The Dude Abides: Steve Spurrier is THE DUDE in UF football history

“The Dude abides.  I don't know about you but I take comfort in that. It's good knowin' he's out there. The Dude. Takin' 'er easy for all us sinners.” – The Stranger, talking about The Dude, Jeff Lebowski, also known as His Dudeness, Duder or El Duderino in “The Big Lebowski”

Who is THE DUDE when it comes to Florida football? There have been three Heisman Trophy winners in the past, several members of the College Football Hall of Fame, some who will be and should be in the CHOF, and a few others who were outstanding during their careers at UF.

There is only one who qualifies as THE DUDE and that is Steven Orr Spurrier, Florida’s first legend in the modern era of college football and still the unmatched greatest coach in UF history.

There is are two El Duderinos. Neither played football at Florida. One was the defensive coordinator and master motivator of the Ray Graves era Gators. The other the only football coach with two national championships.

So here is my list of The Dude, the El Duderinos and 15 others who might have been THE DUDE or at least El Duderino someplace else.  

THE DUDE

Steven Orr Spurrier: It’s safe to say that he lifted Florida out of the dark ages and into the modern era of college football. Ray Graves eased the son of a Tennessee Presbyterian preacher into the starting role as a sophomore (freshmen weren’t eligible then), taking over in game five against Alabama. He capped off the season by leading the Gators to a 20-6 win over LSU in Baton Rouge. The Gators were 7-3 but there were only a handful of bowl games in those days so the Gators sat home. In 1965, Spurrier took the Gators to their first bowl game outside of the state of Florida. The Gators lost to Missouri, 20-18, in the Sugar Bowl because Graves elected to go for two (and missed) after the Gators mounted a furious comeback. Spurrier beat Bob Griese for the Heisman in 1966 when he led UF to its first 9-win season in history and an Orange Bowl win over Georgia Tech. He coached the Tampa Bay Bandits in the USFL, then led Duke to an improbable ACC title in 1989.

Florida athletic director Bill Arnsparger was opposed to Spurrier becoming the head coach after Galen Hall was fired. As legend has it, Ben Hill Griffin told Arnsparger, “Bill, Steve Spurrier is going to be the football coach at the University of Florida. You don’t have to be the athletic director.”

Spurrier was the head coach for 12 years, during which the Gators had three 9-win seasons, six 10-win seasons, one 11-win season and two 12-1 seasons. The Gators won their first SEC championship that counted (1991). The Gators won four SEC championships in a row (1993-96), something only Bear Bryant ever did in SEC history. Florida played for the national championship in 1995, won it in 1996 by beating Florida State 52-20.   

Steve Spurrier is the greatest Gator ever. He is THE DUDE and THE DUDE abides.  

El Duderinos (2)

Gene Ellenson: He was Ray Graves’ defensive coordinator, a former Georgia All-American and hero in World War II who had two silver stars pinned on his chest by General Patton during the Battle of the Bulge. He may have gone to Georgia, but when he died his veins bled orange and blue. His pre-game and halftime speeches were the thing legends were made of. The night before the 1968 Florida State game, the Gators were staying at the Holiday Inn in Live Oak. As Coach Ellenson stood to talk to the team there was a knock on the meeting room door. A box was delivered to the podium. From the box Coach Ellenson lifted a Gator helmet with a hatchet buried in the crown and a note that read, “We’re going to kill your quarterback.” The fired up Gators held the high-scoring Seminoles to a field goal the next day. Coach Ellenson was supposed to succeed Coach Graves, but Dr. Stephen C. O’Connell made a deal with Douglas Adair Dickey of Tennessee PRIOR to the 1969 season for Dickey to become the UF head coach in 1970. In his last game as the UF defensive coordinator, the Gators beat Tennessee, 14-13, in the Gator Bowl as Jack Youngblood, Robert Harrell and others took turns stuffing anything the Vols ran.

Urban Meyer: Yeah, a lot of Gator fans are still upset that Meyer retired after the 2010 season, then became the head coach at Ohio State in 2012. They still blame Meyer for the current state of Florida football. Meyer left behind 34 players who would spend at least one year in the NFL, so it's not like he left the cupboard bare when he retired.

So, give the man credit. In six years on the job, the Gators were 65-15 with national championships in 2006 and 2008, plus three 13-1 seasons. Florida hasn’t won an SEC or national championship since Meyer left.  

Dudes, but not THE Dude (15)

1. Tim Tebow: Helped the Gators to the 2006 national title, then won the Heisman in 2007. Should have won in 2008 and was on the podium in 2009. He’s got a statue outside Ben Hill Griffin Stadium and people still flock to buy his jersey. The numbers 9,285 passing yards and 88 TDPs plus 2,947 rushing yards and 57 more TDs. The Gators were 48-6 in his four years, 35-6 when he was the starting QB. College Football Hall of Fame.

2. Danny Wuerffel: His status as a UF legend was sealed as a redshirt freshman in Lexington in 1993 when he threw a touchdown pass to Chris Doering to lead the Gators to an improbable24-20 come from behind win over Kentucky. The Heisman runner-up in 1995, Wuerffel won the Heisman in 1996 when he threw for 3,625 yards and 39 touchdowns to lead the Gators to the national championship. Like Spurrier and Tebow, Wuerffel was the son of a preacher. The Gators won the SEC title all four years he was on the field, racking up 10,875 yards and 114 touchdown passes.  College Football Hall of Fame.

3. Wilber Marshall: When Charley Pell moved Wilber from tight end to linebacker in the spring of 1980, he was ready to transfer. Only a late night heart-to-heart with Ward Pell saved the day. Wilber went on to be the two-time national defensive player of the year in a career in which he was the most feared defensive player in the country. He was in on 323 tackles with 22 sacks despite 90 percent of the plays run away from him. Southern Cal’s Sean Salisbury still sees Wilber in his nightmares. College Football Hall of Fame.

4. Emmitt Smith: When he signed with Florida alleged recruiting guru Max Emfinger said the Gators got “a plugger.” Some plugger. Emmitt gained 3,928 yards in a career in which the offense was basically Emmitt left, Emmitt right and Emmitt up the middle. Well, there was 1988 when Lynn Amedee tried to sell the idea that Willie McClendon was a better tailback. Emmitt survived the Amedeeville Horror and rebounded in 1989 with a school record 1,599 yards in an offense that had no passing attack once Kyle Morris and Stacy Simmons were injured. Pro Football and College Football halls of fame.

5. Jack Youngblood: In 1969, Youngblood and Robert Harrell combined for 11 sacks of FSU All-American QB Bill Cappleman as the Gators beat the favored Seminoles, 21-6. As a sophomore in 1968 he was also the field goal kicker who beat Air Force in the season opener, 24-21. He was a 6-4, 185-pound linebacker when he arrived at UF from Monticello, Florida. He was a beast who would go on to have an NFL Hall of Fame career when he left in 1971. College Football Hall of Fame.

6. Wes Sandy Chandler: If he had played in the Spurrier era he would have set receiving records that would have never been broken. The Gators ran the wishbone during the Dickey era and everybody knew that if UF was throwing the ball was going to Wes Chandler. Despite quarterbacks with accuracy issues, he caught 90 passes for 1,963 yards and 22 touchdowns. He doubled as a tailback the last few games of 1977 when he ran for 353 yards and six touchdowns. He scored all three touchdowns in Florida’s 22-17 upset of Georgia in 1977, one on a spectacular 1-handed catch. He was Percy before there was Percy. College Football Hall of Fame.

7. Percy Harvin: In the 2008 national championship game with Oklahoma in 2008, the Gators had just come up with a magnificent goal line stand to stop the Sooners at the UF three on fourth down. On first down, Percy Harvin, running on a still healing high ankle sprain, took a handoff and went straight up the gut, splitting two OU defenders at the 10. At full speed they never would have caught him, but when they brought him down it was at the UF 49. The game changed on that play and UF went on to win the national title, 24-14. Percy’s numbers – 1,852 rushing yards (9.5 per carry) and 19 touchdowns, 133 catches for 1,929 yards and 13 touchdowns. He only touched the ball 327 times in three years! 

8. Lomas Brown: The left tackle for The Great Wall, one of the greatest offensive lines in the history of the Southeastern Conference. A four-year starter for Charley Pell, Lomas was an All-American in 1984 when he won the Jacobs Blocking Trophy. A dominating run blocker, Lomas had quick feet and rarely was beaten off the edge. He was the best O-lineman in the country in 1984. College Football Hall of Fame.

9. Carlos Alvarez: Against Houston in the 1969 season opener, Alvarez blew by an All-American corner to catch a 70-yard TDP from John Reaves, a prelude of things to come in the Super Sophs fabulous 9-1-1 season, then a best record in school history. Carlos caught 88 passes for 1,329 yards and 12 touchdowns in that All-American season. Injuries and the 1970 transformation of Florida’s exciting offense to Douglas Adair Dickey’s watch the paint dry style curtailed Carlos from a career no one could ever forget. Still, he caught 172 passes for 2,569 yards and 19 touchdowns. College Football Hall of Fame.

10. Scot Brantley: The tackling machine. In three full seasons plus five quarters of 1979, Scot Brantley was in on 467 tackles. David Little, who played four full seasons, holds the school record of 475. Scot Brantley was sideline-to-sideline and maybe the most consistently ferocious hitter of his era. He deserves a spot in Florida’s Ring of Honor.

11. Shane Matthews: This should tell you how good Shane Matthews was. He learned the Steve Spurrier offense in one spring. Every other Spurrier quarterback took at least one full year. Shane led the Gators to their first official SEC championship in 1991 and was the two-time SEC Player of the Year. He was 29-6 as the UF starting QB with 9,287 passing yards and 74 TDPs.

12.  Maurkice Pouncey: When Maurkice and twin brother Mike signed with the Gators FSU insiders posted that the dynasty was officially over. Maurkice started at right guard as a true freshman, moved to center as a junior in 2008 and won the Rimington Trophy as the nation’s best center in 2009. An absolute beast who handled nose tackles without assistance from a guard.

13. Reggie Nelson: On the first play of the Tennessee game at Neyland Stadium in 2006, the Vols thought they had the mismatch they needed on the outside so Erik Ainge went deep down the sideline for what everyone in the stadium though would be a TDP when the ball was launched. Only one problem. Reggie Nelson, from his one-high safety came from 30 yards away to erase the play with a startling interception. “The Eraser” set the tone for Florida’s dominant defense as the Gators went on to win the national championship. Nelson was a first team All-American and should have won the Thorpe Award as the nation’s best defensive back.

14. Errict Rhett: If you were to ask most Florida fans who is the all-time leading rusher in Gator history you would probably get one of two answers – Emmitt Smith or Fred Taylor. Both wrong. Errict Rhett gained 4,163 yards and scored 34 rushing touchdowns. He also caught 153 passes for 1,230 yards. He didn’t miss when it came to picking up blitzers. How many third-and-two or fourth-and-ones did Rhett fail to convert? You can probably count it on one hand. Best Rhett memory. Prior to the 1993 Georgia game at the Gator Bowl, Rhett was playing in the mud and enjoying the rain. Rhett carried 41 times, gained 183 yards and scored two touchdowns as the Gators beat Georgia, 33-26.

15. Alex Brown: Tennessee came to The Swamp with a 14-game winning streak on a hot, muggy Saturday night in September. Tee Martin, who had quarterbacked the Vols to the national championship in 1998, became Alex Brown’s personal whipping boy. Alex had five sacks, forced a fumble and intercepted a pass. Tee Martin still hears the footsteps. A two-time All-American and a Lombardi Trophy finalist, Alex still holds the single season (13) and career (33) sacks records at UF.