Steve Spurrier Says He Almost Accepted a Different Carolina Job in 2004
By Sean Facey
Steve Spurrier made a name for himself as the head coach at South Carolina, but he almost ended up with their rivals up the East Coast.
Back in October of 2004, Spurrier nearly became the head coach of the Tar Heels after John Bunting struggled to field a winning team.
The time Steve Spurrier almost took the North Carolina job https://t.co/p3HC9vVR1Z
— FootballScoop Staff (@FootballScoop) August 20, 2019
UNC was coming off of a brutal 2-10 season and things weren't going so well with Bunting at the helm. Spurrier said he was approached by one of their "big-money guys" about possibly taking over.
And he nearly did.
"I said, ‘Sure I’d be interested,'" recalled Spurrier. "At the time, that job was probably more attractive than South Carolina, as far as facilities go." The only thing that kept him away was an upset victory over No. 4 Miami.
On the night before Halloween in 2004, a 42-yard field goal sailed through the air and went through the uprights, handing North Carolina a massive upset of No. 4 Miami.
— Zach Barnett (@zach_barnett) August 20, 2019
It also cost the Heels the chance to hire Steve Spurrier.https://t.co/qV7ZvsUEpo
Fortunately for the Gamecocks, he didn't end up taking the job. In November of that same year, he was announced as the program's new head coach, and the rest is history.
He guided South Carolina to a 86-49 record during his 11 years, posting an 11-2 record in three consecutive seasons from 2011-2013 and winning four straight bowl games from 2011 to 2014. He finished with a 5-4 bowl record.
It's crazy to think that he was so close to joining the Tar Heels. The very history of the rivalry between the two schools could have been drastically altered had he taken the job.