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille to accommodate all the hardware (more on that later.) Although at 19,000 square feet, one of the biggest restaurants in Florida, there may well already be ample room.

Steve Spurrier is the gift that keeps on giving. At 77, he is a huge asset to his alma mater, both in his role as a consultant on campus and a Trophy Coach in the Athletic Director’s private box for football games.

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You might say that not only is Ben Hill Griffin Stadium the House That Spurrier Built, but right up the road to the Southwest is a museum-restaurant that has become a destination stopover for newcomers, visitors and regulars. Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille has also become a bit of a recruiting weapon.

The Golden Boy Touch that he parlayed into a Hall of Fame Double as both a player and coach has apparently carried over into the cuisine world. The early success of the upscale eatery in the aptly named Celebration Point – “Nobody liked to celebrate more than Steve Spurrier,” said Jeremey Foley – has been impressive, given that the opening was delayed by the Pandemic.

Besides, it’s a restaurant on steroids – meaning it’s way bigger than needed to serve the area – and with a three-story building that includes an open-air rooftop bar called “Visors,” it offers a versatile environment like none other. And I haven’t even told you about the “museum” part.

The HBC happens to have been a pack rat who has kept almost every photo, clipping, plaque, trophy or uniform regalia that he’s had since he was a kid in Johnson City. Which also makes him an awesome curator for his “museum.”

He once opened a closet to his Crescent Beach home (since sold) and showed me his collection of 12 Gator windbreakers. “One from every year,” he said proudly.

Problem is he didn’t know what to do with all of his bounty. One day his youngest daughter Amy came up with idea of a restaurant. Then Steve ran into Freddie Wehbe, who had just sold all 13 of his Alachua County Dominos, and pitched Spurrier on a concept of a restaurant-museum. It may have been the best connection Spurrier made since he first threw passes to All-American wide receiver Charlie Casey in the mid-1960s.

Already an early success – Wehbe says business has been “excellent” for just dinner – and Spurrier’s has become a popular stopover for other coaches and media. It’s not uncommon to see some of the biggest names in football dropping by. And an in-restaurant podcast room, festooned with football helmets out of Steve’s past, adorns one wall.

How do patrons get to see the guy whose name is on the joint? There’s no set schedule, so it’s pretty much luck, but he’s there at least twice most weeks and has been known to pose for selfies.

Urban Meyer gifted HBC with championship ring. (Buddy Martin photo)

But you can stroll around the place and photograph everything from his Heisman Trophy, to the shoe and ball used to kick his famous Auburn-beating field goal, right down to some of his favorite ball plays scratched out on men’s room wallpaper. It is an impressive array of bling, beautifully exhibited in glass.

Which is why Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille has become such a strategic location for hosting recruits. Spurrier publicly thanked Billy Napier last week for embracing his restaurant and using it as a hosting site. At one point a few weeks ago on a personal tour, Napier could be seen snapping photos of the ball plays sketched on the bathroom wallpaper.

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We found this table to our liking and enjoyed the food. l-R clockwise The Briggses, The Martins and The McCalls. (GatorBait Photo)

On the Friday night before Father’s Day, we took a party of six to Spurrier’s GG for an early seating just before 5 p.m. to experience what we’d been hearing about. Several of us had dined there before, taken a guided tour and even sampled some menu items before they opened.

I’d seen almost all the museum artifacts before but was reminded how authentic they were and how fortunate UF was to have them on display as almost an auxiliary. But I wanted to see it all in real time.

We chose a table in the main room near the back, which suited acoustically to our liking and was well-attended by friendly, polite servers. We were told it was going to be a busy night with “about 300” arriving later for a private party (turns out it was football campers and recruiting prospects).

After chatting with Steve earlier in the week, I had already determined I was going to order Spurrier’s favorite meal:

The Spurrier House Salad was one of my favorites. (Buddy Martin Photo)

Blackened fish (Red Snapper or Mahi-Mahi), the Spurrier House Salad and his favorite beverage (1966 Lager, HBC brand), which turned out to be a craft beer (“it sort of tastes like Coors,” he told me). Other members of our party had the Spurrier’s burger, Orange and Blue Shrimp and Chicken Marsala. Perhaps the favorite beverage of the night was the Blackberry Margarita. I loved the crunchiness of the salad.

All agreed the food and service were very good, but said they would like to come back and try other dishes, since so much of dining out depends on your individual pallet matching the taste of the cuisine. Next time I’m thinking I am going with the Tomato Grilled Cheese sandwich made with Johnson City, Tenn. tomatoes, or maybe the Shrimp and Grits -- and one of those Blackberry Margaritas.

It was a most enjoyable evening and I look forward to returning often. The one small glitch was a delay in our order arriving – perhaps because we gave the server no idea that we were in any rush (which we were not) – but it was made good. When we informed her that we had waited a bit, she quickly comped us all free dessert. And the cheesecake was to die for.

1966 Lager/HBC craft beer was recommend by HBC. I liked it. (Buddy Martin photo)

As we left Spurrier’s Gridiron Grille – by the way, one excellent feature is ample parking and good accessibility just off I-75 – our driver Randy chose the “old route,” a country lane back to Jacksonville Road and U.S. 441 which was the perfect touch at dusk to cap off a superb evening with old friends.

I was reminded of how fortunate I was to number UF law grads Randy Briggs and Wayne McCall as pals – Wayne being a teammate of Spurrier’s and Gator captain in 1967 -- both enhanced and educated by their longtime spouses Diana Briggs and Beth McCall. My best friend and boss Joni Martin agreed.

We left all feeling proud of our friend Spurrier and how his powerful legacy keeps resonating, maybe even delineating between mediocrity and greatness in football at our alma mater. And his food ain’t bad, either.

The burgers with the famous #11 were popular. (Buddy Martin Photo)

Another friend of all ours, Dan Hightower, had gifted me with this homily at his 50th wedding anniversary celebration with bride Mary Shelton recently, which featured an impressive group of old Ocala types that seemed to fit the evening’s theme at Spurrier’s:

You can make old-fashioned ice cream,

You can make old-fashioned cocktails,

But you can’t make old friends.

--Author Unknown

(For information on directions, hours of operation and how to make reservations to Spurrier's Gridiron Grille, go to: Spurrier's Gridiron Grille https://spurriers.com